Teaspoon ceiling (take two!)

No Snacks, no sweets, no seconds. Except on Days that start with S. Too simple for you? Simple is why it works. Look here for questions, introductions, support, success stories.

Moderators: Soprano, automatedeating

Post Reply
User avatar
gratefuldeb67
Posts: 6256
Joined: Thu Apr 21, 2005 9:26 pm
Location: Great Neck, NY

Teaspoon ceiling (take two!)

Post by gratefuldeb67 » Sun Aug 23, 2009 8:07 pm

I tried doing this sometime a while back, but never stuck with it.
Here's my confession/problem.
I use about two and a half spoons of hot chocolate mix in each cup of coffee.
And usually, I have about 3 to 4 cups a day.
This definitely equals a small "S" daily when you add it up.
I wanted to change this before and I'm going to try again now.
I don't know why I didn't make this habit stick, but I'm guessing that I just didn't do it for long enough.

I'm not eliminating the sugar, because when I tried to do that once before I had a really bad reaction to all the sugar dropping out of me all at once, and frankly, I really like how it makes the coffee taste :)..
But I'm going to cut down to one teaspoon, rounded if need be, per cup. That will drastically lower my sugar intake per month. I will adjust to the taste fine I'm sure. I've done stuff like this before.
Wish me luck!
I'll report back in a week on how it's going! :wink:

8) Debs
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness

User avatar
buttercreampillow
Posts: 210
Joined: Wed Jan 07, 2009 11:55 pm
Location: Music City

Post by buttercreampillow » Mon Aug 24, 2009 3:06 am

Good luck! Like you, I like my coffee like I like it, and it's tripped me up with No S before. Hope you find this new way acceptable.
Natural Eater

User avatar
gratefuldeb67
Posts: 6256
Joined: Thu Apr 21, 2005 9:26 pm
Location: Great Neck, NY

Post by gratefuldeb67 » Mon Aug 24, 2009 3:17 am

Thanks! I think it will be okay, so long as I give it enough time.
Probably after a few weeks I'll be very used to it and my taste buds adjust.
Good luck to you too!
8) Debs
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness

clarinetgal
Posts: 1709
Joined: Wed Jul 01, 2009 4:16 am
Location: Western Washington State

Post by clarinetgal » Mon Aug 24, 2009 4:13 am

Good luck! I'm sure you'll adjust just fine.

User avatar
Jammin' Jan
Posts: 2002
Joined: Thu May 05, 2005 2:55 pm
Location: The Village

Post by Jammin' Jan » Mon Aug 24, 2009 11:19 pm

Good luck, Deb! :D
"Self-denial's a great sweetener of pleasure."
(Patrick McGoohan's "The Prisoner")

User avatar
gratefuldeb67
Posts: 6256
Joined: Thu Apr 21, 2005 9:26 pm
Location: Great Neck, NY

Post by gratefuldeb67 » Tue Aug 25, 2009 12:47 am

Thanks CG and Jammin J!! :wink:
So far so good, but I definitely found myself automatically feeling like I *had* to go back for a second spoonful this morning.. This habit is pretty ingrained!!
Will be nice when it's reprogrammed and I have a new good habit in it's place :)
I think I deserve a cup of coffee now! hahah :P
8) Debs x
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness

User avatar
gratefuldeb67
Posts: 6256
Joined: Thu Apr 21, 2005 9:26 pm
Location: Great Neck, NY

Post by gratefuldeb67 » Tue Aug 25, 2009 12:49 am

ps... when I added up a conservative average of the extra sugar that I was having, it equaled about *NINE* extra S's per month!!!


Typical day= 3 cups of coffee
Eliminating 1 TBSP sugar per day= 30 per month= about 9 sodas worth of sugar per month...
And that's the *conservative* estimate, so it's probably even more in reality!! :shock:
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness

User avatar
bluebunny27
Posts: 831
Joined: Thu Jan 29, 2009 8:07 pm
Location: Montreal, Canada

Post by bluebunny27 » Tue Aug 25, 2009 5:09 am

You know what I'm going to say right ?? ... :-)

Why don't you cut alllllllllllll the instant chocolate in your coffee right away ?? Why not be 100% healthy immediately.
Cold turkey, right now ... No excuses, no nothing, no sneaking. Throw the instant chocolate IN THE BIN and forget about it. Wouldn't that be a good idea ?? Why not eat carrot sticks and celery instead of chocolate ??

Taste buds adjusting ?? ... geesh ... that's some serious sugar/chocolate addiction. They'll adjust more quickly if you quit this bad habit anyway.

How many calories in a teaspoon - - 3-4 times a day ??
Every day ... 2.5 teaspoons each time, that's a huge quantity !! 60-70 teaspoons in one week, maybe more ?? Why even bother "dieting" in that case, you sabotage your progress from the get go with all that fat and sugar you add every day - -

You would have to work out at least 1 hour, maybe 2 if you're not pushing too hard - - to burn those 500 calories related to the instant chocolate. All that just so your coffees taste 'better' ... not worth it !

Just do that one day, work out as hard as you can for an hour and then come back home and have 10 teaspoons of instant chocolate in your coffees that day, you're even Steven by the end ... all your efforts during the work out have gone down the drain. Net change : 0 Working out really helps, you don't want to have worked out for nothing so you are careful not to eat bad things.

Let's say there's 50 calories per teaspoon, 3,000 - 3,500 calories for the week. You cut that out and you lose 1 pound per week easy not doing anything, not working out, just quitting the instant chocolate in the coffee, now if you did that with all the other lil' things that are not appropriate with your eating habits you'd be done a lot more quickly and maybe you'd learn a few things so you wouldn't get in trouble again in the future ... not repeating the same mistakes, oh well... that's what I was thinking.

I shouldn't have to tell you this, really ... it seems like common sense to me. Easiest thing to change, throw it away, don't buy any more and your problem is solved.

Cheers !

Marc ;-)

Disclaimer : I am following a more extreme version of the 'No-S' diet.
I made my own personal modifications to the original plan (Diet & Exercise)
What I am doing should not be misinterpreted as being a typical 'No-S' diet experience.
11/01/2008 : 280.0 pounds
08/21/2009 : 196.4 pounds
( 9 months 21 days / -83.6 pounds )
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Goal : 11/01/2009 : 190.0 pounds ( 1 year / -90.0 pounds )

User avatar
gratefuldeb67
Posts: 6256
Joined: Thu Apr 21, 2005 9:26 pm
Location: Great Neck, NY

Post by gratefuldeb67 » Tue Aug 25, 2009 12:42 pm

Marc, you can really be a pain sometimes! :P
Sorry, I like having sugar in my coffee.
I'm not cutting out every possible source of sugar in my life, especially not in my coffee...just the real biggies.
Soda, cake etc...
This is NoS remember??
For me, and the majority of people who are successful on any *moderate* diet, the key to this will be making *small* changes that are doable for my whole life.. You mention being "done" a lot more quickly.. Well I'm sorry to say Marc, I really do wish you the absolute best at keeping your stunning weight loss off in the future, but I'm just not in as big of a rush as you are. And even though I'm happy for you you lost your weight fast from all this extreme dieting and exercise, sorry, but it's not for me.
And you just wait,,,, there's no "done" here till you're dead.. Maintenance is the hardest part of losing weight, not actually losing it. The only way to insure that I'll maintain my loss, however long it will take to achieve in a healthy moderate way, not a crash course, is to focus on long term habits which are maintainable for life. And in a nutshell, at this moment in time, I have no desire to eliminate all sugar from my coffee. If that ever changes, well that would be great too, but I for one, don't really care if it does. I'm simply going from a daily habit which pretty much equaled having a small "S" per day, to one which is not.
But if it makes *you* feel better, I will stir my coffee with a celery stick! :wink:
Hahaha :mrgreen:


8) Debs x
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness

User avatar
gratefuldeb67
Posts: 6256
Joined: Thu Apr 21, 2005 9:26 pm
Location: Great Neck, NY

Post by gratefuldeb67 » Tue Aug 25, 2009 12:45 pm

ps... Also, a tsp of sugar/hot chocolate, whatever, is only 16 calories.. Not 50, so your example isn't really explaining much to me, except that you don't realise how many calories are in sugar :mrgreen:
But,,,,,I shouldn't have to tell you that, really.... It's just common knowledge... :wink:
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness

User avatar
Nichole
Posts: 1154
Joined: Fri Apr 04, 2008 12:37 pm
Location: PENNSYLVANIA
Contact:

Post by Nichole » Tue Aug 25, 2009 1:26 pm

My opinion is.... 4-5 tsp of cocoa mix is not going to kill ya, especially if the rest of the day is healthy. That's a lot of caffeine (4-5 cups of coffee), though.. I don't know how you ever fall asleep! And, yes, a tsp of sugar, according the nutrition facts on my Domino sugar packs, is 15 calories.
"Anyone can cook." ~ Chef Gusteau, Ratatouille

User avatar
bluebunny27
Posts: 831
Joined: Thu Jan 29, 2009 8:07 pm
Location: Montreal, Canada

Post by bluebunny27 » Tue Aug 25, 2009 1:39 pm

ah ok, maybe you should have indicated it then ... I have hot chocolate here, instant stuff that I haven't touched in a year, I checked the box and there are more calories in that one than in yours ... still not good for you to have 10 tsp. of sugar every day when you're *supposed* to be trying to lose weight. You should think about that more instead of trying to be a smart ass, maybe you'd be more successful at it if you were doing those simple things daily. You should be motivated enough to do this on your own anyway, maybe it's a motivation problem.
Cya !

Cheers !

Marc ;-)

Disclaimer : I am following a more extreme version of the 'No-S' diet.
I made my own personal modifications to the original plan (Diet & Exercise)
What I am doing should not be misinterpreted as being a typical 'No-S' diet experience.
11/01/2008 : 280.0 pounds
08/21/2009 : 196.4 pounds
( 9 months 21 days / -83.6 pounds )
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Goal : 11/01/2009 : 190.0 pounds ( 1 year / -90.0 pounds )

TunaFishKid
Posts: 250
Joined: Tue Apr 28, 2009 10:20 pm
Location: Long Island, NY

Post by TunaFishKid » Tue Aug 25, 2009 2:53 pm

bluebunny27 wrote:Why not eat carrot sticks and celery instead of chocolate ??
:mrgreen: I can just see it now. My husband comes home from work next Valentine's Day with a big, heart-shaped box of.....CARROTS AND CELERY????? :P Marc, you crack me up!
~ Laura ~

Thalia
Posts: 569
Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2007 8:15 pm
Location: Southern California

Post by Thalia » Tue Aug 25, 2009 3:56 pm

Why eat ANYTHING, really? We'd lose much faster if we didn't!

Deb, could you maybe try using plain Dutch-process cocoa powder in your coffee and a little sugar, instead of the instant hot-chocolate mix? that way you're only getting the pure cocoa flavor and the sugar you choose to add, without the other ingredients in the mix, and cocoa powder is so intensely flavored that I bet you'd need less of it. Worth a try anyway!

User avatar
reinhard
Site Admin
Posts: 5918
Joined: Tue Apr 12, 2005 7:38 pm
Location: Cambridge, MA
Contact:

Post by reinhard » Tue Aug 25, 2009 4:01 pm

Marc, you're awesome, but please, please try to be a little gentler with your advice. OK?

It's important that people can post their problems here without fear of being reprimanded. You have a lot of good advice to offer, but no one's going to listen if they feel attacked.

Deb,

Best of luck and hope you weren't too upset by this!

You might also/instead want to consider reducing the number of cups a day.

Or say something like "I get one full on cup in the morning, then as many black coffees as I want/need during the day." Black coffee, if you drink something halfway decent, can actually be quite good. I've come to prefer it that way, most of the time.

Reinhard

User avatar
Nichole
Posts: 1154
Joined: Fri Apr 04, 2008 12:37 pm
Location: PENNSYLVANIA
Contact:

Post by Nichole » Tue Aug 25, 2009 4:02 pm

Thalia wrote:Why eat ANYTHING, really? We'd lose much faster if we didn't!

Deb, could you maybe try using plain Dutch-process cocoa powder in your coffee and a little sugar, instead of the instant hot-chocolate mix? that way you're only getting the pure cocoa flavor and the sugar you choose to add, without the other ingredients in the mix, and cocoa powder is so intensely flavored that I bet you'd need less of it. Worth a try anyway!

Mmmm, cocoa. ....
"Anyone can cook." ~ Chef Gusteau, Ratatouille

User avatar
gratefuldeb67
Posts: 6256
Joined: Thu Apr 21, 2005 9:26 pm
Location: Great Neck, NY

Post by gratefuldeb67 » Tue Aug 25, 2009 6:58 pm

bluebunny27 wrote:still not good for you to have 10 tsp. of sugar every day
That's my point Marc.
I am now going from 7-10 teaspoons per day, to 3-4 teaspoons per day.

Okay...
I am officially asking you Marc, to keep your weak insults to yourself and your advice to yourself as well. At least on my threads. I'll do the same.
No need to be trying to bash me because I didn't appreciate you steamrollering all over me with your extreme diet approach.
And no need to get nasty, and try and make digs about whether I'm motivated or not. Time will tell. We shall see.

Nicole, I drink instant coffee.. it's pretty weak actually, and usually I have only 3 cups on normal days, 4 occasionally..

Thanks Reinhard!
I'm cool.
Your a terrific friend and an excellent leader and role model for all of us.
I appreciate your kindness and involvement here more and more over the years.
Have a great day everyone!
8) Debs x
Last edited by gratefuldeb67 on Tue Aug 25, 2009 7:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness

User avatar
Nichole
Posts: 1154
Joined: Fri Apr 04, 2008 12:37 pm
Location: PENNSYLVANIA
Contact:

Post by Nichole » Tue Aug 25, 2009 7:01 pm

gratefuldeb67 wrote: NicHole, I drink instant coffee.. it's pretty weak actually, and usually I have only 3 cups on normal days, 4 occasionally..
Ahhh, okay. lol. I just pictured you all wired up all day.
"Anyone can cook." ~ Chef Gusteau, Ratatouille

User avatar
gratefuldeb67
Posts: 6256
Joined: Thu Apr 21, 2005 9:26 pm
Location: Great Neck, NY

Post by gratefuldeb67 » Tue Aug 25, 2009 7:02 pm

Thalia wrote:Why eat ANYTHING, really? We'd lose much faster if we didn't!
Hahah, excellent point Thalia!!! :wink:
8) Debs x
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness

User avatar
gratefuldeb67
Posts: 6256
Joined: Thu Apr 21, 2005 9:26 pm
Location: Great Neck, NY

Post by gratefuldeb67 » Tue Aug 25, 2009 7:04 pm

Nichole wrote: Ahhh, okay. lol. I just pictured you all wired up all day.
I wish!!!! I'm just trying to avoid being unconscious most the time!! :P
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness

reitschule
Posts: 18
Joined: Thu Aug 06, 2009 11:09 pm
Location: Canada

Post by reitschule » Tue Aug 25, 2009 9:53 pm

Thalia wrote:Deb, could you maybe try using plain Dutch-process cocoa powder in your coffee and a little sugar, instead of the instant hot-chocolate mix? that way you're only getting the pure cocoa flavor and the sugar you choose to add, without the other ingredients in the mix, and cocoa powder is so intensely flavored that I bet you'd need less of it. Worth a try anyway!
Seconded. Hot cocoa is actually a very healthy drink with a ton of antioxidants, if you can reduce the sugar and fat: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 051159.htm.

As Reinhard said, if you've tried black coffee before and hated it, try some good quality grounds and this beautiful invention. I'm not a full-blown coffee snob, but the thought of weak, instant coffee...hurts me.

User avatar
gratefuldeb67
Posts: 6256
Joined: Thu Apr 21, 2005 9:26 pm
Location: Great Neck, NY

Post by gratefuldeb67 » Tue Aug 25, 2009 10:38 pm

Thanks Reitschule :)
Well I just looked and the Hot Chocolate mix here is 110 calories for 3 Tablespoons.. So one teaspoon is actually 12 calories, which is *less* than a teaspoon of plain sugar.
Nice surprise.
I think it's because much of it is whey and cornstarch and other 12 letter long chemical names I can't pronounce.. LOL

I did actually try using pure cocoa and sugar years ago.. I didn't like it.
I also used to drink fresh ground great coffee, and I can't take the acidity of it any more.. it bothers my stomach.. So I'm sticking with my Tasters Choice Hazelnut flavoured instant for the time being.

It's going well. I'm glad I'll be spending less on this and having it stretch out for a longer time, and glad I'm cutting down more than more than 50 percent of my previous daily sugar intake.

Have a nice night :)

8) Debs
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness

User avatar
bluebunny27
Posts: 831
Joined: Thu Jan 29, 2009 8:07 pm
Location: Montreal, Canada

Post by bluebunny27 » Wed Aug 26, 2009 2:08 am

Mmmmmmmmmm ... taster's choice ! ;-)

Alright, maybe it wasn't as bad as I thought earlier, but 10 X 15 cals. is still 150 cals. daily. 1.5 pound per month that you're not losing and/or that you're gaining ...
You would benefit from cutting down on that quite a bit.

Have you ever talked to a nutritionist ??? Or at least did some research on the internet ??? You've been on this forum since the middle ages from what I can see and this is really basic nutrition tips, cutting down on the unnecessary sugar. Maybe if you ate better (multiple changes) and you exercised way more you would see quicker changes. It wouldn't have taken so many years ...

The older you get, the harder it is to lose weight, slower metabolism, harder to train, easier to gain weight,
all that is not working in your favor.

Cheers !

Marc ;-)

11/01/2008 : 280.0 pounds
08/25/2009 : 196.6 pounds
( 9 months 25 days / -83.4 pounds )
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Goal : 11/01/2009 : 190.0 pounds ( 1 year / -90.0 pounds )

User avatar
gratefuldeb67
Posts: 6256
Joined: Thu Apr 21, 2005 9:26 pm
Location: Great Neck, NY

Post by gratefuldeb67 » Wed Aug 26, 2009 3:45 am

Two points Marc.

1. You can't seem to get the whole point of this thread.. I already said it twice, but since you seem to have missed it..
I am cutting down to three or four teaspoons of sugar per day...
Not ten.

2. Your continued banging on, and trying to ridicule and knock me by making rude remarks like "you've been here since the middle ages" etc, makes you look foolish, not I...

So,,,
I am saying for the second and last time... Respectfully.. Keep your advice for me to yourself, and focus on your own problems.
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness

User avatar
Kodama
Posts: 117
Joined: Sun May 24, 2009 5:08 pm
Location: Maryland

Post by Kodama » Wed Aug 26, 2009 1:35 pm

Deb, cutting that much sugar from your habit sounds like a great idea. Now if only you can still enjoy the taste... hehe! am I right? :wink:

Hopefully you can. But if not, then maybe stick with your old 'recipe' but reduce from having 3 or 4 cups to 2 to 3?

Also, I know that most here don't like 'artificial' sweeteners, but I switched to using stevia based sweeteners awhile ago. A sweetener from a plant. I gotta say, I love it! 'Truvia' is one brand you can find in many supermarkets. It may be an option for you too!

Whatever you choose, Deb, I WISH YOU LUCK! And look forward to that report you promised in a couple weeks! :)

Marc... um... never, never even hint at anything having to do with age and a lady. Live and learn, mark it and move on.

p.s.
It's going to be hot today... don't you just love a cup of iced coffee on a hot day? I, um, like mine with half & half! (Talk about added unnecessary calories! But oh so tasty!)
--- Stephen ---
My No S Diet Progress
"Two hands working can do more than a thousand clasped in prayer."

User avatar
reinhard
Site Admin
Posts: 5918
Joined: Tue Apr 12, 2005 7:38 pm
Location: Cambridge, MA
Contact:

Post by reinhard » Wed Aug 26, 2009 1:47 pm

Marc, now many "pleases" is this going to take?

Stop being insulting. It's rude and if you actually care about people taking your advice COMPLETELY counterproductive.

This is enough already.

Reinhard

StrawberryRoan
Posts: 461
Joined: Tue Apr 28, 2009 1:39 pm
Location: United States

Post by StrawberryRoan » Wed Aug 26, 2009 1:56 pm

Deb,

Whatever works for you.

Hang in there,

SR :wink:

User avatar
gratefuldeb67
Posts: 6256
Joined: Thu Apr 21, 2005 9:26 pm
Location: Great Neck, NY

Post by gratefuldeb67 » Wed Aug 26, 2009 6:57 pm

Thanks again guys for the support! :)
It's going great!
I'm also finding I'm a little less edgy feeling, which is a plus I hadn't considered when I started this.
I'll definitely report again in a week with new updates.
8) Debs x
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness

User avatar
Dolly
Posts: 31
Joined: Fri Jul 10, 2009 5:50 pm
Location: UK

Post by Dolly » Wed Aug 26, 2009 8:58 pm

Phew!! Blimey.

What's going on here these days with these posts?

Debs, I completely understand how long it takes to wean off stuff- unless there something forces the issue. For me altering my tastebuds took in one case, two years, and on another, less than a month! It took me two years to get from 1 teaspoon in my coffee (which I took as a cappuccino back then) to none - I took half a spoon for ever before my tastebuds could finally take coffee unsugared. I think it was partly because this was a pretty miniscule (to me, anyway!) lifestyle change-it wasn't just about the calories, it was really that I wanted to stop adding sugar cos there are so many hidden sugars in food these days anyway so I figured I was getting enough as it was! On the other hand, when I started to have some health problems I was put on a (miserable) exclusion diet...first thing that was excluded was dairy. I went in to a blind panic as I was never knowingly seen without a cappuccino in my hand, how the heck was I going to cope drinking coffee black????? I found it completely foul at first but because I had to cut it for "medical" reasons I just did it- my brain just worked differently! Within a month in fact I could only drink black coffee! That was 10 years ago and a capa or even a white coffee makes me feel sick these days- and sugared coffee even more so.

I think that if you like something and it's not affecting your health, does a bit of what you fancy really cause a problem? If not, have it and enjoy it :-) However, if you do feel it's affecting you and If you want to change down from 2 tsp to one choc in your coffee, take as long as you need and don't worry about how long it takes. No race!
Cheers
Dolly xx
Start weight: 160 pounds
Current weight: 159 pounds
Target weight: 148 pounds/ <30% body fat/BMI 23

User avatar
gratefuldeb67
Posts: 6256
Joined: Thu Apr 21, 2005 9:26 pm
Location: Great Neck, NY

Post by gratefuldeb67 » Wed Aug 26, 2009 9:29 pm

Hahah, Blimey is right!!! LOL

Ta gel, I'm doing okay :)
Amazing how I'd been so mentally relying on adding a little bit, and then a little bit more, when stress would hit.. But I'm truly feeling better as a result.
The taste is quite a bit different, but not in a bad way.
I just realised that when I added up the amount I was having daily, it truly equaled a smallish size, extra "S" per day, and I don't want to fudge around anymore.
Strict NoS!!
Then I can really feel virtuous and *know* that when real S days come, I've truly earned them!!
I am sure it will help me lose more weight too, and I'm glad to say, as before, that cutting down on the sugar, is actually *helping* my energy somehow.

Hope all's going well with you too and thanks for sharing your story. :D
8) Debs
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness

User avatar
~hf
Posts: 144
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 6:28 pm
Location: Ca

Post by ~hf » Thu Aug 27, 2009 7:52 am

Hi, Deb.
I noticed your post and just had to chime in as I have been really having a hard time in this area. The physical withdrawal from sugar has had me floored. I've managed to have a few green days this month but the severe and sudden cutting my sugar intake resulted in terrible headaches among other things. I had already decided to do something similar and begin to wean down how much and how often I have sweetened beverages when I read your post. Thanks for cementing the idea!
gratefuldeb67 wrote:and I'm glad to say, as before, that cutting down on the sugar, is actually *helping* my energy somehow.
8) Debs
I really hope I feel similarly. Even though I drink more than my fair share of coffee I'm usually drained.
:?

Heidi

User avatar
gratefuldeb67
Posts: 6256
Joined: Thu Apr 21, 2005 9:26 pm
Location: Great Neck, NY

Post by gratefuldeb67 » Thu Aug 27, 2009 3:59 pm

Good luck!!!
It's still going well here.. When I said I had more energy, I guess what I meant was I was less drained and edgy... I'm not going and running any marathons yet as a result, but I feel more "level", and not having massive crashes thru the day..
So I think it's helping.
And, I'm updating a bit earlier than a week, because I measured my waist since last week and I'm already down an inch on my waist!! :D
I'm very relieved, because last month was such a mess, and I had gone up an inch..
Good to be going back in the right direction!!
Also, I must mention I've been excellent on no eating at night!!!
Sleeping a bit better too, actually, so I think this is an overall good change..
8) Debs x
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness

tarantinofan
Posts: 118
Joined: Tue Nov 18, 2008 5:55 pm
Location: Boston

Post by tarantinofan » Thu Aug 27, 2009 4:28 pm

gratefuldeb67 wrote:Good luck!!!
It's still going well here.. When I said I had more energy, I guess what I meant was I was less drained and edgy... I'm not going and running any marathons yet as a result, but I feel more "level", and not having massive crashes thru the day..
So I think it's helping.
And, I'm updating a bit earlier than a week, because I measured my waist since last week and I'm already down an inch on my waist!! :D
I'm very relieved, because last month was such a mess, and I had gone up an inch..
Good to be going back in the right direction!!
Also, I must mention I've been excellent on no eating at night!!!
Sleeping a bit better too, actually, so I think this is an overall good change..
8) Debs x
I'm so great this is all going so well for you! WOW!!! An inch off your waist already :) I'm going to have to cut out my caffeine soon. Hopefully I'll start sleeping better and feeling less edgy. While I don't have the sugar habit, I end up having tons of diet coke, which is awful for you!

Deb, I'm so sorry that other members have not been as kind to you as simple common decency dictates. I really hope that you don't take rude comments to heart and still feel safe holding yourself accountable to this community. I think you are making great strides, and I hope to hear about your progress soon!

User avatar
gratefuldeb67
Posts: 6256
Joined: Thu Apr 21, 2005 9:26 pm
Location: Great Neck, NY

Post by gratefuldeb67 » Thu Aug 27, 2009 7:12 pm

Thanks Ari!! :)
Good luck to you too!!
8) Debs x
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness

funfuture
Posts: 577
Joined: Mon Nov 19, 2007 3:00 am

Post by funfuture » Fri Aug 28, 2009 6:52 am

Yes, Debs, support from this quarter too. It's a very positive step forward to cut back the number of teaspoons, etc. That's excellent.
Fun
xx

ksbrowne
Posts: 68
Joined: Thu Aug 20, 2009 12:35 pm
Location: Georgia

Post by ksbrowne » Fri Aug 28, 2009 12:46 pm

Hi Deb,
I'm very new around here, but just wanted to say that I also am a gradualist. It just works better for me to make slow, gentle changes. You know yourself better than anyone else and you know what you need to do. Sounds like you are already making progress, so, good for you!

Kathy

User avatar
gratefuldeb67
Posts: 6256
Joined: Thu Apr 21, 2005 9:26 pm
Location: Great Neck, NY

Post by gratefuldeb67 » Mon Aug 31, 2009 7:16 pm

Thanks Fun and Kathy!! It's been going incredibly well!!
First few days I had a knee jerk reaction of wanting to go for a second spoonful, but that was simply a habit that I've had for about three years or so, kicking and screaming..
It's much easier now to just stop at one rounded spoonful.
I'm pretty sure that eliminating the equivalent of 9-10 extra S's per month in sugar is going to have a great effect on my health!!
I almost went to weigh myself this morning to see how it's going, but my general policy is not to weigh after S days.
I'll probably check tomorrow.
I'm off for vacation in New Paltz from Wed thru Friday with Richie, and we are both hoping to limit our S's to no more than two small ones per day, and only if we really want them.
Have a good week guys! :)
8) Debs x
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness

User avatar
gratefuldeb67
Posts: 6256
Joined: Thu Apr 21, 2005 9:26 pm
Location: Great Neck, NY

Teaspoon ceiling and other habits update :)

Post by gratefuldeb67 » Wed Sep 02, 2009 4:00 pm

Well after a few weeks of cutting back on my daily sugar, as well as having a very good straight week of no middle-of-the-night eating, and a smattering of exercise, it appears I'm down one and a half pounds since my weigh in last week.
I'm thrilled and hope to keep losing at this rate.
I don't see why this isn't an attainable goal, because I'm not doing anything "uber-extreme" with the way I'm eating, though recently I've taken to having canteloupe (how the heck is that spelled??? lol) and cottage cheese for one of my four meals, because it's like having dessert, but it's also not fattening and very healthy and helps to fill me up and reduce my cravings for sweets. My exercise has been lately, light walking and stair climbing, on a daily basis, and 14 mins of other stuff like using dumbbells and doing squats in front of the television.
I'm really excited!!! My first mini goal is to lose about 24 lbs, which is roughly ten percent of my body weight. At this rate of loss, that should be possible by the end of the year!
This is what I'm going for! I am not going to put myself through unnecessary stress of trying to lose any faster than this since I feel this is challenging enough to do *and* maintain.

Oh, and in an ironic twist of fate, I went to shop for my coffee yesterday, at the only shop in town which carries it, only to find out that, after over five or six years of being available in a six ounce container, the beloved instant hazelnut coffee I enjoy, will only now be sold in the super expensive, individually wrapped single servings packets.. This is three times as much money per ounce as what it was before, and I'm completely against the idea of buying individually wrapped *anything* almost, since it's just more garbage being dumped out into the environment. So, chances are, I'll have to figure out a new alternative to this pretty soon or I'm gonna be broke!!
Anyone ever try chickory coffee???
I'm open to suggestions. :wink:

8) Debs x
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness

Spudd
Posts: 85
Joined: Thu Aug 24, 2006 5:06 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada
Contact:

Post by Spudd » Wed Sep 02, 2009 5:04 pm

Some ideas:

1. Buy it online (I googled and found a few sites selling jars of Taster's Choice hazelnut).
2. Buy non-instant hazelnut flavoured coffee. You can still mix your chocolate powder into the finished product. Of course this means you would have to get a coffee maker if you don't have one.
3. Buy instant non-hazelnut coffee, and add hazelnut flavoured hot chocolate powder instead of the kind you're using now.
4. Buy instant non-hazelnut coffee, and add hazelnut flavoured Coffeemate along with the hot chocolate powder.

Good luck!

User avatar
NoelFigart
Posts: 1639
Joined: Wed Jul 12, 2006 1:23 pm
Location: Lebanon, NH
Contact:

Post by NoelFigart » Wed Sep 02, 2009 5:13 pm

I don't know if this would work, but could you buy real hazelnuts and regular whole-bean coffee and then grind the beans with some hazelnuts. In theory that should give a good, flavored coffee.

Buying regular coffee and artifical hazelnut flavoring could also work.


I prefer to choose options that reduce packaging, myself. Not because I'm a tree-hugger, necessarily, but because I am a total Scrooge. (Funny, though, how often "frugal" and "environmentally sound" map to each other, dunnit?)
------
My blog https://noelfigart.com/wordpress/ I talk about being a freelance writer, working out and cooking mostly. The language is not always drawing room fashion. Just sayin'.

User avatar
gratefuldeb67
Posts: 6256
Joined: Thu Apr 21, 2005 9:26 pm
Location: Great Neck, NY

Post by gratefuldeb67 » Wed Sep 02, 2009 5:41 pm

Thanks Spudd and Noel :)
(ps.. Noel nice to see you back around hope all's well with you!)

Well I love the idea of putting real hazelnuts and coffee together into a grinder.. That might be an option, but the problem with regular coffee is that I normally can't take the acidity of it.
I also *hate* the flavour of the regular instant coffee plain.. it's totally different.
And the coffeemate won't work because I'm trying to lower my sugar here, and coffeemate is made of corn syrup solids..
Spudd, can you please post the sites to order online??
Thanks!
8) Debs
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness

Spudd
Posts: 85
Joined: Thu Aug 24, 2006 5:06 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada
Contact:

Post by Spudd » Wed Sep 02, 2009 8:24 pm

Oddly, it seems like everywhere that sells it online wants to charge $12 for one bottle, which seems outrageous to me! Plus shipping! I wonder if the bottles are discontinued.

I did find this site that lets you buy the packets by the case, at what seems a reasonable price:
http://www.buythecase.net/product/26932 ... nt_coffee/

Here's one of the crazy expensive sites that sells the bottles:
https://www.allinkosher.com/p-41360-nes ... parve.aspx

User avatar
gratefuldeb67
Posts: 6256
Joined: Thu Apr 21, 2005 9:26 pm
Location: Great Neck, NY

Post by gratefuldeb67 » Wed Sep 02, 2009 9:11 pm

That's what the guy in the store, who does the ordering told me.
They are discontinuing the bottles :(
Just too much greed in this world!!!
12 plus handling is pretty ludicrous!!
I was already balking at paying 9 dollars in the store..
Thanks anyway :wink:
I might experiment with real coffee again.. There's a place right next door to me that has hazelnut coffee on sale now.. but I haven't got a coffee maker!! LOL

8) Debs
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness

User avatar
NoelFigart
Posts: 1639
Joined: Wed Jul 12, 2006 1:23 pm
Location: Lebanon, NH
Contact:

Post by NoelFigart » Wed Sep 02, 2009 9:25 pm

gratefuldeb67 wrote:but I haven't got a coffee maker!! LOL
I use these: Melitta Single Cup Brewer. My coffee pots kept breaking. This never does.
------
My blog https://noelfigart.com/wordpress/ I talk about being a freelance writer, working out and cooking mostly. The language is not always drawing room fashion. Just sayin'.

Post Reply