November 28, 219 - update on goals

Today was my first official weigh-in day at ediets after having achieved my goal. I was actually kind of excited about it, but it was QUITE the disappointment. Ediets acted like it didn't even realized I'd reached my goal. All they said was "You're getting closer to your goal" - the standard message every time you show a loss on weigh-in day. Pbbththtt is what I have to say to that.

This week I adhered to my eating and exercise plan:

My eating plan has been to stick to the meal plan from ediets, except on Thanksgiving to go batshit crazy. As of Thanksgiving I'm no longer restricted from sweets, however, last night when deciding whether or not to have a glass of Ovaltine before bed, I saw it would have been 170 calories, and opted for the sugar free caffiene free general foods international coffee as a bedtime toddy instead. I just couldn't afford to ruin my exciting weigh-in this morning. :-/

My exercise plan was to get in 2 yogas (building toward completion of the whole 50-minute set) and 2 sessions of 30 minutes on the elliptical (building toward 450 calories burned in 30 minutes) PLUS weight-lifting for arms. The first day I did yoga for 40-45 minutes but had to stop. Still, it was further than I'd ever been before. The second day I only had time for 30 minutes because I had to get ready for Thanksgiving. As for elliptical - the first day I burned 418 calories during the 1st 30 minutes. Yesterday I figured I'd do at least as well, but I only came in at 415 calories, and that was with me really pushing myself in the last 3 minutes. I must need to add in some intervals now. Upper body weights hasn't happened this week because the first day the gym was closing and I didn't have time, and yesterday I got off the elliptical trainer and went over to the weights area but felt too weak to work at it, had to lie down, and lie on the floor - a lot of energy-sucking pain-type-stuff from the ovarian area, like I've had after jogging before. After about 15 minutes of lying on the floor, the gym was about to close and I wouldn't have had time to lift weights anyway. I will lift weights today - I have some dumbbells at home - so that will be 1 weights workout anyway, out of the hoped-for 2.

As for my future - I have updated my weight-loss goal at ediets and other sites to 198 - but as I've said, I'm in no particular HURRY to get there. I'll start thinking more intently about that in the new year, but for right now I just sort of want to live at 220-ish and think about getting more active and eating on my own a little more.

In the next week I'm giving myself ONE meal - a lunch - to play it by ear. This is not a cheat meal. This is a meal which I have to come up with on my own that is well-behaved, whether I just copy a meal out of the ediets plan, or dine out, whatever. So we'll see what happens there.

November 27, 220

Didn't gain too much on Thanksgiving. I ate and drank myself into a painful stupor because everything was so good, but when you think about it, I only ate one meal (a big one) yesterday plus several helpings of dessert. I was just trying to put as much in there as I could find room for, and it was hard!!

So today, I'm only up to 220 and that's good. I've decided to go back off the sweets again for another week, but then allow them again on a certain day, I'm thinking after next Saturday's weigh-in. Just to stay under control. Then have another cheat day. I may still have some Ovaltine of an evening, but honestly sleepytime tea is just as good to me.

Exercise is still going okay. When I have worked downtown I have brought the gym bag with me and gone to the downtown branch of the Y - I'm getting ready to go there and do that now, and achieve my 2nd elliptical workout this week! I am feeling the benefits a little, I think. Last time I burned 418 calories in 30 minutes, so this time I have to try to burn more than that, even if just by a little bit - aiming to get to 450 calories burned in 30 minutes, which I used to do - though I was a little heavier then, too.

I know there are many people who, if they weighed what I weighed and looked like what I look like, they'd be depressed, but I feel pretty good about it right now.

before the feast

I do plan to feast today. Don't bother telling me that I could eat moderately even on Thanksgiving because I have no intention of heeding that advice - though I may eat less anyway just because I'm used to it, I fully intend to taste everything and feel drunk and full. My extended family is all into the fatty casseroles for Thanksgiving. I made two versions of cranberry dishes. Both scrumptious.

Anyway, I wish I weighed less than 219 this morning. I knew last night I was eating my lunch, snack, and dinner all on top of each other so late that I would not weigh less than 218 today. I wish I did just so I could feel less likely to bounce over 220 today. But it's not a big deal - today's a special occasion and I can indulge on a day like today, and return to the fight afterwards.

Happy T-Day.

Progressions

I remember when I quit chocolate in March - it was hard on me. It had been my habit to stop into a drug store or convenience store and buy a candy bar or two probably most days, to occasionally enjoy cakes and ice creams and brownies. To always include two cookies with every meal at Subway (which was a footlong sandwich). To basically top off every meal with something sweet. I went cold turkey right during the Easter candy season, and Easter candy season is the best candy season - I love Cadbury creme eggs and Russell Stover coconut bird nests and Russell Stover's chocolate-covered eggs. I couldn't eat them, but I did buy and stash some so I could eat it after the month was over.

Before that month was even over, I started my Glycemic Impact diet plan, which was all about balancing out my sugar cravings. In those days I relied heavily on the "cheat day." The weight was stripping off me 5 pounds at a time, so every week or two I felt good about having a cheat day during which I'd dine out and eat candy and whatever I'd been really missing over the previous week.

I realize that now, I'm on one final day of my No Sweets pledge. I realize that tomorrow I can eat chocolate and pies and cakes and ice cream. That stuff all sounds good, but I don't NEED it. I haven't been sitting around every day wishing I could have dessert. Refusing sweets when offered really doesn't even hurt - it's just a fact - I can't eat that today.

"Cheat days" aren't really a part of my life anymore either. This isn't by design really. I would actually still love to have cheat days - I just have had issues with my weight loss having slowed down. I have spent a lot of time over the past few months really wanting to get to the next goal, and not wanting to sacrifice my progress with cheat days. Instead of having my own specially-planned cheat days, now my "cheat days" tend to be externally imposed - birthdays and dinner out with my dining out friend. Otherwise I cling to my meal plan - that is How I Know What To Eat anymore, because it's what's typed up on my meal plan. Makes things easier in a way - you already know what you're going to eat and you know you have the ingredients in your cabinets (unless your roommate eats your banana - grr). Harder sometimes, too, when preparing and packing the requisite food takes time you might not have budgeted out for yourself.

Though I do miss the freedom and abandon of the "Cheat Day" that I was able to enjoy before, lately my "cheats" tend to come more regularly and in smaller portions - like the other night when I allowed myself a glass of wine with dinner, or before I went on the No Sweets pledge, when I would have a small portion of chocolate instead of a whole bar.

I love love love being 218 right now. It's really surreal to stand on the scale and see that number, or to type it into the elliptical trainer at the gym. I went clothes shopping with my Mom the other day and my tummy is still to big to look really good in clothes - pretty distressing. So far this week I've done 1 yoga workout and 1 elliptical workout (418 cals in 30 minutes) so who knows whether exercise will reshape my body, but it's a start anyway. My mother suggested lipo again, to get rid of the belly fat cells. I actually considered it, but I'm going to keep going with the natural stuff for a long while longer. Lipo is expensive and does pose surgery risks.

I noticed that I was much more virile about climbing all the necessary stairs yesterday than my Height-Weight Proportionate coworker. I felt like my legs were strong enough yesterday to just really push me away from the ground. However, they are not strong enough to maintain certain yoga poses.

New Goals For Now

Thank you to those of you who shared in my joy yesterday. It took me 8 months to lose those 65 pounds and forever to lose the last 5 pounds of it. I was thrilled and proud and yet also felt unable to share it in my real life. All I did was a Facebook status update that said "GOOOOAAAAALLLLL!" and nobody responded to it. I couldn't SAY to anyone that I reached my weight loss goal today.

As for rewarding myself? Honestly, reaching goal IS the reward. I am going shopping today, though. Maybe I'll find some clothes that look nice on me. I don't do so much of the clothes shopping these days. And honestly the pudge out front is still going to be a hindrance to a lot of clothes looking good enough on me to be "sharp" or "hot" or "awesome." I had also thought of having some nice melty ice cream - but then realized I'm still on the "no sweets" pledge until Thanksgiving. Even though I sort of think the person I'm doing this in support of isn't still on the pledge with so much adherence, I just feel like I made the pledge so I should stick to it.

As for my New Goals.

It is important to me to stay under 220 now. Today I weighed anywhere from 217 to 219.5, so let's just say 218 since that's about where it settled the most. That's a fair little buffer between me and 220. I think the best way to stay under 220 is to set a new weight loss goal, but not be in any particular hurry to reach it. Being at 220 means that Onederland beckons to me, but at this point I kinda want to get there at a reasonable rate and hope my skin elasticizes.

*So, new short-term weight-loss goal becomes 198. (199 will be awesome, but 198 will be safer, plus it's an even 20 pounds from today.) Preliminary idea for a goal date is 2/28/09.
*New long-term weight-loss goal becomes 182.





New exercise goals from now until New Year's.

* Yoga twice a week, try to finish the full 50-minute session by the end of the year.
* Elliptical trainer twice a week - try to build up to burning 450 calories in 30 minutes. The purpose of this goal is to build strength, energy, and quick-twitch fibers in my legs, and of course improve my heart, lungs, and cardiovascular system.
* Weight-lifting for upper body twice a week. I need to set specific lifting goals here, but I'm too confused as to how to go about it. This is to the specific purpose of regaining lost upper body strength. I do lifting and carrying at work and it's become more difficult for me.

GOOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLLL!!!!!

219.7. I finally finally finally reached my goal of 220. Finally.

I've got some deciding to do about what my specific goals are to be now. I'll get back to you later.

Oh, and I need to do pictures.

November 21, 221

When I stood on the scale this morning, it might stop at 220 or 220.5, but if I'm being honest about the even distribution of weight between my two feet on the scale, I pretty much came out to 221. It's the same weight as last week, but it's still not the 220 that I was just SO SURE I would get to.

I'm going to get to it before Thanksgiving, though, for whatever it's worth and however much I'll gain back on Thanksgiving. My meal plan is already arranged but I'm still going to cut calories from it.

I'm going through all my clothes. I'm not sure why - if I'm trying to pare down. I guess I feel like I have a lot of clothes that are imperfect. There are some that express my personality but do not flatter me. There are some that flatter me but do not express my personality. There are some clothes that are perfectly good old standbys but that are looking kind of faded, worn, and drab. There are some I have been keeping in case I was ever thin enough to wear them again. There are some that I have always loved because they have always done right by me, but now I think they may be too big for me and it breaks my heart. I don't seem to be getting rid of as much as I might have hoped, but I have created a pile of stuff that I might consider getting rid of and it's a pretty big pile. In the end, though, I might just put that stuff in a box or in the back of the closet.

My Mom's birthday present to me was to take me shopping for clothes. I think that would be great. I feel like I would love the boost that new clothes can bring. For the past several months or years, clothes shopping hasn't been much fun because nothing looked good on me, so it was really about picking the lesser of two evils. (It's another reason I was kind of hoping to get to goal.) Now even though I'm sort of set into a size 18 and would be willing to settle here for a little while (enough to buy size 18 clothes) I am still, when I think about it, very much annoyed with the stubborn protrusion of fat bulging out from ABOVE my belly button. UGH!

Anyway, I just weighed in at ediets. Because I weigh the same as last week, they didn't give me the option to reduce calories. But I guess that's ok since I've already got a meal plan for the next 6 days and I've already bought the groceries for it. I'll just trim away a few calories here and there during the week.

It's also time for measurements. Happily, there was a slight .5-inch loss from my waist measurement, which I use to measure around the small of my back but also around the bulge above the belly button. However, I'm thinking that may be from my sides or the small of my back, not the protrusion out front, just from what I've been observing in the mirror, and feeling with my hands. Minimal losses and gains everywhere else - the measurements go up and down.

Now it is well past my lunch time. I have 4 days to lose this last pound!! Come on now!!

November 20, 222

If I may quote Florida Evans, Damn, damn, DAMN!!!

Ok, today I weighed 222, which is closer to 220, but I really thought I would hit 220 this week, and I'm putting everything on hold waiting for it!! Well, not everything, but I am waiting for it. Clearly, if I don't weigh 220 tomorrow, I will ask for a calorie reduction at ediets. I admit I'm scared of that. Calorie reduction means less tasty foods and more likelihood of hunger. :-( But, 220 must be achieved, and you well know I am sick of dangling above it.

I do realize that I am hovering around 221-223 now instead of 223-225 and 225-227 as I had been before, but the weight loss has just gotten so slow now. It's like an event horizon, or the graph of 1/x - you get closer and closer to your goal but you get slower and slower so you NEVER ACTUALLY GET THERE!!

Meanwhile, today (as if today alone could make a difference) I am skimming miniature amounts from my meal plan. This morning I passed on a cup of soy milk I was supposed to have with breakfast. Maybe I'll do some more of that today.

I am still withholding myself from candy and sweets due to a pledge I made with fellow blogger, Jenn. So, I've had not even a taste of it, except for the occasional sweet-tasting item from my meal plan, like the honey whole wheat English muffins I already had stocked for myself. Sometimes it's a little easier to just deny yourself these indulgences rather than try to figure out for yourself HOW MUCH indulgence to allow yourself.

I'm also still on the 3 workouts per week pledge, and getting ready to do my 3rd workout this week - the yoga DVD. Three workouts per week of yoga and cardio and weights is not enough to see enough improvement - but it's still better than zero workouts per week. Maybe tomorrow I'll do a fourth and get to the gym before it closes.

November 19, 223

223 again and tapping my foot, losing faith in my earlier confidence that I would hit my goal by Saturday. I could just STARVE the last couple pounds off, but I'm sure if I did that I'd lose control.

Yesterday I didn't bother packing a lunch to go to work because I was confident we'd be out of there by lunchtime, but we weren't, so I went and had lunch at a restaurant. I tried to be good. I got a "country bistro" roast beef sandwich on French bread, and a large cup of fresh fruit, and a pickle. Hopefully the french bread and the little bit of tangy sauce on the sandwich weren't high-calorie. It felt like a moderate meal, like the normal people eat.

Today I'm supposed to start Day 1 of my new week of meals, but I haven't even drawn out my new meal plan yet. Let me do that now. Today after work, I have to go to the grocery store and then go workout.

November 18, 223

My weight's still up, but now I know why, and if I'm right it'll be back down in a couple of days, and now, damn, I need Midol.

Hey, last night I went to a birthday celebration for my roommate, which I did purely out of appreciation and respect for her and the person throwing the shindig. I was concerned to think that, if I didn't go, what if no one was there. So it was just to show my face. I couldn't eat, couldn't drink, couldn't hear them, couldn't bring myself to shout... I sat at the table where they were having drinks and big tasty looking sandwiches and appetizers and grabbed not even one bite.

Sometimes I remember what it was like to just be able to go out when I wanted to. Wednesday nights used to be 1/2-price martini nights, and if I thought about it, I could just go and get a couple flavored martinis. I could just go to the Landmark Diner and get whatever seemed appealing to me on the menu - waffles, turkey and dressing... I haven't done that in months.

Another thing I've wondered as people get sick around me - I haven't been sick since I started this thing. I wondered if the nutrition I get from the meal plan - it probably is way more fruits and veggies than I ever used to get from my life of restaurant dining - is protecting me from illness.

Of course, you know what I've just done. I am bound to get sick, right now.

November 16, 223

A little disappointed to see 223 today. Yesterday we went to the Renaissance Faire and I was very good and observed my diet all day. After the RenFaire, they wanted to go out to eat. I was just going to eat my snack - goat cheese and figs - and then have my dinner when I got home. But my brother insisted on something healthy (he's such a different guy when there's a woman in his life) and we wound up going to a Vietnamese restuarant, and I thought a pho soup sounded really good so I got one. It was served in a big bowl and I ate only about 20% of it. It was good, and very filling, and I was glad that I finished, because I could have kept eating, but I was very conscientious of the dangers of eating at the restaurant. So I'm wondering how much sodium was in that soup to make me weigh 223 today. I'm not terribly concerned, and still hope to weigh in at 220 by the end of the week! I'm already coming up with some exercise goals to see me through the end of the year. It is about the numbers right now because it's about getting to goal. I've been hovering above goal, tantalizingly, and I'm confident I'm getting closer but I'm so ready to move on to the next phase, whatever that it.

Yesterday, I was wearing a baggy sweatshirt (my favorite from my 285 days) and my 18 jeans (feeling a bit baggy in the butt, since my butt is so flat I guess) and yet there must have been something about my appearance because my family was like "You are just getting so SKINNY!" (Snork!) I wonder if they just don't see me often enough to remember from week to week what I look like now that I've lost weight. A photograph was taken of me last night that did NOT help me feel the least bit slender. Maybe I'll post it for you.

November 14, 221

Hard to get an exact reading on the scale, as usual. I stand on the scale trying to gauge how far back or forward or left or right I might be leaning to get all those numbers, and I get a little political. When first standing on the scale I might be at The Goal, but letting it settle, standing up what might be straighter gains me a pound, and a half, two pounds. I can't be at goal today because part of why I got this low weight is because, of yesterday's meals allotted, so far I've only eaten breakfast.

And no way am I going to NOT eat the eggplant chickpea stew from last night's dinner. In fact, I believe I will eat that now.

So, I decided to weigh in at 221. It seemed about where the scale settled. It's a couple pounds less than last week. And it's not Goal yet. And I should reach goal next week if I'm a good girl. And why shouldn't I be a good girl?

It makes sense. I can feel changes again. When I reach my arm against my back, I can feel it. On the drive home last night I thought I was stroking a new jawline. My boobs seem to dangle now instead of resting on my belly. My butt continues to get flatter.

Jenn over at Watch My Butt Shrink was having trouble kicking the sugar cravings, breaking down in the middle of the day to binge on sweets she knew she shouldn't have. Since this is a big thing for me, and since one of the encouragements for me when I did quit chocolate for a month was that someone else had to abstain to, Dad couldn't even have one little cigarette , not even one puff, so for me to cheat on a chocolate mini would be shameful!! And, as I've written, during my two weeks in Asheville I gradually got back on the sugar/candy/sweets and was finding it difficult to break up until a couple days ago. Still, I had come to a place in this diet where allowances like a glass of wine with dinner or a cup of General Foods Internation coffee or Ovaltine might accompany me to bed. Now, in support of Jenn's efforts, I'm abstaining from chocolate and sweets (and Ovaltine) until Thanksgiving! If any of the rest of you want to join in to support Jenn, go to her blog and offer your encouragement!

A few other things I might mention, since I got to the point where I was able to keep Hershey bars in the cabinet all week and not reach for it and not even really want to.

1) You do have to abstain until the craving seeps from your system. I'm sure it was at least 2 weeks for me the first time around, maybe more.
2) For months I was on the Glycemic Impact diet. Two things about that.
a) My meals and snacks were already determined, there were 5 of them a day, I enjoyed them, and there was not really much room left in the day for a candy bar.
b) The meals I was eating were specially selected to manage my blood-glucose level to reduce cravings. I'm sure on Google you can find a list of the foods to eat less of. You don't have to totally abstain - carrots are on that list but some meals would have a FEW baby carrots. Breads/pastas were minimal and whole-grain.

I will post another blog in which I will copy some info from the ediets website about the Glycemic Impact diet they have there.

Someone mentioned recently about someone who had always been obese, who was diagnosed with diabetes and had lost a lot of weight and was eating right and exercising and looking good. You hear about these people all the time and what always occurs to me is how they were apparently able to change but unfortunately waited until after getting diabetes to do so. When doing it sooner might have prevented them from getting diabetes. I don't know much about diabetes, honestly.

As for me, I think after reaching 220, my new goal through New Year's is going to be (a) to stay on the meal plan most days of the week - maintenance mode maybe - but definitely don't lose steam on the regimen of meal plans (b) not gain between now and New Year's Day - in other words, on New Year's Day, weigh 220 or less, and (c) this one mostly - focus on physical activity.

After New Year's, see where things stand.

Glycemic Impact Information

Below find info on the Glycemic Impact plan:


Resources & Tools The Top Things to Know
1. How frequently should I eat? The Glycemic Impact Diet recommends eating five to six times a day. No more than five hours should elapse between a Glycemic Impact Diet meal or snack. You should eat meal or snack within an hour of waking and another snack within an hour of going to sleep. This schedule will help keep your insulin at an even level overnight. A meal should sustain you for about five hours, while a snack is designed to hold you over for about two hours.

2. Can I ever have bread or potatoes again? The Glycemic Impact Diet is not about completely avoiding certain foods, but more about balance and making wise choices. No food is absolutely banned on The Glycemic Impact Diet. While we do not recommend eating starchy high glycemic foods often, you can include them with your meals occasionally. As a rule, you should try to keep unfavorable carbohydrates to 25-percent or less of your total carbohydrate allotment.

3. I'm a pure vegetarian. How can I make this diet work for me? Simply add protein-rich vegetarian foods to your existing diet to maintain the correct protein-to-carbohydrate ratio. Ideal choices would be firm and extra-firm tofu, and isolated soybean protein powder. The new generation of soybean-based imitation meat products (hot dogs, hamburgers, sausages, etc.) is another excellent way of getting protein-rich vegetarian foods into your existing meals. You don't have to eat meat to achieve a healthy balance.

4. What can I drink? Water should be your primary beverage. Drink at least 64 oz. of water a day. Keep caffeine and artificial sweeteners found in coffee, tea, and diet soft drinks to a minimum or avoid them altogether since they may have a negative effect on your insulin levels. Instead, add a lemon or lime to your water or drink commercial bottled waters that have a hint of fruit flavor added to them. Remember to read the labels to be sure there are no carbohydrate calories or added sugar in them.

5. Can I have my morning coffee on The Glycemic Impact Diet? We don't recommend coffee, some teas or any other caffeinated beverages because they can have a negative affect on your insulin levels. Switch to decaffeinated coffee or limit yourself to one cup a day

Resources & Tools Meal Plan FAQs
What is The Glycemic Impact Diet?

The Glycemic Impact Diet helps you achieve ideal metabolic balance every time you eat. Following a diet that consists of lean protein, low glycemic index unrefined carbohydrates, and healthy fats allows you to achieve balance with The Glycemic Impact Diet. And once you've started The Glycemic Impact Diet, positive changes you can expect include:

Level Blood Sugars: This will improve your mental acuity.

Enhanced Performance in Daily Activities: You will experience peak performance in everything you do as a result of increased oxygen transfers to your muscle cells.

Leaner Muscle Tone: With The Glycemic Impact Diet, you'll lose excess fat and become more fit.

Satisfaction: Say goodbye to those hunger pains. By balancing your diet with The Glycemic Impact Diet, avoid the blood sugar fluctuations that can lead to bingeing and weight gain.
Why do I need The Glycemic Impact Diet?

Attaining a healthy weight is a must if you want to enjoy a long life. As your weight increases, so does your risk for heart disease, cancer, diabetes and several other chronic illnesses. Being overweight not only affects your physical health, but your mental health as well.

Research shows that following a weight loss plan and losing 10 percent of your body weight (if you weigh 180 pounds, that's just 18 pounds) can improve your quality of life in a number of ways, including lowering your cholesterol and blood pressure. You'll look better and feel better when you make the choice to follow a diet that can get you on the right track.

Your Glycemic Impact Plan - How is it different from the Glycemic Index?

Your meal plan is based on the glycemic impact rather than the glycemic index of foods. The glycemic impact provides a fuller picture than the glycemic index alone. The glycemic impact indicates the affect that carbohydrates in a food have on blood sugar; the glycemic index value tells you only how rapidly carbohydrate turns into sugar for a specific food. The glycemic index does not address the total amount of carbohydrate in the food, and it does not take into account the other components of the meal or snack.

The way specific foods affect blood sugar can vary from person to person and in different situations. Whether the food is eaten alone or combined with other foods, how the food is eaten (raw or cooked) and even "ripeness" of a food can have an effect on blood sugar levels. For this reason, a list of glycemic index foods is not a complete picture. By following a low glycemic impact meal plan, it takes into account all of the above mentioned factors.

Some foods that have a lower glycemic index than others can be less healthy than you think. For example, soda has a glycemic index value of 90, while cranberry juice is 105. If you were to only look at index, soda would be considered the better choice, as it is a lower value. But when you take into account the other factors, this is not true.

Take the example of carrots vs. chocolate cake. Carrots have a glycemic index value of 47 and chocolate cake has a value of 38. If you are only looking at the number, 38 numerically is lower than 47, but clearly chocolate cake is not healthier than carrots. The overall impact of carrots would be less than the chocolate cake when looking at total carbohydrates in a serving. Chocolate cake contains a higher number of carbohydrates than a serving of carrots.

Bananas are also a good example. Bananas are considered to have a relatively high glycemic index of 42-48 (depending upon how ripe the banana is), but a low glycemic impact or glycemic load of 11-12. Therefore, this would be a healthy choice to include on the Glycemic Impact plan.

The recommendation of the Glycemic Impact plan it is to select unrefined complex carbohydrates which are high in fiber and low in simple sugars having a desirable (lower) impact on blood sugars.

Resources & Tools Meal Plan Substitutions
Your Glycemic Impact Diet is designed to help keep your blood sugars stable, to prevent cravings for refined sweets, and to enhance your energy and immunity. This plan contains about 40 percent of the calories from unrefined carbohydrate foods, and about 30 percent from healthy, lean proteins and about 30 percent of calories from healthy fats.

Your substitution list defines each nutrient group by portion size. Use this list to choose foods that are high in fiber (at least 5 grams per serving) and low in refined sugars. If you're choosing packaged foods, the ingredient label should not list sugar in any form as the first or second ingredient. Corn syrup, honey, maltose, dextrose, sucrose or fruit juice are all sugar-sweeteners, for example.

Your Glycemic Impact Diet does not necessarily include only foods that are low glycemic index. The glycemic index is a list of 600 carbohydrate-containing foods, tested to determine their potential to raise blood glucose levels. However, the GI is not the ultimate answer to a healthy diet, because it doesn't include other factors, including how the food is processed, cooked, and how many grams of fiber the food contains; as well as the other foods eaten with that food (fat and protein).

In general, high GI foods are highly processed, such as breads and cereals, mashed potatoes and white rice. Lower GI foods include vegetables and fruits, legumes, unprocessed grains including oatmeal and long-grain brown rice, and of course, dairy and meats. However, foods you'd think are unhealthy may have a lower GI than other, healthier foods.

The glycemic index does not tell you how many carbohydrates are in a serving. According to the GI, soda has a GI of 90, which appears better for you than cranberry juice, with a GI of 105. Carrots have an extremely high GI value, 131, but since the GI is based on 50 grams, that means eating approximately 1/2 pound or carrots, more than the average serving, and carrots are often part of a healthy recipe or meal, of course.

For your Glycemic Impact Diet, we recommend foods that will balance your meal plan, and are high in fiber and low in saturated fat. The best advice from the American Dietetic Association and American Diabetes Association is to enjoy a balanced meal plan, with an emphasis on unrefined carbohydrate foods, including whole grains and whole grain breads and cereals, and whole servings of fruit instead of juice. The skin of fruits and vegetables contain healthy fiber too, so scrub and eat! When choosing packaged foods, read the ingredient label, and make sure the first ingredient is "whole grain" whether the product is made from wheat, oats, corn or other grain. Portion size is important, so pay to your personalized eDiets meal plan, and choose similar portion sizes when you go out to eat.

Use this Substitutions List to make healthy choices when you want to change the item on your meal plan.

Portion Size

All foods are listed with their portion serving size, such as one cup or one ounce, etc, usually measured after cooking. Begin your program with eDiets.com by measuring and weighing your food for a week or so, to learn what a three-ounce serving of meat looks like, for example. This way you'll be able to go out to eat, choose your portions and stay with your plan.

Interchangeable Meals

All eDiets meals in your meal plan are interchangeable. We suggest that you print out and keep your favorite menus and recipes for reference. You can use them as substitutions if you'd like to replace any meal.

Frozen Entrees

If you're on the convenience or combination plan, you'll find frozen entrees on your meal plan for lunch and/or dinner. You may not like or perhaps you're unable to find the particular entree listed on your meal plan, but you can substitute!

Here are some guidelines:

Frozen entrees come in different calorie amounts. When you pick a substitute frozen entree, check the calories per serving. For example, if you pick an entree that has 200 calories per serving, you need to add fruit and other items to your meal to balance that meal. Below you'll find itemized meal plans for different frozen entree calorie levels.

If you pick a 200-calorie entree, add:

1 fruit
1 cup of salad
1 Tbsp. of dressing
1 cup of yogurt
If you pick a 250-calorie entree, add:

1 fruit
1 cup of salad
1 Tbsp. of dressing
1 cup of milk
If you pick a 300-calorie entree, add:

1 fruit
1 cup of salad
1 Tbsp. of dressing
0.5 whole-grain cereal bar
If you pick a 350-calorie entree, add:

1 fruit
1 cup of salad
1 Tbsp. of dressing
If you pick a 400-calorie entree, add:

1 cup of salad
1 Tbsp. of dressing
How to Substitute Within Each Food Category

Within each food category, Starches, Meats, Milks, Fruits, Vegetables, & Fats, there are many different food items. The items in each food category are interchangeable, and we show you the portion size for one serving of each food item.

For example, in the Starches category, you'll find the Breads & Crackers section. If your meal plan calls for a serving of bread of choice, you can choose either one slice of whole wheat bread, or 2 slices of "diet" bread, or 1/2 English muffin, etc. If you don't want bread or crackers, you can choose 3/4 cup of cold cereal (from the Cereals & Grains list) or even 1/2 cup of cooked corn (from the Starchy Vegetables list).

Starches

Each serving in the starch group has approximately 60-90 calories, 15 grams of carbohydrate, 3 grams of protein and 0-1 grams of fat per serving. The foods in this section are all interchangeable.

Breads & Crackers

Whole grains and whole-grain breads, pancakes and waffles are the best choices; they contain the most fiber and best nutrition. Look for "whole wheat" or whole grain" as the first ingredient. Most of the items below may be found as whole-wheat versions.

All of the following servings of bread or crackers are interchangeable. (Each of the following servings equals approximately 1 ounce or 28 grams.)

Bread:

1 slice bread (white, including French or Italian, whole wheat, pumpernickel or rye)
2 slices 40-calorie "diet" bread
1/2 small bagel (approximately 1/2 "Lender's"-type 2.5 to 3 oz. bagel)
1/2 English muffin
1/2 hamburger or hot dog bun
1/2 pita bread, approximately 6 inch across
2 Wasa Light Bread (type of flat-bread cracker)
4 Melba Toast
6 saltine crackers
2 4-inch rice cakes, approximately 35 calories each
1 tortilla (corn or flour, approximately 6-8 inch across)
2 low-fat pancakes (approx. 4 inch diameter; frozen or prepared
1 low-fat waffle (approx. 2.5 oz., 4 inch square; frozen or prepared)
1 slice low-fat French toast; (frozen or prepared)
1 "board" of matzo, (approx. 1 oz.)
Bread sticks, crisp (4-4" x 1/2" breadsticks or ~2/3 ounce total)
Bread sticks, soft, plain (3/4 stick or ~1 ounce total)
Cereals, Grains and Pasta

For cereals, serving sizes vary depending on the brand and type of cereal. Most cold cereal packages show a serving size of one ounce on the Nutrition Facts label, and we are providing the measurement amount for your convenience. For best nutrition, choose high fiber/low sugar cereals with at least 2 grams of fiber per serving, and choose a cereal with less than 8 grams of sugar per serving.

3/4 cup flaked or "Chex"-type cereal: low sugar, ready to eat, like bran flakes or wheat Chex
1 1/2 cup puffed cereal like puffed wheat or puffed rice
1/2 cup cooked hot cereal like oatmeal, Wheatena or farina
1/3 cup nugget-type cereal like Grape-Nuts
1/4 cup low-fat granola
1/2 cup cooked kasha, millet, grits, barley or couscous
1/2 cup pasta, cooked
1/3 cup cooked white or brown rice
1 (4 Tbsp.) oz. Wheat Germ
Most recipes will display measures of pasta, rice and grains uncooked. The rule of thumb for cooking is: most pasta, grains and hot cereals double in volume, and rice triples in volume when cooked: Here is information to assist you in preparing portions for one:

Starch Uncooked Cooked
Oatmeal or Grits 3 Tbsp. 1/2 cup
Farina 2 Tbsp. 1/2 cup
Spaghetti & Macaroni 1/4 cup 1/2 cup
Dried Beans & Dried Peas 1/4 cup 1/2 cup
Lentils 3 Tbsp. 1/2 cup
Rice 2 Tbsp. 1/3 cup

Starchy Vegetables

Starchy vegetables have 15 grams of carbohydrate per serving which is higher than vegetables like broccoli and spinach, which have only 2 grams. That's why starchy vegetables are included in the starch group.

1 small potato or 1/2 medium potato, baked or boiled (about 3 oz.)
1 small sweet potato or 1/2 medium sweet potato, baked or boiled (about 3 oz.)
1/2 cup mashed potatoes
1 cup winter squash (butternut or acorn)
1/2 cup cooked plantain or cassava
1/2 cup cooked corn
1 small (5 oz.) piece corn on the cob
2/3 cup cooked lima beans
1/3 cup baked beans
1/2 cup cooked dried beans and peas such as kidney, black, pinto, or white beans
1/2 cup cooked lentils, split peas or black-eyed peas
1/2 cup cooked soybeans
1/2 cup green peas
Convenience Breakfast Foods and Snacks

The serving size given for each of the items below has about 60-90 calories, about 10-15 grams of carbohydrate, and about 2-5 grams of fat.

If you're on the convenience plan, choose low fat breakfast bars and snacks. If you cannot find the item that's listed in your meal plan, you can substitute with another low fat cereal bar that has 3 grams of fat or less per serving. Select a bar that doesn't have some form of sugar in the first two ingredients if possible. Notice that the serving size of some cereal bars and snack bars is 1/2 of the bar.

2 Snackwell's Devil's Food cookies
8 Animal Crackers
1 Barbara's Fruit Bar
1 Health Valley Peanut Crunch Oatmeal Cookie
3 graham crackers, 2.5-inch square
3 cups air popped popcorn
1/4 bag "light" microwave popcorn
15-20 (3/4 oz.) fat-free baked potato chips or baked tortilla chips
3/4 oz. pretzels
1/2 Kellogg's NutriGrain Bar (Replace with any low fat snack bar)
1 Nature Valley Bar (Replace with any low-fat snack bar)
1/2 Quaker Oat Bar (Replace with any low-fat snack bar)
1/2 Health Valley Energy Bar (Replace with any low-fat snack bar)
1 Health Valley Crisp Rice Bar (Replace with any nonfat or low-fat toaster pastry)
1/2 Health Valley Scone (Replace with any low-fat snack bar)
1/2 Health Valley Healthy Tart (Replace with any nonfat or low-fat toaster pastry)
These starchy foods count as a serving of starch plus one serving of fat

1 biscuit (2 1/2 inches across)
1 cup croutons
1/4 cup regular granola
1/3 cup of stuffing
2 taco shells
16-25 small French fried potatoes
1/2 cup Chow Mein noodles
Meat and Meat Substitutes, including Poultry, Seafood, Cheese, Eggs and Soy Products

Each serving of lean meat has approximately 7 grams of protein, 1-5 grams of fat and 55-75 calories per item. All meat is not created equal! Choose lean cuts of meat such as loin, round and flank -- they have one third of the fat of ribs. Ground "beef" generally has three times the fat as the top round. Choose ground turkey breast instead of ground turkey, and always remove the skin from all poultry. All types of fish are interchangeable, as are shellfish. Tofu and soy products are available in regular and "lite" versions. Processed and canned meats and fish and meat substitutes are generally higher in sodium than fresh. Amounts shown are yield after cooking: when buying meat, fish and fowl, don't forget about shrinkage: four ounces of raw meat, poultry or fish generally yields three ounces after cooking. Three ounces looks like a deck of cards.

1 oz. lean meat, veal, or pork. Trim off visible fat before or after cooking
1 oz. skinless poultry, including chicken, turkey or Cornish hen. White meat is leanest.
1 oz. game meat such as venison, ostrich or buffalo
1 oz. fish, including fresh or frozen cod, flounder, halibut or fresh tuna
1 oz. of shellfish, including clams, shrimp, crab, lobster, scallops or imitation shellfish
1 oz. water packed canned tuna, salmon or sardines
1 oz. low fat sausage or turkey sausage
1 whole egg
2 egg whites
1/4 cup egg substitute (liquid, not "vegan": contains eggs) Powdered egg substitute: 1 1/2 teaspoons to 2 tablespoons of water = 1 egg
1/4 cup nonfat or 1 percent cottage cheese
1/3 cup nonfat or low-fat ricotta cheese
1 oz. low fat or nonfat cheese (feta, mozzarella, cheddar, etc.)
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan
1 slice Luncheon meat: (Choose Healthy Choice brand or Louis Rich Low Sodium brand, or any other brand that contains 3 grams or less of fat per serving and approximately 160 milligrams or less of sodium per serving.)
1 oz. tofu or 2 oz. low-fat tofu
1 oz. tempeh (soybean cake)
1 vegetarian burger = about 2 oz lean meat: Morningstar Farms Prime Patties are interchangeable with Garden Burgers or Boca Burgers or any vegetarian burger. Choose a veggie burger with 3 grams of fat or less of fat per serving.
Milk and Milk Substitutes

Nonfat and 1 percent milk provides 12 grams of carbohydrate, 8 grams of protein, about 0-3 grams of fat and approximately 90-110 calories per 8 ounce cup serving. For best nutrition, choose dairy products and dairy substitutes that are enriched with vitamin D and calcium. You can find many milk substitutes in your local grocery store or natural foods store.

1 cup low-fat (1 percent) or nonfat (skim) milk
1 cup low-fat or nonfat buttermilk
1/2 cup evaporated nonfat milk
1/3 cup dry nonfat milk
1 cup low-fat or nonfat soy yogurt
1 cup pudding made with nonfat milk (sugar-free if desired)
1 cup low-fat or nonfat yogurt: (sweetened with nonnutritive sweetener or aspartame if desired.)
1 cup low-fat or nonfat soy milk (enriched with calcium and vitamin D)
1 cup low-fat or nonfat rice milk (enriched with calcium and vitamin D)
1 cup low-fat or nonfat Lactaid milk (low-fat or nonfat)
1 cup low-fat or nonfat almond milk
1 cup low-fat or nonfat oat milk
Fruit

All fruits are "good" fruits, but pay attention to the serving size. Each serving of fruit has approximately 60 calories and 15 grams of carbohydrate.

1 small (4-5 oz.) apple, orange, peach or pear
1 cup cubed melon (for example: cantaloupe, mango)
1 cup berries (blueberries, blackberries, sliced strawberries, etc)
1/2 medium banana
17 small grapes
12 (3 oz.) sweet fresh cherries
1/2 large grapefruit
4 ounces fruit juice, fresh, from concentrate, or frozen from concentrate: no sugar added
1/2 cup canned fruit�canned in juice or water, not syrup
1 kiwi fruit
2 Tbsp. raisins, 4 dried prunes or 5 dried apple rings
4 apricot halves
Salads & Vegetables

A serving of vegetables is 1/2 cup cooked or 1 cup raw and provides approximately 25 calories and 5 grams of carbohydrate...your meal plan will include at least 2 servings per day, and you may add at least 2 servings of cooked vegetables and unlimited raw salad daily

A salad is at least 2 cups of your choice of salad greens and you can may add any vegetable of choice, except starchy vegetables like corn, peas, dried beans and potatoes, turnips, and winter squash. Starchy vegetables are counted as servings of starch, and can be found under "Starches" at the beginning of this page.

These vegetables are all interchangeable: 1 cup raw or 1/2 cup cooked:

A: artichokes, asparagus
B: beans (green beans, snap beans), bean sprouts, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts
C: cabbage (all types), carrots, cauliflower, celery, collards, cucumber, chives,
D: dandelion greens
E: eggplant, endive, escarole
F: fennel
G: garlic
H: horseradish
J: jicama
K: kale, kohlrabi
L: leeks, lettuce (all types)
M: mushrooms, mustard greens
O: okra, onions (all types)
P: peppers (yellow, red, green), parsley, pea pods
R: radishes
S: seaweed, snow peas, spinach, summer squash, sorrel, shallot, sprouts (bean sprouts, alfalfa sprouts)
T: tomatoes
W: watercress, water chestnuts
Z: zucchini

Fats

1 fat = 5 grams of fat and 45 calories tsp. = teaspoon; Tbsp. = tablespoon

1 tsp. butter
1 tsp. oil: canola, olive, peanut, safflower, soybean, etc.
1 tsp. margarine or mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. "light" butter or mayonnaise
1 tsp. salad dressing
1 Tbsp. "light" dressing
2 tsp. peanut butter
1 Tbsp. cream cheese
2 Tbsp. reduced-fat cream cheese
3 Tbsp. nonfat cream cheese
1 Tbsp. regular sour cream
3 Tbsp. low-fat sour cream
8 olives
1 oz. of avocado (although a vegetable, avocado is quite high in (healthy) fat; so use sparingly)
All Nuts are high in fat, but generally it's "good" unsaturated fat. Be careful of the serving size, one ounce is generally one serving, and read the label to see how many pieces equals one ounce:

6 almonds, cashews (170 calories per ounce)
10 peanuts (170 calories per ounce)
4 pecan halves (190 calories per ounce)
Shelled pistachio nuts (170 calories per ounce)
Like nuts, seeds are high in fat, mainly polyunsaturated oil:

1 Tbsp. sesame seeds (160 calories per ounce
1 Tbsp. sunflower seeds (160 calories per ounce)
Herbs & Spices

Dried spices and herbs may be used in place of fresh. If your shopping list calls for fresh, and it's unavailable, use dried 1/4 tsp. dried to 1 tsp. fresh. All seasonings may be used in unlimited amounts; however, if you're sodium sensitive and need or want a lower sodium diet, make sure your dried herbal seasonings and spice mixes are sodium-free.

Canned Soups

We recommend canned soups that contain 3 grams or less of fat per serving, and approximately 500 mg. or less of sodium per serving. Some healthy choices include Healthy Choice, Health Valley and Campbell's Healthy Request soups.

Free Foods
Beverages

Your beverage of choice should be water... It's the best for hydrating you and quenching your thirst. Recommendations are for eight 8-ounce glasses daily. We advise you to limit caffeinated beverages to one or two cups daily. You can replace 2-4 glasses of your water with any of the below:

Low-sodium bouillon or broth
Sugar-free drink mixes
Sodium-free club soda or seltzer
Herbal tea or decaffeinated tea
decaffeinated coffee
Water (add a squeeze of lemon or lime for flavor)
Sweets

1 sugar-free gelatin dessert (limit to 3 daily servings)
jam/jelly sugar free (2 tsp.)
Nonfat sugar free whipped topping (2 tbsp.)
Sugar-free gum (1-5 sticks daily)
Condiments
(You can buy many of these items as low sodium items.)

Ketchup, horseradish, mustard, dill pickles, salsa (1 Tbsp.)
vinegar
Lemon and lime juice
Veggies

unlimited raw salad (see Salad & Vegetables)
Other

nonstick cooking spray
Alcohol

We do not advocate drinking alcohol. Alcohol is "empty" calories, is metabolized like fat and contains no important nutrients. Protein and carbohydrates provide 4 calories per gram, fat provides 9 calories per gram, and alcohol 7 calories per gram. So moderation is the answer, and you should consider that when you're in weight-loss mode it's better to avoid alcohol.

Although there may be a place for alcohol in a healthy diet, when you're watching your calories and trying to balance your scale in your favor, stay away from drinking. When you're trying to be frugal with your calories, drinking can decrease your inhibitions and you may be tempted to eat more than you need. We've seen research that has shown, however, that small amounts of alcohol may be beneficial, so once you've achieved your goal, you may include alcohol as part of your meal plan -- but don't sacrifice good nutrition for alcohol. Make sure you review your alcohol intake with your personal physician.

1 serving of any of the following alcoholic beverages provides approximately 80-100 calories:

8 oz regular beer
12 oz light beer
4 oz wine
1.5 oz distilled spirits (whiskey, scotch, gin, vodka, rum)
Keep in mind that mixed drinks, made with regular soda, juice, or mixes, will have double or triple the calories. Use sodium-free club soda or sugar-free tonics or sodas to control the calories.

Other
Brown Bag Lunches

If you want to bring or "brown bag" your lunch, or just want a guideline for choosing portions when eating out, choose this "brown bag lunch". Here you'll find the portions of food for lunch or dinner that will keep you on your meal plan. The calories in your "brown bag lunch" equal approximately 30 percent of your calories for the day, and are based on your personal profile requirements. Each food item in your lunch is interchangeable with any other items in its food category; for example, 3 oz. of luncheon meat is interchangeable with any other serving of meat in the "Meat" section above.

2 slices of whole-wheat or whole-grain bread
or
1 large whole-wheat pita
or
2oz. bagel OR 12 Saltine crackers
AND
2 oz. fat-free luncheon meat
or
4 oz. tuna, packed in water
or
3 oz. chicken or turkey breast
AND
1 salad with 2 Tbsp. of fat-free dressing
or
1 cup of raw vegetables
or
1/2 cup of cooked vegetables
AND
1 fruit

Soft Diet
You've had some dental work, and now your mouth is so sore! No crunchy cruciferous vegetables for you, no whole fruit for a while. Here are some suggestions for a "soft" diet, while your mouth heals, and you'll avoid straying from your healthy meal plan!

Breakfast:

1. eDiets Healthy Shake

1 cup non-fat milk
1/2 cup non-fat plain yogurt
1 cup berries or melon (frozen or fresh) strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, cantaloupe, mango, or 1/2 banana
Sweetener of choice: Sweet'N Low, Equal or 1-3 tsp. sugar or honey (about 16 calories per tsp.)
Crushed ice
Whip it up in the blender

2. Hot Cereal and nonfat milk and/or yogurt

3. Scrambled eggbeaters with hot cereal

Lunch:

Hot Soup and soft cooked vegetables, bean or beef chili

Dessert -- fruit compote or applesauce

Nonfat or low-fat yogurt (not fruit on bottom)

Dinner:

Tofu and soft-cooked vegetables and rice, soft-cooked fruit and yogurt.

A easy way to soft-cook vegetables and fruit is in the microwave in a glass or Pyrex bowl, or on the stove top in a non-reactive (non-copper or aluminum) pot with just a little water. Use lemon, spices, ginger, garlic and pepper to liven up the taste.

November 11, 222.5

Finally! Finally!! FINALLY!!! Finally! Today the scale shows a number that is yet lower than I've been during this process -222.5. I don't know why, but I have some guesses. The biggest one is that I think my "little cheats" might have contributed to water retention (I was feeling puffy before and I think I peed a bit more past day or two). Another thought comes from the sore feeling I have in my sides - I've just slept about 12 hours (sleep=weight loss) and my body must have spent the past 12 hours working on the muscles I worked out in yoga yesterday (REM sleep is when the body repairs itself, I believe).

So I just had to come to blogger and be, like, all happy, but I must be careful not to get too happy - last time I tried that, I gained again and sat on some dorky plateau.

November 9, 225

I think yesterday's weigh-in was a little more than 225, maybe as high as 227 - I sorta forget - oh yeah and it was late in the day because I was working at night and sleeping in the day.

Today I'm back "down" to good ol' 225.

Keeping up the good fight. Did I cheat at all yesterday? No, but then "yesterday" was a short day. The day before, when I was up all night working at the theatre, I told myself I shouldn't - but continued anyway - discovering that Lance peanut butter on cheese crackers with M&Ms tasted good together. So that was a good 300-400 calories extra.

I'm 225, but feeling puffier and uglier and wimpier than I did when I first hit 225, heck, when I first hit 240! My calves look fatter than imaginable, and I feel like I barely fit into my jeans, a wry glance in the mirror at how far my belly still sticks out when I'm sitting... There's nothing really good going on with me physically. What is going on? I'll tell you something else a little socially unacceptable, too - I had crazy gas the past 2 days, and no idea where it all came from! Fortunately, it seems that has passed.

So today I went to the gym, for no better reason than because I have to workout 3 times this week to get my $20 back at Christmas. Working out during tech week? Who knew it was possible? Did a little workout and lifted a little weights for arms and abs. I will have to follow a more specific plan if I hope to see improvements in my muscles over the next 6 weeks.

I remember the title of this blog - For Real This Time. I'm not going back. I've got to make it work this time.

November 7, 225

Today's weigh-in is 225. Up a pound and a half from last week's weigh-in, but down from the 227 I hit earlier this week.

It's a little bit of a downer to type in that date and that weight side-by-side. I was supposed to hit goal a month ago (at some times) and had practically no setbacks for the first 60 pounds, everything went absolutely according to plan and I didn't suffer or struggle. Then I went to Asheville for 2 weeks and this last 5 pounds is just being stupid.

I was hungry again yesterday, and I remembered some words of wisdom - to appreciate a little feeling of hunger because that leads to weight loss. This week I'm on the "Fall's Best" plan at ediets, which is nice because of the hot soups, but it doesn't seem like enough food, compared with the Glycemic Impact Diet. Meals look and feel tiny, and there are only 4 of them instead of the 5 you get at Glycemic Impact.

exercise pledge group on facebook

So, yesterday I stuck to the plan and today, too, and I think I'm back on track! Woo hoo! My weight continues to bounce around. Saturday is my weigh-in. This morning I was 227, up again from 226 the previous day.

I read here about one gym who is throwing a contest where participants put in $20 and pledge to workout 3 times a week from now until Christmas, and at the end of the allotted time, the winner would take the pot! They also include weight loss in that contest, but for me I thought particularly about the workouts. I thought it sounded like a fun idea, and when I attempted to gauge interest in a status update, it seemed like some people might be interested. So I created a Facebook group and invited all my Facebook friends. So far 15 people have joined up. However, I'm not sure how many of them read about the group before they joined, or if they just clicked on the Join button. So far only me and one other have pledged to put in the $20. Anyway, I was so inspired, I went to the gym today and got up on an elliptical trainer. I am definitely weak compared to when I am strong. It will be hard for me to get in my 3 30-minute workouts per week, not because I don't have time, but I don't manage my time well. But hopefully now I will.

I had intended to wait until after I reached my goal of 220 before I started putting on muscle weight, but oh well, maybe 220 will just have to wait a little longer.

Ravenous

The scale was a little reduced today, I was glad to see. I decided that the word for me the past few days has been Ravenous. For some reason, I was full of urges that I couldn't or didn't suppress - I just had this voracious appetite that was not satisfied by my meal plan.

Today - I have remained on plan, and not been tempted to binge. The only exception was to substitute a cup of General Foods International Coffee for a half a cup of milk - a pretty fair trade calories-wise. True, I've only been awake for 12 hours. I forced myself to drink a full glass of water in the hopes that that would help - maybe part of the problem was dehydration.

I need to get back to working out. I feel muscularly weak for me.

Do any of you ever look around to your friends and relatives who are overweight and wish they would join you in your efforts. If it were anything else, you'd just ask them to join you and not worry about the answer. But to ask someone to join you in weight loss, or I suppose any self-improvement regime, is different - it's touchy, they might interpret it like I want to change them, or like I think that my way is the best way for them. Which isn't the case. I already know that these people want to lose weight - they've declared it openly to me. It's just for me to have some companionship in this LONG lonely battle. My roommate, who's been saying for weeks/months that my weight loss and commitment have inspired her and she wants to lose weight, but she is just not ready to start for herself yet. Even if she did, she'd wouldn't join me, she'd never do it the same way I did - sometimes I think we have this weird competition thing going, which I would love to see dissolve. And it would be awful to incorporate competition between us into this struggle. So maybe it's just as well. My mother has always been a good diet partner, especially when we were living together, but she hasn't got on board and followed my example now either, leading me to suppose she's got other priorities right now, or just doesn't feel like giving up the good food. Another friend of mine has a lot of weight to lose, and actually started a weight loss program within the past few months, but it didn't last and he gave up and quit and fell into the glut of defeatism. The last thing I need to do is get on my soapbox and be superior to him.

So, I guess I just have to rely on my online buddies to keep me inspired and motivated.

November 3 - 226

Three days ago I was under 224, yesterday I was 229, today I'm 226. I'm a little annoyed with myself for getting this slack this clolse to goal - I should be hitting goal really soon. Social and holiday pressures and the drab cold dark gloomy cloudy wet weather are throwing wrinkles in, but the worst is getting the idea I can buy candy bars. Yesterday I finished off the Dove chocolate bar from the day before - 120 calories - but GOOD GOD that was some good chocolate. And in the evenings I find that there are times when I desire Sleepytime tea 0 calories - but there are times when I desire GF International Coffee - 50-70 calories - and lately I've bought Ovaltine, which when mixed with a cup of nonfat milk is 170 calories. I wish they made an artifically sweetened Ovaltine, because honestly it's not all the sugar I even want, it's just the hot chocolatey milky comfortey feeling, which is something different. Sugar, I've learned, tends to make me want more sugar.

Anyway - got to get off the blog so I can devote my energy to enacting my food plan. Just planning isn't good enough - gotta actually do it.

Self sabotage

Well, I've been struggling still to avoid overindulgence. I told you about the other night when we had folks over and I had some extra food at the end of the night including 2 candy bars.

Well, the next day was Halloween, and even though I knew I didn't feel like going out and partying, part of me was still picking up on the desire to "go wild" and "throw caution to the wind" and "live it up". I wound up with a large cup of doughnut holes and surely some chocolate candy of some kind - I can't quite remember - and some Pama (pomegranate liqueur) though I didn't wind up having much of that. And I had some Taco Bell for one meal - steak burrito supreme, and they threw in a Black Jack taco for free that I didn't know what it was and wasn't planning to order a taco but hey, it was free. That was similar to the occasion where a guy threw a Mint Milky Way Mini at me, not even giving me the opportunity to refuse it. There I was with it in my hand and I do like them and hey, it was just a mini.

So I wasn't surprised when this morning I weighed 225 again. But, hey, All Saints' Day, all the demons have been vanquished and we are contempleting moderation and piety. Except when a recipe called for breadsticks on the side, and I don't have any breadsticks so I substitute a different bread, I chose (with guilty joyous abandon) the graham crackers - which I finished off the last pack within, which Sparkpeople says was over 400 calories. I also wanted very badly to indulge in a hot toddy tonight - hot chocolate or mulled wine or spiked cider or tea... something for the cold, wet, dark weather. Hot chocolate sounded especially comforting, and it's not something I've had a lot of in my time. I looked the hot chocolates over and discovered they're primarily sugar. There were some sugar-free kinds that were only 25 calories a pack, but I imagined they wouldn't be as good as the Ovaltine, which I've never had before and which sounded really appealing. Either that or the General Foods Internation Cafe Francais I had at home and knew to be 50 calories per tablespoon and also very comforting.

So I had an extra glass of Ovaltine too, tonight.

Oh, and at the grocery store I had a hard time walking past the sale candy without getting interested in the candy and I wound up buying a Dove chocolate bar. Now, there's just no excuse for all this. Once in the car, I bit off 2 of the 5 squares of chocolate, which were out of this world, then checked the label and realized that I'd just eaten 80 calories, and finishing off the whole bar would be 200 calories, and I still hadn't had any of that Ovaltine I wanted. It took everything I had, it seemed, to put the rest of that candy bar down, but a couple minutes later I sensed within myself that my craving was satisfied.

So you can see, I'm having a bit of trouble abstaining from too many "exceptions" and "little additions." Today's excesses weren't actually that bad except that the graham cracker binge did add quite a few calories to the day's total. These things add up. I gave up the fruit with tonight's dinner for the Ovaltine in the hopes that some of the calorie differential would cancel out some of the extra calories. (That sentence was confusing but I know what I meant.) It's just too easy right now for me to find myself inside a convenience store, and then on the candy aisle, and then reaching out. I need to abstain, and use the promise of an upcoming cheat day to delay my cravings.

I have to admit, that lately I have been dreading the idea of food prep and dishes management and maintaining the cleanliness of the kitchen - which has to be done if I'm going to prepare my meals at home and mess the kitchen and all those dishes up. But I'm spending too much time on my bed, on my back, on the computer.

The good news is - I did finally exercise tonight. 30 minutes on the recumbent bike - 350 calories burned.

Oh, and by the way - those of you who have lost weight - are you having issues shaving your legs now? I'm thinking I may have lost the padding in the front of my shin between skin and bone, and for weeks now I've been having a real hard time trying not to slice my skin open. I feel like I'm going to be making some scar tissue bumps there. Yesterday I sliced a whole geography off my shin - three pitted spots left to bleed.