FOOD is not love

In preparation for the long drive to Chicago, Beth wanted me to run by the store. I got 5 kinds of snacks. Every time I think I'm getting a handle on emotional eating, I do something like this.

Of course, Wednesday night, it snowed. We loaded up the car and parked at the neighbor's. Their driveway doesn't blow shut … unlike mine. Beth was so excited that she barely slept. We left Thursday at 7:30 a.m., and didn't pull into our motel till 2. It normally takes half the time. Only one lane was plowed for most of the way. The road sludge on my windshield was like driving in fog. I thought they fixed the washers. Wrong!
Thursday night, neither one of us slept well. Strange bed. Excitement. Nerves. I paced around the motel room Friday morning and stuffed a bunch of treats in her luggage (which the airline has lost, by the way). At 11, we went to the airport and met Whitney. I got us lunch at Mickey D's. The girls checked in. When they went through security, I had to say good bye. I watched her for a few moments, but just standing there was … well, I was going to cry and there's no point in that.
The drive home was a breeze. I was seriously doubting the decision to go up a day early, until Guy Morris called. He'd been by to dig me out. There were about 15 inches of snow in my driveway. (It's low and drifts.)
Then at home, the silence set in. My youngest child is on the other side of the globe. I want her to have this adventure, but I'll definitely miss her. We didn't eat very many of those snacks in the hotel, but I plowed through a lot Friday night.

FOOD is not love.

She called this morning. She's so tired and stressed that she's teary, but that'll pass. She will remember the next few months for the rest of her life.

FINDING Resolution

It’s the resolution time of year … the season when every other commercial is on taxes, quitting smoking or (you guessed it) losing weight.

 

If you only need to drop a few pounds, it’s a good time to go for it. But for those people, like me, who allowed weight to become a real problem, you need more than a diet.

 

You need to change.

 

I’ve been trying to change for the past 2 years. In the process, I’ve lost 80 pounds and that’s good. But I wouldn’t say I have the problem licked.

 

My New Year’s Resolutions are

1. to drop the remaining 30 pounds,
2. to keep exercising,
3. and to work on not eating unless I’m actually hungry … not bored, depressed or all the other emotional reasons I turn to food.

Looking for Other FATTIES

I signed up for Google alerts on “diet” and “calories” ... just to see what else is out there. Everyone is trying to sell you something. I’m not.

I’ve lost 80 pounds. I’m trying to lose another 30. This blog is about how I’ve done it and … well, a lot of other stuff I find interesting. I don’t belong to any weight loss program. I don’t have a personal trainer. I’m just eating les junk and walking.

And since I’m miles from perfect (I used to weight 270 … so MILES from perfect), I’m also pretty open about my mistakes.

I’d like to talk to other people, like me, who want to feel better and weigh less.

FRIDAY at the Gym

There’s something noble and long-suffering about going to the gym on a Friday night. That or it just shouts, “I HAVE NO LIFE.” Between moving Beth home from college and the office party, I missed 2 nights at the gym, so Pat, the martyr for her diet, went to the gym on Friday night.

There was no waiting. I got right on my favorite machine. In fact, there was only one other person there. We discussed our extreme self-sacrifice in the name of being slender. It’s a bond we’ll always share.

FIFTEEN Tips For Restrained FEASTING

A new study shows that Americans gain only about one pound over the holidays. Fewer than 10% gain 5 pounds or more.  Here are 15 ways to be thankful ... after Thanksgiving.
1 - Don’t skip meals. You’d think skipping breakfast would balance a big dinner, but it doesn’t work that way. Starving yourself before a party only ensures that you’ll go overboard later.

2 – Indulge a little. Once the holidays are over, the goodies are gone. Instead of depriving yourself of everything, pick out a few foods you truly want. Do it ahead of time, when temptation isn’t under your nose. In other words, I’ll have the stuffing, but skip the potatoes. Try going for halves. Instead of taking as much as you normally would, take ½ as much. You’ll still get some, but you do less diet damage.

3 - Small plates. A big plate looks empty with a small serving on it – to both you and your hostess “Are you sure you don’t want more?” Grab a small plate and stop when it’s full. This works year round.

4 - Pick protein. Select lean protein and cut down on starches and sweets.

5 - Grab a garden. Fill up on fresh, fiber-rich fruits and vegetables, but skip the high-fat dips.

6 - Less Booze. Alcohol contains hundreds of empty calories. If you’re tipsy, you may indulge in the things you would have avoided sober. Choose lo-cal options (wine and light beer) and have fewer.

7 – Don’t take a holiday from the gym. Continue to be active. More food and less exercise is not a good combination. Better yet, increase your routine. Add an extra day or stay longer. Weight = calories taken in plus or minus calories burned up. If that doesn’t work, park on the far side of the parking lot and walk to the stores on Black Friday. That’s the only place you’ll be able to find a spot anyway.

8 - Sleep. When you’re tired, you’re tempted to eat more to recharge … and it tends to be junk food.

9 - Relax. Stress is a trigger to eat more. You don’t have to do everything. It’s not a competition.

10 – Bring what you need. Bring a veggie plate to parties. Fill it with your favorites. This way you something that’s on your diet.

11 – Avoid temptation – literally. Stand as far away from the buffet table as you can get. Why make things harder on yourself? Out of sight. Out of mind.

12 – Wait. If you want more, wait a half hour at least. It takes that long for the food to reach the point in your digestive track where you feel full. Time is on your side. The longer you put of additional nibbling, the less you’ll do.

13 - Wear slightly tight pants. Pick something you look great in. Remember that whenever you’re tempted.

14 - Plan events that aren’t food focused. Have you noticed that so many holiday traditions center on eating? Go somewhere. Play games. Do something that’s fun, but not fattening.

15 – Avoid emotional eating. Happy. Sad. Lonely. These can all be reasons to eat. Beware of why you’re reaching for junk you don’t need. Food will not solve any problem but hunger.

FUNNY Tuesday: The Hair Cut

A CO-WORKER whose on-and-off diet of the last five years has yielded no visible results, responded to a compliment on her new haircut with: "It's a desperate attempt to lose weight!"

FUNNY Tuesday: The Joy of Sag

After years of unsuccessful dieting, my sister finally lost a significant amount of weight. When her suits began to sag, a co-worker suggested she alter her clothes to fit her new figure. "Not now," my sister protested. "Let me enjoy the sag for a little while first!"

FACING Reality: Where Am I Going Wrong?

If you find you’re not losing, and you think you should be, try writing down everything you eat. Look up the calories and total. Last time, I plateau-ed one of the problems was Mochas. They have 400 calories.

Yesterday I had 1470 calories:

• Naked Juice - 150
• Yogurt – 100
• 2 slices of toast with sugar-free jam - 150
• International Coffee - 60
• 6 caramels - 200 cal (Some idiot brought in their left over Halloween candy.)
• Healthy Choice ... 360
• Diet Coke - 0
• Apple -100
• Tuna Sandwich (2 slices of bread, can of tuna, dab of fat free ranch) 250 calories
• Banana – 100
• Diet Green Tea – 0

A healthy diet is 2,000 calories a day. According to Quack Watch, if you eat 500 fewer calories per day than you burn, you can expect to lose about a pound per week. In addition, I did an hour of Pilates and 20 minutes on the treadmill yesterday. (Normally it’s 40 minutes, but I get a break on Pilates' night.) I should be losing.

This morning, I weighted myself this morning and I was down to 193. This was been happening. I'm lower on Friday and higher on Monday. I think weekend eating is the problem.

I need to watch it this weekend and go for a walk both days. I haven’t been exercising on the weekend, but it’s time to start.

Should I Make a Big FAT Change?

Change sucks.

Well, let me rephrase that. Change, that I didn’t choose, sucks. Change, that was forced on me, sucks. But change I want, yeah, that’s an improvement.

My current weight loss plan is not working like it did in the beginning. I have 2 choices: Accept weighing 30 more pounds than the charts consider healthy. OR change what I’m doing till it starts working.

I really don’t care how much I weigh, but I do care how I feel. I feel great, now. 75 pounds less is wonderful! Will another 35 pound make a difference?

FASHION and Less FAT

This plateau is getting on my nerves. I'm trying to focus on the positive. Tonight I 'm wearing an old green T-shirt – one where the sleeves used to be too tight. Now I can put a large apple in those sleeves with my arm.


People keep commenting on my new clothes and it always makes me feel frivolous. A single mom with 2 kids in college shouldn't be frittering away her money on new clothes. Of course, that's not how they mean it.

I have some size 16s from when I started this job. They look new, because I've been too fat for them for several years. I've shortened and taken them in. I have other clothes from when the kids were little-- late 80s and early 90s. Some of the jackets had too much shoulder padding, but the skirts were fine when I hemmed them up. I have a bunch of pants and a couple of suits from Teri Peterson's yard sale. She's lost weight, so I bought her 14s.

About half my closet is new. I've tried to be frugal. The only regularly-priced thing I've bought was a pair of black boots. And I'm not talkin' high-end store sale racks. Those still aren't in my price range. I'm talking J C Penny sale racks with prices in the teens and single digits.

Of course, I like my new clothes. If I lose more, they'll be too big. I don't think that's why I'm not losing, but it does come up.

I'm going to the gym 4 nights a week now. I'm staying on the treadmill longer, but it isn't enough. Maybe I should stay even longer – like an hour. The thought makes me groan, but I have to do something. I need to get rid of this last 30 pounds.

FUNNY Tuesday: Picture on the Refrigerator

I remember one time when I was home visiting my folks. My mom asked me to set the table for dinner. I opened the refrigerator and taped to the inside of the door was a cheesecake picture of a lovely, slender, perfectly built, but scantily-clad young woman.

"Mom, what's this?" I asked.

"Oh, I put that up there to remind me not to overeat," she answered.

"Is it working?" I asked.

"Yes and no," she explained. "I've lost 15 pounds, but your dad has gained 20!".

Quote for 10/23/09: Jane Thomas Noland on Fat

Fat is not a moral problem. It's an oral problem. ~Jane Thomas Noland

Is Your Diet Coke Making You FAT?

A regular 12-ounce soda contains the equivalent of nine teaspoons of sugar or high fructose corn syrup. Imagine drinking a 12-ounce glass of iced tea with nine teaspoons of sugar stirred into it. According to Beverage Digest, overall sales of soda (sugar and diet) are 10.2 billion cases a year. That rounds out to be about 2-½ servings per day for every man, woman and child. A 12-ounce can of soda contains about 150 calories, so why not just drink diet pop?

I LOVE diet pop. I’ve been a multiple can per day person since junior high. I’ve heard that it isn’t that great for you, but today I actually looked into it. Here’s what I found:

• Purdue University found that rats who were fed artificial sweeteners consistently ate more than the group fed high-calorie sweeteners.
• People who drink diet soda on a daily basis have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
• Diet soda often contains sodium, which exacerbates thirst, while the caffeine causes you to lose fluid.
• All carbonated sodas also contain calcium-leaching phosphoric acid, and so much acid in your system can tilt your pH balance to an unhealthy level.
• The more diet soda you drink, the less healthful beverages, like water and tea, you’re also consuming.

According to a study at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, for each can of diet soft drink consumed per day, the risk of obesity goes up by 41%. Some experts are now exploring the possibility that artificial sweeteners confuse our taste buds and all those brain measures of satiety upon which we base what we eat. By offering our tastes buds something that seems sweet, it signals other parts of our bodies that glucose sugars are on the way. We set ourselves up for cravings — to which we eventually give in. In other words, consuming artificial sweeteners that seem real just might be setting us up to eat more later on.


Try this experiment: Fill a glass with soda, diet or regular, and drop a nail into the glass. Watch it over the course of an hour or two. You’ll find that the soda eats away at the nail in a surprisingly short amount of time. Now think of what it can do to living stomach tissue!

Wednesday Morning Weigh-In

Two weeks ago, I was 192 ... even briefly 191.  This time last week, I was 194.  In the past few days, I've seen 197.  This morning, I'm back to 194, but I want to be back to 192.  Well, let's be honest.  I'd rather be 160 or 155. 

I'm sticking with the treadmill longer.  I'm trying to remember to drink more water. The evening snacking is still a challenge, as is social eating.  Next week, I'd like to be 193.

Stubborn FAT: Why It's Not Moving

On August 27, I made a plan for refocusing on my diet. That was 8 weeks ago. How am I doing? http://fatfamilyotherfwords.blogspot.com/2009/08/fighting-fat-new-plan.html


Weight Loss Tool 1 - Exercise:
+ I’m going to the gym 3 nights a week as planned.
+ I’m doing arm exercises on the pullover machine before hand and during the first 10 minutes on the treadmill.
+ I’m even starting at 3.6 mph instead of the 3.5 that was in the plan.
- BUT I'm cutting out at 350 calories instead of sticking with it till 400.
+ I'm continuing Pilate’s. If I did the treadmill after Pilate’s, maybe that would help?

Weight Loss Tool Number 2 – Food:
+ I’m doing fine at breakfast.
+ I’m doing fine at work.
Then I get home. I’m trying to get away from the prepackaged stuff because of salt content. But meals from scratch have 2 problems.
- I snack while I cook.
- Calorie content is harder to figure. Maybe I should use more pre=packaged stuff for a while?
- Secondly, I’m an evening grazer. I’m not eating chocolate, because I’m not buying it. But I keep getting into the toast and butter.
- Of course the other problem is weekends. Eating is a social activity. Beth will not be home this weekend, so that should help. I need to have a way of dealing with her desire to indulge.

Weight Loss Tool Number 3 – Liquids:

- I don’t know how important this is, but I’m only doing about half what I planned. Some of my snacking is hunger, but the evening munchies are more about fidgeting. Maybe water would help with that. I’ll give it a try.


That’s 6 pluses and 6 minuses. When it comes to following my own plan, I’m not doing too well. No wonder I’m having trouble.

Ways to improve

• Stay till 400 calories on the treadmill
• Do the treadmill after Pilate's making that 4 nights a week instead of 3
• SERIOUSLY cut down on the evening snacks.
• Quit overeating on the weekends.
• Walk on the weekends.
• Drink more water.

Wednesday Morning Weigh-In

Last week, I weighted 192. In fact, I had briefly glimpsed 191. Today, I weight 194. If I ever needed an F-word, now would be the time. So what went wrong and how do I quit making the same mistakes?



First of all I was succeeding. Therefore, I relaxed. It's been 22 months of this and I'd really like to be done. But in the end, I have to watch what I eat for the rest of my life. Otherwise, it's coming all back.


I got sick last week and missed 2 days on the treadmill. (That's why there was no long post on Thursday.) On the bright side, the treadmill must be helping. I read that exercise didn't have much impact on weight loss. Clearly, that's bunk!


Then, there was the spinach dip. SPINACH! High in vitamins and fiber ... Low in calories ... unless you bury it in sour cream. The grocery store made it, so there wasn't an ingredient break down on the package. I have to quit buying the deli stuff

Quote for 10/10/09: Stephanie Klein on Losing Weight

I'd heard it all the time, 'Live in the moment.' But if I did that, I'd weigh more than a dump truck. Losing weight wasn't about the moment at all; it was about having faith in the future. It was about knowing there would be another meal in a few hours. - Stephanie Klein in Moose

Read more by Stephanie at http://stephanieklein.com/

Why Was I FAT?

No one is hungry enough to justify weighing 270. I know. That’s what I used to weigh. What got me there was not hunger.


The FTO-gene did not make me fat. I may or may not have it, but that’s not the reason I was 3-figures over a healthy weight.


I was not fat because I have big bones. As it turns out, I have the bone structure of a 6-foot tall man, but that doesn’t justify weighing 270 pounds. Even the 6 foot tall guy would be unhealthy at that poundage.


I was fat because I ate more than I needed and then sat on my butt. Period.


I’m not losing weight, so I can look like a model. That would require a nose job and a magic potion to rinse away 35 years. Besides, who cares? I love how much better I feel without the extra weight. I need to keep that.


So the question is why? Why did I eat more than I need? Why do I still? Why do you?

1. It feels good. Eating is an enjoyable experience. The taste … the smell … the warm feeling, yeah eating is a sensory experience.

2. Food is cheap. When you have no money for other indulgences, you can always afford brownie mix.

3. If you’re lonely, you associate plentiful food with good times … family get-togethers, celebrations.

4. If you’re tired, you associate food with recharging. Instead, you may need more sleep or less stress.

5. Orally fidgeting. Rather than take a cigarette break, you hit the candy machine. You want a 5-minute escape, and food is an excuse.

6. A sugary snack will make you feel good for a few minutes. It’s am emotionally soothing pick-me-up.

7. If you think of others, let me know. I’m happy to ad to the list.


This is one of the things I have to deal with … not only undoing the weight I’ve put on … but controlling why I did it. Otherwise, I’ll end up here again in a few years. Look at Oprah. A lot of people lose weight to gain it back. I have, although never this much.


Fat is just a symptom. I need to address the problem.

Wednesday Morning Weigh-In

I started at 270 pounds in January of 2008. Today, I weight 192. I have lost 78 pounds in the past 21 months – not a speed record. I have 32 to 37 more to go. I wanted to wrap it up this year, but next year looks more realistic.

I briefly visited 191 this weekend. Then Beth and I hit the Fall Flea Markets. I got

• A table with an antique sewing machine bottom - $40. It would be more antique if it had the sewing machine with it, but less usable as a table.
• A metal headboard to use in a “bed” of flowers - $20. Pardon my pun. I’m trying to decide what color to paint it.
• Hand-made, scented soap – cinnamon, lavender and I can’t remember the 3rd.
• Tomatoes and apples. Beth took ½ the apples back to school with her and I’ve been feasting on vine-ripened tomatoes. M-m-m
• Pumpkin-pie fudge. It tastes like pie without crust. I had a little and sent the rest with Beth.
• Skinny onion rings … that will NOT make you skinny! Here’s where I really made a pig of myself.

FUNNY Tuesday: Mermaid or a Whale?

Recently, in a large French city, a poster featuring a young, thin and tan woman appeared in the window of a gym. It said: "DO YOU WANT TO BE A MERMAID OR A WHALE? A middle-aged woman, whose physical characteristics did not match those of the woman on the poster, responded publicly to the question posed by the gym.


To Whom It May Concern:


Whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, sea lions, curious humans). They have an active sex life. They get pregnant and have adorable baby whales. They have a wonderful time with dolphins stuffing themselves with shrimp. They play and swim in the seas, seeing wonderful places like Patagonia, the Barren Sea and the coral reefs of Polynesia. Whales are wonderful singers and have even recorded CDs. They are incredible creatures and virtually have no predators other than humans. They are loved, protected and admired by almost everyone in the world.


Mermaids don’t exist.


If they did exist, they would be lining up outside the offices of Argentinean psychoanalysts due to identity crisis. Fish or human? They don’t have a sex life, because they kill men who get close to them. Not to mention, how could they have sex? Just look at them...where is IT? Therefore, they don’t have kids either. Not to mention who wants to get close to a girl who smells like a fish store?


The choice is perfectly clear to me. I want to be a whale.


(Note from Pat:  Why choose? I want the best of both.)