The end of overeating?

In addition to cooking healthy food, working out, and blogging about it all, I've also been reading a great book--The End of Overeating. It's by a guy who used to work for the FDA, had his own struggles with food, and reviewed a ton of research and conducted a ton of interviews with science-y folks, food makers and people who struggle with overeating. It's an interesting book that really talks about why for some of us, it's not a question of "willpower," but of overcoming decades of being conditioned a certain way. 

It's a great book because it explains why, but doesn't let people off the hook. There's work to be done, but it's important for us to understand what triggers the compulsive eating. I'm sure I'll have more to say once I've finished the book, but as of right now, I kind of think everyone should be reading this book. 

Food porn

I started a mint.com account, and I've been shamed with my spending habits. My worst spending habit is at the grocery store. I spend more at the grocery store than some really large families. It's a weakness, and I'm working on it. 

The main reason I've been spending so much at the store has been because lately I've been making almost all of my meals at home. I used to eat at the cafeteria at work almost every day, and eat out or eat some kind of frozen meal the rest of the time. This month I haven't been to the cafeteria once. Nice! But the grocery bill is still pretty shameful. I'm going to make it a goal for February to come up with more budget-friendly meals to make ahead. 

Odds and ends

I've been meaning to link to this young lady's tumblr for a while. She seems like a super smart woman who lost a good amount of weight and promotes all kinds of good stuff--like healthy body image--and she does a good job of explaining why strength training is good for women and good for weight loss. This person also breaks it down quite nicely. It's a review for a BodyBugg, which I do not own, nor endorse (although it does seem kind of neat!)

Speaking too soon

I was happy last time about breaking through the plateau, but then overnight I gained back two pounds and there the scale stayed for the past 3 days. I know there are all sorts of variables--water weight, muscle gain, etc. And I know some people would advise not to weigh every day. I personally am a fan of doing it, and apparently weighing in "at least once a week" is one of the things successful losers do. 

In the past few days I've been really trying hard to drink enough water (at least 64 oz. per day). For the past two days, I've had fruit for breakfast. I don't know if that had anything to do with it, but today the scale was back down to 185 (9 pounds lost). Even if that's all I did for the entire month, that's still pretty good. I feel like I have a few more pounds that could come off, but time will tell. I would have liked to have lost 15, since the first month is usually the easiest, but this is fine, too. 

I think it's important to use the scale as the tool it's meant to be, but not to get too hung up on the number. I'm wearing pants I haven't worn in months, so that's a good sign. A coworker said I looked like I was slimming down, so that's nice, too. 

Progress

It snowed this weekend, and everything is kind of iced up, so I did most of my working out in the gym. I didn't hit the 20k steps I wanted to get for each weekend day, but I did get 13k and a really good upper body workout Saturday and lower on Sunday. Actually, I may have had too good an upper body workout, because my back is kind of killing me. I had a really bad back injury years ago that I'm still seeing a chiropractor for now. I have to kind of temper the whole "give it all you got" mentality with some common sense about what I can actually handle.

That said, I seem to have broken through the plateau (or, rather, the losing and gaining the same 4 pounds and not actually continuing to lose), because yesterday morning I weighed myself and was 185. I haven't seen that number in a while, and it's really good to be making progress. I originally had a goal of being out of the 180s by February, but I'm not sure 6 pounds is realistic, considering there's only a week and a half left. If it happens on its own, I'll be pleasantly surprised, but I'm not changing anything. I'm still eating 1600 calories per day and still working out the same as always.

I cooked more today. Just 3 servings of whole wheat pasta, low-fat ricotta with egg yolks (I fried the whites and ate them as a post-workout snack), 5 chopped sauteed zucchinis, a package of mushrooms, sauteed and 5 chopped lowfat string cheeses (they were cheaper than buying actual mozzarella). I just put it together in a 9x12 baking dish and baked it for 40 minutes. It's not amazing, but it made 6 servings (320 calories each) and it's already packaged up and ready to take to work.

So far this month I have not eaten anything for lunch other than food I've made at home. No visits to the cafeteria, no frozen meals, just homemade food.

"I can't"

There was a woman at the gym last night working with a personal trainer. I got the impression that the trainer was new for her. She was on the heavy side and didn't seem very confident. I can totally relate. It took me months of using the ellipticals and treadmills in the movie theater section of the gym before I was ready to go out on the floor where the general population works out.

It's intimidating. There are lots of really fit, healthy people lifting weights and using the machines. One of the biggest problems is that there are, what I call "bro clusters" or "honey bunches of bros." These guys--typically in their early 20s--like to work out in packs--there are usually three in a cluster. One works out on a machine, and the other two lean on the machine and watch. It's kind of disturbing, and it makes the whole atmosphere feel very high school-ish. 

So, this girl's working out, and her trainer shows her a move he wants her to do. Using one of the cable machines, he wants her to do this exercise. I'll be honest--I wouldn't even do this one, and I'm fairly comfortable using most of the machines there now. He demonstrates the entire thing, and tells her to try it. And she says, "I can't." 

Now, I don't know all of the details surrounding why she thought she couldn't, but I do know a few things. One is that, if you ever really believed you "can't" do something at the gym, the time for that is before you pay a personal trainer to publicly train you in a gym. Also, if you have any limitations (say you're missing a leg, or have a bad back, or asthma, or whatever), you should make your trainer aware of this (you probably had to disclose this before starting the sessions or joining the gym anyway) so they can work around your limitations.

I'd be willing to guess this woman was feeling self-conscious. It's easy to think everyone's staring at you. The thing is, nothing calls more attention to you than wussing out during a workout with your trainer. By the time you got to the gym, you've already realized you need help in the fitness/weight loss department, joined a gym, and made an appointment with an intimidatingly large guy to help you conquer this problem once and for all. Once you've taken those brave steps and walked through the door for your training appointment, there should be nothing on your mind (not other people, not how your clothes fit---nothing) except focusing all of your attention on what the trainer is asking you to do, and doing it. 

Also, someone might look, sure. I obviously did, but I look at lots of people. I don't stare, but if I see someone working on a machine I want to try, I'll take a look to see how it's done before trying it myself. The truth is, most people are far too concerned with their own workout to worry about what someone else is doing. 

I assume the trainer told her she was going to do it (duh--what kind of trainer would hear "I can't" and just say, "Oh, sure, no problem. Let's go get a snack and watch TV!"), because sure enough, she was on the floor, doing the exercise. 

Unfortunately, I've seen people getting trained at several gyms, and this happens ALL THE TIME. A woman is working with a trainer and when something is too hard (either physically, or for other reasons, like self-consciousness), they say those two words. It's just kind of weird to see someone who's clearly made a decision to get in better shape be so resistant to the help they're paying for. I guess it's important to put it in perspective. Sure, the work is hard, but anyone who's lived as an out-of-shape person should know bigger hardships than an awkward 5 minute exercise at the gym. 

Setbacks and motivation

So this weekend there were a lot of distractions. Family in town, a funeral, things I wasn't really prepared for (from a keeping healthy perspective). There was an abundance of food that wasn't good for me. Pasta in all kinds of sauces, cakes, cookies, salads covered in oil.

Earlier in the weekend, I had a glimmer of clarity where I thought, "Self, you should pack some food to bring with you." But I didn't really plan ahead well enough, and I didn't want to be "that" person. At least not during a time like that.

So for two straight days, I ate crap. And on Monday, we went to a restaurant (we had a Groupon for it), for which I had memorized the menu and made a great choice (grilled salmon over a salad). When we got there, the menu had changed entirely to bar food and BBQ. I don't eat meat, just seafood, so the only two options were fish and chips and a fried shrimp platter. I made what I consider the best choice on the menu: the fried shrimp platter, with a side of corn and a side salad. Even still, when I asked my boyfriend to guess how many calories he thought were in the shrimp, he said, "Probably a thousand."

During all this time, I didn't skip the gym, and I walked a minimum of 13,000 steps per day, and for the past two days, I've had 8 and 10 cups of water, but today the scale says 191. That's still down a total of 3 for the month, but it's also up 4 from where I was at. And this is usually the point where I give up.

I have to face that I have a very unforgiving metabolism. One weekend can set everything back, by a lot. So, I'm going to continue back on the path I was on and chalk it up to a learning experience. I'm going to aim for being back to 187 by next Monday. I know that sounds like a lot, but I have a feeling that some of this weight is temporary, due to eating a lot of sodium and garbage that will be flushed out with a few days of eating right.

Quiche and calzones

As I mentioned in the previous post, I made two things tonight. I just really like being able to grab something and take it with me to work. And so far this year, with very few exceptions, that "something" has been something I made myself. This hasn't always been the case. I used to rely on frozen meals (Smart Ones, Lean Cuisines, you get the picture), but frankly, even when they're cheap, they're expensive; they're not really healthy; and you don't get very much.

Personally, when I eat, I like to eat something substantial. A large portion of something. I know you can't have a large portion of pasta if you're watching the calories, so I tend to go nuts with vegetables and fill in the blanks with protein (cheese, eggs, tofu), sauces and seasonings.

For future reference

Dear future self,

Today was full of excuses. It was one of the coldest days it's been so far (33 degrees/22 with the wind chill factor). You had female "stuff" going on and felt kind of meh. There was some bad news, and lots of family is arriving unexpectedly this weekend. You had every reason in the world to stay home, watch some TV and just relax. 

And yet, you didn't. You got dressed in many layers. You put on your sneakers. You ran an errand (stupid post office!) You got a cup of coffee. And you went to the park. And you walked. At first you were like, "Dude, it's cold out here. Just walk a couple miles and cash it in. You can do some more at the gym." But after a while you opened the handwarmers you bought at CVS and just kept walking. Your face was cold and after a while you couldn't feel your butt anymore, but you kept walking. Soon you got to over 7 miles. And you kept walking. Finally at 10 miles, you stopped. After all, you promised yourself you'd go to the gym and work your arms. 

At the gym you worked out hard, lifting more weight than you have so far. You pushed yourself harder than you thought you could. 

And then you came home. You needed to go shopping for something to make for dinner. You strapped on your backpack and you walked some more. First, a mile back to CVS to get more of those handwarmers. That's an awesome way to get rid of the "it's too cold!" excuse. Then a half a mile back to Acme for food. And a half mile back home, carrying 20 pounds of groceries. All told, including miscellaneous walking around the house and stores, you walked 26,976 steps today. Or nearly 13 and a half miles. Plus the gym. 

Then you came home and cooked 8 servings of breakfast and 8 servings of lunch/dinner and scrubbed the bathtub. 

Basically, self, you rocked it the eff out. And you didn't let excuses get in the way. Remember this next time it's too cold/hot/rainy, or you're too tired/sore/depressed/stressed out. 

Love, 

Yourself

PS, since you did such an excellent job of everything else, we'll try to forgive the fact that the Christmas tree is still up and you're still wearing yesterday's clothes. 

Baby steps. 

27,976 of them. 

Today

I didn't do what I set out to do today, which was 10,000 steps and an arm workout. I did more than 11,500 steps, which is great, but at the gym, I felt kind of weak while on the treadmill. I could have pushed through it and done the arm workout, but I probably would have just phoned it in.

I think part of it was that I had a small meal at work before I left, but came home for a while before heading back out to the gym. I think I was just a tad too hungry to really do a good job of it. I'll eat right and hydrate properly and give the arms a proper workout tomorrow.

Photos

These are from today. I didn't get the best shots in the gym locker room. I was kind of terrified someone would walk in and see me taking pictures, so they're not the best. I took the one at home to kind of clarify.

Oh, another thing

It's not like I'm married to the scale, or I cry or lose my mind when it doesn't show me something I want to see. It's just an objective way of measuring my progress. My belt is another (down a notch, thank you very much).

At the gym, I try to lift more than I could the last time, or walk at a faster pace/steeper incline than I could before. And those are other (probably more important) measures. But until scientists start using these things as barometers for how healthy we are, I'll use the scale.

Progress

The scale had not been kind of me for the past few days. I gained back a pound and it refused to leave for 2 days. Today I got on, and I'm down another pound (including the pesky gained one). So, from 194 on Jan 2, I'm down to 187.

The best part about this is that I'm not starving. I'm not even really hungry. I eat all the time. I just write every single thing down. I have to start posting what I eat.

And I exercise every day. Nothing too crazy...just spend a part of every day moving.

I haven't been so great about the water. Around 5 cups a day. Something to keep working on.

A little change

I had started a blog on Prevention (where I had a blog when I reviewed their diet book a few years ago) last week. After about a week, I realize that it's not the best place for me. So I created this blog here (it's so much fancier here!) and I copied over my entries from the past week. So, if you just got here, don't worry, so did I! Welcome.

Basically, I just want to use this as a place to track my progress, hold myself accountable and hear from others who are on similar journeys. I'm thinking I'll post recipes, progress pictures (I need to take one soon!) and share anything I learn as I make my way toward a fitter, healthier me.

Yes!

The scale was very good to me today. 188. Down 6 pounds for the year. I had a goal of being down 5 pounds, so this is a welcome surprise.

I did some math last night and figured out that officially, I averaged 12,500 steps per day last week (on paper, since the pedometer didn't do its job this weekend). That's an extra 2500 steps per day, and it also (according to the 10k steps article) puts me in the "highly active" category. Fancy.

 I also planned to have 4 strength training days (2 arms and 2 legs) and I have 5 (an extra arm workout). So yay!

 For the coming week, I'd like to try to drink 8 glasses of water per day. So far I've been averaging about 4-5.

Vegetarian chili

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. I made two things tonight. One was a reasonably caloried french toast casserole.  That's in the fridge and will be baking tomorrow morning. Yum!

The other was a sort of improvised vegetarian chili. I wanted something I could freeze and take to work during the week. This clocks in at 250 calories, including the cheese. It's basically canned tomatoes, tofu, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, green peppers, red peppers, onions, zucchini and one can each of chick peas and kidney beans. I used the small cans of beans. I wanted this to be more about vegetables (fewer calories) and less about the beans. It's actually delicious. It came to 189 calories before the cheese, so I added half an ounce of low-fat cheddar, and it's actually 234 calories, but we'll call it 250 just to be safe.
I froze this and another low-cal breakfast casserole in individual portions. I'll do the same with the french toast bake. It's nice to have a freezer full of ready-to-go stuff that's healthy. I usually use Smart Ones or Lean Cuisines to help me with portion control, but I like making my own good and knowing what's in it.

Healthy day

I decided to go for a long walk today. I was hoping to get in like, 12,000 steps at the park. This usually takes just around 2 hours. I wanted to try to get 20k for the day. I've been able to do this before, so I strapped on the pedometer (5 bucks, CVS, right next to the "diet aids) and off I went. I'm walking, and I periodically check the pedometer. After an hour, it's somewhere around 3000 steps. That's not right. After two hours, I'm somewhere around 6,000. Definitely not right. I walk for a total of 2 hours and 45 minutes and I could not even get to 10,000 steps.

When I got home, I got my shopping list, strapped on a backpack, and headed out for another walk. After about an hour and a half, I'm at 13,000 steps. I stopped in at CVS, got a new pedometer, wore both of them for the next half hour. I check both pedometers. The new one has about 3000 steps. The old one...somewhere around 1100.

 Grrrrrr......

 So right now, I'm officially clocked in at 17,000 steps (or 8.5 miles), but I'm sure after nearly 5 hours of walking, it should be closer to 28,000. Bah.

I'll count that as being a great offset to last night's little debacle. The boyfriend and I wanted a smoothie from a place near New Brunswick. Once we got most of the way there, he announces that he wants a sandwich from the Rutgers grease trucks. (If you live in NJ, you might know about these, if not...look at this link at your own peril.)

I estimate this sandwich at about 1000 gloriously empty calories. And that's all I'll say about that.  I'll donate the missing 11,000 steps to helping offset that mishap!

Despite this insane sandwich, I weighed 3 pounds less today than yesterday.  So, from yesterday's 192, we're at 189!

10,000 steps

This article discusses the 10,000 steps and what numbers of steps are required for each activity level. In short:

<5000 = Sedentary
5000-7499 = Low Active
7500-9999 = Somewhat Active
≥10,000  = Active
≥12,500 = Highly Active

Personally, I'd like to be able to say, "I'm an active person." It's nice to have some sort of quantifiable goal, instead of just, "I go to the gym and do some stuff. I guess (maybe?) I'm active."

Methods -- Diet

I know there are lots of ways to do this: low-fat, low-calorie, low-carb, high-protein, etc. I don't think it can be disputed that calories are the most effective way of measuring food intake. I'll get into specifics of what those calories should be made up of (for me) below.

In the past, when attempting to cut calories, I've aimed for 1600-1800 calories a day. Since I tend to stray a little here and there, and 1600 always turns into 1800, I'm going to say 1600 is the ceiling. And we'll take that "extra" 200 calories per day and bank them for special occasions (kind of like how Weight Watchers gives you the extra points for wine and chocolate, or whatever your particular vices are).

According to the American Cancer Society's Web site, a "moderately active" 192-lb woman would need 3229 calories per day to maintain her weight (I believe this is called the basal metabolic rate (BMR). Another Web site gets more specific with age and height,  and tells me that I burn 2487 per day. Another still, says I get 2385. (By the way--these kinds of discrepancies could be diet killers. 800 extra calories a day could mean an extra pound and a half a week!)

Assuming the truth is closer to 2385, cutting out 785 calories per day translates into nearly 5500 calories per week. Since it takes 3500 fewer calories consumed to equal one pound of weight loss, we're looking at an average of 1.5 calories per week. A totally respectable rate of loss.

According to the American Cancer Society Web site, though, I'm probably considered more than "moderately active." I walk every day, not just 3-5 days a week, which is their definition of "moderate." In any event, I'll be doing more exercise, which can only mean more weight loss and general fitness.

In the past, my "diet" fare has generally been frozen, pre-portioned meals. I like the convenience of food that you can just grab and go with. But I have a few complaints/concerns with these. For starters, they're not that "healthy." White flour, sugar, etc. Second, they're not fresh. And third, you can actually eat so much more, for fewer calories, if you put your own meals together. Personally, I'd rather have double the vegetables and half the starch. I just like to eat a LOT of food.

So, when possible, I'll  make my own food. The past few days have had a lot of spaghetti squash (50 calories a cup!) and brown rice, tofu and vegetable concoctions. But I'll have to get a little more creative to keep myself interested for the long haul.

Another of my weaknesses is, I don't like to eat breakfast. Never really cared for it. But for the past few weeks, I've been eating breakfast casseroles. I made one last night that clocks in at less than 300 calories for a big serving, and since you make 8 servings at a time, you've got breakfast for the week. According to the New York Times article I posted earlier, one of the characteristics of people who successfully kept their weight off for more than a year, was that they ate breakfast. And I shall, too.

So, really, that's about it. 1600 calories. Mostly homemade, fresh food. Breakfast. Avoiding white flour and sugar (for the most part).

Methods -- Fitness

All right. So now that we've established WHAT I intend to do, let's talk a little bit about HOW I intend to do it. 
I joined a gym a few months ago. I've pretty much had memberships to some gym or another for the past 9 years or so. My attendance at said establishments tends to be all over the place. At times, I'm hardcore and I go and work out like crazy. When I get derailed, I can stay away for months at a time. And sometimes I go, but I'm just phoning it in. I'll walk on the treadmill for half an hour and go home. 


In November, I started trying to walk 10,000 steps a day. There's nothing strenuous about walking that much, it's just a matter of fitting it in. It basically amounts to adding about an hour of walking into what I'd ordinarily walk in the normal course of life.


I stuck with it mostly--averaging 8800 steps per day, or 13,000 five days a week. I ate pretty well for the most part, but slipped up between December 25 and Jan 1, and didn't lose a pound. (Didn't gain one, either!)


 So for January, I'd like to average the full 10,000 steps, plus strength training four times a week. What that means, specifically, is that, in addition to the walking, I use 5 machines to work my arms/chest twice a week, and 5 machines to work my legs/back/abs twice a week. 


Since I'd like to average 10k steps a day,  I'm actually aiming for 12, and coming closer to 11. I want to make sure that if I get sick or have to stay late at work, that I'm still on track. 


I'd like to start running again, but right now, at 192 lbs, I feel like it's not worth putting that kind of strain on my knees. It's something I would like to revisit in a month or so. And I think another challenge to revisit in February will be to add a class to my workout repertoire. 


My usual M.O. is to start something whole-heartedly,  see a small amount of success (3-4 lbs) and then back off (because clearly I'm doing so well, I deserve a break!) and then fall off the wagon completely, gain it back and say "What's the point??" I think it will be good to constantly re-evaluate the plan (both diet and exercise) and keep doing what needs to be done to keep it interesting. Saving running and a fitness class in my arsenal for later will help with any plateaus, too. 

Goals

I was sending a friend an e-mail, and I started laying out all my goals and strategies and getting into all the details of what I intend to do and how I intend to do it, when I realized...NO ONE CARES!!!

I know that sounds harsh, but seriously? No one wants to hear about what you PLAN to do. I know quite a few people who are always talking about their intended fitness and weight loss goals. But I've been hearing them talk about it for years, and nothing ever changes. I'm as guilty of this as anyone. So while I recognize the value of getting your friends' and family's support, I also recognize the value in shutting the eff up and just doing it.

The impetus for wanting to lose the weight is several-fold. First, obesity is (pun intended) HUGE in my family. On every side. I've known for years that, unless I work my ass off (literally), I will be facing the same fate as nearly everyone who has come before me.

Second, while I was reasonably fit as a kid and teen, for the past 17 years or so, my weight has been a theme: trying to lose it; trying to "be ok" with whatever I weighed; trying to maintain a healthy weight (for the brief time I WAS at one). I would seriously like to get myself where I want to be, and have learned enough from that process to keep it off. So no crazy diets, no dropping 10 lbs in 10 days. Just legitimately BECOMING healthy and then staying that way.

There's more, I'm sure. Looking awesome, wearing great clothes, being able to try zip-lining without worrying that I'll snap the cable and die a mangled mess in some rainforest.

So the optimistic goal is to lose 50 by June 24 (my 40th birthday), but the truth is, if it means losing it and keeping it off, I'd be fine with almost any steady weight loss (even if it takes a lot longer).

This article was extremely eye-opening and really brings home how honest we need to be with ourselves about what it takes to lose weight and keep it off. (It's long, but totally worth it.)