I tried to start a diet back in June, and I went with a diet that worked years ago, back when I only had about ten pounds to lose. Basically, I cut out junk foods, cut down on Coke (sorry, totally addicted to it), eat Fudgesicles instead of chocolate, oven-roasted potatoes instead of french fries, baked or grilled or oven-roasted chicken instead of fried—just common-sense weight-loss routines. Eat healthy snacks instead of tortilla chips, that sort of thing.
Well, I have a lot more than ten pounds to lose (about thirty, actually), and I went overboard in denying myself food. I wasn’t just hungry all the time, I was starving. The end result: I went off the diet completely for a couple of weeks and had to work my way back to starting over. This time, I cut out most junk food, but I’m allowing myself the occasional bag of chips. Last week, when I was jonesing for ice cream, I bought a single-serve Edy’s Slow-Churned instead of a pint. And I am not feeling the guilt over eating out with Janet and Chris when I’m staying over with them in NorVA, because I follow the 80-20 rule. Diet eighty percent of the time, eat what you like twenty percent, and you’ll still lose weight.
I am currently down six pounds from my highest-ever weight, and about to reach my first milestone. This one’s just a WOOT! milestone, because I will be back in the 140s for the first time in ages. It should happen sometime next week. The next milestone is ten pounds. I promised myself I could get four pieces of honeycomb sponge from my favorite candy store, enough for one helping of dessert (two, if I can stand to stop at two pieces).
At twenty pounds, I get my cooking oil back from Sarah (yes, I really made her take the gallon of canola oil out of my house) and I can make a batch of home-made potato chips. That will probably coincide with Hanukkah. But if it doesn’t, I’ll probably fry up latkes around that time anyway (80-20 rule). I’m doing this one the slow and steady way. I’ve decided that I’m fine with waiting until next year to reach my goal, which is 120. In my smoking days, I weighed about 110-115, and I was too skinny back then. 120 seems a more healthy weight for me.
One of the things I’ve been considering is asking my readers to sponsor my diet. For every pound dropped, you donate a dollar (or more, if you like) to Magen David Adom. I can have Sarah come over and be my witness.
If you’re interested, let me know. You can always put an anonymous comment here if you don’t want to divulge your identity. They go into the moderation queue, is all. (Little-known fact.)
I wonder how much I could raise….
No, you’re not seeing double. I accidentally edited a post instead of writing a new one. Stupid WordPress doesn’t close the editing window automatically once you’re done writing.
Count me in for a donation to MDA in honor of your accomplishing your goals.
Good for you! Lack of exercise and 12 hour days at a desk for 3 years have done me in.
… chocolate, oven-roasted potatoes instead of french fries, …
Yum. I never thought of that before.
(The wonders of selective editing.)
I would be happy to donate to MDA in your honor. I would like more details on your diet regimen as I am in a similar boat.
It’s pretty simple. Eat smaller portions, even though you’re still hungry. Wait for your stomach’s fullness sensors to kick in. Grill as often as possible, particularly chicken. Grilled chicken with the low-fat seasonings of choice is lower in calories than any other kind of chicken, especially breaded chicken.
Throw away all of your junk food. Replace it with fruits, vegetables, and low- or non-fat snacks like pretzels and crackers. Instead of frying, oven roast things like potatoes. Cut potatoes into small chunks, toss in about a tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, and roast in the oven. I like to start the oven at about 500 degrees for ten minutes, then lower to 350. If you put the potatoes in the microwave for five minutes or so before you roast them, they get done faster. I do this before I add the oil sometimes. It takes about 35-40 minutes for oven-roasted potatoes. Same thing about chicken: Bread it as you usually would, then drizzle vegetable oil on top and bake it in the oven.
I eat pretzels instead of potato chips for when I want salty snacks. I eat Fudgesicles instead of chocolate or ice cream. There are a lot of low-fat and low-sugar substitutes, but I prefer the real thing. I cut my milk down to 1% . I was drinking whole milk until about a year or so ago. I don’t have a problem giving up cheese because I don’t like it and rarely eat it. You’ll have to figure out a substitute/cutdown for that on your own.
I go to the gym most days and ride a stationary bike for 20-30 minutes. And when I can’t stand the craving, I’ll have a little bit of ice cream. Or eat something fried. You have to allow yourself to break the diet once in a while, or you’ll fail. That’s why I do the 80/20 thing. If I feel like eating something in a restaurant that’s high-fat once in a while, I do. If I can’t stand not having potato chips, I buy a small bag. (This is important, DON’T buy a large bag or you’ll go off-diet.) Give yourself a break, but keep to the diet overall. It’s just common sense.
Good luck. I’ve gotten a little lazy in the past couple of days, but your comment has inspired me to head to the gym today.
Glad to be a source of inspiration for something. Its a small repayment for the pleasure (not always given the content) of reading your posts. Kudos.