Slave to the Scale: A Blessing and a Curse

     For as long as I can remember I have been a slave to the scale. I wake up each morning and step on. I can't start my day without stepping on. I was thinking stepping on the scale daily made it harder on me but now that I think of it again, it is my motivation even if it can be unkind at times.

     Our weight fluctuates on a daily basis. If I don't drink enough water one day I will weigh a pound or so more the next, if I eat later in the night then I will weigh more. If I don't eat after 6 PM I will weigh less. So this is a roller coaster ride for sure.

     I thought that maybe this roller coaster ride was a negative thing but the more I think of it, I think it best to look at my addiction to the scale as a positive and enjoy the ride.

     When I am working on weight loss and I step on the scale it is my motivation to continue on. If I step on and see I have lost any weight, I am excited. If I step on the next day to have gained that back I am discouraged but yet determined to lose that pound again.

     I know the true weight is the one that is taken each week and even that can fluctuate from week to week. However it is a more legitimate guide. How clothes fit and how I feel are the best guide of course but the scale keeps me on track.

     I know from past experience when I stop stepping on my scale the pounds pile on. I even avoid the scale because I know that I am being "naughty". That is when I am just eating what I want and not trying to lose. It is just a pattern with me. So when I finally step on I am depressed.

     I have decided to look at my scale slavery in a new light, it keeps me on track, it drives me and so this curse is only a curse if I let it be one it is more of a blessing to me.

3 Pounds Less!!

     Happy Monday! I stepped on the scales this morning and I am 3 pounds lighter. I must say first off that I was disappointed. I wanted it to be more. But, I know that 3 lbs is great! I know that the slower that you lose it the easier it is to keep off. But yet the back of my mind tells me that I can gain 10 lbs in a week, why can't I lose that much in a week??

     I know though that this is good and I must continue to work toward my first goal of 10 lbs. It hasn't been easy losing this 3 lbs. I have really been loyal to counting calories and it is boring. I did enjoy my soup and am making some oat bran muffins today so I can have a treat once in a while. Yes they are going to be calorie counted too.

     So far have not added exercise to my routine yet. My heel has hurt for weeks making it hard to walk. I do however do leg lifts and such. I will incorporate a routine in soon.

Green Chili Cabbage Stew

     First of all I did great yesterday. Only 2 days until my official weight count....

     I decided to create a soup that I can eat so I don't have to count each meal. Of course I won't eat it all the time but if I am in a rush I can grab a cup and not have to research the calories.

     I used my cabbage and some other foods I have around. I am not sure if I figured the calorie count correctly or not. Please anyone who knows about figuring calories in food chime in here and tell me if I have done it right, or wrong.

     The soup turned out great, it is actually delicious!

Here is the recipe.

Green Chili Cabbage Stew

3 Cups cooked cabbage     66 cal

3 Cups shredded zucchini or diced     57 cal

3 ½ cups Green chili Verde sauce    315 cal

1 cup cooked chicken breast    231 cal

1 ½ cup barley uncooked   255 cal

2 cups green chili peppers   120 cal

1 ½ cups red potatoes unpeeled         174 cal

2 cubes bouillon    10 cal

Total calories                 1228

Total cups              15.50

1228 / 15.50 = 79.23 calories per cup of stew

Still Going Strong

     Yes it is only day 3 but I am still going strong. I stayed under my calorie count and I even ate out today. I went to a good restaurant though, did not eat junk food. I ate something in which I could find a calorie chart and my lunch was under 600 calories. Dinner was close to that too so I was way under my 1500 for the day. I do not even feel hungry either.

     I ate a lot of veggies which helps to fill me up. I am avoiding breads for now because they are where the majority of calories come into play. I can eat three slices of toast and not fill up. Now sometimes if I eat toast and an egg I fill up which hmmm sounds like a good meal tomorrow.

I would love to be this thin again...

     I am a person who steps on the scale daily. I am not sure if this is good or bad but I am addicted. It is the first thing I do when I get out of bed. I have lost 1 lb but am not calling it a true loss until I keep it off a week because my weight does fluctuate each day.

     I hope some of you join me on this journey, it is not all about weight, it is about getting healthy for my liver and my knees.

     As soon as I go back to work I will probably post every other day or less. I will make sure to check in weekly though.

   

Checking In

     I did great yesterday and today. Yesterday I used my portion cups to control my meals however felt stressed about it. I had to make sure I put the carbs in one, protein

Back when I thought I was fat, to be that fat again ....

in another and so on. So, today I went back to calorie counting. Calorie counting has worked best for me in the past and so I decided there is no reason to change.

     Of course I am still trying to lose weight and get in shape but it is not because what I do doesn't work it is because I don't stick with it.

     I have decided to better be able to stick with counting calories I need to focus on smaller reductions at a time.

     In the past I have cut myself down to 1200 calories because I want to weigh 120 lbs. Well, that is never going to happen! I don't even have the bone structure anymore for that to look healthy. So, I decided to work on getting down to 160 lbs first. I can handle eating 1600 calories or less a day. Once I am down to that weight I will knock it down to 1500 calories. This way I am not feeling so deprived and stressed.

     Today I didn't even hit my 1500 calories because it just worked that way. It is ok though I don't have to reach that amount each day, I just can't have more than that.

     I hope to be down at least 5 lbs by the end of the week.

     For dinner I was even able to have a hot dog because it is a lower calorie one. I feel good about today....

 

Getting Back on Track

     I have not been here for a long time! I hope that this blog will help me with my new journey to get healthy. It is so hard to lose weight, it never used to be but for the last several years it is difficult for me. I used to think thin and lose. Now I have to work hard at it.  I know how to get it done, it is just getting it done I struggle with. I LOVE food too much!

     It is important I lose at least 20 lbs, more to come later but that is my starting point. I think sometimes I reach for the final goal too quickly and end up giving up because that goal is a bit hard to reach at first. I want to lose at least 50 lbs.

     Why is it so important? Well for some reason my liver is not working right, I have never been a drinker or taken drugs so the only thing we can think of is I took too much Tylenol for pain over the years. So regardless of why the weight plays a roll in it too so I need to be kind to my liver and stop making it work so hard.

     Another health issue is my knee. I had a partial knee replacement several years ago and the extra weight is not good for my knee. It does not like carrying it around. My feet also are feeling the brunt of the weight.

     My clothes are uncomfortable. I do not like to feel the rolls of fat either. I don't like how anything fits and will not buy a new wardrobe to compensate my new flesh.

     Finally yes my vanity. I hide from mirrors and when we go to California I don't really like to be in pictures anymore. I look at the shots of me and I want to cry. I do not like what I see. It depresses me to no end.

    So losing this fat is all up to me! It is hard but it can be done. I know that I have to cut calories and I need to exercise. I am using the portion cups to help me with the calories but will also watch my calorie intake. As for exercise. That will be on hold until I get some weight off so my knees and feet aren't hurting so much. I will still walk and do what I can but not be on a really pumped up plan until I dump at least 10 lbs.

     I started eating better yesterday, so far, so good. I hope someone follows me on my journey if only just to encourage me when I start to give in to food.

     I do not plan to starve myself because that never works. I get bored and tired of it and just pig out...if I want cake, I'll give up something else for the day, if I want fries, I'll give up something that day. For the most part though I plan to only cheat one day a week.That has worked in the past. I will still eat what I like in my meals though but just less of it. That is how the portion control cups work. However from what I see with them I can eat a lot more food and still lose. It is just how it is proportioned out.

    So now I am on day 2...let the losing begin...

   

This is the me I hope to see again!!

Fads, Fat, Fads, Fat: If the Fad Diets Work So Well Why am I Still Fat?

     It wasn't until the last few years that I had trouble losing weight. I used to able to "think thin" and lose 4 lbs in a week. Now I have to almost starve to lose weight.


     It is much harder to lose weight  after 50 than before. I have to admit though that I really don't have to starve to lose, I just have to eat healthy, eat moderately and drink a lot of water. Exercise is helpful too. But that is not easy and that is not fun so I, like the rest of those who are overweight, am always on the look out for that one amazing diet in which I just take a pill and the pounds fly off.


     That magic diet never seems to happen though. I've heard of all  the diet programs and the diet pills. I've seen this movie star advertising a diet only to see that same star later on sporting those lost pounds again. It all makes me wonder if those fads are so great, why are people still over weight? If those fads are so easy, why don't people remain thin? Well the answer is, those diets might help a person lose but that loss won't remain unless you learn to live life in a way to keep those pounds off.


     I know exactly what to do to drop weight. I can drop the needed pounds easily if I just eat like I should. But I don't do that, I love food too much. I love sweets and well, eating is a pleasure to me. So I wonder if the secret might be to stop looking at food as a pleasure and look at it as a necessary thing I need to sustain life. Yes, eat what I like and enjoy what I eat but don't look to eating for pleasure. Not an easy task.


     I think that is why we turn to the fads, we want to continue enjoying our food, we want food to remain a pleasure, it is fun and darn it, it is a way people socialize too.


     All those fad diets work short term but for most of us real people, they don't work long term. It is hard when you went from someone who could be thin by thinking thin to someone who looks at a donut and gains five pounds. All of the old cliche sayings fit now."A moment on the lips, means a life time on the hips.".I used to laugh at that saying and now I say it my own self.


     With all of this in mind I realize that losing weight just is not meant to be easy, I still wonder why I can gain 5 lbs much faster than I can lose it. Regardless though it is time to stop looking for those fads, get serious and change my thinking about food, think of it as an important substance I need to sustain life.


    That said I am looking forward to eating all the good foods I love at Disneyland....