********************
Breakfast: cantaloupe and honeydew melon; large hot coffee with fake cream
********************
Wednesday, April 28, 2004
Tuesday, April 27, 2004
Phase 2, Day 52
********************
Breakfast: 1/2 of a cantaloupe; hot coffee with fake creamer
Lunch: white beans with pesto; roasted vegetables; green salad with citrus and berries; diet Snapple cran-raspberry drink [from Food Court]
Midafternoon snack: stuffed grape leaves and hummus; a few banana chips [from deli]
Another snack: jumbo peanut butter cookie; green tea
Dinner: spring greens salad with chickpeas, cucumber, tomato, carrots, slivered almonds and olive oil/balsamic vinegar dressing; diet Snapple lime green tea [from Food Court]
********************
This morning, I walked out of my bedroom in my underwear and t-shirt (which comprise my elegant nightly sleeping apparel), only to encounter my roommate's very-buff boyfriend perched on the living room couch. Horrified, I dived back into my bedroom, but too late! My panty-clad rump had been revealed to strange eyes!
Naturally, I had to immediately examine my ass in the mirror from every conceivable angle, to assess the damage to my reputation. And here is what I discovered: it isn't that bad! One doesn't normally bother craning one's neck to search for cellulite, so I hadn't noticed what this diet had done for my rear view. I know I *had* cellulite. And now, other than a little gelatinous shake right where the butt-part joins the leg-part, I don't. Thank you, Dr. Agatson!
Breakfast: 1/2 of a cantaloupe; hot coffee with fake creamer
Lunch: white beans with pesto; roasted vegetables; green salad with citrus and berries; diet Snapple cran-raspberry drink [from Food Court]
Midafternoon snack: stuffed grape leaves and hummus; a few banana chips [from deli]
Another snack: jumbo peanut butter cookie; green tea
Dinner: spring greens salad with chickpeas, cucumber, tomato, carrots, slivered almonds and olive oil/balsamic vinegar dressing; diet Snapple lime green tea [from Food Court]
********************
This morning, I walked out of my bedroom in my underwear and t-shirt (which comprise my elegant nightly sleeping apparel), only to encounter my roommate's very-buff boyfriend perched on the living room couch. Horrified, I dived back into my bedroom, but too late! My panty-clad rump had been revealed to strange eyes!
Naturally, I had to immediately examine my ass in the mirror from every conceivable angle, to assess the damage to my reputation. And here is what I discovered: it isn't that bad! One doesn't normally bother craning one's neck to search for cellulite, so I hadn't noticed what this diet had done for my rear view. I know I *had* cellulite. And now, other than a little gelatinous shake right where the butt-part joins the leg-part, I don't. Thank you, Dr. Agatson!
Monday, April 26, 2004
Phase 2, Day 51
********************
Breakfast: strawberry-orange soymilk smoothie with flax seed; hot coffee with fake cream
Lunch: roasted vegetables on whole grain bread; veggie gumbo soup; diet Snapple lime green tea [from Food Court]
Midafternoon snack: large hot coffee with soymilk; a pear
Dinner: eggplant and bell peppers stir-fried with tofu; a spring roll [from Thai restaurant]
********************
I made my living mostly as a waitress for over a decade, and I've worked in a lot of restaurants, and seen a lot of different types of cuisines being prepared. Do you know how restaurants make everything taste so good? So much more decadent and refined than anything you can manage in your own home, somehow? Two ingredients do the trick; and two ingredients alone: oil and salt. Lots and lots of oil and salt. To give you an example, at a Cambodian restaurant I worked at in Boston (a very nice one--favorably reviewed by the New York Times), the cooks sauteed the vegetables for each order in no less than a quarter of a cup of oil. And that doesn't even include the oil in the sauces--this is just what they cook with. A quarter cup of oil is over 400 calories.
I was reminded of this eating at the Thai restaurant last night. The dish was literally swimming in oil. The spring roll dripped grease. Needless to say, it was delicious.
Breakfast: strawberry-orange soymilk smoothie with flax seed; hot coffee with fake cream
Lunch: roasted vegetables on whole grain bread; veggie gumbo soup; diet Snapple lime green tea [from Food Court]
Midafternoon snack: large hot coffee with soymilk; a pear
Dinner: eggplant and bell peppers stir-fried with tofu; a spring roll [from Thai restaurant]
********************
I made my living mostly as a waitress for over a decade, and I've worked in a lot of restaurants, and seen a lot of different types of cuisines being prepared. Do you know how restaurants make everything taste so good? So much more decadent and refined than anything you can manage in your own home, somehow? Two ingredients do the trick; and two ingredients alone: oil and salt. Lots and lots of oil and salt. To give you an example, at a Cambodian restaurant I worked at in Boston (a very nice one--favorably reviewed by the New York Times), the cooks sauteed the vegetables for each order in no less than a quarter of a cup of oil. And that doesn't even include the oil in the sauces--this is just what they cook with. A quarter cup of oil is over 400 calories.
I was reminded of this eating at the Thai restaurant last night. The dish was literally swimming in oil. The spring roll dripped grease. Needless to say, it was delicious.
Sunday, April 25, 2004
Phase 2, Day 50
********************
Breakfast: leftover Mediterranean chickpeas
Midafternoon snack: 2 TJ's peanut-butter filled "oreos"; small cup of coffee with sugar (but no milk! Trying my best to develop a taste for black coffee!)
Lunch: spring greens salad with cucumbers, tomato, red bell pepper, pistachios, olives and hemp oil/balsamic vinegar dressing; mug of orange-spice rooibos tea
Midafternoon snack: Trader Joe's Italian baked tofu; diet Dr. Pepper
Another snack: grapefruit with splenda; mug of orange-spice rooibos
A final (I hope) snack: a Gardenburger "diner" patty topped with guacamole; diet Dr. Pepper
Exercise: 1 hour on the elliptical, at a relatively flat incline, going slooooow
********************
Like I'd be stupid enough to buy a whole package, but Trader Joe's is making these amazing oreo-type cookies, but instead of funky white stuff in the middle, it has PEANUT BUTTER. {cue Hallelujah Chorus} When you shop there, they always have free coffee and sweets. And often, as in this case, the sweets are vegan. I guess if you're reading this, it's because you're dieting, so I didn't do you any favors by telling you that. Oh, well; I can't resist the urge to share the misery-tinged joy!
Anyway, today was a whacky, snacky kinda day. I gave in to my urge to graze, figuring I'd just nibble instead of eating dinner. Doing it that way, I didn't eat all that many calories; at least not relative to the last few days.
I also used the elliptical for some exercise. The doctor said I could try it, so long as it didn't irritate my hip. I kept the inclination very low, and went slow, and didn't have any problems.
Breakfast: leftover Mediterranean chickpeas
Midafternoon snack: 2 TJ's peanut-butter filled "oreos"; small cup of coffee with sugar (but no milk! Trying my best to develop a taste for black coffee!)
Lunch: spring greens salad with cucumbers, tomato, red bell pepper, pistachios, olives and hemp oil/balsamic vinegar dressing; mug of orange-spice rooibos tea
Midafternoon snack: Trader Joe's Italian baked tofu; diet Dr. Pepper
Another snack: grapefruit with splenda; mug of orange-spice rooibos
A final (I hope) snack: a Gardenburger "diner" patty topped with guacamole; diet Dr. Pepper
Exercise: 1 hour on the elliptical, at a relatively flat incline, going slooooow
********************
Like I'd be stupid enough to buy a whole package, but Trader Joe's is making these amazing oreo-type cookies, but instead of funky white stuff in the middle, it has PEANUT BUTTER. {cue Hallelujah Chorus} When you shop there, they always have free coffee and sweets. And often, as in this case, the sweets are vegan. I guess if you're reading this, it's because you're dieting, so I didn't do you any favors by telling you that. Oh, well; I can't resist the urge to share the misery-tinged joy!
Anyway, today was a whacky, snacky kinda day. I gave in to my urge to graze, figuring I'd just nibble instead of eating dinner. Doing it that way, I didn't eat all that many calories; at least not relative to the last few days.
I also used the elliptical for some exercise. The doctor said I could try it, so long as it didn't irritate my hip. I kept the inclination very low, and went slow, and didn't have any problems.
Saturday, April 24, 2004
Phase 2, Day 49
------------------------------------
Weight/Measurements:
Weight: 125.5 pounds
Bodyfat: 27%
Waist, holding in stomach like I normally do: 27.5 inches
Waist, letting it all hang out: 28
Waist around my belly button, holding in stomach like I normally do: 30.5
Waist around my belly button, letting it all hang out: 31.5
Hips: 36
Chest: 30
Bust: 36
Thighs: R20.5, L20
------------------------------------
Weight: 134 -- 131 -- 129 -- 130 -- 127.5 -- 127 -- 125.5 -- 125.5 -- 125.5
Bodyfat: 29% -- 29% -- 27% -- 28% -- 27.5% -- 26% -- 24.5% -- 22.5% -- 27%
Waist, sucking in: 28.5 -- 28.5 -- 28.5 -- 28 -- 27.5 -- 27.5 -- 27.5 -- 27.5 -- 27.5
Waist, hanging out: 30 -- 29.5 -- 29 -- 29 -- 28.5 -- 28.5 -- 28 -- 28 -- 28
Belly, sucking in: 32 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31 -- 30 -- 30.5
Belly, hanging out : 34 -- 33.5 -- 33 -- 33.5 -- 32.5 -- 32 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5
Hips: 38 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 36.5 -- 36
Chest: 32 -- 31 -- 31 -- 31 -- 30.5 -- 30 -- 30 -- 30 -- 30
Bust: 38.5 -- 38 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 36.5 -- 36.5 -- 36 -- 36
Thighs: R22/L21 -- R22/L21 -- R21.5/L21 -- R22/L21 -- R21.5/L21 -- R21.5/L20.5 -- R21.5/L20.5 -- R21.5/L20.5 -- R20.5/L20
Anything I lost--if I lost anything--came off my thighs and hips. It's disappointing to see so little change, but I guess it's better than change in the wrong direction. By my calculations, my body is retaining about a pound and a half of water. Unless...
Here's a depressing thought: what if I'm now at the point where I need only 1800 calories a day to maintain? I already dropped to 1900 from 2000, but what if that's not enough? Every ten pounds in supposed to be about 150 calories for maintenance. So maybe I just didn't drop far enough? Let's see... recalculating my maintenance as 1800 calories a day since the beginning of this diet leaves me at... 8.5 pounds lost. Meaning I should weigh 125.5 right now. [Consternation!] But I don't think that's can be right. For one thing, I should have been more like 1950 at the beginning, and only gradually have reached 1800. That means there should be more like a [guessing] pound difference during the transition, so I should be at something more like 9.5 pounds lost. Whatever. I'm just going to reserve judgment on this until next week, when hopefully I'll feel more in the mood for figuring out the math.
But I won't wait to try to see what I can do to get this diet back on track. My problem is *partly* food choices (a cookie here, champagne there), but the real issue is portion sizes. I'm eating past the point of hunger. I'll try to clamp down on that.
********************
Breakfast: orange-strawberry smoothie with flax seed and soymilk
Lunch: spring greens salad with cucumber, red bell pepper, celery, tomatoes, olives, pistachios, and hemp oil/balsamic vinegar dressing
Snack: celery with almond butter/flax seed meal spread
Dinner: Mediterranean chickpeas
Late night snack: carrot cake Clif bar
Late, late night snack (ugh!): sourdough baguette with strawberry/rhubarb jam
********************
Another big eating day, though still (barely) below maintenance. At this rate, I'll be 50 before I hit 120 pounds. Maybe I just shouldn't worry about it? Maybe I should just continue eating like I have been for the last couple of weeks, knowing that I'll be losing well under a pound a week, but still losing?
I hate to consider myself "off" the diet, though, because then it will be impossible to turn down the things I've been regularly turning down. Like beer. Boy, did a beer sound good last night! And my boyfriend had bought a sixer of Newcastle Brown Ale, which I really love. There they were, sitting in the fridge, calling my name...
Weight/Measurements:
Weight: 125.5 pounds
Bodyfat: 27%
Waist, holding in stomach like I normally do: 27.5 inches
Waist, letting it all hang out: 28
Waist around my belly button, holding in stomach like I normally do: 30.5
Waist around my belly button, letting it all hang out: 31.5
Hips: 36
Chest: 30
Bust: 36
Thighs: R20.5, L20
------------------------------------
Weight: 134 -- 131 -- 129 -- 130 -- 127.5 -- 127 -- 125.5 -- 125.5 -- 125.5
Bodyfat: 29% -- 29% -- 27% -- 28% -- 27.5% -- 26% -- 24.5% -- 22.5% -- 27%
Waist, sucking in: 28.5 -- 28.5 -- 28.5 -- 28 -- 27.5 -- 27.5 -- 27.5 -- 27.5 -- 27.5
Waist, hanging out: 30 -- 29.5 -- 29 -- 29 -- 28.5 -- 28.5 -- 28 -- 28 -- 28
Belly, sucking in: 32 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31 -- 30 -- 30.5
Belly, hanging out : 34 -- 33.5 -- 33 -- 33.5 -- 32.5 -- 32 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5
Hips: 38 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 36.5 -- 36
Chest: 32 -- 31 -- 31 -- 31 -- 30.5 -- 30 -- 30 -- 30 -- 30
Bust: 38.5 -- 38 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 36.5 -- 36.5 -- 36 -- 36
Thighs: R22/L21 -- R22/L21 -- R21.5/L21 -- R22/L21 -- R21.5/L21 -- R21.5/L20.5 -- R21.5/L20.5 -- R21.5/L20.5 -- R20.5/L20
Anything I lost--if I lost anything--came off my thighs and hips. It's disappointing to see so little change, but I guess it's better than change in the wrong direction. By my calculations, my body is retaining about a pound and a half of water. Unless...
Here's a depressing thought: what if I'm now at the point where I need only 1800 calories a day to maintain? I already dropped to 1900 from 2000, but what if that's not enough? Every ten pounds in supposed to be about 150 calories for maintenance. So maybe I just didn't drop far enough? Let's see... recalculating my maintenance as 1800 calories a day since the beginning of this diet leaves me at... 8.5 pounds lost. Meaning I should weigh 125.5 right now. [Consternation!] But I don't think that's can be right. For one thing, I should have been more like 1950 at the beginning, and only gradually have reached 1800. That means there should be more like a [guessing] pound difference during the transition, so I should be at something more like 9.5 pounds lost. Whatever. I'm just going to reserve judgment on this until next week, when hopefully I'll feel more in the mood for figuring out the math.
But I won't wait to try to see what I can do to get this diet back on track. My problem is *partly* food choices (a cookie here, champagne there), but the real issue is portion sizes. I'm eating past the point of hunger. I'll try to clamp down on that.
********************
Breakfast: orange-strawberry smoothie with flax seed and soymilk
Lunch: spring greens salad with cucumber, red bell pepper, celery, tomatoes, olives, pistachios, and hemp oil/balsamic vinegar dressing
Snack: celery with almond butter/flax seed meal spread
Dinner: Mediterranean chickpeas
Late night snack: carrot cake Clif bar
Late, late night snack (ugh!): sourdough baguette with strawberry/rhubarb jam
********************
Another big eating day, though still (barely) below maintenance. At this rate, I'll be 50 before I hit 120 pounds. Maybe I just shouldn't worry about it? Maybe I should just continue eating like I have been for the last couple of weeks, knowing that I'll be losing well under a pound a week, but still losing?
I hate to consider myself "off" the diet, though, because then it will be impossible to turn down the things I've been regularly turning down. Like beer. Boy, did a beer sound good last night! And my boyfriend had bought a sixer of Newcastle Brown Ale, which I really love. There they were, sitting in the fridge, calling my name...
Friday, April 23, 2004
Phase 2, Day 48
********************
Breakfast: small can of V-8; 10 pecan halves
Lunch: warm salad of mixed grains and tropical fruits; black bean salad with tomato, peppers and onions; a heavily-seeded cracker; 1 c of lentil-vegetable soup; diet lemon Snapple iced tea
Midafternoon snack: almond butter and strawberry jam
Dinner: warm lentil-shallot salad served with wild and brown rice
Exercise: none
********************
Tomorrow I weigh/measure for the ninth full week on the South Beach Diet. It's been a tough week, calorically speaking: I ate an average of almost 1600 calories a day. Still, if you measure from Day 1 of the diet, when I weighed 134, I have eaten 84,000 calories. Maintenance, at 1900 calories a day, would be 119,700. That leaves a deficit of about 35,000 calories, or about 10 pounds. So, tomorrow, the scale should read about 124, give or take a pound.
Breakfast: small can of V-8; 10 pecan halves
Lunch: warm salad of mixed grains and tropical fruits; black bean salad with tomato, peppers and onions; a heavily-seeded cracker; 1 c of lentil-vegetable soup; diet lemon Snapple iced tea
Midafternoon snack: almond butter and strawberry jam
Dinner: warm lentil-shallot salad served with wild and brown rice
Exercise: none
********************
Tomorrow I weigh/measure for the ninth full week on the South Beach Diet. It's been a tough week, calorically speaking: I ate an average of almost 1600 calories a day. Still, if you measure from Day 1 of the diet, when I weighed 134, I have eaten 84,000 calories. Maintenance, at 1900 calories a day, would be 119,700. That leaves a deficit of about 35,000 calories, or about 10 pounds. So, tomorrow, the scale should read about 124, give or take a pound.
Thursday, April 22, 2004
Phase 2, Day 47
********************
Breakfast: grapefruit with splenda; mug of green tea
Lunch: barley, split pea and vegetable salad; guacamole; baked yams; diet raspberry Snapple iced tea [from Food Court]
Midafternoon snack: one peanut butter cookie
Dinner: 2 slices rye bread with hummus; lettuce, cucumber, tomato and olive salad; black beans with mango/plantain; a glass of champagne
Exercise: none
********************
Well, my hip is not a stress fracture. The sports doctor thinks it's bursitis, caused by one leg being slightly longer than the other. I'm going to do physical therapy for about a month, and possibly get orthotics.
I'm much relieved to hear it isn't broken. While I understand that beliefs about vegans and calcium are overstated, it's hard not to be paranoid, imagining my bones crumbling to dust with each passing non-dairy day. My doctor was too polite to roll her eyes at me, but I could tell she thinks my worry about not getting enough calcium because of my veganism is silly. She told me to just take pills--which as a woman I'm supposed to be doing, anyway.
It's good to be wrong!
Breakfast: grapefruit with splenda; mug of green tea
Lunch: barley, split pea and vegetable salad; guacamole; baked yams; diet raspberry Snapple iced tea [from Food Court]
Midafternoon snack: one peanut butter cookie
Dinner: 2 slices rye bread with hummus; lettuce, cucumber, tomato and olive salad; black beans with mango/plantain; a glass of champagne
Exercise: none
********************
Well, my hip is not a stress fracture. The sports doctor thinks it's bursitis, caused by one leg being slightly longer than the other. I'm going to do physical therapy for about a month, and possibly get orthotics.
I'm much relieved to hear it isn't broken. While I understand that beliefs about vegans and calcium are overstated, it's hard not to be paranoid, imagining my bones crumbling to dust with each passing non-dairy day. My doctor was too polite to roll her eyes at me, but I could tell she thinks my worry about not getting enough calcium because of my veganism is silly. She told me to just take pills--which as a woman I'm supposed to be doing, anyway.
It's good to be wrong!
Wednesday, April 21, 2004
Phase 2, Day 46
********************
Breakfast: a handful of pecans
Midmorning snack: small can of V-8; mug of green tea
Lunch: eggplant parmesan for Staff Appreciation Day (I tried to get bits without the cheese) [catered meal]
Midafternoon snack: a small cup of champagne to celebrate a friend getting his Ph.D.
Dinner: tofu stir-fry; diet Snapple lime green tea [from Food Court]
Late night snack: far, far too many wasabi green peas
Exercise: walked to work and back
********************
I'm reaching the vertigo stage of this diet, where the nearer I get to my goal, the farther away it seems. I only have about five more pounds to go, and I definitely am smaller and look better. Several people have commented that I seem to have lost a lot of weight. You would think this kind of positive feedback would make things easier, but ironically it's kind of demotivating. I think, "I look pretty good. Why should I kill myself for another five measly pounds? Will it really make much of a difference?"
And I don't have a good answer to that. Five pounds probably *won't* make that much of a difference. This fact makes it hard to turn down things like delicious, greasy eggplant parmesan. And it explains why I've been eating much closer to my maintenance level (though still below it... a bit) for the last couple of weeks. Is this the real reason the last few pounds are, famously, the hardest to lose? Not a failure of metabolism, but a failure of motivation?
Maybe I should go back to Phase I for a week. [Cringe]
Breakfast: a handful of pecans
Midmorning snack: small can of V-8; mug of green tea
Lunch: eggplant parmesan for Staff Appreciation Day (I tried to get bits without the cheese) [catered meal]
Midafternoon snack: a small cup of champagne to celebrate a friend getting his Ph.D.
Dinner: tofu stir-fry; diet Snapple lime green tea [from Food Court]
Late night snack: far, far too many wasabi green peas
Exercise: walked to work and back
********************
I'm reaching the vertigo stage of this diet, where the nearer I get to my goal, the farther away it seems. I only have about five more pounds to go, and I definitely am smaller and look better. Several people have commented that I seem to have lost a lot of weight. You would think this kind of positive feedback would make things easier, but ironically it's kind of demotivating. I think, "I look pretty good. Why should I kill myself for another five measly pounds? Will it really make much of a difference?"
And I don't have a good answer to that. Five pounds probably *won't* make that much of a difference. This fact makes it hard to turn down things like delicious, greasy eggplant parmesan. And it explains why I've been eating much closer to my maintenance level (though still below it... a bit) for the last couple of weeks. Is this the real reason the last few pounds are, famously, the hardest to lose? Not a failure of metabolism, but a failure of motivation?
Maybe I should go back to Phase I for a week. [Cringe]
Tuesday, April 20, 2004
Phase 2, Day 45
********************
Breakfast: large hot coffee with fake cream; half a cantaloupe
Lunch: 1.5 c vegetable paella; 12 oz vegetable soup; diet Dr. Pepper
Dinner: 12 oz. vegan split pea soup; roasted vegetable sandwich on whole grain bread with tomato and lettuce; diet Snapple lime green tea
Late night snack: a mango; some bittersweet chocolate
Exercise: none
********************
In the mood to eat junk food? Watch it instead! I saw The Fast and the Furious last night; truly the film medium's answer to candy. Fast cars, hunky boys, slutty girls... and one kickass soundtrack. Extra bonus: the women are so skinny, your jealousy will kill any desire to eat snacks while watching. Possible bummer moment: realizing what Michelle Rodriguez of GirlFight has been reduced to.
Breakfast: large hot coffee with fake cream; half a cantaloupe
Lunch: 1.5 c vegetable paella; 12 oz vegetable soup; diet Dr. Pepper
Dinner: 12 oz. vegan split pea soup; roasted vegetable sandwich on whole grain bread with tomato and lettuce; diet Snapple lime green tea
Late night snack: a mango; some bittersweet chocolate
Exercise: none
********************
In the mood to eat junk food? Watch it instead! I saw The Fast and the Furious last night; truly the film medium's answer to candy. Fast cars, hunky boys, slutty girls... and one kickass soundtrack. Extra bonus: the women are so skinny, your jealousy will kill any desire to eat snacks while watching. Possible bummer moment: realizing what Michelle Rodriguez of GirlFight has been reduced to.
Monday, April 19, 2004
Phase 2, Day 44
********************
Breakfast: carrot cake Clif bar
Midmorning snack: hot coffee with fake cream; 1/2 cantaloupe
Lunch: 1/4 c 3-bean chili; 1/4 c vegetable soup; 3/4 c garbanzo bean, cucumber, tomato, pepper and onion salad with vinaigrette; 2 heavily-seeded crackers; diet Snapple raspberry iced tea [from Food Court]
Dinner: a handful of mixed nuts; mixed greens salad; stuffed fried tofu with mashed potatoes and green beans; fruit tart [restaurant meal]
Exercise: none
********************
Ah, Springtime! When a young man's fancy turns to thoughts of bare skin!
White, pasty, sun-deprived bodies are making their first appearance of the season all over town. Mine emerged from beneath many layers of clothes for the first time today, too, thanks to the (around) ten pounds I've lost on this diet so far. How nice to wear a skirt that occasionally shows a little bit of belly button and not worry that I am disgusting the people who are innocently trying to eat their lunches on the lawn! A few more pounds, and I'll even be willing to risk a sleeveless shirt!
Breakfast: carrot cake Clif bar
Midmorning snack: hot coffee with fake cream; 1/2 cantaloupe
Lunch: 1/4 c 3-bean chili; 1/4 c vegetable soup; 3/4 c garbanzo bean, cucumber, tomato, pepper and onion salad with vinaigrette; 2 heavily-seeded crackers; diet Snapple raspberry iced tea [from Food Court]
Dinner: a handful of mixed nuts; mixed greens salad; stuffed fried tofu with mashed potatoes and green beans; fruit tart [restaurant meal]
Exercise: none
********************
Ah, Springtime! When a young man's fancy turns to thoughts of bare skin!
White, pasty, sun-deprived bodies are making their first appearance of the season all over town. Mine emerged from beneath many layers of clothes for the first time today, too, thanks to the (around) ten pounds I've lost on this diet so far. How nice to wear a skirt that occasionally shows a little bit of belly button and not worry that I am disgusting the people who are innocently trying to eat their lunches on the lawn! A few more pounds, and I'll even be willing to risk a sleeveless shirt!
Sunday, April 18, 2004
Phase 2, Day 43
********************
Breakfast: hot coffee with a little milk; rosemary focaccia
Lunch: orange-vanilla soymilk smoothie with flax seed
Dinner: ate out at On the Border--bleah! Tortilla chips with salsa and guacamole; two tortillas; portobella mushroom, zucchini, squash and onion fajitas; black beans and rice
Exercise: none
********************
Breakfast: hot coffee with a little milk; rosemary focaccia
Lunch: orange-vanilla soymilk smoothie with flax seed
Dinner: ate out at On the Border--bleah! Tortilla chips with salsa and guacamole; two tortillas; portobella mushroom, zucchini, squash and onion fajitas; black beans and rice
Exercise: none
********************
Saturday, April 17, 2004
Phase 2, Day 42
------------------------------------
Weight/Measurements:
Weight: 125.5 pounds
Bodyfat: 22.5%
Waist, holding in stomach like I normally do: 27.5 inches
Waist, letting it all hang out: 28
Waist around my belly button, holding in stomach like I normally do: 30
Waist around my belly button, letting it all hang out: 31.5
Hips: 36.5
Chest: 30
Bust: 36
Thighs: R21.5, L20.5
------------------------------------
Weight: 134 -- 131 -- 129 -- 130 -- 127.5 -- 127 -- 125.5 -- 125.5
Bodyfat: 29% -- 29% -- 27% -- 28% -- 27.5% -- 26% -- 24.5% -- 22.5%
Waist, sucking in: 28.5 -- 28.5 -- 28.5 -- 28 -- 27.5 -- 27.5 -- 27.5 -- 27.5
Waist, hanging out: 30 -- 29.5 -- 29 -- 29 -- 28.5 -- 28.5 -- 28 -- 28
Belly, sucking in: 32 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31 -- 30
Belly, hanging out : 34 -- 33.5 -- 33 -- 33.5 -- 32.5 -- 32 -- 31.5 -- 31.5
Hips: 38 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 36.5
Chest: 32 -- 31 -- 31 -- 31 -- 30.5 -- 30 -- 30 -- 30
Bust: 38.5 -- 38 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 36.5 -- 36.5 -- 36
Thighs: R22/L21 -- R22/L21 -- R21.5/L21 -- R22/L21 -- R21.5/L21 -- R21.5/L20.5 -- R21.5/L20.5 -- R21.5/L20.5
Not much happening here. (I don't really believe my fat percentage monitor, as I've said before). I do feel like my clothes are still getting looser, though it does seem to have slowed down. For sure, I've been eating more calories -- more like 1400 a day rather than 1200. This means I should have been losing more like an even pound of fat a week, rather than a pound and a half. A single pound can easily get lost in the shuffle of water weight or measurement error, so I'm not going to worry about my numbers right now.
At any rate, I definitely should think of myself as needing 1900 rather than 2000 calories a day for maintenance at this point. Sad. That's almost half a candy bar!
********************
Breakfast: small can of V-8; an apple
Lunch: a large slice of olive ciabatta with vegannaise and the last leftover dosha; about a cup of leftover cabbage curry (there's plenty remaining of that; my boyfriend didn't really like it)
Dinner: roasted chickpeas; diet Dr. Pepper
Exercise: none
********************
The roasted chickpeas were really delicious. I prepared them as a snack, but they were so good I ate the entire order and called it dinner. Somebody on one of the SBD boards said you can roast any kind of bean, and so I think I'm going to try doing different ones. If you are going to make these, I'd suggest a slightly cooler oven (like 350 degrees F), and a little less oil. They'll get crisper that way, like cornuts. Remember those??
Weight/Measurements:
Weight: 125.5 pounds
Bodyfat: 22.5%
Waist, holding in stomach like I normally do: 27.5 inches
Waist, letting it all hang out: 28
Waist around my belly button, holding in stomach like I normally do: 30
Waist around my belly button, letting it all hang out: 31.5
Hips: 36.5
Chest: 30
Bust: 36
Thighs: R21.5, L20.5
------------------------------------
Weight: 134 -- 131 -- 129 -- 130 -- 127.5 -- 127 -- 125.5 -- 125.5
Bodyfat: 29% -- 29% -- 27% -- 28% -- 27.5% -- 26% -- 24.5% -- 22.5%
Waist, sucking in: 28.5 -- 28.5 -- 28.5 -- 28 -- 27.5 -- 27.5 -- 27.5 -- 27.5
Waist, hanging out: 30 -- 29.5 -- 29 -- 29 -- 28.5 -- 28.5 -- 28 -- 28
Belly, sucking in: 32 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31 -- 30
Belly, hanging out : 34 -- 33.5 -- 33 -- 33.5 -- 32.5 -- 32 -- 31.5 -- 31.5
Hips: 38 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 36.5
Chest: 32 -- 31 -- 31 -- 31 -- 30.5 -- 30 -- 30 -- 30
Bust: 38.5 -- 38 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 36.5 -- 36.5 -- 36
Thighs: R22/L21 -- R22/L21 -- R21.5/L21 -- R22/L21 -- R21.5/L21 -- R21.5/L20.5 -- R21.5/L20.5 -- R21.5/L20.5
Not much happening here. (I don't really believe my fat percentage monitor, as I've said before). I do feel like my clothes are still getting looser, though it does seem to have slowed down. For sure, I've been eating more calories -- more like 1400 a day rather than 1200. This means I should have been losing more like an even pound of fat a week, rather than a pound and a half. A single pound can easily get lost in the shuffle of water weight or measurement error, so I'm not going to worry about my numbers right now.
At any rate, I definitely should think of myself as needing 1900 rather than 2000 calories a day for maintenance at this point. Sad. That's almost half a candy bar!
********************
Breakfast: small can of V-8; an apple
Lunch: a large slice of olive ciabatta with vegannaise and the last leftover dosha; about a cup of leftover cabbage curry (there's plenty remaining of that; my boyfriend didn't really like it)
Dinner: roasted chickpeas; diet Dr. Pepper
Exercise: none
********************
The roasted chickpeas were really delicious. I prepared them as a snack, but they were so good I ate the entire order and called it dinner. Somebody on one of the SBD boards said you can roast any kind of bean, and so I think I'm going to try doing different ones. If you are going to make these, I'd suggest a slightly cooler oven (like 350 degrees F), and a little less oil. They'll get crisper that way, like cornuts. Remember those??
Friday, April 16, 2004
Phase 2, Day 41
********************
Breakfast: stuffed zucchini; mug of green tea
Lunch: garbanzo beans with onions and shredded carrot; mystery beans with bell peppers; asian vegetable salad; diet raspberry Snapple iced tea
Dinner: roasted vegetables in a tomato tortilla wrapper; 3 dolmas (rice-stuffed grape leaves)
Evening snack: hot coffee and Lindt bittersweet chocolate
Exercise: walked to work
********************
Tomorrow I measure! Either I've lost 11 pounds, and the scale should read 123, or I've lost 9.5 pounds, and the scale should read 124.5. Or, it's somewhere in between, because when I weighed more I could eat 2000 calories a day without gaining, and now that I weigh less, I can only get away with 1900 calories a day. We shall see!
Breakfast: stuffed zucchini; mug of green tea
Lunch: garbanzo beans with onions and shredded carrot; mystery beans with bell peppers; asian vegetable salad; diet raspberry Snapple iced tea
Dinner: roasted vegetables in a tomato tortilla wrapper; 3 dolmas (rice-stuffed grape leaves)
Evening snack: hot coffee and Lindt bittersweet chocolate
Exercise: walked to work
********************
Tomorrow I measure! Either I've lost 11 pounds, and the scale should read 123, or I've lost 9.5 pounds, and the scale should read 124.5. Or, it's somewhere in between, because when I weighed more I could eat 2000 calories a day without gaining, and now that I weigh less, I can only get away with 1900 calories a day. We shall see!
Thursday, April 15, 2004
Phase 2, Day 40
********************
Breakfast: small can of V-8; a stuffed zucchini; 2 mugs black tea
Lunch: 1/2 c tomato couscous; 1.5 c roasted vegetable salad; multigrain roll with olive oil; diet cran-raspberry Snapple; hot coffee with soymilk [from Food Court]
Midafternoon snack: hot coffee with soymilk
Dinner: 3 slices PapaJohn's mushroom pizza without cheese
Exercise: walked to and from work
********************
Breakfast: small can of V-8; a stuffed zucchini; 2 mugs black tea
Lunch: 1/2 c tomato couscous; 1.5 c roasted vegetable salad; multigrain roll with olive oil; diet cran-raspberry Snapple; hot coffee with soymilk [from Food Court]
Midafternoon snack: hot coffee with soymilk
Dinner: 3 slices PapaJohn's mushroom pizza without cheese
Exercise: walked to and from work
********************
Wednesday, April 14, 2004
Phase 2, Days 38 and 39
Day 39
********************
Breakfast: oatmeal with strawberries and maple syrup; cantaloupe; hot coffee with half-n-half [restaurant meal]
Lunch: 2 stuffed zucchinis; tossed green salad with a some pasta in it; sm. can of V-8; espresso with 1/2 a packet of sugar [catered lunch]
Dinner: stir-fried soba (buckwheat) noodles with veggies and tofu; Israeli couscous with veggies; snap peas and broccoli; diet Snapple iced green tea [from Food Court]
Exercise: none
********************
I'm not eating very far below maintenance this week. I'm averaging about 1400-1500 a day. We'll see what happens tomorrow and Friday, but at this rate, I'm only going to lose about a pound this week. It's all this going out to eat! I swear I virtually *never* go out to eat when it's up to me (I don't count the Food Court, which I treat essentially as a grocery store), and part of the reason is that when you go out to eat, everything is absolutely soaked in oil to make it tasty. It's a strategy that works, mind you--but it sure is bad for the waistline. It would be horrible for my pocketbook, too, except that I have a roughly-hewn-to rule: if I go out to eat, it's because someone else is paying for it.
Day 38
********************
Breakfast: none
Lunch: buffet at a Thai-Vietnamese-Laotian restaurant (bits of pad thai and veggie curry dishes); hot tea
Dinner: a cosmopolitan cocktail; a glass of red wine; a glass of white wine [buuurp!!]; a large tossed green salad with vinaigrette; salmon with a small side of white beans and a mystery vegetable; 3 tiny scoops of different sorbets with a mystery fruit compote [restaurant meal]
Exercise: none
********************
Today my boyfriend formally received an honor/promotion, and the whole day was sort of spent celebrating it. It was a really big deal; his parents came out for it, and he gave a lecture that a couple of hundred people attended. Then there was a big dinner in his honor, and I sat at the head table with him, his parents, his current boss, and his soon-to-be-boss. It was completely overwhelming. At the dinner, we were offered a choice of three different entrees: chicken, beef or, "for the vegetarians," fish. What was I supposed to do? I wasn't going to rock the boat in that setting.
Then I felt bad about that decision. What would have happened if I had said to the server, discreetly, "Can I please just have extra salad and sides?" I dunno; would it have spoiled the "mood" at the table? Would I have looked like a fussbudget? Would I have embarrassed my boyfriend? (He's a vegetarian too, but he does eat fish like so many vegetarians do--which is why people who aren't vegetarians think fish is an all-purpose vegetarian option. Remember _My Big Fat Greek Wedding_? "What do you mean, you don't eat meat? Fine, I'll make lamb.") I'd like to say I was being paranoid, that it would have been fine to insist on a vegan (or at least vegetarian) plate. But there's always *someone* at the table who actually seems to get angry when they hear you're a vegan, isn't there?
What's the more moral thing to do: refuse the fish, or keep my mouth shut and ensure my boyfriend's special day isn't marred by an uncomfortable moment at the dinner table? I do know which is the *easier* thing to do, and that's what I did. And probably the fact that it was easier should tell me that it was the wrong choice.
Doesn't it? Ethics is *hard*!
********************
Breakfast: oatmeal with strawberries and maple syrup; cantaloupe; hot coffee with half-n-half [restaurant meal]
Lunch: 2 stuffed zucchinis; tossed green salad with a some pasta in it; sm. can of V-8; espresso with 1/2 a packet of sugar [catered lunch]
Dinner: stir-fried soba (buckwheat) noodles with veggies and tofu; Israeli couscous with veggies; snap peas and broccoli; diet Snapple iced green tea [from Food Court]
Exercise: none
********************
I'm not eating very far below maintenance this week. I'm averaging about 1400-1500 a day. We'll see what happens tomorrow and Friday, but at this rate, I'm only going to lose about a pound this week. It's all this going out to eat! I swear I virtually *never* go out to eat when it's up to me (I don't count the Food Court, which I treat essentially as a grocery store), and part of the reason is that when you go out to eat, everything is absolutely soaked in oil to make it tasty. It's a strategy that works, mind you--but it sure is bad for the waistline. It would be horrible for my pocketbook, too, except that I have a roughly-hewn-to rule: if I go out to eat, it's because someone else is paying for it.
Day 38
********************
Breakfast: none
Lunch: buffet at a Thai-Vietnamese-Laotian restaurant (bits of pad thai and veggie curry dishes); hot tea
Dinner: a cosmopolitan cocktail; a glass of red wine; a glass of white wine [buuurp!!]; a large tossed green salad with vinaigrette; salmon with a small side of white beans and a mystery vegetable; 3 tiny scoops of different sorbets with a mystery fruit compote [restaurant meal]
Exercise: none
********************
Today my boyfriend formally received an honor/promotion, and the whole day was sort of spent celebrating it. It was a really big deal; his parents came out for it, and he gave a lecture that a couple of hundred people attended. Then there was a big dinner in his honor, and I sat at the head table with him, his parents, his current boss, and his soon-to-be-boss. It was completely overwhelming. At the dinner, we were offered a choice of three different entrees: chicken, beef or, "for the vegetarians," fish. What was I supposed to do? I wasn't going to rock the boat in that setting.
Then I felt bad about that decision. What would have happened if I had said to the server, discreetly, "Can I please just have extra salad and sides?" I dunno; would it have spoiled the "mood" at the table? Would I have looked like a fussbudget? Would I have embarrassed my boyfriend? (He's a vegetarian too, but he does eat fish like so many vegetarians do--which is why people who aren't vegetarians think fish is an all-purpose vegetarian option. Remember _My Big Fat Greek Wedding_? "What do you mean, you don't eat meat? Fine, I'll make lamb.") I'd like to say I was being paranoid, that it would have been fine to insist on a vegan (or at least vegetarian) plate. But there's always *someone* at the table who actually seems to get angry when they hear you're a vegan, isn't there?
What's the more moral thing to do: refuse the fish, or keep my mouth shut and ensure my boyfriend's special day isn't marred by an uncomfortable moment at the dinner table? I do know which is the *easier* thing to do, and that's what I did. And probably the fact that it was easier should tell me that it was the wrong choice.
Doesn't it? Ethics is *hard*!
Monday, April 12, 2004
Phase 2, Day 37
********************
Breakfast: raspberry-orange smoothie with soy protein powder and flax seed; mug of green tea
Lunch: leftover "healthy harvest" spaghetti with TJ's marinara and a few frozen mushroom fake-meatballs; diet Dr. Pepper
Midafternoon snack: generous spoonful of almond butter/flax meal spread
Dinner: lentil dosha (scroll down to find it, then scroll further for tips on how to make) served with cabbage curry (instead of using the spices listed in the recipe, I just used a boxed sambar spice mix); diet Dr. Pepper
Exercise: none
********************
As a vegan, should you worry about B-12? And should you worry about protein, iron, calcium, zinc, vitamin D, and omega-3 fatty acids?
There was a time when I would have said, "Gimme a break. I eat healthier than anyone I know." But I'm not so sure any more. These nutrients *are* hard to get. I think all vegans should be concerned about calcium, B-12, and omega-3s. Everyone (boys, too!) should supplement calcium and B-12, and all vegans (all people, actually) should make a point to add a source of omega-3s like flax or hemp to their diets. But as for the others, I think it depends on what kind of vegan you are. If you are:
An athletic vegan:
You *might* worry about protein if you are very active. A really active athlete needs about a gram of protein per pound of body weight (maybe per pound of lean body mass). That's not easy to get. But a scoop of soy protein powder in your smoothie, juice, or morning oatmeal cures this problem easily.
A female vegan in her childbearing years:
Iron could be an issue. Make this "is likely an issue at some point" if you are also an athlete, or have very heavy periods. Avoid consuming caffeine while eating your iron sources; caffeine interferes with its absorption. Try to couple iron-rich foods with vitamin C-rich foods; vitamin-C improves absorption. If you use a daily multivitamin with iron in it (check, not all include iron), you are probably fine. Warning: don't self-diagnose an iron deficiency. It can be hazardous to supplement it if you don't need it.
A vegan who is as obsessive about sunscreen as he is about his diet (like me):
Worry about vitamin D. Your body can't synthesize this, and it's necessary for bone health. Take it as a pill. Your calcium supplement probably includes it; if not, switch to one that does.
A vegan who hates nuts and whole grains:
Is there such a beast? If so, make sure your daily multi or calcium supplement also includes zinc.
A vegan who makes everything like soymilk and tofu and such for herself, and never eats anything but 100% whole grains:
Believe it or not, you're missing out on nutrition by doing this. Most soymilk and tofu, and all refined flours, are enriched with a lot of things like calcium and vitamins that can be hard to get in your diet. This doesn't mean you have to eat this stuff, but you do need to be careful you get these nutrients elsewhere, like in pill form.
A vegan who only eats crap like white pasta, and never eats vegetables and fruits:
Worry about everything. And grow up! You're a VEGan! That means VEGetable-eatin' freak, so eat your greens like the rest of us before we take your membership card away!
Does the fact that you *might* have to be concerned about these things mean that the vegan diet doesn't make sense? That always seems to be the conclusion I see drawn in the popular press. "It's hard to get such-and-such from just eating vegan foods, therefore a vegan diet is risky." But in a world filled with supplements and protein powders, why on earth is the availability of these nutrients from vegan foods "alone" even relevant? What, are all vegans Luddites, too? The modern food industry has its ugly, dirty side, but it also has generated amazing innovations. Technology has made possible a variety of resources for keeping us vegans healthy, and there's nothing about the vegan philosophy that prevents us from taking advantage of them.
Breakfast: raspberry-orange smoothie with soy protein powder and flax seed; mug of green tea
Lunch: leftover "healthy harvest" spaghetti with TJ's marinara and a few frozen mushroom fake-meatballs; diet Dr. Pepper
Midafternoon snack: generous spoonful of almond butter/flax meal spread
Dinner: lentil dosha (scroll down to find it, then scroll further for tips on how to make) served with cabbage curry (instead of using the spices listed in the recipe, I just used a boxed sambar spice mix); diet Dr. Pepper
Exercise: none
********************
As a vegan, should you worry about B-12? And should you worry about protein, iron, calcium, zinc, vitamin D, and omega-3 fatty acids?
There was a time when I would have said, "Gimme a break. I eat healthier than anyone I know." But I'm not so sure any more. These nutrients *are* hard to get. I think all vegans should be concerned about calcium, B-12, and omega-3s. Everyone (boys, too!) should supplement calcium and B-12, and all vegans (all people, actually) should make a point to add a source of omega-3s like flax or hemp to their diets. But as for the others, I think it depends on what kind of vegan you are. If you are:
An athletic vegan:
You *might* worry about protein if you are very active. A really active athlete needs about a gram of protein per pound of body weight (maybe per pound of lean body mass). That's not easy to get. But a scoop of soy protein powder in your smoothie, juice, or morning oatmeal cures this problem easily.
A female vegan in her childbearing years:
Iron could be an issue. Make this "is likely an issue at some point" if you are also an athlete, or have very heavy periods. Avoid consuming caffeine while eating your iron sources; caffeine interferes with its absorption. Try to couple iron-rich foods with vitamin C-rich foods; vitamin-C improves absorption. If you use a daily multivitamin with iron in it (check, not all include iron), you are probably fine. Warning: don't self-diagnose an iron deficiency. It can be hazardous to supplement it if you don't need it.
A vegan who is as obsessive about sunscreen as he is about his diet (like me):
Worry about vitamin D. Your body can't synthesize this, and it's necessary for bone health. Take it as a pill. Your calcium supplement probably includes it; if not, switch to one that does.
A vegan who hates nuts and whole grains:
Is there such a beast? If so, make sure your daily multi or calcium supplement also includes zinc.
A vegan who makes everything like soymilk and tofu and such for herself, and never eats anything but 100% whole grains:
Believe it or not, you're missing out on nutrition by doing this. Most soymilk and tofu, and all refined flours, are enriched with a lot of things like calcium and vitamins that can be hard to get in your diet. This doesn't mean you have to eat this stuff, but you do need to be careful you get these nutrients elsewhere, like in pill form.
A vegan who only eats crap like white pasta, and never eats vegetables and fruits:
Worry about everything. And grow up! You're a VEGan! That means VEGetable-eatin' freak, so eat your greens like the rest of us before we take your membership card away!
Does the fact that you *might* have to be concerned about these things mean that the vegan diet doesn't make sense? That always seems to be the conclusion I see drawn in the popular press. "It's hard to get such-and-such from just eating vegan foods, therefore a vegan diet is risky." But in a world filled with supplements and protein powders, why on earth is the availability of these nutrients from vegan foods "alone" even relevant? What, are all vegans Luddites, too? The modern food industry has its ugly, dirty side, but it also has generated amazing innovations. Technology has made possible a variety of resources for keeping us vegans healthy, and there's nothing about the vegan philosophy that prevents us from taking advantage of them.
Sunday, April 11, 2004
Phase 2, Day 36
********************
Breakfast: strawberry-orange juice smoothie with flax seed and soy protein powder
Lunch: spring green salad with olives, cucumbers, pistachios, grape tomatoes, red bell pepper and hemp oil/balsamic vinegar dressing; mug of green tea
Midafternoon snack: a healthy spoonful of almond butter/flax meal spread; diet Dr. Pepper
Dinner: Black beans with mango and plaintain; a wedge of cornbread
Exercise: none
********************
Warning: the black bean frijole dish above is so delicious it is impossible to stop eating it. Next time, I'm going to make half as much, because my boyfriend and I are right now stuffed to the gills and miserable. But until our stomachs came one bite short of exploding, we sure were enjoying it!
Breakfast: strawberry-orange juice smoothie with flax seed and soy protein powder
Lunch: spring green salad with olives, cucumbers, pistachios, grape tomatoes, red bell pepper and hemp oil/balsamic vinegar dressing; mug of green tea
Midafternoon snack: a healthy spoonful of almond butter/flax meal spread; diet Dr. Pepper
Dinner: Black beans with mango and plaintain; a wedge of cornbread
Exercise: none
********************
Warning: the black bean frijole dish above is so delicious it is impossible to stop eating it. Next time, I'm going to make half as much, because my boyfriend and I are right now stuffed to the gills and miserable. But until our stomachs came one bite short of exploding, we sure were enjoying it!
Saturday, April 10, 2004
Phase 2, Day 35
------------------------------------
Weight/Measurements:
Weight: 125.5 pounds
Bodyfat: 24.5%
Waist, holding in stomach like I normally do: 27.5 inches
Waist, letting it all hang out: 28
Waist around my belly button, holding in stomach like I normally do: 31
Waist around my belly button, letting it all hang out: 31.5
Hips: 37
Chest: 30
Bust: 36.5
Thighs: R21.5, L20.5
------------------------------------
Weight: 134 -- 131 -- 129 -- 130 -- 127.5 -- 127 -- 125.5
Bodyfat: 29% -- 29% -- 27% -- 28% -- 27.5% -- 26% -- 24.5%
Waist, sucking in: 28.5 -- 28.5 -- 28.5 -- 28 -- 27.5 -- 27.5 -- 27.5
Waist, hanging out: 30 -- 29.5 -- 29 -- 29 -- 28.5 -- 28.5 -- 28
Belly, sucking in: 32 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31
Belly, hanging out : 34 -- 33.5 -- 33 -- 33.5 -- 32.5 -- 32 -- 31.5
Hips: 38 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37
Chest: 32 -- 31 -- 31 -- 31 -- 30.5 -- 30 -- 30
Bust: 38.5 -- 38 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 36.5 -- 36.5
Thighs: R22/L21 -- R22/L21 -- R21.5/L21 -- R22/L21 -- R21.5/L21 -- R21.5/L20.5 -- R21.5/L20.5
------------------------------------
By my calculations, if I'm buring 1900 calories a day I should be at 125.5; but if I'm burning 2000 a day I should be at 124 (for the full seven weeks I've been on the SBD). I'm at 125.5, but I don't quite trust the number. Up till now, my losses have reflected a 2000-a-day pattern. I do feel a bit bloated, and I'm due to start my period in a few days. Plus, I'm probably carrying water still from my wild weekend in Pennsylvania. Or maybe not; maybe I do burn 1900 a day instead of 2000. I will withhold judgment until next week.
My inches lost look pretty satisfying. I'm continuing to slowly lose in the belly, but I'm managing for the most part to keep my boobs. What more can a girl ask for?
On a sad note, my hip really seems to be a problem. Have I mentioned that before? I went for a 3.5-mile-or-so run today, and my left hip hurt so bad that I could barely walk afterwards. It's been a recurring problem for a couple of months now, even though I hardly run at all anymore. I'm worried it's a stress fracture. I had a stress fracture in my foot last summer that completely shut down my running for a couple of months, and I never really got back into it again after it healed. Could I have one in my hip, now, too? And if so, why? As a vegan, am I not getting enough calcium? I am completely lackadaisical about taking calcium pills, it's true. Today's episode was so bad I'm finally convinced I need to go to the doctor about it.
********************
Breakfast: Gargenburger sausage patty; a few bites of a mealy apple; hot coffee with milk
Midafternoon snack: 3/4 of an orange; hot coffee with half-and-half (in both cases, I didn't have the option to use nondairy creamer. And as the father said in one of my favorite all-time children's books, _A_Day_No_Pigs_Would_Die_, "God never intended a man to drink his coffee black.")
Lunch: spring greens with olives, pistachios, cucumber, red bell pepper, grape tomatoes and hemp oil/balsamic vinegar
Dinner: lentil-apricot salad; romaine lettuce salad with dried cranberries and walnuts; jarred marionberries [dinner at a friend's house]
Exercise: 3.5 mile run
********************
Weight/Measurements:
Weight: 125.5 pounds
Bodyfat: 24.5%
Waist, holding in stomach like I normally do: 27.5 inches
Waist, letting it all hang out: 28
Waist around my belly button, holding in stomach like I normally do: 31
Waist around my belly button, letting it all hang out: 31.5
Hips: 37
Chest: 30
Bust: 36.5
Thighs: R21.5, L20.5
------------------------------------
Weight: 134 -- 131 -- 129 -- 130 -- 127.5 -- 127 -- 125.5
Bodyfat: 29% -- 29% -- 27% -- 28% -- 27.5% -- 26% -- 24.5%
Waist, sucking in: 28.5 -- 28.5 -- 28.5 -- 28 -- 27.5 -- 27.5 -- 27.5
Waist, hanging out: 30 -- 29.5 -- 29 -- 29 -- 28.5 -- 28.5 -- 28
Belly, sucking in: 32 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31
Belly, hanging out : 34 -- 33.5 -- 33 -- 33.5 -- 32.5 -- 32 -- 31.5
Hips: 38 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37
Chest: 32 -- 31 -- 31 -- 31 -- 30.5 -- 30 -- 30
Bust: 38.5 -- 38 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 36.5 -- 36.5
Thighs: R22/L21 -- R22/L21 -- R21.5/L21 -- R22/L21 -- R21.5/L21 -- R21.5/L20.5 -- R21.5/L20.5
------------------------------------
By my calculations, if I'm buring 1900 calories a day I should be at 125.5; but if I'm burning 2000 a day I should be at 124 (for the full seven weeks I've been on the SBD). I'm at 125.5, but I don't quite trust the number. Up till now, my losses have reflected a 2000-a-day pattern. I do feel a bit bloated, and I'm due to start my period in a few days. Plus, I'm probably carrying water still from my wild weekend in Pennsylvania. Or maybe not; maybe I do burn 1900 a day instead of 2000. I will withhold judgment until next week.
My inches lost look pretty satisfying. I'm continuing to slowly lose in the belly, but I'm managing for the most part to keep my boobs. What more can a girl ask for?
On a sad note, my hip really seems to be a problem. Have I mentioned that before? I went for a 3.5-mile-or-so run today, and my left hip hurt so bad that I could barely walk afterwards. It's been a recurring problem for a couple of months now, even though I hardly run at all anymore. I'm worried it's a stress fracture. I had a stress fracture in my foot last summer that completely shut down my running for a couple of months, and I never really got back into it again after it healed. Could I have one in my hip, now, too? And if so, why? As a vegan, am I not getting enough calcium? I am completely lackadaisical about taking calcium pills, it's true. Today's episode was so bad I'm finally convinced I need to go to the doctor about it.
********************
Breakfast: Gargenburger sausage patty; a few bites of a mealy apple; hot coffee with milk
Midafternoon snack: 3/4 of an orange; hot coffee with half-and-half (in both cases, I didn't have the option to use nondairy creamer. And as the father said in one of my favorite all-time children's books, _A_Day_No_Pigs_Would_Die_, "God never intended a man to drink his coffee black.")
Lunch: spring greens with olives, pistachios, cucumber, red bell pepper, grape tomatoes and hemp oil/balsamic vinegar
Dinner: lentil-apricot salad; romaine lettuce salad with dried cranberries and walnuts; jarred marionberries [dinner at a friend's house]
Exercise: 3.5 mile run
********************
Friday, April 09, 2004
Phase 2, Day 34
********************
Breakfast: pear with almond butter/flax seed meal; mug of green tea
Lunch: 1 slice whole wheat bread with Gardenburger soy patty and vegannaise/mustard spread; 1/4 of a nasty, underripe nectarine; diet Dr. Pepper
Midafternoon snack: cherry sugar-free popsicle
Midafternoon snack: grapefruit sweetened with Splenda
Dinner: "Healthy Harvest" spaghetti (not whole grain, but not all-white) with Trader Joe's canned marinari and frozen vegan meatballs; piece of sourdough baguette [I planned a meal of black bean frijoles but burned the beans, so that will have to wait until tomorrow night]
Exercise: none
********************
I had figured that most of the people who would visit this site would already be vegan. But I've come to realize that some (most?) of those who come are interested in veganism, but haven't gone down that road themselves.
So I've decided to write today a little about why I'm a vegan. It's not because it's a healthier way of eating. A well-planned omnivorous diet can be equally healthy; a badly-executed vegan diet can be pretty bad for you. (And obviously, since this site is dedicated to the South Beach Diet, veganism alone is no guaratee of a small pants size). It's not for environmental reasons. Undoubtedly, a vegan diet does put far less of a strain on the earth's resources than one that includes meat. But to be perfectly honest, I'm a half-hearted environmentalist at best. I'm lackadaisical about recycling. I'm never moved to write letters to the editor about air pollution, or strip-mining, or oil-drilling in Alaska. When I get worked up about an environmental issue, it's because of it's effect on animals.
I'm a vegan because I don't want to participate in the industrialized, commericialized abuse of animals. It's not even their deaths that bother me so much as the misery we inflict on them in life. I don't understand the motivations or moral world of hunters; I don't understand why they enjoy what they do. But there's an honesty, at least, in their actions. They eat meat without shying from what it takes to obtain it. And a deer shot by a bullet in the woods suffers at most for a few seconds if the shot is good, to a few days if the shot is bad and she escapes and takes a long time to die of her wounds. But an animal on a factory farm suffers exquisitely from birth to death, an expanse of time that can range from minutes (male chicks) to years (breeding pigs or dairy cows or beef cattle).
I'm not especially articulate on this point, but many others have been. This is a more compelling defense of veganism than I could ever offer. The page you will click on has no upsetting images, but don't go beyond that first page unless you are prepared for progressively more devastating pictures of animals on factory farms. You have been warned. It might take you a long time to decide to go beyond the first (or second) page, and I wouldn't blame you for that. It took me years to face the realities of what we do to animals on factory farms, and seeing these images so vividly still makes me cry.
I'm not a perfect vegan. I'm not even a perfect vegetarian. It's virtually impossible to be either in the modern world. But every little bit I can do is better than nothing. I don't beat myself up over slip-ups or temporary failures of conviction. A good person seeks to make her actions consistent with her beliefs as much as she can, understanding she can always do better, and then striving to do so.
Breakfast: pear with almond butter/flax seed meal; mug of green tea
Lunch: 1 slice whole wheat bread with Gardenburger soy patty and vegannaise/mustard spread; 1/4 of a nasty, underripe nectarine; diet Dr. Pepper
Midafternoon snack: cherry sugar-free popsicle
Midafternoon snack: grapefruit sweetened with Splenda
Dinner: "Healthy Harvest" spaghetti (not whole grain, but not all-white) with Trader Joe's canned marinari and frozen vegan meatballs; piece of sourdough baguette [I planned a meal of black bean frijoles but burned the beans, so that will have to wait until tomorrow night]
Exercise: none
********************
I had figured that most of the people who would visit this site would already be vegan. But I've come to realize that some (most?) of those who come are interested in veganism, but haven't gone down that road themselves.
So I've decided to write today a little about why I'm a vegan. It's not because it's a healthier way of eating. A well-planned omnivorous diet can be equally healthy; a badly-executed vegan diet can be pretty bad for you. (And obviously, since this site is dedicated to the South Beach Diet, veganism alone is no guaratee of a small pants size). It's not for environmental reasons. Undoubtedly, a vegan diet does put far less of a strain on the earth's resources than one that includes meat. But to be perfectly honest, I'm a half-hearted environmentalist at best. I'm lackadaisical about recycling. I'm never moved to write letters to the editor about air pollution, or strip-mining, or oil-drilling in Alaska. When I get worked up about an environmental issue, it's because of it's effect on animals.
I'm a vegan because I don't want to participate in the industrialized, commericialized abuse of animals. It's not even their deaths that bother me so much as the misery we inflict on them in life. I don't understand the motivations or moral world of hunters; I don't understand why they enjoy what they do. But there's an honesty, at least, in their actions. They eat meat without shying from what it takes to obtain it. And a deer shot by a bullet in the woods suffers at most for a few seconds if the shot is good, to a few days if the shot is bad and she escapes and takes a long time to die of her wounds. But an animal on a factory farm suffers exquisitely from birth to death, an expanse of time that can range from minutes (male chicks) to years (breeding pigs or dairy cows or beef cattle).
I'm not especially articulate on this point, but many others have been. This is a more compelling defense of veganism than I could ever offer. The page you will click on has no upsetting images, but don't go beyond that first page unless you are prepared for progressively more devastating pictures of animals on factory farms. You have been warned. It might take you a long time to decide to go beyond the first (or second) page, and I wouldn't blame you for that. It took me years to face the realities of what we do to animals on factory farms, and seeing these images so vividly still makes me cry.
I'm not a perfect vegan. I'm not even a perfect vegetarian. It's virtually impossible to be either in the modern world. But every little bit I can do is better than nothing. I don't beat myself up over slip-ups or temporary failures of conviction. A good person seeks to make her actions consistent with her beliefs as much as she can, understanding she can always do better, and then striving to do so.
Thursday, April 08, 2004
Phase 2, Day 33
********************
Breakfast: 2 slices White Wave thai baked tofu; mug of green tea
Midmorning snack: pear with almond butter/flax meal spread
Lunch: green salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, pistachios and hemp oil
Dinner: fried tofu with peanut sauce; mixed vegetables in sriracha sauce [Thai restaurant meal]; diet coke
Exercise: none
********************
I admit it: I'm getting really tired of turning down chocolate chip cookies, cakes, etc. It's not exactly that I'm finding it *difficult* to turn them down, but they are just so delicious... and is it just me, or are they EVERYWHERE?? It seems like there's always some chocolate-centered holiday being celebrated, or a meeting where "refreshments" mean coffee and cookies, or somebody's birthday complete with cake and ice cream. I guess that's the reason not to give in; "just this once" is *never* "just this once."
Breakfast: 2 slices White Wave thai baked tofu; mug of green tea
Midmorning snack: pear with almond butter/flax meal spread
Lunch: green salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, pistachios and hemp oil
Dinner: fried tofu with peanut sauce; mixed vegetables in sriracha sauce [Thai restaurant meal]; diet coke
Exercise: none
********************
I admit it: I'm getting really tired of turning down chocolate chip cookies, cakes, etc. It's not exactly that I'm finding it *difficult* to turn them down, but they are just so delicious... and is it just me, or are they EVERYWHERE?? It seems like there's always some chocolate-centered holiday being celebrated, or a meeting where "refreshments" mean coffee and cookies, or somebody's birthday complete with cake and ice cream. I guess that's the reason not to give in; "just this once" is *never* "just this once."
Wednesday, April 07, 2004
Phase 2, Day 32
********************
Breakfast: large navel orange; small can V-8; mug of black tea
Lunch: 2 large slices multigrain bread with falafel, tomato and spinach; 1/2 c apple-cabbage salad; diet raspberry Snapple tea [from Food Court]
Dinner: spring greens salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, cashews, and olives; cup of roasted vegetable-rice soup; diet Snapple lime green tea [from Food Court]
Exercise: none
********************
These jeans are *definitely* getting baggy! I bought some size 2s at a thrift store last weekend; they fit, but tightly.
Breakfast: large navel orange; small can V-8; mug of black tea
Lunch: 2 large slices multigrain bread with falafel, tomato and spinach; 1/2 c apple-cabbage salad; diet raspberry Snapple tea [from Food Court]
Dinner: spring greens salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, cashews, and olives; cup of roasted vegetable-rice soup; diet Snapple lime green tea [from Food Court]
Exercise: none
********************
These jeans are *definitely* getting baggy! I bought some size 2s at a thrift store last weekend; they fit, but tightly.
Tuesday, April 06, 2004
Phase 2, Day 31
********************
Breakfast: small V-8; small apple
Lunch: navy bean salad; roasted asparagus and bell peppers; a cup of a sort of white bean chili; one seeded cracker; diet Dr. Pepper [from Food Court]
Dinner: hummus with 1/2 white pita; 1/2 an artichoke with mustard dip; 1 c garlic-sauteed spinach; 1 c tomato soup; seared tofu with miso dressing; 1 slice multigrain bread with olive oil [restaurant meal; we ordered a bunch of appetizers]
Exercise: none
********************
I heard an interesting talk yesterday about willpower. Usually, we think about "willpower" as something individual people either have a lot of, or only a little bit of. So either I am a "strong" person, resisting all temptations, or a "weak" person, who gives in a lot.
In fact, psychological research shows that willpower plays a very small role in resisting temptation. It's the tempation itself that does all the work, and *this* varies a lot between people. For instance, remember how much willpower it took for you to resist sauteed calf kidneys when you became a vegan? Exactly: none. Simply put, if you have no drive to engage in a behavior, like eating a particular food, then it doesn't take much willpower to resist it. And people differ greatly in which things they have a drive to eat. Meat no longer tempts me. I even find it fairly easy to resist pie, non-chocolate candy, and white breads. But ice cream? Or hot-from-the-oven whole grain bread dripping with cold-pressed olive oil? Fuhgeddaboutit! It takes all I have to turn these down.
I am able to resist a bowl full of Skittles sitting in the secretarial pool, but my friend pops a handful into his mouth several times a day, even though both of us are on diets. Why? We differ a great deal in how tasty we think Skittles are (he loves 'em), and just as importantly, in situational differences such as how often we visit the secretarial pool, or in how long it's been since we last ate real food.
We can't do a lot about individual differences in how tasty we find various things. But this doesn't mean we can't do *anything* about them. I used to love meat. I mean really, really love it--every time I drove by a KFC my mouth would water just thinking about chicken. But eventually, after years of not eating it, and of vividly imagining meat's gory origins, I absolutely lost my taste for it. It took a long time, but it did happen. In the opposite direction, you *can* often train yourself to like certain things. Studies show that it takes up to 15 exposures to new flavors before one develops a liking for them. You know the old expression, "It's an acquired taste"? It's true. If you don't like something that is good for you, really make the effort to like it by trying it about a dozen times, and eventually you probably will.
While we can't do much about individual taste differences, we can accomplish a great deal when it comes to controlling events that compound our temptation. What are the things that make you vulnerable? I'll categorize them into two groups: drains on your "willpower reserves," and situational cues.
Willpower is a limited resource--one of the several reasons you should not rely on it. If you have recently exercised willpower, your stock is depleted, and until you have time to "recharge," you're going to be more vulnerable to further temptations. It's relatively easy to resist the offer of a cookie. But if five minutes later, you are offered pie, it's harder to say no. If you succeed, and five minutes later again, someone offers you a piece of cake... Resisting temptation gets progressively harder. Avoid situations where you will be exposed to sequential temptations. Tell people around you very firmly that you are trying to eat healthier (not just "I don't want a piece of cake" but "I don't eat junk food"), thus reducing the odds that they'll keep offering.
Willpower can also be depleted by "cognitive load," which is essentially just a fancy term for distracting thoughts, or concentration on a different task. In one experiment, subjects were asked to memorize either a two-digit (low cognitive load) or a seven-digit (high cognitive load) number. On their way to a second testing room, they were offered their choice of a slice of cake or a piece of fruit. 39% of the people in the low-load condition took the cake, but a full 61% of those in the high-load condition chose the cake. Why? Willpower is *effortful.* If you are busy concentrating on something else, you don't have the resources to also resist temptation. Take home message? When you are busy, or stressed out, you are more likely to give in to temptation, simply because it's harder to muster the brain resources to resist it. So if unhealthy food is available, do your best to really *concentrate* on the individual food choices you make. Pay close attention. Even do a quick mental pros/cons calculation for the different choices you could make. Anything you can do to increase the total amount of thought directed at your food choices, will increase the likelihood that you will be happy with those choices later.
However, all of these strategies pale in comparison to the power of shifting the situational cues that make you likely to indulge. Consider this: over 60% of American soldiers were addicted to heroin while serving in Vietnam. Heroin, needless to say, is a powerfully addicting drug, and it is notoriously hard to kick the habit. Yet only *5%* of vets remained addicted once they returned home. The difference is astounding, and can best be explained by the fact that in America, they no longer were exposed to all the situational cues that they associated with heroin, and that made them crave the drug. They completely changed environments, and for the vast majority of them this eliminated their drug habit.
You can apply this insight to your own food cravings. Take steps to remove yourself from tempting situations. Do you overindulge when you go out drinking with friends? Don't expect willpower to enable you to sit with a Perrier while your friends are chugging Old Milwaukee. Instead, don't go drinking in the first place; find another way to spend time with your pals. Do you regularly dive into the kid's Oreos? Don't buy that junk in the first place. (Your kids don't need unhealthy food any more than you do.) Do you munch while watching TV? Stop watching TV. Seriously. There are plenty of other hobbies that will interest you as much or more than sitting in front of the tube.
The final, and maybe most important, thing you can do to avoid temptation is to control how hungry you get. One final study I'm going to tell you about: the subjects were heroin addicts, who were taking a methadone-like maintenance drug in a treatment program. Researchers asked the subjects how much money they would have to be paid to forego an extra dose of methadone the next day. Half of these subjects were asked to make their choice just before a scheduled dose of methodone (so that they were "hungry" when making their decision); the other half made their choice just after a dose (making them relatively satiated.) The "hungry" subjects demanded a *lot* more money to forego the next day's extra dose than the satiated subjects.
Lesson? Make sure you don't get hungry. Eat frequently, in small meals spaced throughout the day. Eat high-fiber foods and good fats and proteins that take a long time to move through your system. Eat enough calories to satiate yourself. All of this will keep your blood sugar even, and eliminate hunger pangs. Sound familiar? You got it--it's the South Beach Diet. There's no magic involved, just good psychological science.
Breakfast: small V-8; small apple
Lunch: navy bean salad; roasted asparagus and bell peppers; a cup of a sort of white bean chili; one seeded cracker; diet Dr. Pepper [from Food Court]
Dinner: hummus with 1/2 white pita; 1/2 an artichoke with mustard dip; 1 c garlic-sauteed spinach; 1 c tomato soup; seared tofu with miso dressing; 1 slice multigrain bread with olive oil [restaurant meal; we ordered a bunch of appetizers]
Exercise: none
********************
I heard an interesting talk yesterday about willpower. Usually, we think about "willpower" as something individual people either have a lot of, or only a little bit of. So either I am a "strong" person, resisting all temptations, or a "weak" person, who gives in a lot.
In fact, psychological research shows that willpower plays a very small role in resisting temptation. It's the tempation itself that does all the work, and *this* varies a lot between people. For instance, remember how much willpower it took for you to resist sauteed calf kidneys when you became a vegan? Exactly: none. Simply put, if you have no drive to engage in a behavior, like eating a particular food, then it doesn't take much willpower to resist it. And people differ greatly in which things they have a drive to eat. Meat no longer tempts me. I even find it fairly easy to resist pie, non-chocolate candy, and white breads. But ice cream? Or hot-from-the-oven whole grain bread dripping with cold-pressed olive oil? Fuhgeddaboutit! It takes all I have to turn these down.
I am able to resist a bowl full of Skittles sitting in the secretarial pool, but my friend pops a handful into his mouth several times a day, even though both of us are on diets. Why? We differ a great deal in how tasty we think Skittles are (he loves 'em), and just as importantly, in situational differences such as how often we visit the secretarial pool, or in how long it's been since we last ate real food.
We can't do a lot about individual differences in how tasty we find various things. But this doesn't mean we can't do *anything* about them. I used to love meat. I mean really, really love it--every time I drove by a KFC my mouth would water just thinking about chicken. But eventually, after years of not eating it, and of vividly imagining meat's gory origins, I absolutely lost my taste for it. It took a long time, but it did happen. In the opposite direction, you *can* often train yourself to like certain things. Studies show that it takes up to 15 exposures to new flavors before one develops a liking for them. You know the old expression, "It's an acquired taste"? It's true. If you don't like something that is good for you, really make the effort to like it by trying it about a dozen times, and eventually you probably will.
While we can't do much about individual taste differences, we can accomplish a great deal when it comes to controlling events that compound our temptation. What are the things that make you vulnerable? I'll categorize them into two groups: drains on your "willpower reserves," and situational cues.
Willpower is a limited resource--one of the several reasons you should not rely on it. If you have recently exercised willpower, your stock is depleted, and until you have time to "recharge," you're going to be more vulnerable to further temptations. It's relatively easy to resist the offer of a cookie. But if five minutes later, you are offered pie, it's harder to say no. If you succeed, and five minutes later again, someone offers you a piece of cake... Resisting temptation gets progressively harder. Avoid situations where you will be exposed to sequential temptations. Tell people around you very firmly that you are trying to eat healthier (not just "I don't want a piece of cake" but "I don't eat junk food"), thus reducing the odds that they'll keep offering.
Willpower can also be depleted by "cognitive load," which is essentially just a fancy term for distracting thoughts, or concentration on a different task. In one experiment, subjects were asked to memorize either a two-digit (low cognitive load) or a seven-digit (high cognitive load) number. On their way to a second testing room, they were offered their choice of a slice of cake or a piece of fruit. 39% of the people in the low-load condition took the cake, but a full 61% of those in the high-load condition chose the cake. Why? Willpower is *effortful.* If you are busy concentrating on something else, you don't have the resources to also resist temptation. Take home message? When you are busy, or stressed out, you are more likely to give in to temptation, simply because it's harder to muster the brain resources to resist it. So if unhealthy food is available, do your best to really *concentrate* on the individual food choices you make. Pay close attention. Even do a quick mental pros/cons calculation for the different choices you could make. Anything you can do to increase the total amount of thought directed at your food choices, will increase the likelihood that you will be happy with those choices later.
However, all of these strategies pale in comparison to the power of shifting the situational cues that make you likely to indulge. Consider this: over 60% of American soldiers were addicted to heroin while serving in Vietnam. Heroin, needless to say, is a powerfully addicting drug, and it is notoriously hard to kick the habit. Yet only *5%* of vets remained addicted once they returned home. The difference is astounding, and can best be explained by the fact that in America, they no longer were exposed to all the situational cues that they associated with heroin, and that made them crave the drug. They completely changed environments, and for the vast majority of them this eliminated their drug habit.
You can apply this insight to your own food cravings. Take steps to remove yourself from tempting situations. Do you overindulge when you go out drinking with friends? Don't expect willpower to enable you to sit with a Perrier while your friends are chugging Old Milwaukee. Instead, don't go drinking in the first place; find another way to spend time with your pals. Do you regularly dive into the kid's Oreos? Don't buy that junk in the first place. (Your kids don't need unhealthy food any more than you do.) Do you munch while watching TV? Stop watching TV. Seriously. There are plenty of other hobbies that will interest you as much or more than sitting in front of the tube.
The final, and maybe most important, thing you can do to avoid temptation is to control how hungry you get. One final study I'm going to tell you about: the subjects were heroin addicts, who were taking a methadone-like maintenance drug in a treatment program. Researchers asked the subjects how much money they would have to be paid to forego an extra dose of methadone the next day. Half of these subjects were asked to make their choice just before a scheduled dose of methodone (so that they were "hungry" when making their decision); the other half made their choice just after a dose (making them relatively satiated.) The "hungry" subjects demanded a *lot* more money to forego the next day's extra dose than the satiated subjects.
Lesson? Make sure you don't get hungry. Eat frequently, in small meals spaced throughout the day. Eat high-fiber foods and good fats and proteins that take a long time to move through your system. Eat enough calories to satiate yourself. All of this will keep your blood sugar even, and eliminate hunger pangs. Sound familiar? You got it--it's the South Beach Diet. There's no magic involved, just good psychological science.
Monday, April 05, 2004
Phase 2, Day 30
********************
Breakfast: mug of black tea
Lunch: tofu stir-fry; diet Snapple lime green tea [from Food Court]
Midafternoon snack: tossed spring greens salad with chickpeas, olives and cashews; diet Snapple lime green tea [from Food Court]
Dinner: small lettuce-and-tomato salad; asparagus; yogurt with granola [meal at a friend's house]
Exercise: none
********************
Breakfast: mug of black tea
Lunch: tofu stir-fry; diet Snapple lime green tea [from Food Court]
Midafternoon snack: tossed spring greens salad with chickpeas, olives and cashews; diet Snapple lime green tea [from Food Court]
Dinner: small lettuce-and-tomato salad; asparagus; yogurt with granola [meal at a friend's house]
Exercise: none
********************
Sunday, April 04, 2004
Phase 2, Days 28 and 29
********************
Food eaten: Do we have to go there? Let's just say that doughnuts were involved, along with a variety of other fried and sugared Amish treats. And a visit to "Chocolate World" and its agricultural products in Hershey, PA. Do you want to know who the mayor of Chocolate World is? Satan.
********************
I did not expect to stay on this diet while vacationing. I did go a bit beyond even my planned indulgence. One horrible lesson learned: the Amish deep fry everything in LARD. That means BEEF FAT. I thought the doughnut (and, ahem... the apple dumpling...) tasted a bit weird, and then I figured out what it was. I wonder if I would have even noticed the off-taste a decade ago, when I was a fairly new vegetarian. Now it was obvious: cow-flavored desserts. Bleah.
I did eat one or two healthy things. I had a delicious whole wheat burrito with guacamole, brown rice and vegan chili in a little town in Pennsylvania (located right below an amazingly cool vintage clothing shop called Checkered Past.) And I also had... um... ok, I guess I only ate one healthy thing on the trip. But now I'm back. It's Sunday. Tonight I'll eat something good for me. Tomorrow I'm back on the Beach whole-hog. Maybe I'll even drastically cut grains for a few days, to get back into the spirit of things.
As best I can remember (and I *think* I recall everything), Saturday and Sunday saw me eating a total of about 2000 calories above maintenance. That means that if I get right back tomorrow, and eat like I was eating before, then for this week (Week 7), instead of losing my usual one-and-a-half pounds, I should lose a little less than a pound. So really, I only derailed less than a week's worth of effort. I don't plan on doing this again any time soon, but it's good to know that going off the deep end every once in a while isn't fatal, either to yourself or to your diet.
I didn't have access to a scale in Pennsylvania, and in fact I still won't have access to one until Thursday morning. Since I would be due to weigh-in again for Week 7 two days later anyhow, I think I'll just wait until then. I probably gained a ton of water weight from replenishing glycogen stores and what not, so any measurement I took right now would be deceptive in any case. My prediction: I should have lost 1.5 pounds for Week 6, and if all goes well I will lose .5 pounds for Week 7. This means that by next Saturday, the scale should have me at about 125 pounds, or 9 pounds lost on this diet so far.
Food eaten: Do we have to go there? Let's just say that doughnuts were involved, along with a variety of other fried and sugared Amish treats. And a visit to "Chocolate World" and its agricultural products in Hershey, PA. Do you want to know who the mayor of Chocolate World is? Satan.
********************
I did not expect to stay on this diet while vacationing. I did go a bit beyond even my planned indulgence. One horrible lesson learned: the Amish deep fry everything in LARD. That means BEEF FAT. I thought the doughnut (and, ahem... the apple dumpling...) tasted a bit weird, and then I figured out what it was. I wonder if I would have even noticed the off-taste a decade ago, when I was a fairly new vegetarian. Now it was obvious: cow-flavored desserts. Bleah.
I did eat one or two healthy things. I had a delicious whole wheat burrito with guacamole, brown rice and vegan chili in a little town in Pennsylvania (located right below an amazingly cool vintage clothing shop called Checkered Past.) And I also had... um... ok, I guess I only ate one healthy thing on the trip. But now I'm back. It's Sunday. Tonight I'll eat something good for me. Tomorrow I'm back on the Beach whole-hog. Maybe I'll even drastically cut grains for a few days, to get back into the spirit of things.
As best I can remember (and I *think* I recall everything), Saturday and Sunday saw me eating a total of about 2000 calories above maintenance. That means that if I get right back tomorrow, and eat like I was eating before, then for this week (Week 7), instead of losing my usual one-and-a-half pounds, I should lose a little less than a pound. So really, I only derailed less than a week's worth of effort. I don't plan on doing this again any time soon, but it's good to know that going off the deep end every once in a while isn't fatal, either to yourself or to your diet.
I didn't have access to a scale in Pennsylvania, and in fact I still won't have access to one until Thursday morning. Since I would be due to weigh-in again for Week 7 two days later anyhow, I think I'll just wait until then. I probably gained a ton of water weight from replenishing glycogen stores and what not, so any measurement I took right now would be deceptive in any case. My prediction: I should have lost 1.5 pounds for Week 6, and if all goes well I will lose .5 pounds for Week 7. This means that by next Saturday, the scale should have me at about 125 pounds, or 9 pounds lost on this diet so far.
Friday, April 02, 2004
Phase 2, Day 27
********************
Breakfast: two veggie to-go quiches; hot coffee with fake cream
Lunch: a few varied small salads from food court; portobella-goat cheese sandwich on whole grain bread; large V-8; hot coffee with fake cream [from Food Court]
Midafternoon snack: small apple
Dinner: gardenburger on wholegrain toast; tossed green salad with a few chickpeas and oil & vinegar; and... a few bites of my friend's crab-olive oil pasta; a gingerbread cookie; and a bunch of french fries with ketchup. Let the vacation begin!! [restaurant meal in Pennsylvania]
Exercise: 30 minute run on treadmill
********************
Today is the final day of the sixth week on this diet. Tomorrow I am supposed to weigh, but I'm going to be in Pennsylvania for the weekend and won't have access (I think) to a scale. If there is one at the hotel, I'll weigh, otherwise I won't bother until next week. I know I'm continuing to lose; even these size 4s are now a little baggy in the seat.
I'll be in Pennsylvania for a weekend vacation, attending a Mennonite Relief sale (a little random I know, but I expect it to be fun!) Pennsylvania and Mennonites means apple cider doughnuts. Hmmmm....
Breakfast: two veggie to-go quiches; hot coffee with fake cream
Lunch: a few varied small salads from food court; portobella-goat cheese sandwich on whole grain bread; large V-8; hot coffee with fake cream [from Food Court]
Midafternoon snack: small apple
Dinner: gardenburger on wholegrain toast; tossed green salad with a few chickpeas and oil & vinegar; and... a few bites of my friend's crab-olive oil pasta; a gingerbread cookie; and a bunch of french fries with ketchup. Let the vacation begin!! [restaurant meal in Pennsylvania]
Exercise: 30 minute run on treadmill
********************
Today is the final day of the sixth week on this diet. Tomorrow I am supposed to weigh, but I'm going to be in Pennsylvania for the weekend and won't have access (I think) to a scale. If there is one at the hotel, I'll weigh, otherwise I won't bother until next week. I know I'm continuing to lose; even these size 4s are now a little baggy in the seat.
I'll be in Pennsylvania for a weekend vacation, attending a Mennonite Relief sale (a little random I know, but I expect it to be fun!) Pennsylvania and Mennonites means apple cider doughnuts. Hmmmm....
Thursday, April 01, 2004
Phase 2, Day 26
********************
Breakfast: large fruit salad (pineapple, grapes, cantaloupe and honeydew); 1 T almond butter; mug of green tea
Lunch: leftover mushroom salad; diet Snapple lime green tea
Dinner: mixed veggie antipasto with eggplant, artichoke hearts, beets; a sort of spinach pizza roll (yes it had a little cheese); an eggplant rollette (yes, it had cheese too!); 10 oz vegetable soup [from a buffet-type Italian restaurant]
Late night snack: 1 pepperidge farm chocolate chip cookie; diet coke
********************
ALERT!! Dr. Agatson just released new dietary guidelines! Turns out pasta, white bread, muffins, Snickers, and main-lining maple syrup are all lower GI than previously thought! Eat at will, in every phase!
[April Fools!]
Breakfast: large fruit salad (pineapple, grapes, cantaloupe and honeydew); 1 T almond butter; mug of green tea
Lunch: leftover mushroom salad; diet Snapple lime green tea
Dinner: mixed veggie antipasto with eggplant, artichoke hearts, beets; a sort of spinach pizza roll (yes it had a little cheese); an eggplant rollette (yes, it had cheese too!); 10 oz vegetable soup [from a buffet-type Italian restaurant]
Late night snack: 1 pepperidge farm chocolate chip cookie; diet coke
********************
ALERT!! Dr. Agatson just released new dietary guidelines! Turns out pasta, white bread, muffins, Snickers, and main-lining maple syrup are all lower GI than previously thought! Eat at will, in every phase!
[April Fools!]
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