First, an update: I'm still around 125 pounds. For the past three weeks, I've been running more seriously, and am prepping for a marathon in four months. Right now, I'm running about 20 miles a week, a number that will gradually increase in the coming months to a high of about 40 per week.
I'm still eating "on the beach," for the most part, but my portion sizes are such that I haven't continued to lose weight. It is really hard to both engage in hard exercise and diet (ANY diet, not just SBD) at the same time. I imagine I will drop a few more pounds as I approach the marathon, but that isn't a priority for me right now.
Second, a recommendation: _Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy_, by Walter C. Willett. A really good, popular-press book, whose eating recommendations are backed up with reams of evidence--a refreshing change from most "diet" books (and yes, the South Beach Diet is an offender in this department).
Willett says that the standard weight recommendations for Americans are probably too high. We define as "overweight" anyone with a higher body mass index (BMI) than 25. But while the negative health consequences really escalate at BMI > 25, they begin rising at BMIs as low as 22 (which is my own current BMI, by the way). Namely, your risk of gallstones, high blood pressure, and heart disease start creeping up (and in the case of diabetes, start *rocketing* up) even at weight ranges the USDA defines as the lowish side of "healthy." (This makes some sense to me. I am "big boned" and, like a good quality artichoke, heavy for my size. A BMI of 25, the top of the healthy range, puts me at 145 pounds. Only in a funhouse mirror world is 145 pounds on a 5'4" woman, even a large woman like me, a "normal," healthy weight.)
Even more interesting, risk of disease seems to be linear, rather than U-shaped as usually argued. That is, barring your being a smoker or sick with some fatal disease, you really cannot be too rich *or* too thin! Simply put, multiple studies show that the lower your body weight, the longer you live. In the famous Nurses' Health Study, for instance, those with BMIs as low as 17 (for me, a BMI of 17 equals a body weight of 98 pounds!) live slightly longer than those with BMIs between 21 and 25.
Now obviously, I don't think I should weigh 98 pounds. For one thing, I would have to lose not only body fat, but lots of lean tissue to achieve that kind of weight. For me, a BMI of 17 genuinely wouldn't be as healthy as, say, a more muscular BMI of 20 (116 pounds). For another, such a weight would be so difficult to achieve and maintain that I would be utterly miserable (as well as stick-man fugly). But the point is: as our waistlines have expanded, so seemingly have the recommendations for "healthy" weight. This may in part be because the good folk at the USDA don't want to make people desperate and give up. And hey, maybe they're right. After all, if I were truly obese (as more and more Americans are), I'd certainly be better off even at a still-chunky 145 pounds.
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
Tuesday, May 18, 2004
Mickey D's and You
On any given day, 7%, that's SEVEN PERCENT, of the ENTIRE AMERICAN POPULATION, will eat at McDonald's. This absolutely staggers me.
In fact, this whole article from the current month's Harvard Magazine staggers me. It's one of the best articles I've read on nutrition and health since... well, since last month's issue of Harvard Magazine.
Two especially good tidbits for all you conspiracy theorists out there:
-- Notice how the base of the Food Guide Pyramid is grains. It makes no distinction between whole grains and refined (garbage) grains, it's just... grains. The Pyramid recommends a staggering six to eleven servings of grain a day. The Pyramid also makes no distinction between "legumes," "nuts," and all meat; recommending that you eat two to three servings a day from this "group." Further, it recommends two to three (!!) servings a day of dairy. So who writes and distributes the Food Guide Pyramid? The National Institute of Health? The Department of Health and Human Services? The Food and Drug Administration? Nah. It's the DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. Guess whose lobbying drives the Department of Agriculture? (Hint: what moos while munching amber waves of grain?)
-- Half, that's HALF, of the net income of farmers in this country comes from Uncle Sam in the form of price supports and land set-asides. But not all farmers are treated equally. Ever notice how cheap grain products like wheat and corn (from whence come refined white flour and high fructose corn syrup) are, and how expensive fruit and vegetables are by comparison? Is this the market at work? Yes--but the *political* market, not Adam Smith's. Subsidies are for grains. Vegetable, fruit, bean and nut farmers do not get subsidies. Says Harvard medical school professor David Ludwig, "The foods that are the worst for us have an artificially low price, and the best foods cost more. This is worse than a free market: we are creating a mirror-world here."
In fact, this whole article from the current month's Harvard Magazine staggers me. It's one of the best articles I've read on nutrition and health since... well, since last month's issue of Harvard Magazine.
Two especially good tidbits for all you conspiracy theorists out there:
-- Notice how the base of the Food Guide Pyramid is grains. It makes no distinction between whole grains and refined (garbage) grains, it's just... grains. The Pyramid recommends a staggering six to eleven servings of grain a day. The Pyramid also makes no distinction between "legumes," "nuts," and all meat; recommending that you eat two to three servings a day from this "group." Further, it recommends two to three (!!) servings a day of dairy. So who writes and distributes the Food Guide Pyramid? The National Institute of Health? The Department of Health and Human Services? The Food and Drug Administration? Nah. It's the DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. Guess whose lobbying drives the Department of Agriculture? (Hint: what moos while munching amber waves of grain?)
-- Half, that's HALF, of the net income of farmers in this country comes from Uncle Sam in the form of price supports and land set-asides. But not all farmers are treated equally. Ever notice how cheap grain products like wheat and corn (from whence come refined white flour and high fructose corn syrup) are, and how expensive fruit and vegetables are by comparison? Is this the market at work? Yes--but the *political* market, not Adam Smith's. Subsidies are for grains. Vegetable, fruit, bean and nut farmers do not get subsidies. Says Harvard medical school professor David Ludwig, "The foods that are the worst for us have an artificially low price, and the best foods cost more. This is worse than a free market: we are creating a mirror-world here."
Saturday, May 15, 2004
The Latest Stats
I have continued on the South Beach Diet, on a sort of Phase 2-and-a-half. That is, I eat according to the Phase II rules, but occasionally I indulge in a sweet treat (like last night, I had some dark chocolate covered marzipan for my birthday), and I don't sweat a little white flour now and again in (very) small doses. I'm posting my stats again, as I used to do once a week, just to keep you abreast of how I'm doing. I continue to lose, slooooooooowly.
------------------------------------
Weight/Measurements:
Weight: 124.5 pounds
Bodyfat: 25%
Waist, holding in stomach like I normally do: 27 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
Hips: 36
Chest: 30
Bust: 36
Thighs: R21, L20
------------------------------------
Weight: 134 -- 131 -- 129 -- 130 -- 127.5 -- 127 -- 125.5 -- 125.5 -- 125.5 -- 125 -- 124.5
Bodyfat: 29% -- 29% -- 27% -- 28% -- 27.5% -- 26% -- 24.5% -- 22.5% -- 27% -- 26% -- 25%
Waist, sucking in: 28.5 -- 28.5 -- 28.5 -- 28 -- 27.5 -- 27.5 -- 27.5 -- 27.5 -- 27.5 -- 27.5 -- 27
Waist, hanging out: 30 -- 29.5 -- 29 -- 29 -- 28.5 -- 28.5 -- 28 -- 28 -- 28 -- 28 -- 28
Belly, sucking in: 32 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31 -- 30 -- 30.5 -- 30 -- 30
Belly, hanging out : 34 -- 33.5 -- 33 -- 33.5 -- 32.5 -- 32 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31
Hips: 38 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 36.5 -- 36 -- 36 -- 36
Chest: 32 -- 31 -- 31 -- 31 -- 30.5 -- 30 -- 30 -- 30 -- 30 -- 30 -- 30
Bust: 38.5 -- 38 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 36.5 -- 36.5 -- 36 -- 36 -- 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 -- R21/L20 -- R21/L20
In the last week, I haven't invented any new dishes other than the one I posted. Chili remains a staple, and I lovethe veganoutreach site. Look under the Vegan Starter Pack box, and you will find links to lots and lots of great, simple vegan recipes. The Mediterranean Chickpeas is incredibly easy, and incredibly delicious, with or without rice served with it.
I also recently rediscovered Kittee's site, which is a fun read. I especially like her review of vegan cookzines, which you can order. I've ordered several. I won't say that I use them a lot to cook with, but they are entertaining and motivating reading.
------------------------------------
Weight/Measurements:
Weight: 124.5 pounds
Bodyfat: 25%
Waist, holding in stomach like I normally do: 27 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
Hips: 36
Chest: 30
Bust: 36
Thighs: R21, L20
------------------------------------
Weight: 134 -- 131 -- 129 -- 130 -- 127.5 -- 127 -- 125.5 -- 125.5 -- 125.5 -- 125 -- 124.5
Bodyfat: 29% -- 29% -- 27% -- 28% -- 27.5% -- 26% -- 24.5% -- 22.5% -- 27% -- 26% -- 25%
Waist, sucking in: 28.5 -- 28.5 -- 28.5 -- 28 -- 27.5 -- 27.5 -- 27.5 -- 27.5 -- 27.5 -- 27.5 -- 27
Waist, hanging out: 30 -- 29.5 -- 29 -- 29 -- 28.5 -- 28.5 -- 28 -- 28 -- 28 -- 28 -- 28
Belly, sucking in: 32 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31 -- 30 -- 30.5 -- 30 -- 30
Belly, hanging out : 34 -- 33.5 -- 33 -- 33.5 -- 32.5 -- 32 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31
Hips: 38 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 36.5 -- 36 -- 36 -- 36
Chest: 32 -- 31 -- 31 -- 31 -- 30.5 -- 30 -- 30 -- 30 -- 30 -- 30 -- 30
Bust: 38.5 -- 38 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 36.5 -- 36.5 -- 36 -- 36 -- 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 -- R21/L20 -- R21/L20
In the last week, I haven't invented any new dishes other than the one I posted. Chili remains a staple, and I lovethe veganoutreach site. Look under the Vegan Starter Pack box, and you will find links to lots and lots of great, simple vegan recipes. The Mediterranean Chickpeas is incredibly easy, and incredibly delicious, with or without rice served with it.
I also recently rediscovered Kittee's site, which is a fun read. I especially like her review of vegan cookzines, which you can order. I've ordered several. I won't say that I use them a lot to cook with, but they are entertaining and motivating reading.
Monday, May 10, 2004
UPDATE
Hello to all who read this,
As you can see, I've gotten pretty lazy about posting. Putting my menu online (and in my excel spreadsheet) every day has just gotten old, frankly. I'm down to 124 pounds, and I continue to lose, but at a slower pace because I'm simply eating close to maintenance. For me, maintenance calories seem to be about 1850 a day, and I'm eating about 1600. That translates to a half a pound of fat loss a week.
I look pretty good at this weight, and though I know I will look even better at 120, I'm just not motivated to get there full-steam ahead. I will get there eventually--at this pace, in about two months--and I've decided I'm just not going to worry about it.
I'm still doing the South Beach Diet, but definitely as Phase II (meaning I eat whole grains and fruits), and I don't worry about the occasional potato, white pasta, or even sweet treat. Just so long as, on average, I'm eating below maintenance in any given week, I'm happy.
So I will check back in and report my progress from time to time, and post a vegan recipe or two that I might come up with.
In that spirit, I bring you:
Gnocchi with Bitter Greens (loose Phase II, or Phase III appropriate)
1 pound potato gnocchi
1 bunch broccoli rabe/rapini (or your fave bitter green; kale or collards would do nicely)
1 leek
1 pound brussels sprouts
2 T fry-appropriate oil (like canola, grapeseed, or refined avocado)
1 t crushed red pepper flakes (or more, to taste)
1/4 c lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Boil a big, heavy-bottomed pot of water. While it is heating, prepare the various greens: rinse and trim the thickest ends off of the broccoli rabe; rinse the brussels sprouts, cut off the ends and cut an "x" in the bottom of the stems; rinse and thinly slice the leek. The water should be boiling now; dump in the brussels sprouts and cook for 8 minutes. While it is boiling, put a heavy pan on medium heat with 1 T of the oil, and begin sauteeing the leeks. When the brussels sprouts are done, fish them out with a slotted spoon and put them aside. Dump the broccoli rabe into the boiling water, and cook for no more than a minute. Fish out the greens into a collander, and set aside to drain. Now dump the gnocchi into the boiling water, and boil until they rise to the surface (about three minutes). While they are cooking, dump the broccoli rabe into the pan with the leek, and continue sauteeing. Now drain the gnocchi and the water from the pot. Put the pot back on the burner, on medium heat, toss in the other T of oil, the drained gnocchi, and the drained brussels spouts. Sautee for a minute or three, then toss in the red pepper flakes, and the sauteed leeks and broccoli rabe. Add the lemon juice, stir it up well, and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.
As you can see, I've gotten pretty lazy about posting. Putting my menu online (and in my excel spreadsheet) every day has just gotten old, frankly. I'm down to 124 pounds, and I continue to lose, but at a slower pace because I'm simply eating close to maintenance. For me, maintenance calories seem to be about 1850 a day, and I'm eating about 1600. That translates to a half a pound of fat loss a week.
I look pretty good at this weight, and though I know I will look even better at 120, I'm just not motivated to get there full-steam ahead. I will get there eventually--at this pace, in about two months--and I've decided I'm just not going to worry about it.
I'm still doing the South Beach Diet, but definitely as Phase II (meaning I eat whole grains and fruits), and I don't worry about the occasional potato, white pasta, or even sweet treat. Just so long as, on average, I'm eating below maintenance in any given week, I'm happy.
So I will check back in and report my progress from time to time, and post a vegan recipe or two that I might come up with.
In that spirit, I bring you:
Gnocchi with Bitter Greens (loose Phase II, or Phase III appropriate)
1 pound potato gnocchi
1 bunch broccoli rabe/rapini (or your fave bitter green; kale or collards would do nicely)
1 leek
1 pound brussels sprouts
2 T fry-appropriate oil (like canola, grapeseed, or refined avocado)
1 t crushed red pepper flakes (or more, to taste)
1/4 c lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Boil a big, heavy-bottomed pot of water. While it is heating, prepare the various greens: rinse and trim the thickest ends off of the broccoli rabe; rinse the brussels sprouts, cut off the ends and cut an "x" in the bottom of the stems; rinse and thinly slice the leek. The water should be boiling now; dump in the brussels sprouts and cook for 8 minutes. While it is boiling, put a heavy pan on medium heat with 1 T of the oil, and begin sauteeing the leeks. When the brussels sprouts are done, fish them out with a slotted spoon and put them aside. Dump the broccoli rabe into the boiling water, and cook for no more than a minute. Fish out the greens into a collander, and set aside to drain. Now dump the gnocchi into the boiling water, and boil until they rise to the surface (about three minutes). While they are cooking, dump the broccoli rabe into the pan with the leek, and continue sauteeing. Now drain the gnocchi and the water from the pot. Put the pot back on the burner, on medium heat, toss in the other T of oil, the drained gnocchi, and the drained brussels spouts. Sautee for a minute or three, then toss in the red pepper flakes, and the sauteed leeks and broccoli rabe. Add the lemon juice, stir it up well, and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.
Thursday, May 06, 2004
Phase 1.2, Day 6
********************
Breakfast: V-8 with flax seed meal
Midmorning snack: hot coffee with silk creamer and splenda
Lunch: spinach and chickpeas; curried tofu; dal; eggplant curry; one onion pakora; iced tea [Indian restaurant meal]
********************
Breakfast: V-8 with flax seed meal
Midmorning snack: hot coffee with silk creamer and splenda
Lunch: spinach and chickpeas; curried tofu; dal; eggplant curry; one onion pakora; iced tea [Indian restaurant meal]
********************
Wednesday, May 05, 2004
Phase 1.2, Day 5
********************
Breakfast: V-8 with flax seed meal; a few pecan halves
Lunch: curried chickpeas and bell pepper salad; felafel on whole grain bread with tomato and baby spinach [I somehow totally forgot I was on Phase I again until I started eating it, I swear!]; diet Snapple lemon iced tea [from Food Court]
Midafternoon snack: green ginger tea
Dinner: large salad with garbanzos, tofu, various vegetables; chinese cabbage cooked with soy sauce; diet Coke
Dessert: lots of Israeli almond-coconut chocolates :(
********************
Breakfast: V-8 with flax seed meal; a few pecan halves
Lunch: curried chickpeas and bell pepper salad; felafel on whole grain bread with tomato and baby spinach [I somehow totally forgot I was on Phase I again until I started eating it, I swear!]; diet Snapple lemon iced tea [from Food Court]
Midafternoon snack: green ginger tea
Dinner: large salad with garbanzos, tofu, various vegetables; chinese cabbage cooked with soy sauce; diet Coke
Dessert: lots of Israeli almond-coconut chocolates :(
********************
Tuesday, May 04, 2004
Phase 1.2, Day 4
********************
Breakfast: Boca burger with salsa
Lunch: broccoli and tomato salad; large bowl of tomato-vegetable soup; diet raspberry Snapple iced tea [from Food Court]
Midafternoon snack: hot coffee with silk; 1/4 c walnuts
Dinner: tofu stir fry with broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini, summer squash, snow peas, and cashews; diet Snapple lime green tea [from Food Court]
Late night snack: spring greens salad with cashews, garbanzo beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, olives, and oil and vinegar dressing [from Food Court]
********************
My site meter on this blog allows me to see the "referral page" for visitors to this site. I can't tell who has visited (though I can tell their internet service provider), but I can tell where they came from! I discovered this fairly recently, and have become entranced by it.
Most of the referrals are unsurprising; they usually come from my postings on the Microsoft South Beach Diet Group Board. But what's really fun is the search engine referrals. Again, most of these are pretty ordinary: people looking for "vegan" and "south beach diet" turns up my site, naturally. Or, people will be looking to see if a particular food item is allowed on this diet. So, they might look for "South Beach" and "beer" or "papadum" or "coffee."
But some of the searches are so delightfully random! One guy (I assume it was a guy) was looking for Michelle Rodriguez's bra cup size, and the poor fella found me instead. Another person wanted to learn how to reduce methodone-induced food cravings, and wound up here. Yet another was looking up something about marsupials.
I can safely laugh at these people behind their backs because I can't imagine the poor, misled souls will actually be back! But just in case the methodone user happened to stick around--congratulations on kicking a terrible habit! And I expect you'll find the South Beach Diet makes you feel better in the long run than heroin did... though to be frank the heroin probably worked better for weight-loss.
Breakfast: Boca burger with salsa
Lunch: broccoli and tomato salad; large bowl of tomato-vegetable soup; diet raspberry Snapple iced tea [from Food Court]
Midafternoon snack: hot coffee with silk; 1/4 c walnuts
Dinner: tofu stir fry with broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini, summer squash, snow peas, and cashews; diet Snapple lime green tea [from Food Court]
Late night snack: spring greens salad with cashews, garbanzo beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, olives, and oil and vinegar dressing [from Food Court]
********************
My site meter on this blog allows me to see the "referral page" for visitors to this site. I can't tell who has visited (though I can tell their internet service provider), but I can tell where they came from! I discovered this fairly recently, and have become entranced by it.
Most of the referrals are unsurprising; they usually come from my postings on the Microsoft South Beach Diet Group Board. But what's really fun is the search engine referrals. Again, most of these are pretty ordinary: people looking for "vegan" and "south beach diet" turns up my site, naturally. Or, people will be looking to see if a particular food item is allowed on this diet. So, they might look for "South Beach" and "beer" or "papadum" or "coffee."
But some of the searches are so delightfully random! One guy (I assume it was a guy) was looking for Michelle Rodriguez's bra cup size, and the poor fella found me instead. Another person wanted to learn how to reduce methodone-induced food cravings, and wound up here. Yet another was looking up something about marsupials.
I can safely laugh at these people behind their backs because I can't imagine the poor, misled souls will actually be back! But just in case the methodone user happened to stick around--congratulations on kicking a terrible habit! And I expect you'll find the South Beach Diet makes you feel better in the long run than heroin did... though to be frank the heroin probably worked better for weight-loss.
Monday, May 03, 2004
Phase 1.2, Day 3
********************
Breakfast: hot coffee with silk creamer; 2 oz walnuts
Midmorning snack: hot coffee with silk creamer
Lunch: mystery beans salad; asparagus; green beans with shallots; sauteed mushrooms; diet Snapple raspberry iced tea [from Food Court]
Midafternoon snack: hummus with raw vegetables (radish, carrot, red bell pepper, cauliflower); olives
Dinner: tofu stir fry with zucchini, broccoli, summer squash, snow peas and mushrooms [from Food Court]
********************
Breakfast: hot coffee with silk creamer; 2 oz walnuts
Midmorning snack: hot coffee with silk creamer
Lunch: mystery beans salad; asparagus; green beans with shallots; sauteed mushrooms; diet Snapple raspberry iced tea [from Food Court]
Midafternoon snack: hummus with raw vegetables (radish, carrot, red bell pepper, cauliflower); olives
Dinner: tofu stir fry with zucchini, broccoli, summer squash, snow peas and mushrooms [from Food Court]
********************
Sunday, May 02, 2004
Phase 1.2, Day 2
********************
Breakfast: leftover Mediterranean chickpeas; diet Dr. Pepper
Midmorning snack: hot coffee with half-n-half
Lunch: mesclun salad with tomatoes, cucumber, celery, red bell pepper, walnuts and hemp oil/balsamic vinegar dressing; mug of green tea
Midafternoon snack: V-8 with calcium, with a T of flax seed meal stirred in. Not as goopy or disgusting as feared, since the V-8 is already pretty thick. I think I've found a new way to incorporate more flax seed into my diet!
Another snack: the rest of the toasted yellow-eyed beans, which did NOT age well
Dinner: Malaysian restaurant meal, including peanut and bean sprout salad, stuffed fried tofu, sauteed spinach, and a tofu-vegetable stir-fry.
********************
I went to a road race with my boyfriend this morning (he won second place! Yay!) and I turned down not only the usual bagels and oranges, but tons of muffins, and *free Ben and Jerry's ice cream.* I think I should have been given a trophy just for that.
Then, for dinner, I turned down dessert at Cold Slab Creamery. *And* a proffered bite of green tea ice cream at the restaurant, which I love. Satan was definitely trying to tempt me today!
Breakfast: leftover Mediterranean chickpeas; diet Dr. Pepper
Midmorning snack: hot coffee with half-n-half
Lunch: mesclun salad with tomatoes, cucumber, celery, red bell pepper, walnuts and hemp oil/balsamic vinegar dressing; mug of green tea
Midafternoon snack: V-8 with calcium, with a T of flax seed meal stirred in. Not as goopy or disgusting as feared, since the V-8 is already pretty thick. I think I've found a new way to incorporate more flax seed into my diet!
Another snack: the rest of the toasted yellow-eyed beans, which did NOT age well
Dinner: Malaysian restaurant meal, including peanut and bean sprout salad, stuffed fried tofu, sauteed spinach, and a tofu-vegetable stir-fry.
********************
I went to a road race with my boyfriend this morning (he won second place! Yay!) and I turned down not only the usual bagels and oranges, but tons of muffins, and *free Ben and Jerry's ice cream.* I think I should have been given a trophy just for that.
Then, for dinner, I turned down dessert at Cold Slab Creamery. *And* a proffered bite of green tea ice cream at the restaurant, which I love. Satan was definitely trying to tempt me today!
Saturday, May 01, 2004
Phase 1.2, Day 1
------------------------------------
Weight/Measurements:
Weight: 125 pounds
Bodyfat: 26%
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
Chest: 30
Bust: 36
Thighs: R21, L20
------------------------------------
Weight: 134 -- 131 -- 129 -- 130 -- 127.5 -- 127 -- 125.5 -- 125.5 -- 125.5 -- 125
Bodyfat: 29% -- 29% -- 27% -- 28% -- 27.5% -- 26% -- 24.5% -- 22.5% -- 27% -- 26%
Waist, sucking in: 28.5 -- 28.5 -- 28.5 -- 28 -- 27.5 -- 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 -- 28
Belly, sucking in: 32 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31 -- 30 -- 30.5 -- 30
Belly, hanging out : 34 -- 33.5 -- 33 -- 33.5 -- 32.5 -- 32 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5
Hips: 38 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 36.5 -- 36 -- 36
Chest: 32 -- 31 -- 31 -- 31 -- 30.5 -- 30 -- 30 -- 30 -- 30 -- 30
Bust: 38.5 -- 38 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 36.5 -- 36.5 -- 36 -- 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 -- R21/L20
Ten weeks, nine pounds. All things considered, that really isn't bad. But now I'm starting afresh; on May Day. A beautiful, springy day; full of promise!
********************
Breakfast: glass of V-8 (they now make a version fortified with calcium!); 1/8 c pistachios; mug of green tea
Lunch: mesclun salad with tomatoes, cucumber, celery, red bell pepper, walnuts and hemp oil/balsamic vinegar dressing; diet Dr. Pepper
Midafternoon snack: failed toated yellow-eyed beans (actually, they were tasty but kind of fell apart so aren't really a good finger-snack-food, so I won't bother posting the recipe); diet Dr. Pepper
Dinner: Mediterranean chickpeas again (man, these are good!!)
********************
It's amazing how much easier it is to eat fewer calories when on Phase I. I easily hit just under 1200 calories; something I haven't managed for several weeks on Phase II.
Weight/Measurements:
Weight: 125 pounds
Bodyfat: 26%
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
Chest: 30
Bust: 36
Thighs: R21, L20
------------------------------------
Weight: 134 -- 131 -- 129 -- 130 -- 127.5 -- 127 -- 125.5 -- 125.5 -- 125.5 -- 125
Bodyfat: 29% -- 29% -- 27% -- 28% -- 27.5% -- 26% -- 24.5% -- 22.5% -- 27% -- 26%
Waist, sucking in: 28.5 -- 28.5 -- 28.5 -- 28 -- 27.5 -- 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 -- 28
Belly, sucking in: 32 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31 -- 30 -- 30.5 -- 30
Belly, hanging out : 34 -- 33.5 -- 33 -- 33.5 -- 32.5 -- 32 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5 -- 31.5
Hips: 38 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 36.5 -- 36 -- 36
Chest: 32 -- 31 -- 31 -- 31 -- 30.5 -- 30 -- 30 -- 30 -- 30 -- 30
Bust: 38.5 -- 38 -- 37 -- 37 -- 37 -- 36.5 -- 36.5 -- 36 -- 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 -- R21/L20
Ten weeks, nine pounds. All things considered, that really isn't bad. But now I'm starting afresh; on May Day. A beautiful, springy day; full of promise!
********************
Breakfast: glass of V-8 (they now make a version fortified with calcium!); 1/8 c pistachios; mug of green tea
Lunch: mesclun salad with tomatoes, cucumber, celery, red bell pepper, walnuts and hemp oil/balsamic vinegar dressing; diet Dr. Pepper
Midafternoon snack: failed toated yellow-eyed beans (actually, they were tasty but kind of fell apart so aren't really a good finger-snack-food, so I won't bother posting the recipe); diet Dr. Pepper
Dinner: Mediterranean chickpeas again (man, these are good!!)
********************
It's amazing how much easier it is to eat fewer calories when on Phase I. I easily hit just under 1200 calories; something I haven't managed for several weeks on Phase II.
Days 53-55, Phase 2
Well, I won't say I went berserk and ate everything in sight, but I did take a vacation from the diet. I ate mostly SBD food, but with the addition of healthy numbers of cookies (Day 53), and things like white breads and mashed potatoes and the like for various formal end-of-year events I went to (Days 54 and 55).
And frankly, this gives me the opportunity for a complete, clean break. I've been eating at maintenance levels for a couple of weeks now. I have about five pounds left to go; I lost five pounds on Phase I of this diet. And when I was on Phase I, I really adapted to smaller portion sizes without hunger; I want to see if I can get back to those smaller portion sizes.
That's right, ladies and germs: I'm going back to Phase I! Clean slate. I'm going to weigh and measure, and start my calorie counting over from zero, with the new assumption (based on my lower weight) that I can now eat 1850 calories a day to maintain.
I feel skinnier already!
And frankly, this gives me the opportunity for a complete, clean break. I've been eating at maintenance levels for a couple of weeks now. I have about five pounds left to go; I lost five pounds on Phase I of this diet. And when I was on Phase I, I really adapted to smaller portion sizes without hunger; I want to see if I can get back to those smaller portion sizes.
That's right, ladies and germs: I'm going back to Phase I! Clean slate. I'm going to weigh and measure, and start my calorie counting over from zero, with the new assumption (based on my lower weight) that I can now eat 1850 calories a day to maintain.
I feel skinnier already!
Wednesday, April 28, 2004
Phase 2, Day 53
********************
Breakfast: cantaloupe and honeydew melon; large hot coffee with fake cream
********************
Breakfast: cantaloupe and honeydew melon; large hot coffee with fake cream
********************
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.
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