Tip: Watch Out for the Dieter’s Dilemma!

I’m at the stage in my weight-loss program when my loss has not only slowed to a crawl but sometimes backs up, and I have to spend a few days taking off a pound or two that I put on. At this stage, it’s harder than ever to stick to a food plan, because I’m not getting the reward and excitement of seeing the needle on the scale dropping. The urge is strong to say, “That’s it; that’s all I’m gonna lose. I may as well eat that ___.” Fill in the blank with a high-calorie food—I’m faced with plenty of them.

I keep running up against what I call “The Dieter’s Dilemma.” In the past, when each week I saw progress in my weight loss, I could easily refuse something calorie-laden. Now that I have little to no new losses to cheer about, I’m tempted to splurge on calories. Here’s a perfect example. About two weeks ago, my sister and I went to a restaurant after bowling. We smartly ordered one meal to share. When the server made a mistake on our order, though, she fixed it and added that the owner wanted to apologize by giving us a free flan for dessert. Dessert? I haven’t had a dessert, other than fruit, in months. Flan? Egg custard? Are you kidding me? Flan is one of my all-time favorite desserts on earth. No, the whole universe. A few months ago, I would have been able to refuse it, but not when I’m no longer losing pounds every month. The fresh, jiggly, mouth-watering flan came out on a dish with a large dollop of whipped cream, my other most favorite treat in the whole world. Fortunately my sister and I shared the dessert, so neither of us consumed all the calories, but we both had plenty, and I practically licked the plate clean.

Last week we went to another of our favorite restaurants, and during our conversation with the server, we mentioned how many times we go to that restaurant. At the end of our meal, as a thank-you from the owner, the server offered us another free dessert. What gives? When I was fat as a slaughter-ready hog, no one gave me free desserts, and that’s when I would have snorted them down without hesitation, happy as a pig in sugar.

What the heck, we said, bring on the key lime pie. Perhaps as some sort of offering to the calorie gods, however, this time my sister and I tacitly left the last couple of bites on the plate. Maybe we’re getting better.

Oh, and if free dessert isn’t a dieter’s dilemma, how about Passover, when one plate after another came out, this past Monday night. We’re also supposed to drink several glasses of wine, too. I did manage to sip only one tiny glass of wine and turn down some of the dishes of food and all the desserts, but I left my brother and sister-in-law’s house with a full belly, anyway. Yes, we Jews love any holiday that involves eating. On the bright side, my sister-in-law cooked fewer dishes this year and made sure they were low-calorie, because she’s on a food plan now, too.

My current mission involves fighting the dieter’s dilemma. I must remember to say “no” to free food, free dessert, second helpings, and other tempting treats that undo all the hard work I’ve performed so that I can fit into normal-sized clothes. I keep looking in the mirror to remind myself how much better I look, and it would be a shame to ruin what I’ve accomplished. Every time I leap up from the sofa without having to rock, balance, and groan, I remember how much healthier I am, too. Each time I run up the stairs, I recall how I used to climb up them painfully, one step at a time, and could barely drag the groceries up the stairs into the kitchen. No flan or key lime pie or plate of anything ever tasted as good as being healthy feels, and if I don’t lose another ounce, at least I’m determined not to go back to my unhealthy weight.

Truth be told, I’m still at a less-than-desirable weight, so I’m not abandoning my quest to lose more weight. I do, however, accept that fact that it will take longer than I hoped. Even if I don’t lose any more weight, knowing that I’m still trying to do so will keep me from turning loose of my self-control and forgetting all I’ve learned on my journey toward obtaining a healthier body.

With the support of my readers and my own mental discipline, the next time someone says, “Free dessert,” I’ll say, “That’s the dieter’s dilemma, but no, thank you.”

Tip: Cut restaurant meals in half

Maybe you noticed that I haven’t made a blog entry in a couple of weeks. I don’t even remember my reason (or excuse) for not blogging two weeks ago, but probably the truth is that it’s discouraging to keep reporting the same weight, and last week I had not made any weight-loss progress in a while.


I’ve also been sick for a week. I came down with an icky, bothersome cold, which made everything more difficult. My throat hurt and my sinuses were stuffy, my lungs congested, and my eyes watery. The last item, the watery eyes, made work challenging, because I make my living editing book-length manuscripts, and I had trouble seeing. I didn’t get much of anything done this past week, to tell the truth, except that once I was able to sleep, I slept in stretches as long as ten hours at a time, curled up with a heating pad on my chest, to help me breathe. It hasn’t been fun.

Today I feel almost normal again, though, and even joined a friend for lunch. Deb said she enjoys seeing tidbits of our conversations come out in my blog. She’s been a big winner when it comes to losing weight, so I listen to her tips and pass them on. She knows her stuff.

Today Deb and I split a meal and still had food left over to carry home. Restaurants in America serve oversized portions. No wonder Americans are overweight. I like to share my meal with a friend or take at least half of it home to eat later. Some folks have said it’s hard for them to stop eating once they start, so they ask for a carry-out container to be brought with the meal. When the food is served, these people cut the meal in half, put half in the carry-out container, and then eat the other half. That’s one way to ensure you don’t overeat. I don’t use that technique, but I do keep zippered plastic bags in my purse at all times, to help me take food home and keep myself from overeating.

Portion control is everything! I eat what I want, but I keep the portions sensible. I even ate a little bread and butter with the meal today, but only a little bit. Warm, fresh bread is a treat, and if I didn’t treat myself now and then, I might splurge on something that would go right to my tush and thighs.

Oh, I have to share another experience at lunch today. After eating, I went to the restroom, but when I went to pull down my pants, they wouldn’t budge. I experienced a moment of shock. Why wouldn’t my pants slide down? It finally occurred to me that for the first time in ten or twelve years, I was wearing a pair of slacks that had a zipper and a button at the waist instead an elastic waistband. I chuckled, unbuttoned, unzipped, and went about my business, but when I went back to the table, I had to tell Deb (and now the world) about not being able to pull my pants down. I’m wearing the first pair of non-stretch pants, the first non-elastic waistband, in a decade or more. That fact spells progress to me, even if I’ve lost only one pound in the last three weeks.

When I’m at the meat counter, I often pick up a one-pound package of ground beef and feel the weight in my hand, just to remind myself that one pound is still a significant amount of weight. Last week I saw a forty-five-pound bag of birdseed at a great price, but I didn’t buy it, because I couldn’t lift it. Yes, I couldn’t lift a bag that weighed less than the amount of weight I’ve lost, yet for years I carried that weight and more around on my back, knees, and feet. No wonder my body parts protested!

Here’s this week’s report, and I can proudly point to another pound gone.

Starting weight: 245
Weight last week: 195
Goal weight for this week: 194
Actual weight this week: 194
Total pounds lost: 51
Goal weight within next three weeks: 192
Goal weight: 150
Mini goal: 190 by February 28

Twenty Percent of My Weight Gone!

Whoops! Monday slipped by, without reporting in. Instead of writing a blog entry, I spent a relaxing day at a Korean spa with a girlfriend, celebrating her birthday, basking in the saunas, getting foot massages, and eating delicious Korean food.

At the food counter, however, I had difficulty finding a selection of food that fit my mindset of conscious eating. Most choices had noodles or rice as a large portion of the dish, so I opted for fried dumplings with a side dish of cabbage with thousand-island dressing. Fried foods may not be the best choice, and the dumplings had flour wrappers (evil fat-storing starch and oils!), but nobody said I have to be perfect. I’m not on a diet, anyway, but on a food plan, so if I have to step slightly outside the food plan on occasion, it’s okay, because I stay on track most of the time. I can splurge a little here and there; otherwise, I might go crazy and drop the whole plan. The only real problem with the dumplings was that they tasted too good, and I ate most of them, and I didn’t need as much food as I ate. Oh, well.

I’m doing well on my plan. I’m still delighted that I met my mini goal of reaching 195 by New Year’s, and I’ve now decided on my next mini goal: I will weigh 190 or less by February 28. I have eight weeks to lose five more pounds. Goals work for me, and I know I will do all I can to meet that goal.

Sometimes I have a moment when I can’t believe I’ve actually lost weight. It has seemed so easy, and it happened so quickly that I’m still adjusting my belief system. Every morning when I awake, I pat my midriff to double check that it really is considerably smaller than it used to be, and every morning, it is.

I went to the dentist today, and the hygienist said, “Wow! You sure look different from your picture!” My picture? I’d forgotten that a couple of years earlier, she took my photo to place in my digital file. Photos help the staff recognize patients and call them by name, a little touch that always makes me feel special whenever I visit. I looked at her computer screen and saw the big, fat Bobbie face that used to belong to me. In reality, my neck now looks longer, my face slimmer, and my shoulders more delicate. I like the new Bobbie. When I lose more weight, I may insist that she take another photo. Naw, I like seeing the contrast. I need reminders to congratulate myself and remind myself I’m on the right track.

I have lost fifty pounds in five and a half months, and I am now more than halfway to my final goal of losing 95 pounds. I’ve lost twenty percent of my body weight! Yay, me!

Okay, this entry is short. Watch this spot for a diatribe on pumpkins, coming soon. I’ve discovered that pumpkins aren’t just for Jack-o-lanterns anymore.

Starting weight: 245
Weight last week: 196
Goal weight for this week: 195
Actual weight this week: 195
Total pounds lost: 50
Goal weight for next week: 194
Goal weight: 150
Mini goal: 190 by February 28

Tip: Don’t Be a Statistic!

Oh, how lovely it is to see the dial on the scale dropping again after my month-long plateau! Again I’m energized and excited about my goal of reaching a healthy weight.

Yesterday I had lunch with good friends who complimented me on my new figure, even as I know I have so much more to go before that figure will be in alignment with what it should be for my height. I accepted their compliments, though, which always feel good, and we ate a scrumptious lunch without overdoing the calories or starches. Granted, we ate plenty of both, but not too many of either.

This past week I spent some time iced in and had time on my hands, so I followed a few threads on the Internet. I discovered that a few years ago, Nestlé, one of the world's largest makers of chocolate, bought weight-loss company Jenny Craig for $600 million. I wonder why its commercials don’t tell us this mixed-up piece of information. Nestlé for weight loss? Confusing. For more see http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2006-06-19-nestle-craig_x.htm.

My friend Deb pointed me toward SparkPeople, a free diet site filled with great-sounding, healthy recipes. There’s no charge for any of it, either. See http://sparkpeople.com/. I spent time downloading some mouth-watering recipes. Thank you, Deb.

As long as I’m into reporting bits and pieces today, here’s a note I received a few days before Thanksgiving from Edwina Cowgill, one of my blog followers:

I’m having nineteen people at my house Thanksgiving Day; I’ll be cooking all day Wednesday and Thursday morning. Here are a few things I plan to do to help me through the cooking and lunch:

- Have fresh veggies to nibble on while I cook.

- Eat a cup of squash (filling and few calories) just before serving lunch

- Have fresh fruit for dessert

She also said, “I love your determination and drive and look forward to reading more about your journey.”

Hey, I appreciate her determination. The holidays are the hardest time to lose weight but the perfect time to be on a weight-loss plan. One of the things I learned on the Internet is that the average North American gains seven to twelve pounds over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Egad! I do not plan to be a statistic. I am going against that average and losing weight during the holidays.

This week I am cooking for and serving about twenty-five people on Christmas Day, and while I’ll make my usual recipes that don’t spare the calories, I’ll be cautious about what I put on my plate. Oh, yes, at least half the turkey tail will be on that plate; I can’t resist a good turkey tail, but I won’t scarf down the potato salad or stuffing in the quantities I used to consume. In fact I won’t consume anything in the quantities I used to consume. I’ll be conscious of my portions, and I’ll spurn the sugary desserts. As an alternative, I will offer fruit for folks like me, who want something sweet, but not something filled with empty calories and devoid of fiber. Yeah, baby, bring on the holidays! I can beat ’em!

Here’s this week’s weigh-in information:
Starting weight: 245
Weight last week: 199
Goal weight for this week: 198
Actual weight this week: 198
Total pounds lost: 47
Goal weight for next week: 197
Goal weight: 150

Mini goal: 195 by New Year’s Eve (former mini goal of weighing 200 by New Year’s Eve was met early, so I set a new mini goal, also subject to change)

Tip: Say Yes to Sweet Potatoes

Yesterday was Monday, and I stayed too busy to report the results of my weigh-in, or maybe I’m ashamed to admit that I didn’t lose any weight this past week. I knew my weight loss would slow down at some point, but I trust it hasn’t come to a dead stop. I’m still way ahead of my scheduled goals, and I’m still eating right, so I’m not concerned by a one-week idle.

Today I visited my doctor for a regular checkup, and she told me I should be very proud of myself for losing forty-five pounds since I last saw her in April. She’s right. I am proud, and one week of staying the same weight is no big deal. It’s only the second week my weight stayed the same since I began my food plan in July. I’m sure I’ll still meet my mini goals and overall goal. Heck, I already met my first mini goal, which was to weigh 200 by New Year’s, and it’s not even Thanksgiving yet.

Yes, I am proud and excited that I’ve lost forty-five pounds, and more and more people are asking how I did it. My plan is simple, and it’s not about depriving myself, just making wise choices. One of the main components of my plan is to consume starchy foods in moderation. I can’t resist a little corn, rice, or pasta now and then, so I don’t deny myself, because if I did, I’d crave it even more. Instead I eat starchy foods in moderation, no more than half a cup at a time, and less than that is even better. For example, at lunch yesterday, the chicken wrap I ordered arrived with French fries on my plate, even though they were not in the description of what I had ordered. “I don’t want the fries,” I told the server.

“They come with the meal,” was her answer.

My lunch companion said, “I’ll take some,” so I tried to put all the fries on her plate, but she wouldn’t let me.

I took one small fry, put it in my mouth, and chewed. I had to admit that it did not taste nearly as good as losing weight felt, so I left all the other starchy fries on my plate and ate half the wrap I’d ordered and a small bowl of soup that came with it. I took the other half of the sandwich home and ate it for dinner with another small bowl of soup. Good choices.

Some starchy vegetables are fine, though, and one of my favorites is the sweet potato. The Center for Science in the Public Interest ranked the sweet potato number one in nutrition of all vegetables. Points were given for content of dietary fiber, naturally occurring sugars and complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins A and C, iron and calcium. Points were deducted for fat content (especially saturated fat), sodium, cholesterol, added refined sugars, and caffeine. The higher the score, the more nutritious the food. With a score of 184, the sweet potato outscored the next highest vegetable by more than a hundred points. No wonder I love them! No, I don’t add brown sugar to them, but a pat of butter and a little sea salt, and they’re out of this world.

When my family went to a hamburger restaurant a few weeks ago I ordered a grilled chicken breast on a bowl of lettuce, rather than a beef burger on a bun, so I didn’t feel guilty about eating some of the delicious sweet potato fries and onions rings we ordered as an appetizer. I left the table feeling that I’d had great treats without overeating things that are bad for me. Sweet potatoes have more fiber than oatmeal, more vitamin A than carrots, more potassium than a banana, and more flavor than white potatoes. A small sweet potato has only about 150 calories, and all of them good for me.

So am I depriving myself? Am I starving or craving things I can’t have? No way! That is why I deny that I am on a diet at all, and without dieting, I’ve lost forty-five pounds. Yay, me. Now on to the next forty-five…!

Starting weight: 245
Weight last week: 200
Goal weight for this week: 199
Actual weight this week: 200
Total pounds lost: 45
Goal weight for next week: 199
Goal weight: 150

Tip: Pause before You Plunge

First the great news: I hit a major milestone this morning. My mini goal had been to weigh 200 by New Year’s, but guess what. It’s only November 15, 2010, and I already hit that goal this morning, when I stepped on the scale and weighed 200 pounds. Oh, heavens, that number still looks awful, doesn’t it? I have so much more to lose, but hooray for me, because I’ve lost forty-five ugly, health-threatening pounds. I hope the next forty-five pounds are as easy to lose as the first forty-five. I trust they will be, because I am in the habit of making good choices, and I constantly read more good information to keep me on track.

Most recently I read an interesting tidbit in AARP The Magazine that said that the Cornell Food and Brand Lab studied 213 people while they helped themselves to a buffet. Seventy-one percent of the thin people scouted the buffet table first to see what they wanted to put on their plates before they even picked up a plate. Three-quarters of the heavy people grabbed their plates first and began taking food before they even had a good idea of the choices available.

At lunchtime last Saturday I went to an opening of a new business in the neighborhood that offered a free buffet. I had read the article about thin people who perused the buffet before making choices, but honestly, I didn’t think about it at the time. I instinctively scrutinized the offerings at the food table before I put anything on my plate. I’m not sure, now, though, whether I actually took a plate first or not, but I certainly didn’t put anything on that plate until I had made my healthy choices.

Remember my blog entry about thinking like a thin person? It’s working. More and more, I’m thinking like a thin person. That buffet table had green beans, broccoli, white rice and beans, two types of dried-out-looking meat, and a cabbage-based salad. I chose the salad, broccoli, and green beans, and without any effort bypassed the dried-out meat and white rice, plus, without even thinking, I also bypassed the entire table of sweets, which included cookies, cakes, and my absolute favorite, whipped cream. Well, it was probably the fake kind, loaded with hydrogenated oils, but in the past that fact wouldn’t have stopped me from glopping it onto a piece of cake and eating it with gusto. That’s the past, though. Now I automatically scan buffets before I put anything on my plate.

I know I will be faced with more buffets, especially during the holiday season, and I feel confident that I’ll pause, scan the selections, and make my choices before I put a drop of food on my plate. In that way I’ll fill my plate with the best choices and not be tempted by the starch-laden ones. Getting through Thanksgiving and Christmas while sticking to a food plan may be tough, and actually losing weight over the holidays may be even tougher, but I swear I’m going to do it. I have a goal in mind, and nothing can stop me.

Because I’ve met my first mini goal, I’ve set another one. My new mini goal is to lose five more pounds before New Year’s and weigh 195 by January 1.

On another topic, one of my many readers said to forget the digital scale that has become my nemesis, because it says I weight more than my dial scale says. I think I will use the digital scale when I want to see incremental changes in my weight, but for now will ignore it and stick with the dial scale, which, by the way, agrees with the expensive dial scale at my gym, where I weigh in wearing a bathing suit. Today is weigh-in day, so here’s my official report:

Starting weight: 245
Weight last week: 204
Goal weight for this week: 203
Actual weight this week: 200
Total pounds lost: 45
Goal weight for next week: 199
Goal weight: 150

Tip: Become Your Own Weight-Loss Company; Don’t Pay Those High Prices!

I find myself more interested in ever in reports on various diet plans and weight-loss companies. I read an article that quotes a study whose results say the Jenny Craig diet helped women who weighed 200 pounds or more lose twenty pounds a year. The study was funded, of course, by Jenny Craig. Once I read the entire article, I learned that the cost of the diet is usually about $350 for the intake and counseling and $100 a week for the food; however, all those things were provided free to the study participants. Finally, if you read to the very end, the article makes the most ludicrous of all statements: “If provided for free, structured programs like Jenny Craig may be a cost-effective way of encouraging weight loss and fighting obesity.” Of course it’s cost-effective when it’s free, but it’s NOT free. It’s expensive and unnecessary, if we simply learn to eat correctly on our own. For the whole article, see http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/10/09/jenny-craig-clients-in-study-shed-20-pounds/.

Twenty pounds a year, when you weight 200 pounds, means that reaching a weight of 150 would take two and a half years. Although slow weight loss is smart, something that slow would probably discourage most dieters before they reached their goal weight. In addition, how many people can afford to pay for Jenny Craig food, counseling, and monitoring for two and a half years?

An advertisement came in the mail recently for Nutrisystem, another expensive weight-loss plan that makes participants buy their food, rather than teaching you how to eat normal, healthful food from supermarkets, farmer’s markets, and restaurants.

Logic dictates that if we don’t learn how to eat correctly on our own, without prepared meals being delivered to us, as soon as we stop eating those prepared foods, we’ll go right back to old habits that made us gain weight in the first place.

Now Nutrisystem also offers a program to help lower blood sugar and control type 2 diabetes. Nutrisystem D, like the regular program, requires that you buy Nutrisystem-prepared meals. Do they expect people with type 2 diabetes to eat Nutrisystem D meals for life? What an impossible and expensive task! It means participants can never go to a friend’s house for dinner, take a cruise, or eat at a restaurant.

Let’s back up a moment and look at some facts. What causes type 2 diabetes? According to the Centers for Disease Control, while not everyone with type 2 diabetes is overweight, obesity and lack of physical activity are the two most common causes of this form of diabetes (insulin intolerance) and obesity and lack of exercise are responsible for nearly 95% of type 2 diabetes cases in the United States. If we can avoid getting type 2 diabetes 95% of the time by eating correctly and adding a little exercise to our week, it would cost less, save us from having to monitor our blood sugar, give us personal freedom to travel, eat out, and enjoy life, and also let us avoid the horrific effects of diabetes, including but not limited to skin problems, foot problems, heart problems, blindness, and death.

My food plan calls for self-motivation, rather than motivation from a counselor, plus I get motivation from those who send me e-mails to encourage me, since I went public with my intention to lose weight.

My food plan doesn’t cost any more than regular groceries cost, because it calls for regular groceries. My groceries cost about $35 a week. My food plan involves buying and eating real food, not food manufactured, dried, frozen, or otherwise prepared. I eat regular, normal, healthful food. Cereal, oatmeal, fruit, and/or yogurt in the morning and vegetables and fruits for lunch, dinner, and snacks, plus three to four ounces of protein of some sort, be it eggs, fish, chicken, beef, or beans, at lunch and dinner.

I worry about people who diet on pre-packaged foods. What do they learn about how to eat normal, everyday food? How can they know what to cook for themselves? What can they know of how to order healthy food at a restaurant? I have learned how to eat normal, healthful, delicious food. I can follow my food plan for life, and it’s simple. I eat lots of veggies and fruits and I control the protein. Around 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon I might have a snack of an apple, fresh pineapple, kiwi fruit, or whatever is in season. I avoid snacking on starch-laden snacks such as chips or popcorn. I avoid dessert entirely or allow myself one forkful, which is amazingly satisfying. My plan automatically results in low-fat, healthy eating, and the weight falls off at a satisfying rate.

It took me about three weeks for this healthy type of eating to become a habit, but that’s it. It’s a habit with me now, and I no longer have hunger pains or cravings that feel uncontrollable.

I have become a zealot, I know. I want to tell the world how easy it is to lose weight and eat right, all without paying someone to monitor you, counsel you, or make food for you.

Tip: Almost Every Menu Has Good Choices

Yesterday after bowling my sister and I went out to lunch. Both of us immediately scanned the salad portion of the menu and found a salad made with avocado slices, shrimp, and Romaine (a good form of lettuce with fiber, food value, and taste, unlike the popular iceberg lettuce). It also promised pico de gallo, and feta cheese, all with an olive-oil-based dressing. Great!

My sister asked our server, Sarah, if it was okay to split a salad, explaining that she and I are both on diets, whether I admit it or not.

I laughed, because as my sister knows, I refuse to call my food plan a diet, because the D word sounds repulsive. It is, after all, a four-letter word. Diets require restrictions, restraints, limitations, and hunger, and most call for unusual or bland foods. Diets are difficult to maintain, and they are short-lived, because of that fact. My food plan is not a diet, because it doesn’t have immutable rules; it’s just a healthy way to eat, and it’s a plan for life. It calls for real food, with unlimited choices, and no matter where I am, I can eat healthy, good food. I get frustrated when people say, “Oh, you’re on a diet; does that mean we can’t go out to eat together?” Of course not! A food plan isn’t a diet, and besides, we have to eat something, every day, to stay alive. I eat real food; restaurants serve real food. It’s up to me to make healthy choices.

My sister and I made our healthy choice. We told the server that we would split the salad, but put the pico de gallo, feta, and dressing on the side. The server said the restaurant also had a balsamic vinaigrette dressing we might like, and she offered to bring both dressings, on the side, of course.

I wanted the pico de gallo on the side because it contains raw onions, which sometimes give me a bad aftertaste that continues in my mouth for hours. We ordered the other items on the side, though, so we had complete control over them. I don’t care for feta cheese, for instance, but my sister loves it, so she could have all she wanted on her half of the salad, while my half remained cheese free. Often when a restaurant applies salad dressing it adds too much; besides, with two dressings, we could choose the dressing we preferred and apply it in the quantity we wanted.

When the salads arrived (the restaurant split it and put it on separate plates for us. How nice!), I had one more shrimp than my sister, which we agreed worked out fine, since she was eating the cheese, both of us mindful that both shrimp and cheese should be eaten in limited quantities. I picked out some of the tomatoes from among the onions in the pico de gallo (which, by the way, means rooster’s beak in Spanish. What’s up with that?) and added them to my salad. It turned out my sister and I both liked the olive oil dressing best, and olive oil is one of the good oils included in cholesterol-lowering Mediterranean diets. Half a salad turned out to be exactly the right amount of food for each of us for lunch. Isn’t eating is restaurants a treat?

Although I give many tips in my blog and will give many more as I go along, there's obviously no trick to my food plan; it’s just a healthy way to eat, and regardless of where I eat, I can almost always find healthy choices. As a conscientious eater, my only job is to make the right choices, every time I eat. See? It’s not a diet at all, and yet I’m losing weight every week and having a great time doing it.

Tip: Don't Get Discouraged!

Bobbie's Birthday Party!

Yes, yes, I know; it’s Monday. I’m supposed to report my weight. The news isn’t great this week, just as it wasn’t great last week, but last week I at least lost a pound. This week my weight stagnated.

I expected weeks like this. I know they happen on weight-loss plans, but I hoped it wouldn’t happen to me. Instead of kicking or cursing myself, though, I point to the fact that I wanted to lose an average of a pound a week, and if I lean on the averages, I’m still doing okay. Let’s see. I began my food plan on about July 15, but I won’t count those first few days and say it began instead on July 19, so I can count Monday to Monday. Today is September 27, so I’ve been on the plan ten weeks and have lost 31 pounds, which is an average of three pounds a week. Okay, I’ve found a way to see the good side and stop concentrating on the not-to-good side, the fact that the scale stayed the same this week. I can also say, “Hey, at least I didn’t gain anything.”

I could have gained. Really, I could have. My food plan isn’t highly restrictive; I can eat what I want, I just have to be conscious of the portion sizes and keep them small. I’m human, though, so at times I consume more food than my body needs. I know I ate more than I needed last night, for example, when I went to my favorite Chinese buffet and it had coconut shrimp, one of my favorites. Believe me, I didn’t consume nearly as much as I used to eat when I visited that buffet. I used to consume at least two big plates full of mostly shrimp and fish. Last night I first made a salad and ate that, before I fixed a single plate and was careful to add vegetables to the protein. I used to eat apple pie and ice cream for dessert there. Last night I skipped dessert entirely. I know I’m eating healthier and less, but less than far too much can still be too much!

Overeating last night might have been so bad, but I had overeaten the night before, as well. My sister gave me a dinner party for my birthday. Although I insisted on bringing fruit for dessert instead of having a birthday cake, the dinner was so delicious that I ate more than usual, and my stomach felt it, too.

Whenever I overeat, though, I try to make up for it by eating less at other meals, but obviously I’m not perfect, or my weight would have gone down this week.

Am I discouraged? No way! I may be disappointed, but certainly not discouraged. In the past the news that I hadn’t lost weight in a week might have sent me to the freezer to binge on ice cream, but not today.

I examined what I’ve done all week and what I’m eaten. The first thing I acknowledged is that after I saw progress in my weight loss, I stopped keeping my food diary. As a result, this week when I didn’t lose weight, I couldn’t even look in my food diary to closely examine the foods I’ve consumed. Bad Bobbie! I vowed to return to original plan and write down everything I eat.

What’s the purpose of a food diary? When I write down what I eat at each meal, I can more carefully analyze whether I’ve eaten enough vegetables and protein each day, but more importantly, the food diary is my conscience. Every item that goes in my mouth gets written into the daily diary, which means I can’t eat a candy bar and forget I ate it, the way I used to do. The diary keeps me conscious of my food consumption, and conscious eating is the entire basis of my food plan. My food diary is a simple spiral notebook where I write down the date and list each meal or snack that I eat that day. If I’m at home, I list what I eat as soon as I eat it. If I eat out, as soon as I get home I list the items I ate. I don’t wait until nighttime to try to recall everything I ate that day, because invariably I’ll forget something.

In examining this week’s weight stagnation, the second thing I realized was that I’ve skipped breakfast almost every day this past week, and breakfast is an important meal. I know that fact, but I still sometimes forget to eat breakfast. I pledged to eat breakfast this week. I began today with plain yogurt, blueberries, and high-fiber whole-wheat cereal sweetened with a very light sprinkle of raw sugar.

The third thing I know is that I got to the gym only one time this week. I need to work out more, to burn off calories and get more fit. My excuse has been the fact that my dog has needed much more attention than normal while he recuperates from eye surgery and complications following surgery. That excuse will soon disappear, though. The veterinarian estimates that the dog will be much better by the end of this week, and I’ll have no excuse not to swim and do water aerobics, my workouts of choice.

Examining last week makes me analyze what I can do better this week, and by golly, I’ll do it. Nothing will sway me from becoming as healthy as I can be, and for me that means I must have a smaller body. No, I am not discouraged in the least; if anything, I’m more determined than ever.

Starting weight: 245
Goal weight for this week: 213
Actual weight this week: 214 (rats!)
Goal weight for next week: 213
Total weight lost: 31
Overall goal weight: 150

One Small Pound for a Woman

I don’t mind admitting it; I worried on my trip to the scale this morning. I knew that this past week I had walked away from the dinner table with a tummy a little fuller than it’s been lately. I ate properly and ate healthy foods, but didn’t always watch my portion size. Instead of just a leg or a thigh of chicken, I ate the whole quarter, leg and thigh. For several meals. My fault; for me whatever goes on my plate goes into my mouth, most of the time, and I know that fact about myself. I swear next time I cook a package of chicken quarters I’ll cut the legs and thighs apart, so I won’t be tempted to take a whole quarter at a time. Add in the fabulous prime rib lunch I ate yesterday, when a client came to town and insisted on treating me to an expensive meal. At least I switched the garlic mashed potatoes out for broccoli, but I couldn’t resist the shrimp-and-grits appetizer and ate a good third of the grits. When it was over, I’d eaten way too much for one meal, even though I took some of the food home.

While I strolled toward the dreaded scale, I promised myself I’d be better at portion control this week.

I also acknowledged that I had worked out only one time this week. Only one time did I show my face (and a few other things) at Gold’s Gym when I slipped into a bathing suit for water aerobics and swimming. One time, all week. I mentally pleaded, “Oh, please, scale, at least show no gain, and please let me have lost a pound. I swear, if you’ll show me one pound lost, I’ll work out more this week.”

In my bargaining phase, though, I reminded myself that I’ve been taking longer and more walks with my dog, now that my knees and feet don’t hurt. It may not be much exercise to stroll my street, but it’s at least moving around, instead of sitting at my desk or sitting on my sofa. I also bowled twice. Again, not much exercise, but it involves lifting weights, walking, and a lot of high fives, when my sister or I make a mark. Doesn’t that count?

Up on the scale I stepped, trepidation in my heart. Alas, I had barely eked out a one-pound loss. Oh, if my scale were digital and showed increments, truth is I probably didn’t lose a whole pound, but it’s not, so I’m claiming the pound.

I knew I couldn’t maintain weight losses of three or four pounds a week, but I really do want to average one pound or more a week, so I’ll be better this week. I swear it.

On the good side, this week I’ve had several moments of joy over my smaller body, even though I have much more weight to lose. I wore a pair of earrings that used to dig into my shoulders, but because my shoulders have dropped and neck has elongated with my weight loss, I was able to wear the earrings comfortably. One day I was sitting on my sofa and chatting with a friend, when I noticed I’d crossed my legs at the knee. I’m ashamed to admit it, but I haven’t been able to comfortably cross my legs in years. Fat little legs and arthritic knees don’t allow such flexibility, but there I was, with my legs crossed. Hoo ha! Slender people don’t have these thoughts, but I’m sure some of my friends can relate to the joy I felt at that moment.

Watching my body grow smaller and feel younger is more than a delight. It’s a reward for eating consciously and healthily. This week I reached my sixty-sixth birthday, and yet I feel younger and better today than I did on my birthday last year. I love the direction I’m going.

Starting weight: 245
Goal weight for this week: 214
Actual weight this week: 214 (barely)
Goal weight for next week: 213
Total weight lost: 31
Overall goal weight: 150

Tip: Personal Control Results in Portion Control

My sister noticed a new restaurant had opened, and always looking for new adventures, we wanted to check it out. Cars filled the parking lot, so we thought we’d found a good place to eat. When we walked inside, though, we understood the volume of cars. The young girls who greeted us wore tiny plaid push-up-bra tops displaying hefty cleavage up top, and below, they sported short, low-waisted kilts, with plenty of skin showing from midriff to below the belly button. Everywhere we looked, men peopled the tables, eating pub (read: fried) food. We scanned the menu and ordered salads, about the only thing that did not come breaded and fried.

The server sat at our table for a chat, as I had seen her do at the other tables, which were heavier in testosterone. I asked her how she was treated there, and she assured me that the establishment did not allow any touching from customers, and she felt that she was treated very well by all. I told her she looked great in the outfit and admitted I wouldn’t have said so, if she hadn’t reassured me that she doesn't have to put up with harassment from the management or customers.

She thanked me and added that I wouldn’t have said such a thing a few years ago. What? Yes, she admitted, she had been chubby, but she decided to take care of her health, and she dropped thirty pounds. The next question is always, “How?” Her quick answer: eating healthy foods and portion control. It took her about a year; she dropped the weight slowly and wisely, and she’s kept it off for two years. I congratulated her.

On television a day later, one of the reality show stars looked better at the reunion show than she had during the show, so the emcee said, “What happened?”

Her answer. “I lost thirty pounds.”

Emcee: “How?”

“Portion control.”

I guess you see where I’m going. Nobody said, “I didn’t eat sweets.” No one said, “I didn’t eat my favorite foods.” No one said, “I starved myself.” Instead, their simple answer to losing weight was portion control.

Portion control: I harp on it, and that’s why I don’t call my food plan a diet; it’s a matter of portion control. I don’t need other people to tell me what to eat. I don’t have to cook and eat foods that are not natural to my eating patterns. I simply had to decide to take control over my health, take control over myself, and take control over the amount of food that enters my mouth.

Portion control is a positive action, not a negative one. Once I say, “I won’t eat fattening foods,” I’ve moved into negative talk, and even mentioning fattening foods can attract fattening foods to me and make me want them.

Positive talk involves saying to myself, “I will eat foods that are good for me. I will eat food in proper portions. If I want dessert, I will eat a tiny bit and quit. If I want a steak, I’ll eat four ounces and quit. If I want pasta, I will eat only a couple of ounces and quit. If I want anything, from soup to nuts, I’ll be conscious of the volume I consume, and I’ll eat less than my body needs. I will gradually reach the weight that is right for me.” Week by week, I'm getting there, and it feels wonderful to be in control of my person and my portion sizes.

Tip: Join or Create a Community of Like-Minded People

First let me say that several people have complained they were unable to leave their comments on this blog. That’s okay. Folks have been reaching me through Facebook and by e-mail, and I want your comments, experiences, and feedback. I’m ecstatic that we have become a community of weight-conscious people supporting each other. Together, we will rock!

Let’s all weigh in on Mondays. Let me know how you’re doing, up, down, or the same. You don’t have to give your actual weight, even though I do, to spur myself on. By putting that original ugly number (245 pounds) out in front of the public, I finally had to face the ugly truth myself. Facing the truth and going public with it has motivated me to stay on track. I also feel extra pride as the weight disappears. You can choose to reveal your weight or not. Either way, I'll support you and your goal.

Okay, so today is Monday, weigh-in day, and I stepped timidly on the scale. Yesterday I had gone to my favorite restaurant and eaten my favorite dish there, eggplant parmesan. I can only guess at the caloric enormity of that dish. Three large eggplant slices arrive breaded, fried, and covered in cheese and sauce, and if that’s not bad enough, the plate includes a “side dish” of pasta that’s enough by itself to make another entire meal. In addition, it includes a choice of a Caesar salad or house salad. I can’t make a good Caesar salad at home, so I always go for the Caesar.

Restaurants want to make customers happy, and they know that large portions please customers and high-fat foods please the palate. My sister and her hubby and I ordered the same dish, but as a couple, the two of them wisely split and shared one order. I didn’t have a partner, so I chomped down my entire Caesar salad, but skipped the croutons (every corner cut is a calorie unconsumed!). I then ate one of the eggplant slices and about three or four small forkfuls of spaghetti. I pushed the plate away and asked for a takeaway box. I now have two more meals in my fridge, once I add salads. As a result I pleased my palate, my stomach, my wallet, and my mind. I consumed plenty of food and felt thoroughly satisfied, plus I felt proud to have resisted the urge to eat more, simply because it tasted good.

Still, that breading, frying, and pasta weighed heavily on my mind this morning, and I felt a little trepidation when I stepped on the scale. Voila! My weight is down three pounds from last week. It proves that conscious eating—not dieting, but eating consciously—and a little exercise combine to give me the results I want.

Why do I harp on the “Don’t Call It a Diet” theme? Because diets dictate what you can and can’t eat, and for me, if I’m told I can’t eat something, I’ll soon crave it. If I cave and eat what I craved, I lose confidence and stop following the diet. In addition, if I am told I have to eat something, after a while, I don’t want to eat it. I know, because I’m a veteran of diets.

I tried the Scarsdale Diet years ago. It required that I eat some sort of bread that I had never tasted, and I was not pleased with it. Still, the diet plan called for a slice of that bread toasted and eaten every morning, and within the course of eating a loaf of that junk, I was done. No more Scarsdale for me, and very little weight lost. Another diet called for cooking and eating large quantities of cabbage, onion, and tomato soup. I actually liked the taste of it at first, but it gave me tremendous amounts of gas, which set me up for quite a few embarrassing moments at work. Having to eat that concoction every day, though, I soon lost my taste for it and quit. A few times I’ve told myself I won’t eat popcorn or desserts, and depriving myself of those things would be my diet plan. Oh, heavens, the next thing I knew, I was wolfing down ice cream, followed by large bowls of popcorn.

My food plan, though, is not a diet. The only restriction, if you can call it that, is to be fully conscious of what I eat. I know I don’t need the full amount of food I used to eat. The quantities I used to eat resulted in an overweight body. I now want a more height-weight-proportionate body, which means I have to reduce the volume of food I eat. To do so, I must be conscious of every mouthful of food I consume. It’s the easiest thing in the world! I don’t have to buy special foods, order special prepared foods, pay a consultant, attend meetings, buy and read any more diet books, or undergo surgery. All I have to do is put less food into my body than my body needs for that day. One day at a time. One meal at a time.

Exercise builds my strength and uses up some of that food I like to eat. In addition to my dog strolls, my preferred exercise is swimming and water aerobics, a series of calisthenics performed in the water. Water resistance adds to the workout, plus the water adds buoyancy that reduces the impact on my body. It’s all good.



One water aerobics exercise, though, has been my nemesis for years. In it I’m supposed to make a fist, bend my elbows, lift my left knee, touch it to my right elbow, and then alternate, again and again. It’s a good body crunch, provided a person can actually get her knees high enough to touch her elbows. My fat legs have long limited my flexibility, plus my fat stomach gets in the way. I haven’t touched elbow to knee in years. I always made the attempt, but all that happened was that I got winded and frustrated. Guess what, friends. Today my knees and elbows touched. I did it! It was a huge milestone for me. Oh, this losing-weight thing is so much fun, I wonder why I resisted it so long.

Now for today’s weigh-in information.

Starting weight: 245
Goal weight for this week: 223
Actual weight this week: 220
Goal weight for next week: 219
Total weight lost: 25
Overall goal weight: 150

Tip: A Salad a Day Keeps the Weight Away

Glory be, I love this food plan! I weigh myself once a week (or more; let’s face it, even I cheat!), and yesterday was my weigh-in day, and I lost two more pounds. I’m like an alcoholic who’s finally gotten sober and becomes addicted to sobriety, talking about it all the time. Seems all my friends and family members want to join me in my food plan, and they’re losing weight, too. As a result, healthy eating and losing weight top the list of our conversation topics.

I don’t mind. It’s a good thing to see folks around me climbing on my bandwagon toward success. It helps me, and I help them.

I keep saying I’m not on a diet; I’m on a food plan, and I can eat whatever I want, as long as I keep portion size in mind. Last week at the supermarket I saw samples of cake. I took one of the small slices, unwrapped it, and took a nibble. M-m-m good, one of those moist pudding cakes. I moved my cart to my now-favorite section of the supermarket, the produce section, and I took a second nibble of the cake.

Isn’t it funny that the first bite of dessert is always the best? I swear, it’s downhill from there. The second bite was good, yes, but the first one was better. I saw a trash bin near the corn and tossed the remainder of the cake in the trash. It’s fun being completely conscious of what I consume. I fulfilled my sweet tooth without mindlessly inhaling the entire slice of cake.

Let’s get back to the produce section. One of my biggest food-plan tips would be to make at least one meal a day a salad. I never get bored with my salads, because I get all sorts of add-ins. Oh, sure, I use the usual lettuce (I prefer Romaine), spinach, cucumbers, radishes, carrots, and other items from the produce department, but I love to add things that surprise my taste buds, too, such as fresh basil, tasty croutons (in moderation), chopped pecans (in moderation, and chop them yourself; they’re much tastier than the pre-chopped, expensive ones), pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, beets (either plain or pickled), olives (in moderation), granola, dried cranberries, raisins, dried blueberries, corn kernels (in moderation), cilantro, and you name it. Don’t forget the protein, though. Yes, add enough protein to make the salad stick around, so you’re not hungry in a couple of hours. Here’s my favorite protein to add: an egg; chopped leftover pork, beef, fish, or chicken; a chopped slice of chicken bologna, chopped turkey bratwurst…you get the picture. Simply remember the portion size. Limit the protein to the size of your palm of your hand, and you’ll be within portion limits. The leafy greens, however, do not have to be measured or weighed or anything. They’re good for you, and the more greens you have in your bowl, the fewer fatty things you’ll put in it.

Do be aware that some of the items I listed as add-ins are high in fat—avocado, seeds and nuts, olives, croutons, and the like, so include them in moderation, just enough to taste.

When it comes to the salad dressing, forget all those “diet” or low-fat dressings! You’re usually paying for added water, that’s all. All you have to do is know how much dressing to use. Use no more than two tablespoons, and I assure you, when you toss your salad, two tablespoons of dressing will coat every leaf and other item in the bowl. Trust me. If you want more dressing, you can add in a little plain yogurt to your creamy dressings or a little more vinegar to your vinaigrette dressings to expand them almost harmlessly.

So today’s tip: A salad a day keeps the weight away.

Knowing that you will have a salad for lunch or dinner makes meal planning simple and cuts down on your shopping decisions, both in a supermarket and in a restaurant. I like things simple, don’t you?

Before I give this week’s statistics, I need to add something that several people have written to warn me about. I have a goal of losing one pound a week, but people tell me that goal is unrealistic; some weeks I won’t lose that much, and as I stay on a food plan, my body will adjust, and the weight won’t come off as quickly as it does at the beginning of a food plan. These folks are completely right, so I should have clarified two things.

My goal of one pound a week is an average loss. In this way I won’t be disappointed when I lose less than a pound, because some weeks I have lost as many as three pounds, and the average is still good. Secondly, I set my goals high, maybe even unreachable, but I’d rather aim high and do well, if not perfectly, than aim low and perform less well.

If you’re reading my blog and thinking of losing weight, please sign up to follow my journey. You’ll get tips along the way, and we’ll all support each other in our goals. The more the merrier.

Now for today’s statistics:

Original weight: 245
Weight last week: 226
Goal weight for this week: 225
Actual weight this week: 224
Goal weight for next week: 223
Total pounds lost: 21
Final goal weight: 150

Tip: Weigh Yourself Only Once a Week

It’s Monday, so it’s weigh-in day, and the news is okay; not great, but okay. I lost a pound, which meets my goal of losing at least one pound a week, so I’m certainly not complaining, but I know why I lost only a pound. I had the best week, filled with social activities, which means going to restaurants with family members and friends. I ate out not once or twice but at least four times in seven days. Restaurant food tends to be loaded with calories and portions that are larger than they should be, and buffets are even worse. They beg me to overeat, or so it feels. I did well with most of my choices and quantities, but still, I know I ate more than necessary and ate things I wouldn’t have eaten at home.

A girl’s gotta have fun, even when she’s on a food plan, and I did have fun and lost a pound, too, as my weigh-in this morning can attest. I find it tough to weigh myself only once a week. I often sneak peeks midweek or after eating a big meal, but I know I shouldn’t. Do as I say, not as I do! I had an interesting conversation recently with a girlfriend, who disagreed with me about weighing in once a week. “Weight fluctuates from day to day,” she said, “and sometimes you can be two pounds up and the next day it’s gone. What if you’re two pounds up on the day you weigh in for the week? It could be discouraging.”

I agreed that weigh fluctuates; however, my comeback was this: “If you’ve stuck to your food plan and exercised all week, chances are that at the end of the week, you won’t be up two pounds, even for a day.”

Her argument, that weigh fluctuates, is exactly why experts tell us not to weigh every day; a weight gain when you’re on a weigh-loss program can frustrate a person and make him or her go off a food plan. If you give your body a whole week between weigh-ins, though, and you stick to your food and exercise plan, you have a greater chance of seeing a weight loss after seven days.

That’s my tip, then; weigh in only once a week. Mondays are my weigh-in days, so today’s score is listed below. One more pound dropped. More importantly, I feel a difference, an improvement, in my body already. My midriff feels less bloated, my knees hurt less, and I’m able to walk up and down the stairs in my house much easier, faster, and without pain or fear that I’ll fall. As a result, I’ve been walking my dog farther, which adds to my exercise. Things are looking up, even if my weight is down only sixteen ounces this week.

Original weight: 245
Weight last week: 230
Goal weight for this week: 229
Actual weight this week: 229
Goal weight for next week: 228
Total pounds lost: 16
Final goal weight: 150

Tip: Leave Food on Your Plate

I've talked about “If not now, when,” and how staying in the moment when I prepare a meal allows me to prepare a meal of the right substances and right portions. I also told about my childhood and how I learned to clean my plate. From my parents, aunt, and grandparents, I heard all the things that could possibly said to make me eat: “Eat! An empty plate is a happy plate! The children in Europe are starving! Try it; you’ll like it! Eat one more mouthful. You can do it!” I internalized the belief that a good girl cleans her plate. I mentally congratulated myself when I polished off every last morsel that could be picked up, scraped off, or even licked from the plate. “Good girl,” my internal dialogue told me. “Good girl. Only a bad girl wastes food, and you don’t want to be a bad girl.” I took that dialogue from my childhood right into my adulthood.

Yesterday I watched a movie titled Beyond Belief, wherein many types of therapists give snippets of information on how our belief system holds us back from achieving our goals. When we find ways to change our belief system, these therapists said, we can achieve anything we want.

How right they are! For years I believed I could not lose more than nineteen pounds. Where did I get that figure? All my adult life my weight hovered heavier than recommended for my height, so I tried many a diet in an attempt to look better and feel better. You name the diet, and I tried it; the Scarsdale diet, grapefruit diet, cabbage-and-tomato-soup diet, apple diet, and so forth. Every diet I ever tried worked—for a while. I could lose five, ten, fifteen pounds easily. Almost every limiting diet, though, has to be temporary. You can’t stay on them forever; they are not sensible eating plans. Not only that, they all required vast changes to my normal food choices, and when I had a family to feed, I had to eat something different from what I fed my family, which made sticking to the diet even harder. I had more weight to lose than most people, and with all the complications a diet created, I always gave up after a few weeks or a month and went back to my regular eating habits. As a result, no matter what diet I tried, the most I’d lost was nineteen pounds. Naturally I internalized the belief that I could lose only nineteen pounds. Anything more was impossible. Another belief: I can’t lose weight without endangering my health. The most devious of all, perhaps, was my original belief: Good girls clean their plates. Bad girls waste food.

What is your internal dialogue, your internal belief about food, about losing weight, about meeting your weight goal?

For me, when I realized my beliefs—that I could not lose more than nineteen pounds, that I endangered my health if I tried to lose more, and that I should not waste food, lest I be wasteful and therefore bad—I could scoff at them. Pooh! In truth I had never even tried to push past my mental limit of nineteen pounds of weight lost. I consciously knew my health was endangered not by losing the weight, but by not losing it, and I could find ways to avoid wasting food, if that issue continued to come up. By canceling out all the beliefs that limited me and kept me from losing weight in my past, I was able to lose sixty pounds and maintain my health, even improve it. My blood pressure went down to acceptable levels, and I avoided going on blood-pressure medicine for five years or more.

Unfortunately new beliefs undermined me. Once I lost the weight, I believed I could easily lose it again, and today, right now, I would eat whatever I wanted, because I’d eat better tomorrow. I did not think of the “If not now, when?” concept and kept putting off eating properly. I even let the “Good girl; clean your plate” belief creep back in, and the pounds crept back on. I kept waiting for something to click in my head, and when that click happened, I would go back on the sensible food plan that had worked so well for me.

I forgot that my food plan is not a diet; it's not temporary; it should last a lifetime. It’s a healthy way to eat; it’s not a punishment.

The only way to change a belief is to recognize it, face it, scoff at it, and replace it with another belief. When I think, “If not now, when,” I am able to stop eating when I’m satisfied (not full; that’s a different matter entirely!) and even leave food on my plate. I admit that leaving food uneaten is one of the hardest things I can do, but it’s something I deserve to do for myself. I ask for a to-go box at restaurants if the portions are too large; in that way, I’m not wasting food. It can make another meal for me, and sometimes two more. If something isn’t cooked perfectly, I find it even easier to leave it, now. At a restaurant yesterday, for example, I ordered a Caesar salad with grilled chicken. The outside edges of the chicken were overcooked and dry, so I ate only the three middle strips and left the two outer strips of chicken on my plate. As an afterthought, I offered them to my friend, but I admitted they weren’t very good, and he declined. When the waitress took away the plate with food still left on it, I cheered silently. I was a good girl for leaving food on my plate!

I look for excuses to leave food, now. I have changed my belief system. I believe that leaving food uneaten is something to be celebrated. A good girl doesn’t overeat. A good girl knows when to stop eating. A good girl can reach her goal weight, no matter how many pounds away it seems.

Oh, I weigh myself on Mondays, so here’s this week’s take:

Original weight: 245
Weight last week: 234
Goal weight for this week: 233
Actual weight this week: 230
Goal weight for next week: 229

Total pounds lost: 15

Final goal weight: 150

Restaurant Challenge

Bobbie with sisters Go and Jean, May 2010

The Mayo Clinic Web site gives the following tips on adopting a healthy lifestyle:

Control portion sizes and the total number of calories you consume.
Eat a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
Reduce your intake of saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol.
Limit sweets and salt.
Drink alcoholic beverages in moderation, if at all.
Include physical activity in your daily routine, if approved by your doctor.

It sounds simple, doesn’t it? Basically that’s the plan I’m on, too. Yes, people have asked for the details of my food plan, but it’s too lengthy to tell in total in one blog, so you’ll get bits and pieces as I go along. Basically, it’s what I said before and what’s listed in the Mayo Clinic site: More fruits and vegetables, fewer starches, controlled portion sizes, and fewer sugar-laden desserts or snacks.

Today my food challenge involved a free lunch at Carraba’s Italian Grill. I went to a financial seminar, one of the many offered to old farts like me, in hopes that we will entrust our life savings to some stranger who calls himself a financial planner. This seminar, however, promised to explain the advantages of rolling a traditional IRA into a Roth IRA, and I wanted to learn more about that subject. I learned the tax benefits are tremendous. Yes, when I started my IRAs, I was told that the value of a traditional IRA was that the contributions were tax-deductible, and the money in the IRA would be taxed only when I took it out after retirement, when I would be in a lower tax bracket. The problem, however, is that my house is paid off, and I have fewer deductions, and my business is doing well, and I have no intention of retiring fully for a long time, so when I reach the age that I am forced to take distributions, I’ll probably be in a higher tax bracket, not a lower one. At least a Roth IRA doesn’t force you to take deductions. All that stuff is financial mumbo-jumbo and not related to my food plan, however, so I’ll think about it later.

For the moment, my challenge at the restaurant was to choose from the three options available. All were forms of chicken, so that part was good. One was a chopped-chicken-stuffed ravioli with no vegetables. No vegetables? No brainer. Pasta and meat do not make a well-balanced meal. That choice was out. The other two choices both involved grilled chicken and grilled zucchini, but one had a cream sauce with sun-dried tomatoes, and the other featured cheese and mushrooms. I opted for the second one, and when it arrived, I drained most of the cheese from the middle of the chicken and moved it to the side of the plate. I was glad to see the portions were sensible in size, although my intent in restaurants will be always to eat less than is offered, whether or not I take home the leftovers. I ate slowly, so my stomach would fill up. When I finished eating, I had left the cheese, some of the chicken, and a little of the zucchini on the plate. For dessert, participants were given a mini cannoli in a take-away cup. I took mine; I never turn down food, but I haven’t eaten it yet. Later I may taste it and decide whether to eat it a mouthful at a time over the next couple of days. If it’s not wonderful, though, I’ll toss it out. I’m not crazy about mascarpone anyway. It’s defined in the dictionary as “a rich, fatty Italian cream cheese.” I’d rather have rich, fatty ice cream. In small portions, of course. That's the thing about my food plan; I can eat anything at all, but portion size rules.

When I got back home I went online and discovered how many people had read my blog and sent supportive notes through Facebook, cheering me on in my plan to reach a better weight. My heart warmed. Believe me, I pondered the wisdom of going public about my decision to start a food plan. I knew that if I failed in my goal or backslid, everyone would know it. I decided to go public, though, so I would feel the inherent pressure of my peers. In the past few years whenever I started a food plan, I told no one, thinking I wanted to surprise people with my lower weight. Every time I tried that method, though, I surprised only myself with how quickly I lost my motivation and went off the plan.

You, my friends, are helping me pile on the motivation to reach my goals. I need every bit of support, motivation, and encouragement I can get. You are the rails beneath my train, and I appreciate you more than you know.

Speaking of rails, let me get off track for a moment. This morning, despite the orthopedic doctor’s advice to take two Aleve with breakfast, I took only one ibuprofen. I hope to keep my medication level as low as possible. Even so, I felt well enough after lunch to take a side trip to a specialty lighting store, where I hoped to find an attractive replacement for the ugly builder-grade fluorescent light in my kitchen. When I walked into the huge lighting store, two young women sat far in the back, well behind a counter. I approached them, and one of the women stood and walked toward me. I assumed she was coming to help me; instead, she slipped through a side door and disappeared. The other woman remained seated, looked busy. Humph.

I wandered the large store on my own, ducking beneath hundreds of chandeliers and other hanging fixtures, walking and walking, despite my sore knees, before I finally located the fluorescent lighting section in the farthest room at the back. Alas, when I looked at the few meager selections, I had already seen almost everything there at Lowe’s or The Home Depot, and at about half the price. My sore knees and I walked back through showroom after showroom, reached the front of the store, and left, all without anyone even saying “Boo!” Oh, well, chalk that excursion up to “exercise.” Even the Mayo Clinic said to include physical activity in my daily routine.