Round Two - Weight Loss Journey

1-10-2024

Here we are on the weight loss journey, round two. We've emerged from the holidays thinking we know a couple of things. Ha! I've fluctuated up one pound and down one pound for two weeks now. I'm finally up three pounds. What do I really know?

No alcohol

No sugar

Eat the veggies!

No pasta, no rice, and no potatoes

Eat beans, legumes and grains (like couscous and quinoa)

Leafy greens EVERY (yup, every stinking) DAY

Our elderly neighbor who we do maintenance chores for, gave us homemade Kahlua, an entire tin of cookies, and a hot chocolate bomb over the holidays. We're re-gifting. Someone else gave us a tin of different kinds of candied pecans. We ate one of each in the evening which was about 8. I found that it did not spike my glucose and I did not gain weight from that snack. I bought some more after we finished them. Just a few in the evening, 8 or so, is enough to assuage our sweet tooth. We can do that.

I had homemade apple butter that had to be used up before it spoiled. I made whole wheat blueberry muffins. I used fructose and a mashed banana instead of sugar. They didn't hold together as well but I used cupcake paper cups, so it worked. They are yummy and good for us.

It's back to a shake meal replacement for us. I was hoping we could do soups since it's cold out. We could if we stuck to broths and miso soup. What happened though was from miso soup we would add a little meat and then veggies until pretty soon we had a stew. Which is healthy but hefty calorie-wise. So back to the protein shake. Hubby likes those. He feels like he's doing his part if he drinks a shake.

One of the things I did was stop watching TV. I cannot break the habit of eating while watching television. At first, I tried things like sugar-free hard candy or breath mints or popcorn. But I realized that I would stuff my face no matter what, so I stopped watching TV. I read instead. I also keep Listerine breath tabs by me at all times. I buy them in bulk. I put one on my tongue when my brain lies to me and tells me I need a snack. It really helps. My sister-in-law told me about that one. Pay attention to your habits and figure out what works for you. We are not a one size fits all. Each of us is an individual.

I also decided that my husband is a big boy and can take care of himself. I tell him what works for me and then tell him to decide for himself. He probably needs to eat more than I do therefore more than what I feed him. I asked him not to snack in front of me though. I don't want him sneaking snacks, but I want him to watch when and what he eats. He eats a lot of fruit. That doesn't entice me so I'm OK with it. Like I said, find out what works for you.

Now that I've changed some of our eating habits, I've become hyper aware of how I feel physically after eating what. Our electricity was out for the entire day the other day due to snow. The utility company said it wouldn't be back on until the next day. The fireplace was keeping the house from freezing and we put on more clothes. It was cold. Which translated to "we were hungry". So, we had a pizza delivered. A supreme with pepperoni, ham, mushrooms, olives and onions. Yummy! We got a 12 inch and ate the whole thing. We knew better but we were cold and hungry. I gotta say the next day I did not feel perky. I think it was the carbs from the dough. When I make a pizza, I use cauliflower crust. I haven't had those kinds of carbs in almost a year. It made me sluggish and not feeling great. Just sayin'.

That's another thing I haven't mentioned. I keep logs. Lots of logs. I use a spreadsheet to plan the menus for the week. I have a list of starches and a list of non-starch vegetables because there are vegetables that are considered starches that I didn't know about. Like parsnips and sauerkraut. Those are considered starches. Here's my list:

I list the days of the week, my weight in the morning to begin the day. Then the menu for each meal, each day. As each day comes, I list what I actually eat if it's different from the plan. I also list the exercise I got for the day. I have a separate log for glucose levels. I test 3 times a day. This helps me see what causes my glucose to spike and what causes me to gain or lose weight. My cardiologist also had me keep a log of symptoms, time and what I did right before the symptoms. That helped to see if exertion caused chest pain or if it was something else. Log everything. After a while you get used to it. There are plenty of apps that help you track exercise, steps, eating, etc.

I also got rid of anything we should not be eating. Just throw it out. I hate wasting food but if it's going to add pounds and not be healthy just toss it. We don't have any chips of any kind in the house. We don't have any canned soups or vegetables. Any canned fruit is in juice not syrup. We don't have any cookies or dessert snacks. I actually got rid of all the crackers; we only have saltines left. Those are for upset tummies. I don't have any white flour or rice. I do keep a container of sugar, but I also have stevia and fructose. I don't remember what all else I tossed, occasionally I find one more item in the pantry that should go. Just toss it. It's better to go in the trash than in your body.

Cheese is my biggest downfall next to chocolate. I love cheese. All kinds of cheese. I can have a bit of shredded cheddar or colby in a salad or casserole, but I cannot have a slice of cheese. Let alone a chunk. I can eat mozzarella or parmesan, one of the lighter cheeses, but not anything else. It makes me gain weight. Now I only have a light dusting of shredded cheese.

The other problem I'm having right now is exercise. It's winter so there is snow and ice outside. It makes motivation go out the window. Some days I'm like a little kid, "I don't wanna". You gotta exercise every day. Just a little but do it. Every day.