I know, Christmas time might not be the best starting point for a *ahem* reshaping of my body and diet, but I’m nearly two weeks in and no going back.
Unless I eat seventy-five Oreo’s, but still.
Before we go any further, a point of clarification: Weight is not my sole concern. In fact, it’s actually fifth on the list, behind my heart, teeth, ability to live long enough to use coupons without irony, and blood pressure.
Goal: Somewhere between then and now, but with shorter shorts.
So, the grim statistics:
49 years old.
Starting weight– 260 (pounds, not kilograms. I’m an American, not some fancy European who measures out tiny blocks of cheese and carries it home in a wicker basket while laughing and listing to French jazz or whatever).
Starting blood pressure: Not bad, but not great. 121 over 90.
Hair and teeth: Present and accounted for.
General feeling: Thick, not Thicc, and vaguely immobile. This galls me in particular due to my love of sports, running (running isn’t a sport, it’s meditation while gasping), and walking up stupid hills. All hills are stupid when you’re not hiking, and even then, they’re only tolerable.
I’ll report weekly, and then in January, will go to the doctor for a general “State of the Union” exam.
If you’ve made any life changes and have found recipes or foods that scratch the itch, so to speak, I’d love to hear them.
My weaknesses are:
Sweets.
Sweet things.
Things that can be made sweet by adding sweeteners.
Sweet things wrapped around sweet things.
Gravy.
More to come as this list expands with memory.
Let’s be support buddies and such.
Cheers,
Terry (who thinks he is hungry)
Terry we all know the struggle. I have several health problems as I have never met a sandwich, pizza, lasagna, chips or anything really that I could pass up. Having went to the Doctor I was given several DIFFERENT diets that pretty much made sure I could eat nothing but a lettuce leaf and water. You already know how that has turned out. Best advice is try the low carb way of life. I am still mourning my bread!
I’m doing okay with bread thus far, but I understand mourning for carbs. Hope you’re well this season. 🙂
I do intermittent fasting (the 5:2 method) where you fast twice a week and eat normally the other 5 days. On fasting days you eat 1/4 what you normally do, which works out to around 500 calories.
My meal on fasting days is usually a pound of Brussels sprouts sauteed on high heat with a bit of butter and salt and 2 scrambled eggs with some cheddar and Tabasco. And lots of sparkling water and herbal teas until dinner time.
It’s hard at first, but it also feels very good, and I eat better on my non-fasting days too. You can watch the documentary “Eat Fast and Live Longer” for more into about intermittent fasting.
And yes, of course, reduce carbs in any form. I don’t think of any foods as “good” or “bad” per se but I try to eat small amounts of carbs if I’m going to eat them. And sometimes have a treat and not worry about it!
I’d also suggest moving over to very dark chocolate. Start with the 70% range and move up until you’re in the 80%. It can help retain your palate to like the rich/bitter/complex flavors rather than the sugar.
There’s nothing I like better than nibbling away at some 85% dark chocolate and reading a good book…
Retrain, not retain…
AGREE. And thanks, Rixa. 🙂
I found a blog a few years ago that is my go to for weight watcher cookie recipes. One in particular is the Nutella thumbprint cookie. I am a fellow chocolate cookie lover. Hope this helps.
Nutella Thumbprints
Yield: 28 cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
2 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup Nutella hazelnut-chocolate spread
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350
Spoon flour into a measuring cup and level the top with a knife to create exactly 1 cup of unpacked flour. In a large bowl, combine flour with powdered sugar, salt and cocoa, stirring until mixed. In a separate large bowl, place the stick of butter and beat it with a hand mixer at a medium speed until fluffy (about 1-2 minutes). Stir the egg yolks together in a small cup with a whisk and when combined, add them along with the vanilla to the butter and beat with mixer until combines. Add flour mixture to bowl and beat together on a low speed for several minutes until dough combines and thickens.
Place the dough onto a sheet of wax paper and knead it several times until smooth. Breaking pieces off the dough, form 28 balls (about 1 inch each). Line a large baking sheet (or 2 if necessary) with parchment paper and place the balls in rows one inch apart on the paper. In the center of each cookie, press your thumb about halfway through the ball to create an indentation. Bake cookies for 10 minutes and remove from oven. Place cookies on wire racks and let them cool completely. Once cooled, spread about ½ teaspoon of Nutella into the indented center of each cookie.
Weight Watchers Freestyle SmartPoints:
4 per cookie (P+ calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)
Weight Watchers Points Plus:
2 per cookie (P+ calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)
NUTRITION INFORMATION:
86 calories, 10 g carbs, 6 g sugar, 5 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 1 g protein, 1 g fiber (from myfitnesspal.com)
Adapted from Cooking Light
Here is the blog link for more recipes:
http://www.kitchme.com/the-dish/17-delicious-weight-watchers-holiday-cookie-recipes-for-2-points-or-less/
This is a glorious recipe. Thank you. Side note, I would eat nutella on a roof shingle. 🙂
Just saw your email requesting cookie ideas….oh wow. Going on a diet at cookie season—you like a challenge, yes?
I lost ~65 lbs a few years ago, and the only way I was able to do that was the Hubs stopped buying snacks and Coke (he does all the shopping). All I can say is that if Oreos are right in the front of your mind and nothing (big glass of water, half an apple, etc.) makes that craving go away, Oscar Wilde was right: “The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.” So when it’s unbearable, go get a single serving package. Go to the vending machine a few floors away from where you are, or walk to the store…whatever makes it inconvenient enough that you won’t do it a lot. Only get the one package. Savor it. Do not beat yourself up about it. Don’t let yourself do this more than a couple of times a month. It takes a few months, but eventually you will lose the craving. I promise. You’ll get to a point where you crave things that are good for you, and you can trust your body to send you the right signals . Till then, it’s disheartening and unproductive to want something so much that you can’t think of anything else.
When all else fails, floss and brush your teeth. You won’t want to mess up that work for a pack of cookies. : )
This is week two, and- it’s working. I’m using little candy bars, a single cookie, the exact things you suggested. I feel well, and oddly neough I’m already sleeping better.
Thank you for the plan. I will use it. 🙂
Breakfast is usually the biggest culprit in most diets – as the body normally stores more fat then, compared to the rest of the day. I developed a benign arrythmia a few years back and had to take a hard look at my diet and exercise. A dietician told me to do a smoothy instead of Breakfast. Protein is key. It sounds odd, cottage cheese is the magic ingredient – it is slow digesting protein – get low fat or fat free.
Now I do a cup of cottage cheese, cup of frozen berries, tablespoon of milled flakseed, a banana, cocanut milk, tablespoon of almond butter, and a scoop of protein powder. That mixed with exercise has helped me lose 25 lbs and get myself healthier than I’ve been in a long time. I’m game to some smoothie-challenges if you want to kick start that competetive nature!
Had not considered this an option– will message you. Am curious about feeling hungry well before lunch, but then again, maybe I’m just whining. 🙂