Yesterday, I was reflecting on my diet success this year, and it all got put into perspective. A friend of mine announced her pregnancy on Christmas day, and posted a Facebook Status complaining about having gained "3 pounds over Christmas." I shrugged, and pulled up my spreadsheet . . . and discovered that I'm up 4.5 pounds in December. (Although only 2 pounds since Christmas Eve)
Overall, I'm grateful, but the Holiday Season (As expected), has been pretty rough on the diet. I thought I'd share all the numbers, though.
My official first day of the diet was May 15, when my scale showed me at 277 pounds. My last "pre-diet" doctor's visit earlier in the week, his scale showed 278. I've since found out that my peak weight a few weeks earlier had been 282.
My lowest weight since the diet started was the morning before we celebrated my wife's birthday -- when I weighed 231.0 As much as it pains me to say it, I gained 10 pounds over the holidays. I peaked at 241 pounds on December 28, which is the morning after my wedding anniversary.
The good news is I'm already down two pounds since my peak.
So . . . on to the New Year! As we've done in the past, we're going back to phase 1 of the diet starting on January 2. The menu planning has started, but for the first two weeks of the year, there will be no fruit, no bread, no pasta and no "goodies" of any kind. We've done this 3 times before, and while it's not a lot of fun, the weight loss can be significant.
Should you wish to join us on this weight-loss plan, we're following The South Beach Diet: www.southbeachdiet.com
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 23, 2011
Small Victories
It's almost Christmas, and I'm celebrating the small victories. Yesterday was our December "Snack Day" at work, with a table loaded down with goodies like brownies, and cheesecake and what my grandmother used to call "Buckeyes" -- a scoop of peanut butter filling dipped in chocolate. These are a personal weakness, along with the doughnuts someone brought in first thing in the morning.
But, through willpower, three chances to walk a mile during the day and a schedule that included about 3 1/2 hours of meetings (OK, I'll admit it, not being able to just get up and walk to the food table was a huge help), I managed to make it through yesterday without gaining any weight at all.
In fact, as the Christmas Munchie season draws to a close, I'm a mere 3 pounds heavier than I was the morning of my wife's birthday, November 10. We have a few celebrations left this month -- my wedding anniversary is December 27 and we're going out to dinner. The only two places left in the running are both Italian places, so not diet approved.
I expect that we'll slip back into our "Phase I" diet in early January, and try to get rid of the holiday pounds and then some.
Until then, Merry Christmas to you all -- and to steal a line from the Food Network: Seasons Eatings!
But, through willpower, three chances to walk a mile during the day and a schedule that included about 3 1/2 hours of meetings (OK, I'll admit it, not being able to just get up and walk to the food table was a huge help), I managed to make it through yesterday without gaining any weight at all.
In fact, as the Christmas Munchie season draws to a close, I'm a mere 3 pounds heavier than I was the morning of my wife's birthday, November 10. We have a few celebrations left this month -- my wedding anniversary is December 27 and we're going out to dinner. The only two places left in the running are both Italian places, so not diet approved.
I expect that we'll slip back into our "Phase I" diet in early January, and try to get rid of the holiday pounds and then some.
Until then, Merry Christmas to you all -- and to steal a line from the Food Network: Seasons Eatings!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Good, good cholesterol
Today was my final follow-up with my doctor for the year. Last weekend, bright and early, I slipped into the lab to be poked so they could measure my cholesterol levels again, and today I left the office 90 minutes early to visit with my sons' pediatrician and then my doctor. The boys are healthy, and remarkably enough, so am I.
I felt going in, that my results would be a bit disappointing, but on the scale in the doctor's office I was 6 pounds lighter than I had been at my October visit. I pointed out that since we had last talked, I've had four family birthdays, and three Thanksgiving meals. He pointed out that it's normal to "plateau" in weight loss and that after my body adjusts to the new weight, the weight loss will begin again.
The big news was my cholesterol counts. LDL, the "bad cholesterol" that normal people worry about has never been a real problem for me. Last May, when I started this odyssey, my LDL level was 126, which is right at the top of the "Near Optimal" range. Today it's 100, which is the border between "Near Optimal" and "Optimal". The big concern with me was always the HDL, or "good cholesterol." The doctors want this number to be above 40, and last May mine was 26. Today it was 41.
Treatment for this issue was (of course) to lose weight and get in better physical condition . . . but also I am taking 4000 mg a day of Fish Oil (for the Omega-3 acids) and 2000 mg a day of Niacin.
Blood chemistry aside, the doctor was also pleased with my explanation of the menu we're using . . . lots of fruit and vegetables and lean meats and fish.
So, on to the end of the year, with two more birthdays, Christmas and my wedding anniversary.
I felt going in, that my results would be a bit disappointing, but on the scale in the doctor's office I was 6 pounds lighter than I had been at my October visit. I pointed out that since we had last talked, I've had four family birthdays, and three Thanksgiving meals. He pointed out that it's normal to "plateau" in weight loss and that after my body adjusts to the new weight, the weight loss will begin again.
The big news was my cholesterol counts. LDL, the "bad cholesterol" that normal people worry about has never been a real problem for me. Last May, when I started this odyssey, my LDL level was 126, which is right at the top of the "Near Optimal" range. Today it's 100, which is the border between "Near Optimal" and "Optimal". The big concern with me was always the HDL, or "good cholesterol." The doctors want this number to be above 40, and last May mine was 26. Today it was 41.
Treatment for this issue was (of course) to lose weight and get in better physical condition . . . but also I am taking 4000 mg a day of Fish Oil (for the Omega-3 acids) and 2000 mg a day of Niacin.
Blood chemistry aside, the doctor was also pleased with my explanation of the menu we're using . . . lots of fruit and vegetables and lean meats and fish.
So, on to the end of the year, with two more birthdays, Christmas and my wedding anniversary.
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