It CAN be done!

Losing weight in spite of the holidays, that is.

Last week I weighed 205 on Wednesday morning. I was horrified, thinking that it would only get worse by the end of the Thanksgiving feast.

This morning I weighed 202 pounds. That's three (3) pounds less than last Wednesday. Amazing!

HOW? Did I take diet pills, purge, or fast after Thursday? Not at all.

On Thursday we had the usual (for us) selection: turkey, mashed potatoes, broccoli casserole, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce and rolls. We also had a sweet potato casserole, thanks to our dear friend Vickie. Dessert consisted of four types of pie (sadly no baked pineapple this year, owing to our daughter's absence over the holiday).

So to what do I attribute this strange phenomenon - the loss of three pounds over a feasting 4-day weekend?

Grazing.

Yes, my theory is that eating little bits throughout the day has been the key. There are so many diets that suggest 6 small meals rather than 3 full meals. Often, when reviewing a diet plan that is set forth in an article, I wonder how (why) there is so much in a meal. For instance: an egg, toast, a piece of fruit, a cup of tea, a glass of milk. That's more than one meal to me. So how about the egg and toast for breakfast with a cup of tea, and later having the fruit and milk?

Another thing that I did not obey was that "always sit down to eat" rule. On Friday, for instance, my lunch consisted of a spoonful of cold mashed potatoes, a spoonful of cold stuffing, a spoonful of cranberry sauce, and a half a slice of cold turkey. But not all at once... I would open the fridge and take a nibble and put the container away. A little later I would do the same with another bowl. If I had actually taken a small plate and put some of each on it, and taken the time to heat it and then sat to eat it, I would have had a whole lot more. But I grabbed it in passing and kept going.

Which brings me to the other part of the theory: moving. I was cleaning and washing dishes and doing laundry and walking the dogs etc. Not sitting at my computer for hours on end.

To continue this losing trend (there's lots of those pounds yet to lose), I will pack my lunch and snacks, and will just nibble all through the day on whatever it is. A few bites of the banana chocolate chip muffin from time to time, A nibble of the broccoli casserole here and there, A few forks full of the stuffing. Later maybe a little of that slice of turkey. By the end of the day it will all be gone.

The toughest part of the day is dinner... then I will have to just eat smaller portions. People expect you to sit and eat the whole meal at once... weird, huh?

In centuries gone by, our ancestors at when they could find something. Likely they had some vegetation here and there, some meat when they caught it, and they got lots of exercise just looking for their food sources. Oh yes - and it was fresh, without excess preparation and additives.

So the bottom line is the same thing my doctor tells me every time I go: Eat less and move more. Eating less (to me) seems easier when I am home and nibbling than it does when I am trying to eat to accommodate a more "normal" schedule. So I will attempt to take my nibbling habits with me wherever I go.

I'll report as I travel on the road to weighing LOTS less! If you have experiences to share, please do - it's great to hear the stories of other travelers.

June at the Ocean

Where I live, when you say "I'm going down to the ocean" you mean the Atlantic and that you are going to Ocean City, Maryland. Many in our area say it more as "goin' downy oshun" either because they come from Baltimore or because they like to mimic the "Bawlmerese" way of saying it.

No matter how you say it, Ocean City MD brings to mind a variety of images at this time of year. Over this past weekend was a car show and an air show. Also this weekend began the steady stream of high school graduates - know as June Bugs - to Ocean City. We are here for a convention, and there are quite a number of others here for other meetings and conferences as well.

Last night there was a tornado warning, which diminished to a really good storm by the time it got here, but it was enough to dampen the evening, move the band indoors and keep some from an after-dinner swim or walk. It also cleared the air of oppressive humidity and higher-then-normal temperatures. Today is clear and almost 20 degrees cooler (the mid-seventies is still comfortable!).

I have spent some time walking on the beach - I had forgotten how much effort it takes to walk in sand! - and watching children and adults have fun at the water's edge.

This morning as I came back in from the beach, a father and his young daughter were coming in after collecting shells. She had her little pail containing the treasures she had discovered. The toddler asked why they were coming into the building and he explained that they would change into swimsuits and go to the pool. She was extremely unhappy with that idea, announcing "I don't want to go in the pool - I want to go in the big splashy water!"

I hope you get the chance to get away - perhaps to the big splashy water. Watch other people, and let them see you having fun too. (Laugh at/with them and give them reasons to laugh.)

And all the better if you can do it under a palm tree!

More thoughts on weight loss

Well, when last we heard from this blogger, she was trying to decide whether to reveal her true weight... and so she did here... well, today I am at 207.6 and trying to continue good habits. I am attempting also to find the tape measure that seems to have evaporated so that I can track some non-weight statistics... I am also thinking that I will post only once a week as my friend Bob is doing, and so will likely pick a weekend day ...

As always with me, the first days are actually easier - there is resolve that comes with embarking on a new endeavor. After a few days I get bored with the efforts. If I could find the perfect things to eat for each meal/snack and then just eat them every day I would be fine. It's trying to provide variety for the rest of the household (and also gently nudge them into healthier eating habits) that takes too much effort...

Oh well - keep up YOUR efforts ... what are you trying to change? what good habit - healthy habit - are you trying to adopt? Let me know - let's encourage one another!

Weight Loss and Public Accountability

Well, it's has been quite a day, and I am sitting here thinking it is well past time I got rid of the 75 extra pounds that I carry around.

Last night I heard that a young friend (45-ish) had chest pains and was going to have a cardiac cath this morning ... this morning he had the procedure and blockages were indeed found. Stents were placed in the worst places and next week more will be done.

Today I watched a clip of Food Revolution - sobering stuff! Watch it if you have not - just Google it and there are clips on You Tube.

Also today I saw a Facebook post from a man who has lost quite a bit of weight and has been very public in posting his statistics. He is accountable to all of his FB friends with his progress!

So all of this together has inspired me to get serious, starting today, about losing the weight and also to really revise what we eat based on what things contain.

We have done this in the past - watched the labels etc - but we get lazy ... after today, there is no room for lazy - it must become a permanent lifestyle.

What am I planning? For quite a while, we ate simply: chicken with a potato and a vegetable for instance. I used leftover chicken on a large tossed salad for lunch and switched to oil and vinegar dressing. Then our daughter and son-in-law came to stay for a while and I got out of the good habit and began to cook "the old way" again because that is what they were eating (well, they were eating fish sticks and fries bought in pillowcawse-sized bags, but I won't go that far).

Now I see that all of us need to eat the right way rather than dropping to the lowest common denominator..

So my plan is to go back to the plan - eat things as close to their original state as possible. Foods that are foods, not foods that have ingredients.

Now the tough part will be the accountability piece... can I really put my stats here as my friend did on Facebook? Could I post them to Facebook?

I'll start here:
Weight 210
Height 4ft 11in
average BP 135/77
Goals - long range lose 75 pounds
Goals - short range - lose 10 pounds this month (May 2010)

Over the weekend I will try to remember to do some measuring as well and will post that with the next update.

Can I do it? Be accountable? let's see - if it works for a couple weeks here I might get brave and post it to Facebook!

Eating under the Palm tree - more on simplicity

I was just reading an e-zine article in which the writer was telling stories of people who had chosen to live more simply: a pastor who gave away most of her clothes, accessories and fancy shoes in favor of seven dresses just alike; an author and his wife who chose to downsize from their mansion to a cottage and streamline other things as well.

In the Christian calendar we have just entered the season of Lent. There are many who choose this time of year to give up something - and so often it is something they will give up for 40 days and then snatch back. The article pointed to the above examples as ways to give up and keep giving. The focus shifts from what has been given up to the ways the time or money can be used. (A friend's family has given up ice cream for Lent and are donating the money they would have spent to an orphanage.)

I refer to this in our series on eating healthfully because of this reference: the author and his wife chose to relieve themselves of the tedium of choosing what to have and how to fix meals that would be "fitting" for guests etc. Their lunch each day is vegetable soup, wheat bread, cheese and yogurt. Likewise their breakfast and dinners are simple and easy to prepare. She has "given up" the extra time it takes to plan interesting menus for everyday or entertaining. She can now give that time to other pursuits.

How many diet programs promise "lots of variety" and "never boring"? How many hours do we spend poring over recipes and ingredients, wandering through the grocery wondering which of the many options we should have for dinner?

I have the same thing for breakfast 5 days a week: one egg fried in extra virgin olive oil, a slice of cheese and a slice of wheat toast. I drink a huge glass of water with which I swallow my vitamins. On Saturdays I have a bowl of Shredded Wheat 'n' Bran with banana and milk, and on Sunday we go out for breakfast and I have an egg sandwich then too. I spent years trying to do different things, but find that I prefer this - I get a good breakfast made inexpensively at home with little effort or thought - it has become part of my routine.

Perhaps we (Americans?) have begun to devote too much time to our food. We own tons of cookbooks and yet we tend to eat the same things (sometime on the same nights each week!).

Finished the article, I thought about how much time I could spend writing, reading, working on other house projects, working on other interests if I prepared fewer foods and more simply.

AND the other thing these people gave up (IMHO)? Paying attention to all the fads, the new products, the new ingredients, etc... they just eat the simple things they like and are not out buying and trying every new snack food that comes along. Ultimately they are saving time and money, using both for other things. They probably save a significant number of calories as well.

SO as part of our K.I.S.S. week, let's give this some consideration. How could you benefit from this approach? I'm going to try it! Let's share experiences and insights, okay?

Eating Under the Palm Tree - K.I.S.S.

A group of ladies began discussing eating healthfully on a budget in a Facebook thread today, and it started me thinking that it might be a good thread for this blog. Are you in?

I am a firm believer that simple eating is the best, though sometimes I stray. SO I was wondering if I could help some others with their eating habits and stay true to mine as well.

It is always a challenge to eat healthfully, you say. Well, do you remember Jack LaLanne? Yes - the guy with the exercise show when our mothers were housewives. Yes - the guy who does something incredible every year on his birthday like pull a boat across a river. Yes - the guy with the juicer (I have that juicer - it's great). In an interview on his 80th birthday, Jack LaLanne said he has never tasted pizza, has not had ice cream or cake or pie on over 50 years ... he and his lovely wife eat fruits and vegetables, meat and other basics. And he is very healthy!

Look to the Bible. In Daniel, we find the origin of what has become popular as the Daniel's Fast. When I first encountered this many (25+) years ago, it was done for spiritual more than physical reasons. It was done for ten days, and one ate only vegetables and drank only water. It was wonderful. I have tried the more "modernized" version and will use the original next time (soon). Look at the directives given to the Israelites regarding what to eat and how to eat it. Mostly consider that they did not eat: potato chips and other "goodies".

In modern times we have The Zone, raw eating, and The Maker's Diet. They are all different, but have many things in common.

So what do the healthiest people eat? or rather HOW do the healthiest people eat?

Everything centers on simplicity. Simple things prepared simply. Keep a food as close to its natural state as possible.

So here is today's challenge: keep your foods this week as close to the natural state as possible. For instance,

• eat an apple not apple pie. If an apple is difficult for you, chop it and microwave it (with a little cinnamon if you wish) and you have fresh applesauce.
• buy fresh green beans and steam them crisp/tender (or only as soft as you need to eat them comfortably)
• eat nuts and seeds as snacks (watch your quantities!) - if those are difficult, buy pure nut butters at a natural market or make your own (these are just ground nuts - nothing added)
• have an egg for breakfast - just friend in a bit of oil or have it hard-boiled
• Cereal? have oatmeal with some fruit and nuts (add a little cinnamon if you wish), or have Shredded Wheat'n'Bran
• eat the fruit rather than drinking the fruit juice
• if you juice, remember to juice the amount of fruit, not the amount of juice (the juice of one orange, not enough oranges to fill a glass) because of the sugar content! and mix vegies with fruit when you juice

Got the idea? Keep it Simple, Sweetie!

Please share your thoughts, your experiences and your suggestions in the comments - let's do this together and learn from one another, okay?

Make an appointment with yourself

Wow - I knew it had been a while since I wrote anything but not that long!

Why is it that we make these commitments to do something and then let so many other things get in the way? The decision to set aside some writing time each week on Saturdays gave way to the decision to have Monday evenings and Thursday evenings as time to write and read... and yet here it is February and I have not posted on the blogs nor have I written the rest of the stories needed for the new book...

There have been many things accomplished in those months - the holidays, involvement in the homeless shelter near us, plans for a prayer room at the church, and many other little projects.

Yet I have broken a promise - one that I made to myself when I started this blog. Writing is very important to me and I began this as a way to set aside dedicated time for it.

What about you? Are there promises you have made to yourself - to do something for yourself - that then get pushed aside because you are doing things for others?

It is important to do for others - absolutely imperative - but remember that you can be no good to others if you don't take care of yourself. Set aside some time to do something for yourself every day - read, pray, sew, knit, take a walk, exercise.... whatever you need to care for yourself. Make an appointment (yeah, I did that) and then keep it. Write it on the calendar and in your planner so that others see it as well. And if something else comes up once in a while that you feel is worth it, don't cancel that appointment with yourself - just re-schedule it.

I'm going to try to do better - want to join me?