The Diet Naked Blog

And now a commercial interruption for this episode of "In the Motherhood."

(Hey, I was promised something for posting this . . . I can't remember what, but I am easily bought.  Plus, I watched the five-minute episode and it was amusing.)

Okay, what a crazy time it's been.  My 102-year-old grandmother died, with ensuing drama.  My husband resigned from his job (to take another job, no move required).  My daughter got a stomach virus and spent last night throwing up.  My son participated in a Science Fair that required my attendance at 8 a.m. on a Saturday, which is wrong on so many levels.

So, I haven't been here to report my food intake.

Here's what I ate today:

Oatmeal, Craisins, Splenda and cinnamon.
Reduced fat Triscuits.
Ak-Mak crackers.
(Hey, look, I'm all about complex carbs today.)
Turkey breast, lettuce on a whole-wheat wrap.

And now it's dinner-time.  I'm going to have salad with tuna, I think.  Tonight I plan on eating more strawberries and maybe popcorn, too. 

The scale today said 175.8, which was glorious, indeed.  And yesterday I managed to get out for a 3.5 mile walk, so my buns of not-steel are feeling twinges of muscle-pain today.

And, I just hired a housekeeper to come in once a week to help me.  I am drowning in my own life.

What about chocolate?

Someone asked me how I fit dark chocolate into a low-glycemic index diet.  Doesn't it have sugar in it?

Well, as my dad might tell you, "Very carefully." 

And, yes, it does have sugar in it.

However, dark chocolate has a index rating of 22, which is low.  Of course, it is high in fat, thus high in calories and must be limited.   When you start to eat only high quality dark chocolate (60% cocoa or higher), you'll find yourself satisfied with only a square or two.  No more entire bags of Hershey's kisses . . .  (not that you would ever consume a whole bag of chocolates, but I have been guilty of that crime).

Rick Gallop advises in his book (The GI Diet:  The Easy, Healthy Way to Permanent Weight Loss) that if you must (and I must) have chocolate, to limit it to dark chocolate, a square a day.  (Okay, so sometimes I have two.)  I find that if I tell myself I can never have something (that I really want), I get all crazy in the head and break into a million little pieces.  Or I binge.

Here's a summary of the low-glycemic index diet, for those who are unfamiliar with it.

In addition to allowing myself to eat dark chocolate, I also permit myself to eat a soft taco every week (if I want) and movie-theater popcorn.  Some things just aren't worth giving up forever. 

Thursday Food

This may be pretty boring for you to read, but I want to keep track of my intake here for a few more days.

Oatmeal, craisins, pecans (now gone!), Splenda, cinnamon. 
Granny Smith apple with organic peanut butter.
Reduced-fat Triscuits with Laughing Cow cheese (50 calories, the spreadable wedge).
Two tangerines.
Gum!
Salad with chopped chicken breast.

Later tonight, popcorn!

That's five servings of vegetables and/or fruit for today.  Hooray for me.

Anyone want to share what they ate today?

On track without a train in sight

Okay, so today, I stepped on the scale.  It said 176.4 and I rejoiced.  Which is funny thing, perspective.  A few months ago, that number would have made me scowl, but now, back on the way down, I'm happy.  I have stayed faithful to my plan--no sugar, no refined flour, no potatoes--and can feel the almost-immediate change in my body.

Today this is what I ate, or plan to eat before bed:

Oatmeal with craisins, pecans (so few, they're almost gone!), cinnamon, Splenda.
Giant salad with water-packed albacore tuna.
Spoonful of organic peanut butter (no sugar added).
Soft taco from Taco Time (my husband brought it to me).
Strawberries.
Sugar-free pudding.
Maybe popcorn.  I'm not sure yet.

When I write that list, it doesn't seem like I'm eating very much, but I don't feel hungry.  Eating plain and boring really does work for me.  I think I should be eating more vegetables, though I suppose if you look at portion-size alone, I am getting adequate servings.  (I eat a REALLY big salad.) 

Oh, and I had a square of dark chocolate.

I also drink a lot of water--I start each morning with a 24 ounce glass and then drink water again at night.  (In the middle of the day, I drink Diet Coke.  I know.  It's a bad habit and maybe one day I'll give it up.)

That's all.

Tuesday Food

Oatmeal with sprinkle of craisins, pecans, Splenda, cinnamon.
Salad with can of water-packed albacore tuna.  Reduced-fat Italian.  (Fat-free Italian has high-fructose corn syrup in it, so I use the Reduced-fat instead.)
Reduced-fat Triscuits with melted shredded cheese.
Low-carb tortilla with spreadable Laughing Cow cheese.
Sugar-free pudding.
Fat-free popcorn.
Sliced strawberries.
Square dark chocolate.

Official Tuesday Weigh-In

One hundred seventy nine.  Yes, that's right, folks 179 pounds.  That would have been very depressing except that I have already moved on and am focused on eating right and losing this weight once and for all.  Also, I have some perspective.  Two years ago when I decided to lose weight, my starting point was 226.4.  This new starting point, today's weight of 179, is not so bad, all things considered.

I mentioned a podcast that I am going to be using to train.  It's called Podrunner.  Click there for information.  I downloaded it free from iTunes and will start using it next week.  (One thing at a time.  This week, I'm getting food back under control.  Next week, I'll add exercise.)

And I hope by next Tuesday, I won't have to roll my eyes when I step on the scale.

Day One of the Rest of My Life

I cannot even tell you what the scale said this morning.  I have a very special talent:  I can gain five pounds in five days.  Or less.  A-hem.

Okay.

Today, I ate, in this order:

Oatmeal with sprinkling of craisins, chopped pecans, cinnamon, Splenda.
Low-carb (50 calories!) tortilla with Laughing Cow cheese spread and lettuce.
Granny Smith apple with all-natural peanut butter.
Fiber-One yogurt with All-Bran sprinkled in.

I supplemented this with my beloved Diet Coke with Lime.

I made bean soup for dinner (to use up leftover ham).  I'll probably have just a little and have a bunch of steamed vegetables.  Too much ham = too much salt = bloating!

Tomorrow, we'll weigh in and find out exactly how much work we have ahead of us.  Don't worry--it won't hurt a bit!

*  *  *

Dinner:  Bean and ham soup with added chopped broccoli.

Snack:  Half-bag fat-free popcorn, followed by sliced strawberries topped with a sugar-free ("South Beach") pudding.

The Last Supper

You know when you're about to embark on a diet how you go a little bit crazy, eating as if you might be stranded in the Andes Mountains for six months with nothing to eat but your fellow passengers?

No?  Well, maybe that's just me.  Let's just say I ate too much today.  Blech.

Tomorrow is the beginning of my final ascent up Mount Weight Loss.  I intend to lose thirty more pounds by focusing my attention, by doing what I know works and by incorporating a rigorous work-out plan into my life.  No more goofing off, no more resting on this plateau.  I am moving forward.  Are you coming with me?

I want to remember how sick I feel with a tummy full of refined food.  Really, eating food that is bad for me makes me feel bad.  Eating food that is good for me makes me feel good.  How simple that is and how easy to forget.

I started my weight loss journey almost two years ago on the day after Easter.  (That year, Easter was on April 15.)  I think this is a great time of year to start a diet--the dreariness of winter is almost a memory and fresh produce is beginning to appear in the supermarket.  I have an abundance of strawberries in my fridge at this very moment.

The weather is more conducive to exercise outdoors.  I am going to use my new iPod (the shuffles have come down in price and only cost $49 now, down $40) and a free podcast which gives instructions for training for a 5K.  I'm going to start that in a week, I think.  I need a fitness goal. 

Come tomorrow, I'll be keeping track of what I eat here on this blog.  Nothing fancy--no calorie counts or amounts, just the type of food I'm eating.  I'll be eating a low-glycemic index diet while keeping an eye on my portions.  I am going to reach my goal. 

Weigh-In

I returned last night from six days in California where I attended a writing conference.  The food served at this conference was excellent.  It was served buffet style, with a giant salad bowl full of mixed greens at the beginning of each line.  That's a great idea, isn't it?  Even at home, we probably should start each meal faced with a gigantic heap of lettuce. 

So, I ate well and walked quite a bit. 

When I weighed myself this morning, I weighed 175.  Which is fine, all things considered, I suppose.  I didn't gain weight and maybe I even lost a pound (I can't remember what I weighed last week). 

I am still planning to renew my commitment to eating a completely low-glycemic index diet beginning the day after Easter.  I began my diet ("lifestyle"?) the day after Easter in 2006, so the idea of that date appeals to me.

How are you doing?  Feeling hopeful with the coming of spring?  (Tomorrow, it's officially spring, no matter whether you have snow on the ground or not.  Can you believe it?)