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This is a long journal, so you will have to click on it to see all of it. Another member asked me about my diet. It is a lifestyle change. I said previously that I am a work in progress and don't plan to change what I eat when I get to my goal weight. I'm changing it slowly now so that I get used to it and like the way I eat and exercise. My plan: 1) healthy diet, 2) more exercise, 3) better sleep, and 4) reduced stress.
I'm not saying this is right for everyone. This is what has worked for me and I might edit this to add things, so check back in the future if you want. These are changes that I made so far:
1. Stop eating desserts. You have eaten numerous desserts in your life. That is probably why you need to lose weight. Stopping desserts will not harm you.
2. Start exercising. Exercise helps regulate your weight, improves your heart health, and strengthens bones and muscles. If nothing else, just walk. Lifting weights is not advised unless you already have experience in it. Anything strenuous needs your doctor's permission.
3. Write down everything you eat and drink, even chewing gum. They all have calories and/or carbohydrates that will be interesting for you to study. Even water should be written down, so you will know how much you are drinking or not drinking.
4. Know how many calories you should be eating each day. FatSecret usually calculates this for you when you join. Look at the bottom of your food log to see what your calorie limit is. If you filled in your foods, you will know if you went over your limit or not.
5. Know your carb limit. If low carb diets make you feel bad, just limit your carbs below 200 grams a day when you start out. Switch from your two slices of bread to one slice of bread. When you eat all the bread in your house, buy whole wheat bread. When you are ready to do this, stop eating bread and eat one low carb high fiber tortilla which is about 80 calories. After a while, buy the smaller low carb high fiber tortilla that might be 60 calories. After a while, when you have a meal at home, ask yourself, Do I really need to eat a tortilla with this meal? Can I eat my food without a tortilla? This will save you a few calories that you can use somewhere else in your menu plan.
6. Stop eating potato chips. Switch to baked potato chips. Stop eating these all the time and limit it to once a day. Measure out the serving size on the bag. If the carbs are too high for you, eat only half a serving. When you get into a plateau with your weight loss or what some people call "a stall" stop eating these potato chips. You are not going to miss half a serving and the salt in it also slows your weight loss. Stop eating corn chips, too. You can do it.
7. Stop eating fried potatoes, French fries or home fries, and eat baked potato instead. Add no toppings except plain nonfat yogurt, chopped chives, black pepper or low fat cheese. When you are ready to lose more weight, slice the potato into wedges and bake it. Eat only half of it and do not eat the other half until tomorrow. Eventually you will give up the craving for potatoes.
8. Eat only low sugar or medium sugar fruits because they are low in sugar and carbs and calories: limes, lemons, rhubarb, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, cantaloupes, casaba melon, watermelons, nectarines, papaya, peaches, strawberries, apples, grapefruit, honeydew melons, guavas and apricots. If your favorite fruit is not on this list, check out its calories, carbs and sugars, and you may be surprised how high it is. If you cannot live without your favorite fruit, see what the serving size is. It may be half a cup or a certain number of grams. Limit to that amount only and eat it only once a day. Try eating it every other day. Tell yourself I will only eat it if I am at someone else's house. You have to try to make these changes. Unlimited portions of high sugar fruit is not a solution because you gave up desserts. If you want to know what high sugar fruits are, look at my July 10, 2014 journal.
9. Increase your fiber to a minimum of 25 grams a day. The US government recommends 25 grams of fiber per day. Livestrong.com says: "your diet should include 25 to 38 g of fiber each day to help protect you from constipation and diarrhea, as well as fight cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Because of the high fiber content, however, you may experience gas from eating it. Over-the-counter medications can help your body produce less gas." Dr. Weil recommends 40 grams of fiber per day. So 25-40g each day. Start slowly by adding raw or lightly steamed or microwaved vegetables. Remember to choose vegetables that have not been salted. If you are in a restaurant you can eat the vegetables, but at home you can limit the salt you use. Choose high fiber low carb vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, celery, eggplant, Romaine lettuce, mushrooms, radishes, cabbage, bell peppers, Snow peas (edible pod), zucchini squash, flax seed, mustard greens, chicory, endive, collard greens, avocado, spinach, chard. Even tiny amounts of fiber food can be added to something you are eating, for example 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper, dried dill weed, chopped mint or 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds.
10. The diet I admire is I Can Make You Thin System by Paul McKenna and here are Paul McKenna's 4 golden rules:
1. When you are hungry, eat.
2. Eat what you want (not what you think you "should").
3. Eat consciously and enjoy every mouthful.
4. When you are full stop.
Paul McKenna said Eat what you want (not what you think you "should"). People who only eat what they think they should (healthy) are in danger of developing an eating disorder called "Orthorexia Nervosa." Eating disorder handouts: nationaleatingdisorders.org/index-handouts
Diet Calendar Entries for 13 August 2014:
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1092 kcal
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Fat: 48.80g | Prot: 61.34g | Carb: 109.81g.
Breakfast: Watermelon, ProGrade Nutrition whey protein powder vanilla, Water, Black Tea, Nuts.com Hazelnuts Raw Filberts (No Shell), Brazil Nuts, Chunky Avocado. Lunch: Water, Unsweetened Iced Tea, Fit & Active Peach iced tea (Fit&Active), BetterBody Organic Chia Seeds, Dried Whole Sesame Seeds, Trader Joe's Roasted & Unsalted Sunflower Seeds, Wheat Montana Milled Flax Seed, Trader Joe's Raw Pumpkin Seeds, Millville Old Fashioned Oats. Dinner: Equate Sugar Free Fiber Therapy, Tap Water, Peppermint (Mint), Dill (Dried), Dannon All Natural Yogurt - Plain, Celery, Baby Carrots, Baked Potato (Peel Not Eaten), Kirkland Signature Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, Tilapia (Fish) (Cooked, Dry Heat). Snacks/Other: Great Value Decaffeinated Iced Tea with Peach Drink Mix, Wrigley Orbit Sugar Free Chewing Gum - White Spearmint. more...
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1692 kcal
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Activities & Exercise:
Walking (slow) - 2/mph - 20 minutes, Resting - 15 hours and 40 minutes, Sleeping - 8 hours. more...
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