It's 12:20 as I write this, and I'm getting ready to go make lunch. (Grilled cheese for the kids, salads for the dieters). We've got laundry going, the dog has been walked and bathed, beds are made, kitchen is clean. We're even mostly unpacked from our trip. (True confession, the office is a mess, but it was just too tempting to write in my blog instead of cleaning)
I love weekends like this (3 day weekend for adults and kids alike).
But . . .the piper must be paid. Saturday morning, before we left on our trip to visit an old friend of my wife and her new baby, I hit my latest intermediate goal, and then a little bit. Saturday morning, I weighed 226 pounds, which is 51 pounds less on my scale than Sunday morning May 15, 2011.
The first part of the day, I behaved very well . . . a little bit of yogurt with fruit for breakfast, a snack in the car of whole wheat crackers and light cheese. Starting at lunch, the misbehavior began. :-) Karen's friend made tacos, and refried beans, and Karen contributed sugar cookies (cut into snowflakes -- how appropriate). The tacos were good, and I had two. The cookies were good too, and I had two of them also. For dinner, we had homemade pizza. The "Grownup" pizza was meatless, with red beans as a substitute. And we came away with the recipe -- something to try later. The "kids" pizza was chicken and cheese -- and I had to sample that too. We had a small snack in the evening.
Sunday, we were back to behaving, kinda. . . breakfast was at a Hampton Inn, and we tried to behave. (Honestly, a much much lighter breakfast than I would have had a year ago, but probably a full day's worth of South Beach Diet meals.) Lunch was finally something appropriate -- 97% lean smoked ham on whole wheat, with a slice of fat-free cheese. Dinner, as a reward for children's good behavior involved golden arches, and SERIOUS lapses in the diet.
Anyway, TODAY we're being strict again, but the damage has been done. In 48 hours, I added 5 pounds to my weight. My wife, having much better willpower than I, managed to contain the damage to her waistline at 1 pound.
So, with some exercise and good eating today and through the week, I'm hoping to be back down to 226.
Of course, my brother-in-law is coming to visit tomorrow, and later this evening the boys will be helping me make chili for dinner tomorrow night. (We'll be pretty healthy, ground turkey and all, but still probably not a lot of weight loss tomorrow)
I still think it was worth it. . .
Monday, January 16, 2012
Thursday, January 12, 2012
More milestones
Today, there's a fun number staring me in the face as I look at the spreadsheet where I track my weight. In Column F, the bottom number is "49". As in 49 pounds lighter than May 15. To celebrate, on Tuesday night I went through my closet and pulled out all of the "fat" clothes I've replaced. . . . and my wife took them to Goodwill. No turning back now.
My wife and I are in this process for the long haul, but it's been interesting to see how perspectives change. I read through every entry of this blog last night, and my file of notes from doctor's visits. In May, when I started, I hoped to lose 30 pounds the first year, and maybe 30 more the year after that, then we'd re-evaluate. In June, I blogged several times about breaking through the "20 Pound barrier". In July, I commented that the belt I wore yesterday evening was a goal of mine -- and as it was a size 40, I needed to lose 5 more inches to get there. (I was measured for sizes on July 5, and bought some clothes. My waist size in May was 48 (if I inhaled a bit) and July 5 it was 45. This morning I'm wearing dockers with a 40 inch waist, and they're loose.
My current goal is to reach 50 pounds of weight loss in the next couple of days and then surpass it next week. (Monday the 16th is a State Holiday, and we're entertaining over the weekend and again on Tuesday night, so it will probably be late next week before I can truly say I've lost 50 pounds and kept it off.)
Last May, I told the doctor that a long term goal was to be 200 pounds, fully clothed, when my son John is old enough to move from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts. . . the doctor laughed and said "I don't think it will take that long." Now I'm wondering if 200 pounds by Christmas 2012 is a reasonable goal.
My wife and I are in this process for the long haul, but it's been interesting to see how perspectives change. I read through every entry of this blog last night, and my file of notes from doctor's visits. In May, when I started, I hoped to lose 30 pounds the first year, and maybe 30 more the year after that, then we'd re-evaluate. In June, I blogged several times about breaking through the "20 Pound barrier". In July, I commented that the belt I wore yesterday evening was a goal of mine -- and as it was a size 40, I needed to lose 5 more inches to get there. (I was measured for sizes on July 5, and bought some clothes. My waist size in May was 48 (if I inhaled a bit) and July 5 it was 45. This morning I'm wearing dockers with a 40 inch waist, and they're loose.
My current goal is to reach 50 pounds of weight loss in the next couple of days and then surpass it next week. (Monday the 16th is a State Holiday, and we're entertaining over the weekend and again on Tuesday night, so it will probably be late next week before I can truly say I've lost 50 pounds and kept it off.)
Last May, I told the doctor that a long term goal was to be 200 pounds, fully clothed, when my son John is old enough to move from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts. . . the doctor laughed and said "I don't think it will take that long." Now I'm wondering if 200 pounds by Christmas 2012 is a reasonable goal.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Holiday Hangover
The Holiday Hangover is officially over. . . on November 10 I weighed in at 231 pounds. November 10 is my wife's birthday, and we went out for dinner. Since then, we've had 3 more family birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, my wedding anniversary and a few retirement receptions at work. My weight "peaked" at 241.5 on the morning of December 28 and I've been losing ever since.
This morning, after a weekend of being very well behaved food-wise and getting lots of exercise . . . the scale revealed 231 once again. Now it's back to weight loss.
This is down about 9 pounds since January 1, which was our last full day not being at least somewhat strict about the diet.
This weekend we've been rediscovering the joys of fresh seafood.
Last night, as an example: I baked two four ounce tillapia fillets with just salt and pepper and a little brush of olive oil. When they were done (15 minutes at 400 degrees), they went down on a small plate, and I covered them with sauteed vegetables. This was from a mix we got from Schwann's but was just roasted red peppers, onions and tomatoes. I added a few olives to the plate as a garnish. While I was handling fish and vegetables, Karen made us salads. These were 3 ounces of raw spinach, a half ounce each of dry roasted peanuts and fat free grated cheddar cheese, a half strip of turkey bacon cooked until very crisp and broken into pieces and a sesame oil dressing (Newman's own -- low fat and low calorie). This would have been great with a nice white wine, but alcohol is off limits on Phase One of the diet, so we had iced tea.
The boys got mac n' cheese, because they've had strong negative reactions to baked fish. :-)
Hope you're all doing well on your diets also.
This morning, after a weekend of being very well behaved food-wise and getting lots of exercise . . . the scale revealed 231 once again. Now it's back to weight loss.
This is down about 9 pounds since January 1, which was our last full day not being at least somewhat strict about the diet.
This weekend we've been rediscovering the joys of fresh seafood.
Last night, as an example: I baked two four ounce tillapia fillets with just salt and pepper and a little brush of olive oil. When they were done (15 minutes at 400 degrees), they went down on a small plate, and I covered them with sauteed vegetables. This was from a mix we got from Schwann's but was just roasted red peppers, onions and tomatoes. I added a few olives to the plate as a garnish. While I was handling fish and vegetables, Karen made us salads. These were 3 ounces of raw spinach, a half ounce each of dry roasted peanuts and fat free grated cheddar cheese, a half strip of turkey bacon cooked until very crisp and broken into pieces and a sesame oil dressing (Newman's own -- low fat and low calorie). This would have been great with a nice white wine, but alcohol is off limits on Phase One of the diet, so we had iced tea.
The boys got mac n' cheese, because they've had strong negative reactions to baked fish. :-)
Hope you're all doing well on your diets also.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Progress
We went back on Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet starting 5 days ago (we were going to on January 2, but still had a few "forbidden foods" and I'm too cheap to throw away things which will spoil while we're in Phase 1). We've made lots of progress - Karen's lost 3 1/2 pounds and I have lost 7.
While dressing for church this morning I got out one of my "fat suits" -- I bought two suits on a buy one get one free sale before teaching a class for Accenture in April of 2009. I weighed about 275 when I bought them. With a belt, they are still passable at 232. . .
But just barely. I think it's time to have them taken in.
While dressing for church this morning I got out one of my "fat suits" -- I bought two suits on a buy one get one free sale before teaching a class for Accenture in April of 2009. I weighed about 275 when I bought them. With a belt, they are still passable at 232. . .
But just barely. I think it's time to have them taken in.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
End of the year Reflections
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
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
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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