Food Tracking

Hi folks, I know I haven't been around all that much these days.  This new job is kicking my butt.  But during the so far 5 weeks of training, away from home, in a hotel, I've re-learned something important. Restaurant food is laden with calories, but we can really justify it a thousand ways to Sunday in order to make ourselves feel better.  After the first week of eating every single meal out I decided the second week that I would get a refrigerator.  I was determined to at least eat breakfast in the room.  Lunches and dinners were spent networking and socializing.  And of course who wants to spend every single night in the hotel room? So of course I utilized the tiny little fitness room which has 3 treadmills (one broken), 2 ellipticals (one broken), 2 recumbent bikes and a stair stepper.  It also has a few antique little weights.  I was going almost every morning so that was making me feel better, but it wasn't nearly the workout that I was used to.  But I can tell you now, nothing at all would have made up for those lunches and dinners out, let me tell you.  There is little that you can get in a restaurant that makes it worth BEING in the restaurant.  I do have to admit that at the end of my restaurant forays i was choosing from the "light, low carb, low fat, dieters, etc." menu.  But wasn't nearly enough. So this week I decide refrigerator in my room, nothing eaten outside at all, no restaurants at all.  I also decided that it was back to tracking for me.  So I opened my food program back up and started trackin.  Let me tell you something.  It was a huge reawakening for me.  I have really been in denial about the amount of food that I had been eating.  This has been a real re-education for me, one I'm glad came before it was too late.  Tracking food is so very important.  Being truly accountable for what you are eating is by far the most important step in truly getting control of what we are putting in our mouths.  It does not take much to reach the 1500 calories i have allotted for myself.  Not a long time at all.  I see that someone has continued the "what did you eat" post and that is great.  But please, I implore you all to be totally honest about it We are only hurting ourselves if we are not honest and accountable.  It's not even so much about the loss for me.  It's more about the control and how being in control of our bodies makes us feel more positive and determined to sustain change. Just a few thoughts for the day.  I hope everyone has been well. Donna

Welcome back Donna!! Missed ya being here!

Thanks Chris!! I am glad to be back, even if only for a short time.  This training is for the birds.   Congrats on the Atkins thing. Somehow I think this is going to work for you.  Big hunks of meat and men seem to be synonymous!!!  My boyfriend lost over 100 pounds 5 years ago on Atkins.  About 30 has crept back on but it's taken over 5 years to come back.  So good luck!!!!!!! D

ARRGHH!! GIVE ME MEAT FOR I AM MAN!  meooow!  Atkins does seem to be a good thing so far. I did a modified Atkins back in 2002 or so when I lost about 50lbs.  I was eating way less than I am now and felt hungry but the low-carb did work.  I like eating like this. Thanks to Jerz, I have a lot of good tools to help me whenever those sweet cravings come along. Didn't you lose your weight doing low carb as well?

yes I did lose my weight on South Beach.  Once i got past the first month i did great.  Actually I went almost a whole year with virtually no carbs except for fruit.    Worked for me, I'll own it!!!

Ahh cool deal!  I thought that's how you did it.  Holly has just started SB. I'm hoping she'll like it and have great success!

"Tracking food is so very important. " It is indeed. I am "off" tracking right now.  NOTE: for all you lurkers and newbies, tracking is vital to get any kind of idea of what you really eat.  i tracked mine faithfully for the past 4-5 years, maybe missing a beat here and there, but I know and acknowledge every morsel now, even in my head to this day. Posting here is the closest I have done latley, and I make sure to go back in and edit every bite - even the next day.  It is amazing how quickly it adds up.

You & I have shared about this before...the closer to goal, the more nitpicky it can be.  Andy pointed out the other day that to get obsessed with every mouthful is rather against the goal and can set up a guy for eating disorders, but I s'wan...how does an older, fat person NOT get all obessed on this??? i mean it...how????? when a couple hundred calories is literally all that is in my way of dropping weight?  (about hotel eats:  quiz airline stewardesses:  those girls have great ideas - one packs eggs and drops them into boiling water in her room or mixes up the eggwith low fat top-ramen for supper! ...and takes other things like veggies or canned soups with her!)  Get some bariatric food, too - love my stuff for the portability!

You are so right about the older woman.  There is something about what our body needs and then what it hangs onto and makes right into fat, laughing at us the whole time. I really have to revisit this whole "wheat" thing.  Breads, pastas, etc, even in the whole grain whole wheat variety still tend to make my body a bit puffy.  I hate this whole journey into discovery, figuring it out all, you know?  I know you have been at it a couple of years longer than me.  I wish to thank you for making the point that it does NOT get easier and we are definitely on a life long path here. I agree with Andy said to a degree.  But as you said, sometimes it doesn't work for everyone. I did the hard boiled egg thing after the first week.  However, the little refrigerators they give us here really suck and this week it froze all of my eggs.  Even dipping them into boiling water (I've been doing that with the tiny coffee pot) wasn't enough.  The whites were wrinkled and shrunk and the yellows were frozen.  LOL it was a gross experience. I have definitely sacrificed quality and put sodium in its place.  Thank god I don't have high blood pressure.  I'd be dead now!!!!!

Woohoo there you are.  I even emailed you but you were no where in sight.  I was hoping you were just busy.  I just started SB so I"m praying I'll do as good as you have.  Your going to have to be my mentor.ha   

Hi Holly, I am so sorry for not writing back.  Schedule, blah!!!  I will write this weekend and try to help you out here.  I can tell you one thing. KISS - keep it simple stupid.  LOL  I didn't make that up so don't get offended.  I actually bought a book on the discount rack from Barnes and Noble yesterday called KISS and weight loss.  I'm dying to read it.  It's one of those with lots of pictures and illustrations. Honestly, for the first few weeks just think about getting the carbs out, period.  Stick to vegetables (no carrots), and pure protein.  Do chicken, turkey, ground turkey (very lean).  It might be tough but it will help with those carb cravings.  Don't spend a whole lot of time obsessing about those recipes in the books.  I never used one in the entire time I've been doing this.  I actually stayed on a version of Phase 1 for almost the first whole year.  But then again I'm OCD and all or nothing, so it worked for me. Good luck and keep it going.  I will write more this weekend. Donna