Every authority with which I'm familiar warns that major weight loss is a lifestyle change, and that at some point your progress will slow.
I think we've reached that point. This morning was my lowest weight since we started this process (218.6), but . . . it's only about a half pound less than I was a week ago. On the plus side, I've lost a half pound in a week that saw a couple of restaurant meals and a week that was so hot outdoors that my exercise was limited.
The next few weeks will be a bit of a challenge - Saturday is my 25th High School class reunion. I'm planning to eat, drink and make merry, with no regard for my weight. The Saturday after that is a 70th reunion for the Scout Troop I used to lead. I've been on the committee that's been planing this event for the last six months, and I have to say, the banquet looks excellent.
The full week after THAT reunion, the boys will be with my in-laws. We're not travelling this year, but we will take the opportunity to do some things we normally can't do, like eat out at restaurants that don't have crayons and paper place mats.
So . . . for the rest of July, being steady on my weight seems like a pretty good goal.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Updates
Sharing with Man's Best Friend. The first picture below is our 10 year old Boston Terrier, Lucy. A few weeks ago, Lucy developed a bit of a limp, so we took her to the vet. She was diagnosed as being overweight and out of shape! (Sound Familiar?) So she's had her diet changed up, and she was curious about all the pictures Karen and I were taking so she came to see what was going on . . . and I couldn't resist taking her picture.
I'm a little rough around the edges after working in the garden on the 4th of July, but I wanted a self picture at 219 pounds. The belt I'm wearing is a 32 inch belt that I bought in New Mexico in 1984.
This is my lovely wife after losing 31 pounds. We're both still losing weight.
For comparison, here's Karen at her peak weight in April 2011
We're pretty pleased with our progress, even if it has slowed some since the beginning of the diet.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Back on Track
We had a good week, diet wise. Both my wife and I lost significant amounts of weight this week, sticking strictly on our Phase II of the South Beach Diet until the weekend. Monday morning I was still on my "food hangover" from the weekend and had slipped back up to 223.5 pounds. By Saturday morning, I was hitting my lowest weight since the mid-1990's at 218.4.
We indulged yesterday at my nephew's birthday party (who can say no to Cake and Ice Cream with 3 year olds?), but overall behaved very well.
This weekend, we're sampling the bounty from our garden. Last night's dinner was a ginger-garlic pork stir-fry with fresh summer squash and zucchini from our garden. The squash and zucchini made an appearance this morning in a "Garden omlette" (one egg each for each of us, along with a quarter cup of the garden veggies and a single strip of turkey bacon cooked and crumbled into the veggies).
Ahh, but lunch. . . for lunch I got creative (actually it was all Karen's idea) and made a summer squash soup. Here's the recipie as done, and what I plan to do next time.
First version - the reality:
Two cups diced summer squash, plus a quarter cup of thinly sliced rounds of zucchini.
(The squash needs to be rough diced so all the pieces are close in size, so they all cook the same)
Olive oil
2 cups chicken stock (vegatable stock would work better, but I didn't have any)
Kosher salt
Black Pepper
1/4 teaspoon basil (a purist would call for fresh leaves, I have dried)
1 tablespoon sour cream
Gently sweat the summer squash with a pinch of kosher salt in a half tablespoon of olive oil until soft (3-4 minutes)
Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil and then cut the heat to low. Simmer gently uncovered for 10 minutes.
While the soup is simmering, saute the rounds of zucchini until soft and slightly carmelized. (If you don't want to brown them, sweat them at a lower heat instead)
Reserve six of the zuchhini rounds for garnish and add the rest to the soup.
Move the soup to a blender (or use an immersion blender) and puree until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with three rounds of zucchini and a half tablespoon of sour cream per bowl. Sprinkle half of the basil over each bowl as an addional garnish.
Second version -- what I'll do next time.
The flavor was good, but the soup was too thin, and there were bits of zucchini peel floating in it, which were quite a distraction. So, for next time:
3 cups of diced summer squash, plus six thin rounds of zuchini for garnish and a half cup of peeled and diced zucchini.
Olive Oil
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
Kosher salt
Black Pepper
1/4 teaspoon basil
1 tablespoon sour cream
1/4 cup whole or 2% milk
Prepare as before, sweating the diced peeled zuchini with the summer squash.
The soup should be fairly thick, and pale yellow.
Next time I plan to prepare it the day before and serve cold, adding the milk as needed to thin it right before serving.
We indulged yesterday at my nephew's birthday party (who can say no to Cake and Ice Cream with 3 year olds?), but overall behaved very well.
This weekend, we're sampling the bounty from our garden. Last night's dinner was a ginger-garlic pork stir-fry with fresh summer squash and zucchini from our garden. The squash and zucchini made an appearance this morning in a "Garden omlette" (one egg each for each of us, along with a quarter cup of the garden veggies and a single strip of turkey bacon cooked and crumbled into the veggies).
Ahh, but lunch. . . for lunch I got creative (actually it was all Karen's idea) and made a summer squash soup. Here's the recipie as done, and what I plan to do next time.
First version - the reality:
Two cups diced summer squash, plus a quarter cup of thinly sliced rounds of zucchini.
(The squash needs to be rough diced so all the pieces are close in size, so they all cook the same)
Olive oil
2 cups chicken stock (vegatable stock would work better, but I didn't have any)
Kosher salt
Black Pepper
1/4 teaspoon basil (a purist would call for fresh leaves, I have dried)
1 tablespoon sour cream
Gently sweat the summer squash with a pinch of kosher salt in a half tablespoon of olive oil until soft (3-4 minutes)
Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil and then cut the heat to low. Simmer gently uncovered for 10 minutes.
While the soup is simmering, saute the rounds of zucchini until soft and slightly carmelized. (If you don't want to brown them, sweat them at a lower heat instead)
Reserve six of the zuchhini rounds for garnish and add the rest to the soup.
Move the soup to a blender (or use an immersion blender) and puree until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with three rounds of zucchini and a half tablespoon of sour cream per bowl. Sprinkle half of the basil over each bowl as an addional garnish.
Second version -- what I'll do next time.
The flavor was good, but the soup was too thin, and there were bits of zucchini peel floating in it, which were quite a distraction. So, for next time:
3 cups of diced summer squash, plus six thin rounds of zuchini for garnish and a half cup of peeled and diced zucchini.
Olive Oil
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
Kosher salt
Black Pepper
1/4 teaspoon basil
1 tablespoon sour cream
1/4 cup whole or 2% milk
Prepare as before, sweating the diced peeled zuchini with the summer squash.
The soup should be fairly thick, and pale yellow.
Next time I plan to prepare it the day before and serve cold, adding the milk as needed to thin it right before serving.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Payin' the price
Last week was a pretty good week. My older son and I attended 3 days of Cub Scout Day Camp, and I managed to keep the weight stable through that. I slid through a snack day at work without causing too much distress. (Up two tenths of a pound, the smallest increment my scale will measure)
Then, came Friday. We spent a weekend in Southern Illinois visiting family. We had long ago decided that we wouldn't burden others with our dietary choices, but would instead try to fit our diets into their food framework. Ha!
Friday night was McDonald's in the car. They have some healthy foods, but the only South Beach compliant items on their menu are salads, which you can't eat while driving.
Saturday morning was reasonably healthy, but Saturday Lunch was with my boys, my father-in-law and brother-in-law at Buffalo Wild Wings. Again, there ARE a few items on their menu that fit the lean meat, low carb lifestyle that I'm supposed to be following. And my entree was one such (a grilled chicken wrap). But adding the giant basket of fried stuff that our table shared probably ruined any hope I had of staying healthy.
Dinner Saturday night was the sort of meal that was "almost" compliant (my father-in-law grilled)
Late Saturday night a few of us went to a Mexican restaurant late and had appetizers and desserts. Ouch.
Sunday breakfast, by request, I was very, very bad. I made homemade biscuits and gravy for my in-laws, and it was so good that I had two servings. With real pork sausage and not the turkey stuff I use at home. With real butter in the gravy, not light oil of some kind. (At least I held myself to 2% milk instead of whole or cream).
We skipped lunch, but dinner was Fried Chicken and a slice of pie.
Not only am I up several pounds this morning, but I spent a big chunk of the night being sick to my stomach. :-(
Serves me right.
On to the new week!
Then, came Friday. We spent a weekend in Southern Illinois visiting family. We had long ago decided that we wouldn't burden others with our dietary choices, but would instead try to fit our diets into their food framework. Ha!
Friday night was McDonald's in the car. They have some healthy foods, but the only South Beach compliant items on their menu are salads, which you can't eat while driving.
Saturday morning was reasonably healthy, but Saturday Lunch was with my boys, my father-in-law and brother-in-law at Buffalo Wild Wings. Again, there ARE a few items on their menu that fit the lean meat, low carb lifestyle that I'm supposed to be following. And my entree was one such (a grilled chicken wrap). But adding the giant basket of fried stuff that our table shared probably ruined any hope I had of staying healthy.
Dinner Saturday night was the sort of meal that was "almost" compliant (my father-in-law grilled)
Late Saturday night a few of us went to a Mexican restaurant late and had appetizers and desserts. Ouch.
Sunday breakfast, by request, I was very, very bad. I made homemade biscuits and gravy for my in-laws, and it was so good that I had two servings. With real pork sausage and not the turkey stuff I use at home. With real butter in the gravy, not light oil of some kind. (At least I held myself to 2% milk instead of whole or cream).
We skipped lunch, but dinner was Fried Chicken and a slice of pie.
Not only am I up several pounds this morning, but I spent a big chunk of the night being sick to my stomach. :-(
Serves me right.
On to the new week!
Saturday, June 16, 2012
When all the numbers changed.
Back on January 21, I blogged about my bathroom scale. (See - http://atrickleofrandomthoughts.blogspot.com/2012/01/how-many-angels-can-dance-on-head-of.html)
One of the things we'd noticed was that my weight always was either an even pound or a half pound. . . 225.0 or 225.5 - and my wife's weight was always an even tenth of a pound 162.2 162.4 162.6 etc.
I wondered where the point was where the scale switched from rounding to the half pound and started rounding to the 5th of a pound. Well now I know.
My weight Thursday morning was 220.5, and Friday was 220.0. This morning . . .219.6.
So, for any weight under 220, the scale rounds to the nearest even tenth of a pound. Pretty cool.
On a side note, this morning's weight for Karen was 164.4, which is her lowest weight since the birth of our children. (Although, she emphasized, she is NOT to her pre-pregnancy weight yet)
We're easing back into Phase 2 this morning, so wish us luck. On Phase one for the last week we've experienced about a half pound to a pound of weight loss per day. Once we slip to phase 2, we typically look for a pound a week.
One of the things we'd noticed was that my weight always was either an even pound or a half pound. . . 225.0 or 225.5 - and my wife's weight was always an even tenth of a pound 162.2 162.4 162.6 etc.
I wondered where the point was where the scale switched from rounding to the half pound and started rounding to the 5th of a pound. Well now I know.
My weight Thursday morning was 220.5, and Friday was 220.0. This morning . . .219.6.
So, for any weight under 220, the scale rounds to the nearest even tenth of a pound. Pretty cool.
On a side note, this morning's weight for Karen was 164.4, which is her lowest weight since the birth of our children. (Although, she emphasized, she is NOT to her pre-pregnancy weight yet)
We're easing back into Phase 2 this morning, so wish us luck. On Phase one for the last week we've experienced about a half pound to a pound of weight loss per day. Once we slip to phase 2, we typically look for a pound a week.
Friday, June 15, 2012
Continuing On . . .
I didn't expect to just STOP blogging when I reached the one year anniversary of my start on a healthier path. . . but my schedule got a little full and it just sort of happened.
Same way with the weight loss. On May 15, I weighed 221 pounds, a loss of 61 for the previous 12 months. So . . . with great fanfare I created a new spreadsheet with our weights, and put the starting weight at 221 instead of 282. Perhaps I jumped the gun a bit. In the last 31 days, we've travelled a little bit, we've been to a couple of parties, a church pot luck. We've adjusted to a summer schedule that sometimes means meals on the run . . .
The end result, of course, is that weight loss stopped also. In fact, weight gain commenced. Most of the last four weeks we've been on our various plateaus with me up about 2 pounds and my wife up about a pound. The peak came 10 days ago, when we returned from a weekend professional development course my wife took. . .7 weekend meals all out and about (2 of them were picnics with healthy food, but the others -- the worst kind of restaurant meals). I peaked at 226 pounds, up 5 from my "beginning" weight.
Since then, we've gotten strict again. Correct portion sizes, no junk food. We rediscovered fresh seafood. And for the last 5 days, we've been back on Phase 1 -- no carbs.
So, at 31 days in to year two, I'm back to 220.0 pounds -- exactly one pound less than a month ago.
My wife, providing a great example for me, is down almost two pounds from a month ago. (And her peak weight was only about 2 pounds up from her May 15 start)
Wish us luck, as we continue on!
Same way with the weight loss. On May 15, I weighed 221 pounds, a loss of 61 for the previous 12 months. So . . . with great fanfare I created a new spreadsheet with our weights, and put the starting weight at 221 instead of 282. Perhaps I jumped the gun a bit. In the last 31 days, we've travelled a little bit, we've been to a couple of parties, a church pot luck. We've adjusted to a summer schedule that sometimes means meals on the run . . .
The end result, of course, is that weight loss stopped also. In fact, weight gain commenced. Most of the last four weeks we've been on our various plateaus with me up about 2 pounds and my wife up about a pound. The peak came 10 days ago, when we returned from a weekend professional development course my wife took. . .7 weekend meals all out and about (2 of them were picnics with healthy food, but the others -- the worst kind of restaurant meals). I peaked at 226 pounds, up 5 from my "beginning" weight.
Since then, we've gotten strict again. Correct portion sizes, no junk food. We rediscovered fresh seafood. And for the last 5 days, we've been back on Phase 1 -- no carbs.
So, at 31 days in to year two, I'm back to 220.0 pounds -- exactly one pound less than a month ago.
My wife, providing a great example for me, is down almost two pounds from a month ago. (And her peak weight was only about 2 pounds up from her May 15 start)
Wish us luck, as we continue on!
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
One year and counting
Today I had my annual physical with my doctor. We're not going to dwell on blood chemistry, other than to say my LDL "Bad" Cholesterol is the lowest level it's been since I started seeing this doctor 6 years ago. And to say that my HDL "Good" Cholesterol is better than it was at the start of the process, but not as good as six months ago.
The big news, of course, is that on April 29, 2011 I weighed 282.5 on my doctor's scale and today I weighed 221.0 on my doctor's scale. 61 and a half pounds in 12 months. I have another 21 pounds to go to hit my final goal weight.
That's the good news. The bad news is that my weight has hit somewhat of a plateau. On March 23, I was 222.0 on my scale. The lowest I've had since then was last Sunday, May 13, when I was 220.0. The doctor and I discussed my diet, and potentially tweaking it a little . . . but he says I've reached the point of diminishing returns on my diet. So now it's time to exercise more . . . I was afraid he'd say that.
I'm already walking three miles a day, most days. On those occasions when I've tried to run, I've deeply regretted it the next day. However, I'm assured that with ice, Tylenol and icy-hot, I should be able to lumber my way through a mile run a few times a week. We'll see.
I'd much rather reflect on what I've learned on 366 days (Leap year!) on the diet. . . which is not what Dr. Agaston wanted me to learn. The ACTUAL South Beach Diet focuses on lots of vegetables and on "good carbohydrates" and lean meat. What I REALLY discovered was that even the bad foods are OK if you deal with proper portion sizes.
Tonight's dinner, for an example. I had 4 oz of lean beef, a half cup of steamed broccoli and 2.5 oz of New Potatoes (boiled, not fried). The potatoes are a "V" in the South Beach book, meaning "Very Rarely." 367 days ago, I would have had twice as much meat, and either twice as many potatoes, or maybe some pasta. And definitely some bread. And dessert.
The other fun thing is that the diet has forced me to change the way I cook. Yes, we occasionally fail just a little bit, and give the boys something less healthy and more kid-friendly. But if you'd told me at the beginning of April last year that the end of this week I'll be enjoying roasted fish and vegetables for dinner. I would have laughed at you. I ALSO wouldn't have believed you if you had told me that every so often we're vegetarians for a day, or that we'd have a garden to grow our own fruit and vegetables. (It's true! Planted last Saturday, with Tomatoes, Eggplant, Squash, Zucchini, Peas, Pumpkin, Cucumbers and Watermelon)
Tomorrow morning, I'll get up, weigh myself -- and hope it's less than the 220 that my scale reported this morning. And then I'll make the first entry into a new spreadsheet. . . and instead of telling me that I've lost 57 pounds (MY official first day weight on my home scale was 277) . . .it's going to say weight lost = 0.
For the OTHER big number -- my BMI at the start of this process was 39.74, which is defined as the medical community as "Severely Obese." (40.0 is "Morbidly Obese) Today it's 31.56, which is listed as Moderately Obese. My next serious goal is 209 -- which will bring my BMI to 29.9, which is the highest BMI to be listed as "Overweight."
My lovely wife, in sticking with MY diet, has also lost 30 pounds, and she wants to lose another 30 -- which would get her to her pre-kids weight.
So, on to year two!
The big news, of course, is that on April 29, 2011 I weighed 282.5 on my doctor's scale and today I weighed 221.0 on my doctor's scale. 61 and a half pounds in 12 months. I have another 21 pounds to go to hit my final goal weight.
That's the good news. The bad news is that my weight has hit somewhat of a plateau. On March 23, I was 222.0 on my scale. The lowest I've had since then was last Sunday, May 13, when I was 220.0. The doctor and I discussed my diet, and potentially tweaking it a little . . . but he says I've reached the point of diminishing returns on my diet. So now it's time to exercise more . . . I was afraid he'd say that.
I'm already walking three miles a day, most days. On those occasions when I've tried to run, I've deeply regretted it the next day. However, I'm assured that with ice, Tylenol and icy-hot, I should be able to lumber my way through a mile run a few times a week. We'll see.
I'd much rather reflect on what I've learned on 366 days (Leap year!) on the diet. . . which is not what Dr. Agaston wanted me to learn. The ACTUAL South Beach Diet focuses on lots of vegetables and on "good carbohydrates" and lean meat. What I REALLY discovered was that even the bad foods are OK if you deal with proper portion sizes.
Tonight's dinner, for an example. I had 4 oz of lean beef, a half cup of steamed broccoli and 2.5 oz of New Potatoes (boiled, not fried). The potatoes are a "V" in the South Beach book, meaning "Very Rarely." 367 days ago, I would have had twice as much meat, and either twice as many potatoes, or maybe some pasta. And definitely some bread. And dessert.
The other fun thing is that the diet has forced me to change the way I cook. Yes, we occasionally fail just a little bit, and give the boys something less healthy and more kid-friendly. But if you'd told me at the beginning of April last year that the end of this week I'll be enjoying roasted fish and vegetables for dinner. I would have laughed at you. I ALSO wouldn't have believed you if you had told me that every so often we're vegetarians for a day, or that we'd have a garden to grow our own fruit and vegetables. (It's true! Planted last Saturday, with Tomatoes, Eggplant, Squash, Zucchini, Peas, Pumpkin, Cucumbers and Watermelon)
Tomorrow morning, I'll get up, weigh myself -- and hope it's less than the 220 that my scale reported this morning. And then I'll make the first entry into a new spreadsheet. . . and instead of telling me that I've lost 57 pounds (MY official first day weight on my home scale was 277) . . .it's going to say weight lost = 0.
For the OTHER big number -- my BMI at the start of this process was 39.74, which is defined as the medical community as "Severely Obese." (40.0 is "Morbidly Obese) Today it's 31.56, which is listed as Moderately Obese. My next serious goal is 209 -- which will bring my BMI to 29.9, which is the highest BMI to be listed as "Overweight."
My lovely wife, in sticking with MY diet, has also lost 30 pounds, and she wants to lose another 30 -- which would get her to her pre-kids weight.
So, on to year two!
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