kwan's check in

[fkwan]

I've been doing this for about a week but today is my first day here.

I was fat my entire life until the age of 50 when I went vegetarian and lost 47 pounds.

Unfortunately I changed jobs to a place where (a) everyone was bored and (b) everyone ate to distraction, and gained 20 pounds back.

I have lost 3 of those pounds and have 17 more to go.

I am a sweets addict, a binge eater and never, ever should eat after six at night, which I think should be the fourth "no S".

I really don't think it's possible for an addict to have "S" days, because every weekend I screw up. I think food just has to be seen as a drug equal to alcohol or narcotics or coke or whatever. I don't think there's ever moderation.

In any case, I don't seem to be having trouble with N days at all. I have absolutely no cravings. If I weren't in the middle of menopause, I would feel great.

Breakfast -- rice milk, no sugar 7 grain cereal, 1/2 cup frozen mango, banana, 1 tb. flax, 1 tb. rice protein

Lunch -- gigantic salad with pinto beans and about 0.6 ounce crumbled tortilla chips and salsa
banana

Dinner -- the same with an apple

3 12 oz. cups of coffee and about 2.5 L water throughout the day

Walking: 30 minutes before work, 2 15 minute breaks, 30 minute lunch which is normal for me.

Not a weight day and am going to see if one can shovelglove with a small 6 pound hammer since there doesn't seem to be a true sledge anywhere around.

hopefully submitted,

f

[blueskighs]

Hey I am vegetarian too... vegan plus real free range eggs and organic yogurt.... then whatever dairy I get in my treats.........

I have been a big huge sugar binger ... and was convinced I could not handle them ...I don't know why since I started no S last monday I have been able to eat them in moderation ... moderate for me anyway

also been able to get my "proactive" treats and keep them untouched in the home until their time ...

I really don't know why this is working so well ... it is just so totally new behaviour. I am kind of SHOCKED .... in a good way ... pinch myself is it real...

see how long it lasts ...

hope forever...

Blueskighs

[fkwan]

Hey Blue,

Good luck to you!!!!! If you can do it so can I!

f

[blueskighs]

yes you can!

I have been reading boards and I guess everyone looks at S days different.

I think this thing "proactive" treats ...i.e. planning ahead some things you really want ... I have actually been spending last two to three months ... before I discovered NO S discovering the treats I really enjoy

I was vegan about 22 months before adding in free range eggs and organic yogurt in march... being vegan has really changed my palate and there is really not near as much GUNK that I enjoy eating anymore ... one thing I used to be crazy about is Birthday cake .. A nice big corner please with all the big blue flowers ... thank you! Now it is sick sweet for me ... as I was vegan and still vegetarian I am pretty picky eater ....

there is not a WHOLE lot I REALLY enjoy ...
some good chocolate ... our local homemade and fresh donuts ... a chai tea latte ... so I guess in this way ... it's helped me.

I used to be big junk food eater ... in my twenties but now in my forties I have learned to cook ... being vegan really limits your restaurant options so I don't go out nearly as much as I used to.

Anyway .... a lot of what mostly is considered "treats" doesn't really taste so great to me anymore and even though I have added eggs and yogurt I can hardly tolerate cheese..

sounds like you have been on a food journey to. Both my husband and I are vegetarian and overall find we enjoy our food much more but are also a lot more picky about what we eat!

Blueskighs

[fkwan]

Blue, is that your blog? I've added it to my feeder.

Have you become healthier or seen any health problems remit since becoming veg?

Stuck at 112 still but the week isn't over yet.

Breakfast: same old: soy yogurt, kashi 7 grain cereal, banana, 1 tb. hemp protein, 1 tb. flax

Lunch: leftover beans, tortilla chips, salad and salsa
banana

Dinner: taco flavored lentils (pink lentils, garlic powder, onion powder, hot paprika, hot pepper, chili powder, cumin, salt), salad, tortilla chips (0.5 oz)
apple

2.5 L water, 3 cups black coffee

mini shovelglove (6 pound short handled hammer, only thing in house) 7 mins, beats nothing: chop wood, smite the orc, hoist bale, churn and shovel x 15 x 2

elliptical trainer 20 mins, 8 cal/min

regular weights 20 minutes

walking approximately 50 minutes, 30 x 15 x 5

I'm so glad I'm here because no one else on earth gives a rat's about this and yet it's so important to my health and well-being.

f

[blueskighs]

f -

yup it's my blog ... thanks for adding it to your feeder ...

ANYWAY ... lets see ... I think more clearly ... My weight actually went up on vegan cause at first I added lots of bread and vegan treats ...
but my health is just really good. I am kind of 45 years old and thriving.

I think I notice it more mentally and emotionally I am happier and more at peace ... cliche I suppose.

I am fortunate I don't have any big health issues and have not ever taken any medications etc. I think I was not ever a big meat eater and being veg-n is just a good fit. I love veg-n foods.

BTW your menu looks tasty.

I mostly am just happy and healthy and just go to the doctor once every two to four years

Blueskighs

[fkwan]

Blue, I love your blog, very motivating!

I'm about a 90% vegan. The husband is veg (he went when I did), but he won't take the extra plunge, and it's extremely hard to be vegan in the US, especially at work, so I try to be as much as possible. With no S days it's way easier to skip the muffins or pizza.

The daily moan: I haven't lost any more weight. Stuck at 112, don't know what I'm doing wrong. Eating only 3 meals and watching portions. Soon will cut out grains and yogurt from breakfast and eat just fruit and protein with some nuts.

Husband says there IS an 8-10 # sledgehammer somewhere, so as soon as I find it will start shovelgloving.

Breakfast: last of the kashi 7 grain, last of the soy yogurt, strawberries, banana, rice protein, flax

Lunch: leftover salad, lentils, tortilla chips 0.5 oz.
banana

Dinner: potatoes, zucchini, tomatoes, lentils
leftover half apple

The usual 3 cups of coffee and 2.5 L water, even though the literature now says it's unnecessary, but it keeps my mouth busy.

Walk AM: 33 mins.
Planned lunch walk: 30 mins.
Break walks: 15 mins. x 2

SUCCESS
I HATE MENOPAUSE

[kccc]

Kwan, am I reading this right? You are 112 pounds and want to lose 17 more?

I hope I'm wrong. That sounds tremendously unhealthy, unless you're about 4'5" tall.

You may not be losing weight because you're where your body is supposed to be. Here's a link to healthy BMI ranges: http://www.consumer.gov/weightloss/bmi.htm

(Apologies in advance if I've misunderstood, and am out of line.)

[blueskighs]

fkwan you are so funny ...

I HATE MENOPAUSE

I am a few years behind you so I have that to look forward to

Anyway me and my husband went vegan in May 2006 after reading the World Peace Diet ... a little bit esoteric ... but pretty eye-opening about the horrendous cruelties in the animal farming industry ... its kind of senseless.

I have however added eggs and yogurt back this past month .... my husband is also adding cheese but I have lost the taste for it.

I love my legumes nuts seeds veggies whole grains and fruits!!!
It IS hard to be vegan in US. Most restaurants put chicken broth in just about everything even veggie dishes which is why I have had to learn how to cook.

I like how NO S fits with our veg-n lifestyle. It's kind of perfect.

thanks for your postive words on my blog,
Blueskighs

[fkwan]

Kwan, am I reading this right? You are 112 pounds and want to lose 17 more?

I hope I'm wrong. That sounds tremendously unhealthy, unless you're about 4'5" tall.

I'm 5'0". I have at one point made it to 95 pounds which leaves 5 pounds of wiggle room between that and an "ideal" weight of 100. I would be very happy to see 100 again.

I have anorectics in the family so I am aware that anything below 95 is a no-no.

f

[kccc]

5'0" does make a difference... but according to the chart, 112 is right in the middle of a healthy BMI range. 100 is actually on the low end - at 20 BMI, which is hard for most women to even reach, much less maintain. 95 doesn't show on this chart, but my guess it would be right at 18.5 - which is the very lowest limit defined as healthy.

If you have anorexia in your family, be very careful where you set your goals. "Borderline underweight" as a goal is a little scary.

And of course, there's always room for bodily improvement other than weight - exercise to tone, eating more healthy foods, etc.

Just be careful, okay?

[fkwan]

Took a mental health day from work.

Went to physical therapy and found out I had a bulging lumbar disc and a totally shot right hip. The therapist tortured me and for two seconds I could bend to tie my right shoe. Ah, the little things in life...

Breakfast: tangerine, whole wheat roll

Lunch: instant vegan hot and sour soup neither hot nor sour but expensive, doctored with foo-foo market (Central Market, for any Texans around here) salad bar broccoli, water chestnuts, edamame and wasabi bits, sourdough roll, large coffee with spoonful of cocoa and dash of cinnamon

Dinner: lentils, potatoes, zucchini and tomatoes with ouch three pieces of garlic bread and about 5 onion rings and two tater tot coins; 1/2 grapefruit for dessert, more coffee

about 1 L water

walking about 1 hr 40 minutes

15 minutes of shovelglove!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SUCCESS

[fkwan]

Regret to say I acted just like everybody else and binged.

Saturday --

Breakfast: Good girl, banana, soymilk and protein

Lunch: Good girl, salad, faux corned beef (homemade), grapefruit

Dinner -- Bad girl -- leftover potatoes, zucchini, tomatoes and lentils (good), then 2 cups macaroni and cheese, then about 3 pieces of garlic bread, and three blueberry muffins (just baked by the evil husband)

Walked one hour.

Felt like crap.

[kccc]

You are not "bad" or "good" depending on how much you eat. A blueberry muffin or two doesn't change your character.

And remember, S-days are exempt days - for good reasons.

[reinhard]

fkwan,

Glad you're off to a good start!

I would like to caution you not to get overambitious in terms of results. The goal should be "eat moderately, see what happens," not some target number in pounds -- especially when that number would put you at "underweight."

Please be careful!

Reinhard

[fkwan]

Sunday--binge-o-rama.

Breakfast: 4 oatmeal raisin cookies, 1 blueberry muffin.

Lunch: Salad with pumpkin seeds, faux bacon bits and leftover baked tortilla chips (ugh).

Dinner: Salad, pinto beans, nutritional yeast instead of cheese, tostadas, salsa. Only ate half normal portion.

Walk 1 hr.

[fkwan]

Beginning of Monday --

NO WEIGHT GAINED. Must be the "shock the body" principle of not letting it get used to starvation.

Removed 100 calories from breakfast, leaving grapefruit, banana, flax and 2 tb hemp protein (15 g protein).

Walked 40 minutes AM, 5 minutes of weights AM.

Lunch: salad, beans, tostada, 2 oz. baked potato (piece cut off 9 oz. potato with remainder saved for next day).

Dinner: salad, small bean burrito

20 minute walk break x 2 (1300, 1715)

Additional weights 25 min. (1500)

SUCCESS

[fkwan]

111 pounds!!!!!!

I decided to give myself a treat: when I reach 100, I'll fly home to Philadelphia. I'll lose the last 5 "icing" pounds walking around a city like a normal person.

(0845-0930) Walk 15 minutes, elliptical trainer at 9 cal/min x 20 min at gym

Breakfast (1000): 1 piece pita pizza with homemade faux pepperoni, leftover salad with beans/tostadas from yesterday, water, leftover vanilla coffee from day before, strawberries

Break (1230): Walk 15 minutes

Lunch (1300): 1 piece pita pizza with homemade faux pepperoni, plain salad with 1 tb. real italian dressing watered down with sport pepper sauce from hospital salad bar, water, coffee, banana

Cut pizza piece into itty bitty bites so it would last longer. Usually I inhale any form of pizza, usually half, in about a minute.

Gym (1500): 12 more minutes on elliptical trainer 9 cal/min plus about 10 minutes walking

Farewell reception: DID NOT EAT CAKE, TOOK FRUIT PIECES FOR LATER DESSERT

Dinner(1630): Two pieces pizza as above (total = 1 large pita plus about 4 oz. faux pepperoni plus cheese = appx. 700 calories, or about 175 calories/slice), fruit plate (watermelon, honeydew and cantaloupe, about 1 cup mixed), water and coffee.

Final walk break (1700): 19 minutes walking.

SUCCESS

-------
115...111....95

11 pounds to first goal.

[fkwan]

Day 9.

No weight change (big surprise)

AM: Walked 40 minutes then situps and back exercises in gym. Arthritis bad, pain 9/10, could not exercise right hip at all. (I was run over about 18 years ago and had 3 ortho surgeries, now have leg length discrepancy sequelae and a bulging lumbar disc).

B (1000): Oatmeal, banana, 2 tb. peanut butter, 1 tb. hemp protein, 1 tb flax. Thought I could nurse the oatmeal, but it only took 20 minutes to eat. Then massive indigestion. Nix that, back to fruit for tomorrow.

Break (1230), walked 18 min in crappy Texas weather (humid, dark grey, threatening to rain) with lots of leg pain from back problems. Put off nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory meds.

L(1300), Salad, homemade corn tortilla chips (ooh oil and salt, sigh), pinto beans, pico de gallo, 4 oz baked potato leftover, water (salad=carrots, tomatoes, arugula from garden, red cabbage, celery, parsley, onion, broccoli).

Gym (1500), 30 minutes of weights. Lighter weight more reps seems to help more than heavier weights. No upper body problems but spasms in legs. Tried back flexion but did not seem to help. Took meds (1 500 mg Tylenol and 2 200 mg ibuprofen).

D(1630) Same as lunch with a banana.

Walk at 1730 cut a bit short due to sciatica.

Getting old is so a b****.

SUCCESS

[fkwan]

No weight change (expected).

Same crappy, grey, damp weather conditions as yesterday, and NO PAIN. Wuzzup with that?

Walk 32 mins AM.

B: 6 oz. husband's leftover cornbread (oat flour, soy flour, brown rice flour, lysine, buttermilk, eggs, cornmeal), not vegan, but oh well, it tasted so good with rice milk and grapefruit, flax, hemp protein. What is it about grapefruit that makes me take like 3 hours to eat anything with it?

I have a physical therapy session today so my schedule will be all messed up.

Walk #2(1230), 20 mins.

L: Leftover bean and chip salad from yesterday.

Walk to physical therapy, 40 mins. I have a bulging lumbar disc and a stiff hip. Eight more weeks of therapy.

D: Faux roast beef, potatoes, green beans and spinach, plus too many (4) fried tostada shells, but no rule was violated.

SUCCESS

[fkwan]

My baby chip binge has caught up with me and I feel bloated this morning, but my jeans still fit a little better than before.

I'm not going to weigh myself today.

AM Walk--40 minutes, while photographing flowers.

B: cornbread, grapefruit, rice protein, flax, rice milk, coffee.

1230 break, walked 20 mins.

L: spinach, green beans, kidney beans, faux beef and potatoes; banana.

1500 gym, upper body weights x about 20 mins and 10 minutes physical therapy hip exercises, pain 5/10.

D: spinach, green beans, kidney beans, faux beef and potatoes; banana, 1 c plain popcorn.

1700 final walk of the day, 15 minutes. I know after this one that my day is done and I have

SUCCEEDED once again.

[fkwan]

UNBELIEVABLE!!!!

B: Banana.

Ran errands in town, or should I say, walked errands in town. Oh, the bliss of being able to walk from point A to point B! Only did about 54 minutes due to a schedule conflict.

Then my twice monthly bliss: a visit to a foo-foo market and shopping complex next to a gorgeous park. For lunch I had....a pint of Blue Bell Moo something ice cream, a new flavor, basically vanilla fudge with tiny peanut butter cups therein, and coffee.

I made myself stop halfway and threw the carton away. I never EVER EVER could have done that before.

Dinner was only slightly more than normal, pinto beans and cornbread with salad and a slice of pizza.

I definitely consider this a SUCCESS.

[blueskighs]

fkwan,

sounds like you are doing really well, even with the bodily pains. Remarkable!

So I used to go to your foofoo Central Market when I lived in Austin years ago.......

Blueskighs

[fkwan]

!@#$%^& binge.

B: Fine, raisin bran, soymilk, banana, blueberries, protein, flax.

L: Fine, mixed stir fried veggies.

Late afternoon the husband asked me did I want some crackers with lox flavored neufchatel on them.

I ate about 15.

D: curried tofu, a bit of potatoes, 1 c rice and mixed veggies.

Walked 1 hour 35 minutes.

Even though it's an S day I consider it a failure because....

[fkwan]

I gained all my 2 pounds back, i.e., I weigh about 112.

I'm sorry, but the fine print of this system is that you can't binge, ever. Same old same old same old. Calories do count. The body doesn't care where they come from. It's OK to have ice cream for lunch on an S day, but no more unwanted calories. And N days have to be 1000-1200 calories a day for the average menopausal female with absolutely no metabolism whatsoever, which is myself.

My personal life is in the toilet, which isn't helping.

I'm depressed, frustrated, angry and tired, which seems to be my usual state of things, but arthritis pain is a big, fat, wonderful ZERO today!

Nevertheless, here we go again...

AM walk: 35 minutes, to latte joint near work to get a cup of soymilk for cereal because neither hospital where I work nor minimarts carry it.

B: kashi multigrain, soymilk, banana, hemp protein, flax.

1230 walk, 20 minutes.

1300 lunch: stir fried red and green cabbage, carrots, potatoes, beansprouts, tofu; banana.

1630 dinner: same stirfry as lunch with addition of broccoli, green onions and those hot peppers from institutional salad bars. At this point I may be too full to eat my apple for dessert.

1730 walk, 17 minutes.

SUCCESS even though I felt like hell all day long mentally.

Hey Blue: yup, Central Market is still there. The grackles miss you.

[kccc]

Don't be too depressed about the two lbs. Weight on No-S tends to be a little more cyclical, and that's okay.

My suggestion - just weigh in once a week. Or less if you can manage it.

And I've said this before, but I'll say it again: Your body may not want to lose more weight because it's where it's truly supposed to be. Be careful with pushing too hard.

[fkwan]

hey KC,

I hear where you're coming from but I'm the sort of person who has to have some sort of motivator. If I stop weighing myself, I might get "lax" about my N days. Plus I tried the no scale thing when I was losing weight the first time on the veg diet -- didn't weigh myself for a month. And not a pound lost.

I never want to lose more than a pound a week, but it seems that I am in some kind of stasis mode of maintenance.

I gained the weight through bad habits, so I should be able to get rid of it with good ones.

[kccc]

You might try the HabitCal as a motivator - seems to work well for a lot of folks.

[fkwan]

Back to baseline, 111 pounds. Still have 5 days this week to reach 1 pound goal of 110 to stay on track. I HATE MENOPAUSE.

AM walk: 41 minutes while photographing.

B: multigrain cornbread moistened with almond milk, hemp protein, flax, grapefruit.

Second walk break: 17 minutes with hurting hip.

L : salad (red cabbage, tomatoes, green bell pepper, parsley, onion, lettuce from garden, celery), pinto beans, crumbled corn tostada shells, salsa, nutritional yeast for "cheese" flavor; banana

Lunch walk: 23 minutes while photographing.

D: salad (red cabbage, tomatoes, green bell pepper, parsley, onion, lettuce from garden, celery), pinto beans, crumbled corn tostada shells, salsa, nutritional yeast for "cheese" flavor. The poor little apple I saved from yesterday only got half eaten; too damned full again!

The usual water and 3 cups of coffee.

I see somebody here (can't remember who) uses Diet Power. I checked it out and am going to test the free version when I get home. It's one of those weight management software things like Fit Day and Calorie King, both of which I've used, but seems to deal more with metabolism issues (my problem) and gives nutrition hints (like, "your calcium level for today is such and so; eat more kale" ).

I love this place; it's so happy and welcoming.

Time for final walk of the day: 20 minutes.

Total walk time: 1 hour, 40 minutes.

SUCCESS

[fkwan]

I have discovered that I am currently smack in the middle of textbook classic perimenopause. One of the symptoms is RAGE.

As I have mentioned elsewhere, my 83 y/o OCD ridden mother-in-law, who lives with us, is driving us crazy. She is driving me so crazy that last night I had severe stomach cramps, the kind where you think someone is strangling your intestines with his fists.

RAGE plus PAIN = STRESS.

STRESS is not good for a person who is a food addict.

Therefore I have to be extra vigilant, especially since, once again, the weight is stuck at 111. I am apparently eating too many calories for my new, nonexistent but apparently normal menopausal metabolism. No other explanation seems valid. The body doesn't care whether it's an N or S day. From now on my life is three smaller meals, no snacks, no sweets and no seconds, and a tinier sometimes.

AM walk 35 minutes.

B: two English muffins with nofat vegan faux smart butter, hemp protein, flax and nutritional yeast (tastes like pesto); half an apple from two days ago.

First walk break 22 minutes.

L: salad plus 1/4 cup edamame, 2 oz. multigrain cornbread, 1/2 tb. peanuts, salsa, 4 strawberries and a banana

Gym: Walk to gym 8 minutes plus 25 minutes of weights.

D: About 200 calories of popcorn made in one of those fancy low fat microwave bowls, a tiny bit more of salad with edamame, cornbread, peanuts and salsa

Final walk about 25 minutes.

SUCCESS

[fkwan]

BROKE THE FIRST BARRIER!!!!! 110 pounds! (barely) There is hope!!! YAY!!!!

Nine more pounds to Philly! (A pity I can't eat any more cheese steaks being almost vegan. )

AM walk, 45 minutes.

B: multigrain kashi, frozen raspberries, banana, hemp protein, flax, almond milk.

First walk break: 16 minutes

L: salad (spinach, tomatoes, sprouts, green onions, cucumber, salsa) with bean burrito

Lunch walk: 18 minutes.

D: Leftover salad, edamame, peanuts and salsa from yesterday; mixed melon cubes for dessert.

Last walk break: 17 minutes.

I FEEL WONDERFUL!!!!

SUCCESS

[fkwan]

AM walk: 33 minutes.
10 minutes of chest weights and situps.

B: 1/3 of husband's massive tofu, rice, apple, raisin and potato curry.

First walk break: 22 minutes.

Tiny lunch: raspberries with 1/3 cup multigrain kashi (was going to physical therapy, would eat larger dinner later).

Walk to physical therapy and from therapy to Central Market: 74 minutes, with very heavy backpack.

Therapist finally figured out I had no hip internal rotation on the right, tortured me until I did.

D: Spinach, mushroom, broccoli, black beans and corn salad with 4 oz. multigrain roll, large coffee with teaspoon of cocoa

Shovelglove 15 minutes

SUCCESS

[fkwan]

first the good news:

I ATE ONE, COUNT IT, ONE, BLUEBERRY MUFFIN FOR BREAKFAST.

I did not feel deprived.

I had a normal lunch.

The bad news was I had 600 too many calories of cheese on my bean tostadas and too much guacamole and chips.

I'll just have to remember next time that the cheese has to go. A supposed vegan shouldn't be eating cheese anyway and I don't need it that much. I'm much more impressed that I didn't want another muffin. It's unheard of in my brain.

B: Muffin with faux 5 calorie margarine; handful of peanuts before walk.

Walked one hour around our boring perimeter.

L: Faux McMuffins with tofu and nutritional yeast, large salad, grapefruit

D: 3 corn tostadas with pinto beans, cheese, jalapeños, salad and salsa, chips and guacamole. I stopped after 3; the old me would have had a fourth.

A technical SUCCESS

[fkwan]

Happy Passover!

A much better day than yesterday, although yesterday wasn't too bad. Again, I had to be aware of calories, but other than that, I ate what I wanted, when I wanted it.

One hour walk around the boring perimeter.

Brunch: salad, 3 oz. homemade faux chicken (contains 25 g protein, plus amino acids and L-cartitine), the ubiquitous tortilla chips, about two ounces, doctored/improved HEB salsa (chipotle, garlic, vitamin C).

Early dinner or large snack: blueberries, banana, tiny bit of granola (should have left that out, did nothing for the meal), mashed up blueberry muffin.

About 4 cups of coffee ("glass ceiling" does not apply on S days)

The really, really good news is that I solved two of my eating problems with one system, as it were. I have a real problem living with my mother-in-law; I don't even want to be in the same room with her. The worst part is eating dinner on weekends. Well, after the early dinner or large snack I told my husband I had reached my calorie limit for the day and would not be eating dinner. The stress which causes me to eat was no longer there and consequently I didn't eat over my limit! How cool is THAT?!

No stress, no cravings, no triggers, no addiction, no failure.

May the universe bless Reinhard and his family always.

SUCCESS!!!

[fkwan]

Did not get a chance to check weight.

B: Scottish brose (pea meal and water) with 1 tb. raisins, 1 tb. flax, 1 tsp. brown sugar, 1 tsp blackstrap molasses (I hope this doesn't count as a "sweet")

L: Leftover tofu, potatoes, rice, apples, raisins and peanuts in curry sauce; serving too huge, cut in half; banana

D: Vegetable soup with spiral pasta, salad bar broccoli and spinach thrown in it

AM: Big fat walk, 1 hr, 16 minutes.
1230 walk, 20 minutes.
1715 walk, 33 minutes.

Total walk time: 2h 9 m.

Gym -- upper body weights (new schedule), 25 minutes.

SUCCESS

[fkwan]

Happy Earth Day!!!! Urban Rangers RULE!

AM walk: 34 minutes.
Walk break #1: 23 minutes.
Walk break #2: 27 minutes.

Total: 1 hour 4 minutes.

Gym: Lower body weights 15 minutes, elliptical trainer at 8.4 cal/min x 15 minutes.

B: multigrain kashi, strawberries, almond milk, flax, hemp protein.
L: the last of the leftover taters/rice/tofu/apple/raisin curry from last week (yeesh!) plus banana.
D: Popcorn (microwaved with nocal spray), small salad with faux bacon bits and lowfat onion crisps.

Bad news: still at 110 pounds (though seem to have more muscle definition).

Good news: general SUCCESS

[fkwan]

Still 110 pounds.

I tried the one plate method instead of virtual plating today:



Same thing for three meals: italian bread with the no calorie spray butter stuff, tater tots, faux roast beef, stirfried onions, red bell peppers and broccoli; salad; grapefruit and banana for dessert.

They were installing a new computer at my work cage today, so I got some extra exercise in:

AM Walk: 40 minutes.
Break walk #1: 36 minutes.
Break walk #2: 16 minutes. Total, 1 hr 32 mins.

Gym: Upper body weights, 20 minutes and
Elliptical 8 calories/min x 30 minutes.

SUCCESS

[fkwan]

Day 24 apparently got disappeared by the server, the day in which I lost 2 pounds and now weigh 108.

8 more pounds before I go home to the Philadelphia area. Like Nichole, my family lives in the "suburbs". They moved there from New Jersey aeons ago.

AM walk: 38 min.
Break #1 walk: 24 min.
Break #2 walk: 31 min.

Total: 1 hr 33 min.

Gym: 25 minutes upper body weights.

B: broccoli, onion, red cabbage, zucchini, mushrooms and rice with faux sausage.

L: Same as B.

D: Breakfast for dinner: kashi, banana, almond milk, ground pumpkin seeds.

Coffee: now down to 2/3 cup x 3.

SUCCESS, as was yesterday!

[fkwan]

Did fairly well, considering...

B: two blueberry muffins, 1 tb. rice protein in 1/2 cup soymilk

No Lunch

D: lima beans, corn, salad (lettuce, onions from garden, tomatoes, carrots), faux bacon bits, tater tots (technically two bowls of mixed)

Ate too much salad and lima beans, causing beachball sized stomach, but total was only about 1200 calories. No damage done.

Four 12 oz. cups of coffee throughout the day. Had third with mint syrup and a spoonful of cocoa, which spilled over into the refill. By that time it was too sweet--overkill-- and I couldn't finish the cup.

Walked 1hr 22 minutes on my twice monthly errand outing to the city, which i adore.

SUCCESS

[fkwan]

So far only walked 15 minutes because of rain. Going out now to try to finish up the hour.

Finished the hour.

B: Banana.

L: 1/2 cup vegan pecan praline ice cream with 1 tb vegan caramel sauce and about 1/9 vegan pecan pie just out of the oven:



Only have about 200 calories left (sigh) .

I didn't do well with the rest of the day, of course. I tried valiantly, but I was too hungry. I ate a large salad with about 1 ounce of faux sausage, but then I saw my husband eating one with a biscuit and hash browns and just dove in. I had about a cup of hashbrowns.

I probably ate about 700 calories too many, and, predictably, gained a pound. Even though it's a transitory pound, it's still a pound.

The big sweet thrill just wasn't worth it anymore.

There needs to be two other "S" on this diet: "SELDOM and SMALL servings until all excess weight lost", or whatever thrill it is can not equal more than 300-400 calories (i.e., replace a meal), or cause enough nutrition-deprived hunger that one wants to binge later in the day.

The good news is that it could have been much, much worse. I had absolutely NO desire to eat any more than my "normal" serving of sweets. It's not the poor pie's fault that it was 500 calories a whack in a human portion, or the potatoes' fault that hunger made me eat a huge caloric serving.

Now, next Saturday, I know to take only a spoonful or two and use it as a garnish.

So it wasn't a total failure.

Plus it was an S day, so technically it wasn't a failure at all!

[fkwan]

Same old same old.

B: Multigrain kashi, hemp protein, flax, strawberries, 1/2 banana, almond milk.

L: Leftover veggies from last week: red cabbage, onions, mushrooms, zucchini, broccoli with faux sausage.

D: Salad (garden lettuce, tomatoes, garden onions), 1/4 cup rice, 1/4 c kidney beans, 1.5 tb nutritional yeast, 1 tb faux bacon bits, strawberries, 1/2 banana

2 L water, 3 cups coffee

AM walk: 36 minutes.
Break #1: 20 minutes.
Break #2: 35 minutes.

Total walk: 1 hr, 31 minutes.

Gym: 20 minutes of upper body weights using pyramids.

Gained 1 pound, don't care.

SUCCESS

[fkwan]

B: English muffin, dab of one of those smart heart vegan margarines, leftover salad with beans and rice, 1/3 banana, 1/3 grapefruit

L: Garden fresh onion, broccoli, frozen Asian style veggies and dash of faux sausage stir fried; 1/3 banana, 1/3 grapefruit

D: broccoli, salad, more faux sausage, 4 oz. baked potato; 1 1/3 banana, 1/3 grapefruit (extra banana brought by mistake, rotting, had to eat).

AM walk: 45 minutes.
Break walk #1: 27 minutes.
Break walk #2: 32 minutes.

Total walk time: 1 hour, 44 minutes.

Gym: 23 minutes of: lat pulldowns, rowing machine, biceps curls (hammer and regular), leg press, hamstring curls, hip ab- and adduction machine, squats holding onto a bar (I know I'm a wuss, Noel, but I've had three orthopedic operations and never could squat properly from the day I was born )

The usual 3 cups of coffee and 2 L water in enviro-friendly stainless steel bottle.

Observation: No very bad hip pain needing meds x 1 week. The weight loss already is making a difference!

SUCCESS

[fkwan]

The server seems to have eaten my entry for April 30th.

This is the second time this has happened, Reinhart...

The server freezes up and loses my current entry, and then when I log back in, it's lost the last SAVED entry.

Nevertheless, here is the entry for today.

Still at 108 pounds but almost at 107....

AM Walk: 18 minutes.
Break walk #1: 26 minutes.
Berak walk #2: 28 minutes.

Total walk time: 70 minutes.

Gym:

Elliptical trainer: 25 minutes @ 8 cal/min.
Lower body weights 20 minutes.

B: The usual multigrain kashi, hemp protein, flax, almond milk, with 1/3 banana and 1/3 mango.

L and D: Salad with crumbled tostadas (El Milagro brand, if anyone cares), faux fajita chicken, faux bacon bits, nutritional yeast; 2/3 banana and 2/3 mango.

3 cups of coffee, 2.25 L water.

SUCCESS

[resting52]

So, F,

Are you counting calories AND NoSing?

Resting

[fkwan]

So, F,

Are you counting calories AND NoSing?

Resting

Yup, until I get a feel for what's normal.

f

[fkwan]

I just have to howl: 106 POUNDS

Six more pounds to vacation goal!

It works, it works, it works!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AM walk: 36 minutes.
Break walk #1: 25 minutes.
Break walk #2: 30 minutes.

Total walk time: 1 hour, 31 minutes.
Gym: 18 minutes upper body weights including, for the first time, twenty-four push-ups.

B: multigrain kashi (no, I don't get sick of it), hemp protein, flax, almond milk, strawberries and banana (you know how this goes, 1/3 serving for all meals).

L and D: leftover fun: stirfried onions, green beans, bell and Hatch peppers, my mother-in-law's lousy 2 oz. baked potato she couldn't eat because she stuffed her face with candy, pie and cookies all day in her room, faux pastrami; 2/3 strawberries and banana.

2-2.5 L water and 3 cups coffee.

I am eating much, much less, about half the amount I used to bring to work for each meal.



The big dish on the left above used to be ONE ENTRÉE. Now it's divided in half for two! The little dish either holds fruit divided into thirds or one entrée.

I have a big ol' ganglion cyst on my right hand ring finger (arty silver ring). I can ALMOST get the ring off my hand now because the cyst is shrinking along with the fat.

I lost a wedding ring once when it fell off my skinny finger. Fortunately it was just a $40 job from Service Merchandise and I replaced it.

Hooray, hooray, hooray!!!!!

SUCCESS

[fkwan]

Another wreck of an S day.

Ate 1800 calories, allegedly burned 2004.

Walked 1 hour 45 minutes.
Purposeful movements: Picked up and stacked wood on pile 30 minutes.

B: 1/2 cup pecan pie ice cream, 2 ounces (!) pecan pie, 1-2 Tb caramel sauce, coffee.

Had one apple on walk.

Late lunch: salad with spinach, carrots, tofu, wasabi bits, water chestnuts, artichokes and cherry tomatoes, large coffee

All fine and dandy but destroyed it with:

D: 3 faux taco meat tacos, no cheese, but lots of salad and GUACAMOLE (waah) , plus a bean burrito and extra chips!!!!!!

Beach ball stomach!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1.5 L water and 4 cups of coffee.

But, as usual, it could have been worse. Much worse.

A technical SUCCESS according to the rules, but I still feel like crap.

[fkwan]

As usual, could have been much worse.

Walked 1 hour around the hated perimeter.

B: Finished off the vegan pecan pie ice cream and about 2 tb. caramel sauce; no pie.

L: Faux deli meat on whole wheat toast with sharp mustard; salad.

D: Tofu, spinach and roasted garlic pizza on pita (1/2 whole pita), salad.

2 L water, 4 cups coffee.

SUCCESS

[fkwan]

Monday morning water weight: 1 pound (107).

AM walk: 35 minutes.
Break walk #1: 20 minutes.
Break walk #2: 28 minutes.
Total walk time: 1 hour, 23 minutes.

Gym: 17 minutes triceps pulldowns, triceps dips, triceps kickbacks, chest press and flyes (free weights) side and front laterals (free weights), shoulder press (free weights), biceps curls (free weights), wrist curls (free weights) and crunches (60).

B: oh the boredom: multigrain kashi, 1/3 mixed apple/bananas, hemp protein, flax, almond milk

L and D: 1/2 pita tofu pizza from yesterday divided into two servings, salad with Italian vinaigrette dressing, 2/3 mixed apple/bananas

3 cups coffee, 2 L water.

Hip pain continues to decrease.

Love that (relatively) flat stomach.

[fkwan]

Still have not lost the water weight. Seem to be less body fat, however. Tummy almost concave. Huh??!

AM walk: 46 minutes.
Break walk #1: 21 minutes.
Break walk #2: 27 minutes.

Total walk time: 1 hour, 34 minutes.

Gym: 18 minutes lower body and back (hamstring curls, leg press, hip adductor/abductors, lat pulldown, rhomboids, plié squats), and 60 crunches at different levels

B: 1/2 multigrain kashi, 1/2 organic raisin bran, 1/3 strawberries/banana mix, almond milk, hemp protein, flax.

L and D: spaghetti with faux meat sauce, garlic bread, salad, 2/3 strawberries/banana mix.

2 L water, 3 cups coffee.

SUCCESS

[OrganicGal]

Hi f, Don't know if you saw my response to your post in my daily check-in. But I am from Peterborough, Ontario, CANADA! A small city northeast of Toronto. Sorry I'm not U.K

[fkwan]

OG,

Silly me!

I should have known!

If my failing memory has some bits left in it, a friend of mine from the Niagara area had family in Peterborough. I'll bet it's gorgeous!

My husband and I wanted to stay in BC when he was accepted to university there but our karma wasn't good enough. I love Canada just as much as the UK!

f

[fkwan]

Water weight will NOT go away, in fact, appears to be increasing.

Either that, or it's the fact that I ate 1200 calories yesterday, including 4 measly ounces of garlic bread. You would not believe how many calories are in 4 lousy ounces of garlic bread. I had ONE CUP of pasta with faux meat sauce, for heaven's sake -- divided between two meals! Those to me are BIRD portions, but my metabolism doesn't care.

Today I took the bean taquitos I was going to eat for lunch and fed them to the pigeons. (Waste not.) Instead, I'll eat half a cup of plain beans with my stir-fried veggies.

AM walk: 46 minutes.
Break walk #1: 21 minutes.
Break walk #2: 30 minutes.

Total walk time: 1 hour, 37 minutes.

Gym: Upper body weights (triceps pull, triceps dip, triceps extension, biceps curls, chest flye, pushups (27!!!), shoulder press, shoulder side laterals, front laterals, wrist curls), abs, 23 minutes.

B: Organic Cheerios, flax, hemp protein, almond milk, 1/3 mango and banana combo

L: mixed garden veggies (onions, red bell pepper, green beans) with 1/2 Tb. peanuts and 1/4 cup beans plus super duper Chinese chili sauce plus veggie stir fry sauce; 1/3 mango and banana combo

D: No oil popcorn sprinkled with hemp protein, 1/3 mango and banana combo

3 cups coffee

2 L water

SUCCESS

[fkwan]

AM walk: 50 minutes.
Break walk #1: 21 minutes.
Break walk #2: 10 minutes (had to leave early)

Total walk time: 1 hour 21 minutes.

Gym: Lower body weights 21 minutes. I am following a three set/increasing consecutive reps plan sorta suggested by Noel. It's working. I can now do 40 something pounds on the lat pulldown machine x 9 reps each and as reported 27 pushups. Not the BEST Marine pushups, but definitely a pushup with a relatively straight back. Three cheers for Mistress Noel!

The water weight is not going away, even though my numbers say I have roughly 4200 negative calories since last Friday to lose a pound.

I amended my stats to show 107. That 106 must have been a scale mistake *sigh*.

107 is still a lot better than 115 or 120, but I'm a little miffed that I probably won't meet my goal of 100 by 19 June.

It's either water weight or muscle, because I look pretty good and there's not a lot of excess anywhere except thighs and underarms from aging.

So no potatoes with my brekkie wrap this morning:

B: pita, faux tofu eggs, leftover veggies (bell peppers, green beans, kidney beans, onion), a few beans, a few peanuts, nutritional yeast for "cheese", faux bacon bits, Chinese chili sauce; 1/3 grapefruit/banana mix.

L: Salad, 1/3 grapefruit/banana mix.

D (at home): 2 oz. garlic bread, 2/3 cup spaghetti, about 2 oz. faux meat sauce

SUCCESS

[fkwan]

STILL at 107, it's been exactly a week with no weight loss; might as well kiss that stupid vacation goal goodbye. Feel great though.

AM walk: 45 minutes.
Break walk #1: 17 minutes.
Break walk #2: 28 minutes.

Total walk time: 1 hour 30 minutes.

Gym: 10 minutes upper body weights AM, 12 minutes PM. Included 30 pushups for first time in life.

Total gym time: 22 minutes

B: oatmeal with flax, rice protein, apple and .... 1 tb. caramel sauce (I hope only 1 Tb. doesn't count as a sweet! ) in place of 1 tb brown sugar. Tasted like crap.

L: Salad, 2 oz. garlic bread, 1/3 grapefruit and banana did not eat yesterday due to leaving early

D: Leftover rice/beans/onions/bell peppers/green beans/peanuts did not eat yesterday; 1/2 bag (1 ounce) pretzels; ACTUALLY PUT HALF BAG AWAY AND DID NOT EAT WITHOUT ANY AFTEREFFECTS!!! Never before have I limited myself to one ounce of anything other than nuts.

3 cups coffee, 2 L water.

Except for no weight loss, a total

SUCCESS

[fkwan]

Again, ate too much. Exercise, I hope, made up for it.

Walked 2 hours 14 minutes in city doing errands on my twice a month Outing. Hip gave out after the first hour and a half.

B: One oatmeal raisin cookie from store, which later on turned out to be THREE OUNCES!!!! and about an ounce of faux egg protein to counteract it

L: None.

D: taco salad with about 4 oz. faux taco meat, lettuce, onions, jalapeños, tomatoes, salsa, guacamole -- ate too much, i.e., more than one serving

This is why I do NOT like S days.

[fkwan]

Sucked, as usual.

One hour walk around the perimeter.

B: 1 cup granola I was trying to get out of the house @ roughly 500 calories, 1/2 cup soymilk.

L: 1 oz. baked chipotle tortilla chips and some nibbles of pinto beans and polenta.

D: Did well here: only one serving of beans and polenta on a salad with about 1/4 cup guacamole and 1/4 cup salsa. Not a thrill: first try at homemade vegan ice cream, coffee chip made with raw cacao nibs. Nibs negated sweetness of ice cream and texture was wrong, but it was only 210 calories a cup.

Still weigh 107 pounds. Better than gaining, but it's been 9 days since I last lost a pound.

Time to cut more calories (sigh).

f

2 L water, 4 cups coffee, 1 cup green tea.

For an S day, a SUCCESS

[fkwan]

The server ate another of my entries. I think this is the third.

Have not lost weight in 10 days. Still at 107.

AM walk: 38 minutes.
Break #1: 20 minutes.
Break #2: 30 minutes.

Total walk time: 1 hour, 28 minutes.

Gym: AM and PM total, 21 minutes upper body weights and abs.
No pushups today, did free weights from bench.

B: Cheerios, 1/3 garden fresh blackberries, banana mix, hemp protein, flax, almond milk.

L and D: polenta, pinto beans, faux taco meat, dash of faux bacon bits, salad; 2/3 blackberry/banana mix

3 cups coffee, 2L water.

SUCCESS

[fkwan]

Still at 107. Feel bloated, tired, angry, depressed and, of course, lest we forget, BORED.

AM walk: 35 minutes.
Break #1: 24 minutes.
Break #2: 30 minutes.

Total walk time: 1 hour, 29 minutes.

Gym: Lower body and back weights plus 80 crunches, total time, 22 minutes. Hamstrings and hip abductors still weaker than everything else and probably always will be. Back is getting stronger. If I hadn't gone to the gym, I would have slept through four hours of work.

B: Organic honey nut Cheerios, flax, hemp protein, reduced fat soymilk, 1/3 apple/banana/raisin mix

L: A thrill to end all thrills: 1/2 of my husband's signature faux burger (300 cal, 35 g protein!!!) with all the fixins, A1 sauce on one bun, sprouts, tomatoes, pickles, burned stir-fried onions (like on a cheesesteak), mustard on burger side of bun, (drooling just thinking about it), steamed zucchini, 1/3 apple/banana/raisin mix

D: 1/2 burger NOT above, 1/2 bag of pretzels left over from last week,
1/3 apple/banana/raisin mix

2 L water
3 cups coffee
1 cup green tea

SUCCESS

[blueskighs]

so fkwan,

is your boredom "food" related? I noticed yesterday I just kind of miss binging like one might "miss" getting drunk ...

i.e. now i am in the No S groove no erratic highs and lows from binging and restricting?

Or maybe you are just BORED

Blueskighs

[fkwan]

Blue dear,

nope, I'm just bored.

hugs f

[fkwan]

A little less bloated, depressed and cranky today. Slept 8 hours, yay!!!

AM walk: 16 minutes. Got to gym late.
Break walk #1: 24 minutes. humid.
Break walk #2: 28 minutes.

Total walk time: 1 hour 8 minutes.

Elliptical trainer: 20 minutes@ 8.5 calories/min (170 calories, give or take).

Gym: Upper body weights plus 80 floor crunches total 23 minutes. Discovered I hadn't been dipping low enough with pushups. Tried and managed 35 -- one shy of third set of 12 -- just collapsed.

B: Organic honey nut Cheerios, 1/3 mango/banana mix, flax, hemp protein, low fat soymilk

L: Zucchini, red potato, onion (from garden), pinto bean mix with a tiny bit of faux burger; 1/3 mango/banana mix

D: Popcorn with sprinkled hemp protein and 1 tb. faux bacon bits; 1/3 mango banana mix

1.5 L water
3 cups coffee
1 c green tea (part of 0.5 L remaining water)

SUCCESS

[fkwan]

I'm still upset about my plateau, even though I shouldn't be. Day 13. I'm going to mix it up.

AM walk: only 30 minutes, did not have time.
Break walk: uphill interval walking, shaved 5 minutes off time to 15 minutes!
Second break: 36 minutes, intervals inside building.

Total walk time: 1 hour, 23 minutes.

Gym: Lower body weights -- 1 circuit low weight/high reps, 1 circuit heavy weight low reps, 19 minutes.

B: organic honey nut Cheerios, hemp protein, flax, low fat soymilk, the usual 1/3 banana/strawberry mix

L and D: 1.5 oz. garlic bread, 4 oz. salad, 0.5 cup leftover beans/potatoes/onions/zucchini and a bit of kibburger I still haven't finished from two days ago; 1/3 banana/strawberry mix

3 cups coffee
1 cup green tea
2 L water

SUCCESS, I suppose.

[fkwan]

Finally, finally, finally.............106. Definitely. At a place where I know I won't go back up.

No hot flashes or migraines since the beginning of this path.

Thrilled to the gills. I wonder if shaking up the system with a day of intervals plus starting new thyroid meds had anything to do with it, as if not.

AM walk: 20 minutes.
Break walk #1: 24 minutes.
Break walk #2: 17 minutes.
Big lunch walk: 31 minutes.

Total walk time: 1 hour 32 minutes.

Elliptical trainer: 12 minutes @9 calories/min.

No weights today, taking a rest day.

B: organic honey whatever Cheerios, hemp protein, flax, low fat soymilk, 1/3 garden fresh blackberries/strawberries/banana mix

L and D: Pinto beans, pumpkin seeds, salad with dash of tahini/nutritional yeast/soymilk cheez, salsa; pretzels; 2/3 blackberry/strawberry/banana mix

2 L water
3 cups coffee
1 cup green tea

SUCCESS

[BrightAngel]

Finally, finally, finally.............106.

Congratulations.

[fkwan]

I have no more desire to eat sweets unless I'm out and can get a commercial vegan one.

That ain't gonna happen anytime soon.

I'm stuck at home for two days this weekend so am not in the greatest of moods. I've also discovered that I dislike being around my MIL so much that I can't even eat.

Walked 1 hour, 2 minutes around the perimeter. Vacuuming x 8 minutes. I hate vacuuming even more than my MIL.

See http://everydaysystems.com/bb/viewtopic ... highlight= for my adventures with dessert making and destroying.

B: 1/2 grapefruit, 3 pcs whole wheat toast, ~ 1 tb. smart flax whatever margarine, 1/2 cup blackeyed peas with 1 tsp garlic chili sauce; 3 cups coffee (that's my S day indulgence!).

Rest of day: Didn't do so well, but could have been worse.

L (sort of): 3 oz. baked tortilla chips and salsa (1 oz. would have been enough)

D: "Date" with husband, MIL in little cell away from us. 2 bowls salad, cornbread, blackeyed peas, fresh blackberries, 1/2 cup potatoes (beachball stomach). Plus 6 of the non-vegan onion rings, but luckily no room for the non-vegan cookies, hooray!!!!!!!

Tomorrow: NO ridiculous portions of starches.

Could have been worse...
Could have been worse...
Could have been worse...

SUCCESS

[all as one]

Imagine having to be at home 24/7 with your inlaws (both still alive)! The cost for home health care is close to 15-18.50 hr. My husband GOD BLESS HIM, doesn't leave the house except for 16hrs a week, when I leave with my mom to take her out to lunch or run errands (and lordy does she make 'em up) hubby has to stay here with my dementia with diabetic nasty attituded at times dad atleast 6-7 days a week. Poor thing feels like a caged animal at times and he gave up drinking 5 months ago too! So just so you know there are 2 caged animals in Florida thinking about 'cha! Where the oatmeal cookies homemade?
Yum!

[fkwan]

Walk one hour around perimeter.

B: Raisin bran, flax, pea protein, raisins, soymilk.

L: Faux tuna salad on whole wheat; salad.

D: ONE SERVING of salad, faux deli meat on more whole wheat, jalapeño potato chips.

SUCCESS

[fkwan]

Mind numbing, ass-kicking depression.

First week of not weighing until Friday.

AM walk: 36 minutes.
Break walk #1: 20 minutes.
Break walk #2: 30 minutes.

Total walk time: 1 hour, 26 minutes.

Gym: upper body weights, 20 minutes. Only 25 push-ups today, but I keep reminding myself that isn't too bad for a 53 year old nonathletic female. Felt a little better after gym session.

B: Organic honey nut Cheerios, hemp protein, flax, 1/3 grapefruit/banana/strawberries mix, low fat soymilk

L: Faux tuna sandwich on whole wheat toast, nuked garden fresh onions with sesame/chili sauce, 1/3 grapefruit/banana/strawberries mix

D: Salad with faux deli meat, spinach and garlic; 1/3 grapefruit/banana/strawberries mix

3 cups coffee

2.5 L water
1 cup green tea

SUCCESS

[fkwan]

Feeling better today. Gotta love them hormones, they jusst continue to surprise. Same conditions as yesterday and yet I don't want to murder anyone.

No scale until Friday.

AM walk: 41 minutes.
Walk break #1: 17 minutes.
Walk break #2: 31 minutes.

Total walk time: 1 hour, 29 minutes.

Gym: Lower body weights 25 minutes, today is 5 reps of next heaviest weight x 3.

B: Organic honey nut Cheerios, combined vegetable protein, flax, low fat soymilk, 1/3 banana/apple/raisin mix

L: Bad day. Tummy out of order from cafeteria bean burrito (small), sautéed bell peppers and onions, half small bag (1.5 oz.) pretzels

D: Other half of pretzel bag, 1/3 banana/apple/raisin mix

Barely 3 cups coffee (unhappy tummy)
2.5 L water
1 cup green tea tonight before bed.

SUCCESS

[fkwan]

Physically feel absolutely wonderful...mentally, could use some work.

Schedule out of whack today, have to leave early to pick up MIL's cats at vet.

AM walk: 33 minutes.
Break walk #1: 24 minutes.
Break walk #2: 12 minutes.

Total walk time: 1 hour, 9 minutes.

Gym: 17 minutes upper body weights, continuing with heavy adding one more rep per day to reach 12. 28 pushups today, 1 set 15, 1 set 10, 1 set 3 to failure.

B: Organic honey nut Cheerios, hemp protein, flax, rice milk, leftover apple/banana/raisin mix.

L: 1/2 portion salad mixed with faux tuna fish, 1/2 portion faux meat stew with garden fresh carrots and onions and organic potatoes, black pepper, A1, Worcestershire, plus leftover crappy frozen mixed veggies MIL didn't eat

D: Faux burger with bun, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, relish, hot mustard, dash nutritional yeast cheeze, salad.

2 L water
3 cups coffee
1 cup green tea after dinner

SUCCESS!!!

[fkwan]

One more day until the big Weigh In.

Another wave of depression. Still don't get it. Maybe it was the smell of cat barf left over in the car from my mother-in-law's Grrls in VirtualPrison Outing yesterday. But neither she nor the cats were in the car this morning. Is it the humidity? Is it menopause? Is it Teddy Kennedy's brain tumor? Is it the fact that, in the words of Paul Simon, I'm "so far and away from home?"

AM walk: 43 minutes.
Break walk #1: 22 minutes.
Break walk #2: 26 minutes.

Total walk time: 1 hour, 31 minutes.

Gym: 21 minutes lower body weights. Hamstrings still weakest part. Can only do one set 5, one set 6 and one set 3 at 4.5 plate.

B: Almost not quite the last of the organic honey nut Cheerios, flax, hemp protein, rice milk, blueberry/blackberry/banana fruit combination (1 cup).

L: 1/2 serving salad with faux tuna, 1/2 serving faux beef stew with garden fresh carrots, onions and organic potatoes, 1/2 cup above fruit mix

D: More faux beef stew with garden fresh carrots, onions and organic potatoes; 1/2 cup above fruit mix

2 L water
3 cups coffee
1 cup green tea before bed

SUCCESS

[fkwan]

Weekly weigh-in: ta-da! 105! The final descent to the last ten pounds begins.

AM walk: 47 minutes.
Break walk #1: 22 minutes.
Break walk #2: 30 minutes.

Total walk time: 1 hour, 39 minutes.

Gym: 20 minutes, upper body graduated failure, heavy, next lightest, next lightest and so on.

B: Last of the organic honey nut Cheerios, hemp protein, flax, rice milk, leftover bananas/blueberries/1 blackberry from garden

L: Big test: Employee Appreciation Day, i.e., all the employees except the vegans. Go outside to sniff and see if there is anything I can eat amongst the beef and sausage and stuff made with cheese. Sigh heavily, go back inside and eat faux tuna on whole wheat toast. Ended up being good and only getting chips with salsa to go with aforesaid whole wheat toast.

D: Leftover faux beef stew with carrots, onions, potatoes; chips and salsa, 1 cup cantaloupe.

2.5 L water
3 cups coffee
1 cup green tea

SUCCESS

[blueskighs]

Way to go Kwan!

I am right there with you, somewhere in the last 10 pound range!
Isn't NO SO GREAT?

Blueskighs

[OrganicGal]

WOOHOO!!!! Way To Go f

[fkwan]

Way to go Kwan!

I am right there with you, somewhere in the last 10 pound range!
Isn't NO SO GREAT?

Blueskighs

Most amazing thing I've ever experienced. No pain whatsoever. I've never been on a "diet" without deprivation before. Last night the spouse had one of his oatmeal raisin cookies (non-vegan). I took one bite of it just for the hell of it. Ugh. Did not want any more. (I figure one bite does not a failure of a day make. ) Went back to my evening white/green tea.

I think when we reach our goals we ought to go on the road with Reinhard. I think we need to be on Oprah...

f

[BrightAngel]

Currently: 105.
Final goal: back to 95 (range between 95-105)

Congratulations on being back at the top of your maintenance range.

[fkwan]

Congratulations on being back at the top of your maintenance range.

I think 100 is going to be the end of my maintenance range. I don't want to have to lose 10 pounds over and over again anymore.


f

[BrightAngel]

I think 100 is going to be the end of my maintenance range.
I don't want to have to lose 10 pounds over and over again anymore.

Sounds like a good plan to me.
My goal was to reach 107,
but 110 is looking better and better to me too.
OR,
perhaps you meant your maintenance range will be between 95 and 100?

[Nichole]

I think you're doing great!

[fkwan]

Lovely bimonthly Outing to the City, callooh callay.


Central Park Pond (c) fkwan 2008

Walk 1 hour, 8 minutes.

B: Elvis sandwich without the bread: banana, peanut butter and flax all mashed up. Grew up on Jif. Now it's so horribly sweet and fake I almost gagged. I bought a tub of raw organic salted chunky with nothing else in it for future thrills. 1 cup coffee

L: Salad (spinach, bell pepper, tofu, mushrooms, broccoli, some kind of Asian dressing), two 2 oz. multigrain rolls, coffee with 1 tsp. cocoa and mint and dash of soymilk

D: Salad (tomatoes, lettuce, onions, red cabbage), 4 bean and cheese taquitos (bad vegan, but they were in the house), 4 oz. faux kippered salmon, 1/2 cup guacamole and two burned crispy vegan chocolate chip cookies that actually were more like biscotti, but what the hell, with one cup coffee. Almost 2000 calories, and as usual, not as much of a thrill as I thought, but technically I only ate one serving, three meals and no snacks.

2 L water
1 cup green tea

SUCCESS

[fkwan]

Walk around perimeter, 1 hour, 1 minute.

B: I started to binge on about 10 vegan chocolate chip cookies, more than 1000 calories' worth in one bowl. I mashed them up and mixed them with soymilk. I took a few bites. I took the bowl and put the contents in the compost bin. I had a bowl of raisin bran, 1 tb. rice protein, soymilk and four prunes instead.

L: One 3 oz. just baked sourdough roll.

D: Another aforementioned roll, about 4-5 oz. faux fajita meat, salad, cucumbers with balsamic vinaigrette, 1 cup boiled potatoes.

2 L water
3 cups coffee
1 cup green tea

SUCCESS SUCCESS SUCCESS

[resting52]

fkwan,

Way to go!!!

You ARE a success!

Resting

[blueskighs]

yes fkwan,
DITTO!

WAY TO GO!!!!!!

Blueskighs

[fkwan]

I said I wasn't going to make Memorial Day an S day, but my schedule was shot to hell (ate at 2100) and there were French fries.

Walk: 1 hour, 14 minutes.

B: Multigrain kashi again, banana, pumpkin seeds, rice milk, rice protein.

L: Popcorn.

D: Homemade rye bread, faux beef brisket, barbecue and horseradish sauce, salad including garden fresh tomatoes and carrots, cucumber vinaigrette, French fries and onion rings (about 1 cup of the former and a lousy 3 of the latter)

Could have been worse.

SUCCESS

[fkwan]

I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO glad to be back at work and on N days again.

I can 't STAND eating at home late at night. Period. I put the sweets away in the freezer, but those blasted damned French fries and onion rings...I'll eat every one in front of my face.

Hooray no scale to show the fake five pounds I probably gained.

AM walk: 41 minutes, including treadmill intervals. Average calorine burn only 6/min but oh well, better than nothing. I'l be an athlete in my next life.
Break walk #1: 23 minutes.
Break walk #2: 26 minutes.

Total walk time: 1 hour, 30 minutes.

Gym: 21 minutes upper body weights. Only 20 pushups today.

B: Good old multigrain kashi, frozen garden pumpkin, rice protein, flax, rice milk

L: Spinach, garden lettuce, garden carrots, garden tomatoes, red cabbage, broccoli and sprout salad with crumbled corn tostadas and pinto beans and a hell of a lot of chipotle salsa with a tad of nutritional yeast cheez; husband's homemade sourdough roll with organic chunky salted peanut butter and garlic/chili sauce

D: Spinach, garden lettuce, garden carrots, garden tomatoes, red cabbage, broccoli and sprout salad with crumbled corn tostadas and pinto beans and a hell of a lot of chipotle salsa with a tad of nutritional yeast cheez; husband's homemade sourdough roll with organic chunky salted peanut butter and garlic/chili sauce; mixed melon cubes, 1/2 cup

Only ate 2/3 of portion put out for lunch and dinner.

The usual: 3 cups coffee
2 L water
1 cup green tea

SUCCESS

[fkwan]

AM walk: 35 minutes. Last walk outside, becomes too hot by noon.
Break walk #1: 19 minutes.
Break walk #2: 27 minutes.

Total walk time: 1 hour 21 minutes.

Gym: 25 minutes lower body and back weights. For some reason lats and hamstrings very weak.

B: After throwing away too sweet fruit and cereal mix, ate 1 cup potato cubes from cafeteria with 2 Tb. hemp protein, 1 Tb. flax, taco seasoning (garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper, paprika, cumin, chili powder) and sport pepper sauce.

L: Leftover salad, pinto beans, tostada and salsa; banana.

D: Stir fried carrots, onions, beansprouts and zucchini with faux oysters and sauce; banana

SUCCESS

[fkwan]

Tomorrow is the dreaded Weigh In and I already know I won't have lost another pound because I've got the damn bloats, plus a charming new kind of perimenopausal headache -- not a migraine, but a sinus job that doesn't respond to any kind of meds including Vicodin. Nothing. It's just bad enough to be noticed and to be annoying and is going on to 48 hours. This loveliness is accompanied by severe exhaustion.

Nevertheless....

I started using my new pedometer which arrived yesterday. It thinks I burn about 42 calories every half mile. If I walk 4 miles a day that's about 168 calories, which is NOT A LOT AT ALL. My stride length is approximately 2 feet, which is like mouse paws, or, to paraphrase the exalted Lewis Carroll, it's all the limping I can do to stay in the same place.

(heavy sigh)

Nevertheless....

AM walk: 39 minutes.
Break walk #1: 20 minutes.
Break walk #2: 26 minutes.

Total walk time: 1 hour 25 minutes.
Alleged mileage: 4.13 miles or a turtle 3 mph.
Steps: 109,183: I guess that's "good".
Alleged calories: 226.

Gym: 16 minutes upper body weights. 2 sets 15 reps due to fatigue/headache. 30 pushups!

B: multigrain kashi, 1 tb. raisins, 2/3 cup pumpkin, 2/3 cup rice milk, 1 tb. flax, 1 tb. rice protein

L and D: Faux brisket on husband's homemade rye bread, salad.

2.5 L water
2 cups coffee--left early!
1 cup green tea

SUCCESS

[fkwan]

Weighed in. Gained two pounds. Back to 107. Time to hit the dandelion pills again.

Whined about it. http://everydaysystems.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=41436

Will have to throw all my weight loss goals out the damn window. I do have a NEW goal, upping exercise calories by 25/day each week.

Nevertheless....

AM walk with new pedo: 45 minutes.
Break walk #1: 21 minutes.
Break walk #2: 34 minutes.

Total walk time: 1 hour 40 minutes.
Aerobic walk time: 55 minutes.

Total walk calories: 243.
Total steps: 12315.

Gym: 25 minutes lower body weights.

B: Oh, we're so sick of hearing about it, but here it is again multigrain kashi with 1/3 pumpkin/raisins/banana mix, rice milk and rice protein

L and D: Asian noodles, zucchini, broccoli, onions, carrots, edamame and peanuts in stirfry/chili sauce; 2/3 pumpkin/raisins/banana mix. Everything but broccoli and peanuts came from husband's garden.

2 L water
3 cups coffee
goal: 2 cups green tea

As far as weight loss goes, a failure.
As far as addiction/habit control goes, a total success.

[fkwan]

Have I mentioned that I LOATHE S days????

Still trying to deal with the fact that no matter how well I behave, my body is not responding, and, according to the numbers, this entire month was a waste. Then.....

I received word that my second "surrogate mother" (real mother died when I was 13 of a stroke; first "surrogate" mother died of gastric cancer without having one moment of peace or retirement; she literally worked until she died) had just been diagnosed with lymphoma. It's only stage I and she is having successful chemo, but she is in her 70s or early 80s and the prognosis is not that great. Fortunately her daughter is an MD and she is receiving excellent treatment.

I'm an agnostic as far as God is concerned, but I know saints are real. This lady is one of the most humble, compassionate, giving human beings I have ever known. To say knowing her is an honor would be a pitiful understatement.

I essentially just went to pieces. The anger and the depression were absolutely overwhelming.

The first thing I did, of course, was binge. It was not a LARGE binge, it was just the blasted epitheting leftover chocolate chip cookies. Six of them, not all at one time, or precisely 1026 calories and 58 grams of fat. Later on I ate a piece of my husband's rye bread and a piece of Italian bread with margarine and peanut butter.

Today's calorie total, so far, without eating anything of substance except a tomato and a tablespoon of pea protein, is 1574.

I also found out the depressing facts about my hated walk around the perimeter. 2.69 miles at 1 hour, 1 minute for a grand total of only 137 calories.

Bright Angel is right.

If I'm only expending this sort of calories on S days, I can't have any such days. They have to be, on the contrary, Super N Days in order to get anywhere. If I'm stuck at home, I will be too upset and I will binge, and I won't exercise enough to make a dent in anything.

I took the remaining cookie dough out of the freezer and threw it in the trash.

The rest of the day was worse. I stopped counting at 2000 calories. It was like 3 servings of noodles, vegetables and tofu -- all good, "healthy" foods, but a calorie is a calorie.

A horrible, horrible day.
I can't call it a success, but it's an S day, so it isn't a failure.

[Jesseco]

I'm so sorry, fkwan.

I've decided that 8 or more S days is too much for me. And with a husband who works shift work, weekends just aren't always that special to me anyway.

Also, I've had too hard a time deciding what treats to eat on S days. AND I am 5 ft. 4 3/4 and still want to be under my current 124 pounds, but WAS gaining with all the S days.

So I changed my S days to be days when I am with a group or a special occasion or a holiday calls for a treat or a special meal. My goal is to keep them to under 8 per month, maybe under 6. So far I don't feel deprived (this is my second non-S Saturday).

[BrightAngel]

Of course you feel sad, and of course you feel angry.
It's okay.
I'm working on accepting that it's okay for me to feel sad and angry.

I've discovered just feeling sad and angry doesn't feel nearly as bad
as it does when I think I have to try (and fail) to escape FROM those feelings.
It's okay to feel bad sometimes. Try and just sit with it and FEEL.
Surprisingly, Not trying to Escape from the Feelings, is the quickest way to get rid of them.

Take care. It will get better.
It always does.

[blueskighs]

fkwan,

so sorry to hear about your second surrogate mother. you said you received word. Is she close by? Is there anyway that you can go visit her? It might do both of you a world of good,

Blueskighs

[fkwan]

fkwan,

so sorry to hear about your second surrogate mother. you said you received word. Is she close by? Is there anyway that you can go visit her? It might do both of you a world of good,

Blueskighs

She's currently in another state with her daughter, the doctor, and daughter's family with two beloved grandchildren.

When she returns I will try to visit her but it is difficult because I don't drive and neither does she -- one of our strongest common bonds.

Universe forbid if she worsens she will be in the hospital where I work so I can visit her there.

f

[OrganicGal]

I'm so sorry for your unfortunate news fkwan. I'll will be thinking of and sending good healing thoughts to your surrogate mother and to you.

Hang in there.

[fkwan]

Recovering from yesterday's horrible binge. Poochy stomach, swollen extremities.

Walked one hour around the perimeter WITHOUT the pedometer, since I know it will only stress me out and show me how little I'm exercising. At least I walked for an hour; that's better than not walking at all. The good news is that for the next five days I can get back to my normal human walking pattern of at least 4.5 miles a day and the gym and official N days, YAY!

B: Szechuan Elvis Sandwich: chunky organic peanut butter, banana and chili garlic sauce on homemade rye bread; 2 garden carrots, 2 cherry tomatoes. 647 calories. That means only approximately 453 calories left in the day.

Note to XJocelyn: I ate more than 2000 calories yesterday, that should qualify as "eating more calories" to see if this has anything to do with any weight loss.

L: Probably salad.

D: Probably salad, beans, a bit of crumbled tostada, salsa, mexican rice.

SUCCESS

[blueskighs]

When she returns I will try to visit her but it is difficult because I don't drive and neither does she -- one of our strongest common bonds.

I only suggest this because when my maternal grandmother passed two years ago (she was my surrogate mother) I was able to go stay with her last two weeks of her life. (she was also out of state) I got there the day they sent her home from the hospital and put her on hospice care. To be able to be with her, love her and serve her at that time, changed my life. To be with those we love in those times is just healing beyond belief. I was not able to do that for my mother. I am so glad I was able to do it for my grandmother.

Universe forbid if she worsens she will be in the hospital where I work so I can visit her there.

well if she does worsen, which I certainly hope she does not, then you will probably find something profound in being able to spend time with her.

on a more mundane level,
that Szechaun Elvis sandwich sounds really wicked. What kind of chili garlic sauce do you put on it? Is it homemade or something you buy?

Blueskighs

[fkwan]

on a more mundane level,
that Szechaun Elvis sandwich sounds really wicked. What kind of chili garlic sauce do you put on it? Is it homemade or something you buy?

Blueskighs

Blue,

It's that Vietnamese chili garlic stuff you can find in almost any market.

I'm sorry, work is blocking all my attempts to show you a picture.

Orange stuff in jar with green lid.

f

[fkwan]

Today's weight: 106. Sigh.

Therefore, weight loss for last month: 2 pounds, or 0.4 pound a week. Could be better, could be worse.

It appears that it may take as long as a year to lose this weight.

Apparently eating more than 2000 calories on one S day and about 1200 on the second did not have anything to do with more weight gain or loss, although I suspect the initial weight spurt I was whining about might have been due to the NSAIDs and Tylenol I was taking for headaches. That was the only differing factor in my behavior.

It takes me about two days to start feeling physically and mentally better after two days in the middle of nowhere.

This week will attempt to concentrate on lower fat McDougallesque type food items.

Had blood work to make sure was not eating too much soy, getting enough vitamin D, etc.

AM walk: 41 minutes.
Break walk #1: 22 minutes.
Break walk #2: 24 minutes.

Total walk time: 1 hour 27 minutes.
Miles: 4.6
Alleged calorie burn: 242 calories.

Gym: 22 minutes upper body weights, 2 circuits, including 25 pushups first circuit and 15 second.

B: multigrain kashi, pumpkin, peach off our tree, banana, rice protein, flax, rice milk

L and D: salad (with garden lettuce, tomatoes, onions, plus red cabbage and bell peppers), nopales (cactus), dried cooked split peas, spanish rice, Vietnamese fried onion bits and faux bacon bits all mixed together with salsa; mixed banana and pumpkin.

3 cups coffee
2.5 L water
1 cup green tea

SUCCESS

[fkwan]

No weight change.

Took pedometer off and put it in drawer. It seems to make me slower and older. I will only use it when I deviate from my boring amount of less than desired exercise, i.e., when I go on vacation, or when I have my twice-monthly Saturday City Outing (oh, the joy). Too much crap in pockets. Inanimate objects are beginning to give me hives.

However...

AM walk: 40 minutes.
Break walk #1: 24 minutes.
Break walk #2: 18 minutes.

Total walk time: 1 hour 22 minutes.

Gym: 22 minutes lower body weights.

B: Multigrain kashi, leftover pumpkin/banana/raisin mix, rice protein, flax, rice milk.

L and D: Salad mix with faux chicken made with tofu, gluten and pumpkin seeds from garden; baked potato that mother-in-law didn't eat; faux bacon bits, lowfat Vietnamese crunchy onion bits. Pumpkin/banana/raisin mix, peaches off tree.

Two cups coffee, swapped second cup for extra cup of green tea to see if it would help with diuresis.

2 L water
2 cups green tea