Day 13

Okay the new weight showed up again this morning.  I am now down a total of 8 lbs!  Woot!  I am starting to be able to tell a difference in the way my clothes are fitting.  Some of them were getting too small, and I was going to have to go up another size if I didn't loose weight.  I am so glad I made the decision to change my eating habits.

Today I forgot to take my lunch to work with me so I ended up eating my larger meal for lunch.  I had a hamburger steak with mushrooms and a salad from Chilli's.  That is not really on the menu, so I order a Mushroom Swiss Burger, hold the bun and the cheese.  I substitute a side salad for the fries. 

We had left overs for dinner.   Chili and cornbread (no I didn't eat the cornbread). :) 

I have not been hungry today at all.  I feel very satisfied with the amount I am eating, but would sometimes like to have things like a frappuccino  from Starbucks.  I sort of miss things like that, although not enough to actually drink one.  I could of course if I wanted to, but I don't want to slow my weight loss down.  It just doesn't seem worth it at this point.

Looking back at yesterday, I am very pleased with the out come. I know I am an emotional eater, and yesterday was a very emotional day.  I got through it with flying colors.

Thanks for reading and hanging in there with me!

Linda

Day 12

Hello all, it's the  close of Sunday night.  I made it through the day without cheating by snacking on carrots and celery.  I don't know why, but I so wanted to munch some carbs today.  I guess it was because of the mood I woke up in this morning.  I was really sort of depressed about my Grandmother and missing my mom.  And of course Geoff was in a foul mood, that always helps the stress level.  I guess husbands have their days just like we do ladies.

We had tickets to go to the theater to see West Side Story at the Fox, but none of us really felt like going so I gave the tickets to my dad and a brother and sister-in law.  That means Charlene and I got to keep Asher who is my 8 month old nephew.  We love him so much and he brightens up even the worse day.  We had fun with Asher and they loved the play so all was well.

Today I made some chicken salad for lunch and for dinner we had tenderloin with steamed veggies and I ate 1/4 of a baked potato.  I skipped my yogurt again because I had my carbs in the potato.  I think it was a good day.  And I was down to a new low weight this morning.  I'm not going to claim this pound until I see it again. 

I hope everyone has a  good day.  I would love comments and if you know someone that is dieting, please give them my blog address.  Maybe we can help each other. 

Linda

Day 11

Well, I'm still tired tonight for some reason.  I get to sleep in tomorrow, maybe that will help.  I don't think it's the diet making me tired. 

I had a good day today as far as the diet goes.  I don't seem to be tempted to eat off my plan at all.  It's easy when your mind is right.  I hope I can keep it that way. I am about 7 lbs down, but I am retaining water today.  I woke up with my feet hurting and feeling quite sluggish.  It's the first day since I started the diet that I've felt that way.  I've had sort of a buzz up until last night.

For the next few days I am trying something different.  I am eating frozen dinners for lunch.  I'm sort of tired of soup.  I hope it will go well. 

Last night, Geoff and I went out to eat. We never seem to make it to a movie.  It was our first meal out since I started the diet.  He wanted a steak so we went to Outback.  I ordered the 6oz. sirloin with steamed veggies, mushrooms and salad.  It was very good.  We enjoyed our "date night out".  And I didn't cheat on my diet.  I didn't even really want to.  Because we were eating out and I couldn't control how things were cooked and I ate my salad dressing, I skipped my yogurt and fruit yesterday.

Thats about all for now. 

Linda

Day 10

It was a good day.  I didn't excercise.  I am tired and going to bed.  I don't want to write tonight. 

Day 9

I wrote on the blog this morning but must have forgotten to hit post....bummer.  Well the day is almost over.  I guess if I went to bed it would be over.  I had another good day.  I am motived enough that I am not too tempted to eat things I shouldn't have.  I think the blog is helping me stay focused and resist eating yummy things.

Last night for dinner I had a hamburger on a sandwich round with lean ground beef and it was sooooo good!  I guess after eating chicken all week, I really enjoyed the burger.  I need to learn to make a good turkey burger. It would be better than beef, but eating the burger didn't hurt me because I was down again this morning.  I crossed a major threshold and I have lost right at 6.5 lbs.  It's sort of fun while the weight is coming off quickly.  I know soon it will slow to about 2 to 3 lbs a week.  But think about it. If I stay on my eating plan for a year and I lose a average of 2 lbs a week, that will be 104 lbs!  Very nice. 

My motivation for losing weight is that I have come to an age/weight combination that will not work for me.  I realise that if I don't lose weight now, in a few years it will only be much slower and harder for me because that seems to be the trend post menapause.  Also, if I don't lose the weight I will not enjoy the remainer of my life.  I have dealt with depression that is worsened by the weight issue, and I no longer feel well.  I have too many aches and pains and they will only get worse with time.  I notice older women who are heavy tend to walk like it is painful. I don't want that to be me in a few years.  Also I have noticed the shortage of older "fat" people.  We die young, and I have Charlene to think about.  I want to be here for her and be a grandmother to her children.

I have the option of surgery because I have wonderful insurance.  I have seriously thought about it and doctors have tried to get me to go this route for years.  It is a drastic thing to do, and if for some reason I fail to succeed on this effort I will have the surgery, but I have to give this one last try.  I know about nurtition and could almost write a book on the subject.  I also know how my body looses weight because I lost 50lbs in the past.  So it seems a shame to mutilate my digestive system to loose weight.

I excercised today!  Yea!

Day 8

Well one week down!  The first week is always the hardest until Girl Scout Cookie week in March.  I love the Trefoils and Thin Mints.  I will get past them this year!  I was down 5lbs when I weighed this morning.  It has been a good week.  I am sure no one else could tell I've lost any weight but it has made a big difference in how I feel.  I don't think I have taken Advil at all this week.  I usually take some a few times a week for general aches and pains, esp. for my feet because I stand on a concrete floor all day at work. 

This week my goal is to begin exercising daily.  I should at least be walking the neighborhood or the mall once a day.  They are each about a mile in distance.  So rain or cold weather should not make too much of a difference.  I should have started this past week, but that part of the plan was a fail.

My only cheat this week was the small spoon of Mac & Cheese I ate last Sunday night at the staff party.  I think that is pretty damn good. Oh, and tonight I ate 1 french fry (who says you can't eat just one?!)  I have not craved sugar in a few days.  I think it helps that I am having a yogurt at night.  It makes me feel like I am having something sweet and a treat.  I am sprinkling a little bit of granola on it for some crunch (about 1/8 cup).

 Watching Dr Oz today reminded me that I need to get some fish oil supplements to take.  I will do that tomorrow.  It is supposed to do a lot of great things for you including decreasing inflammation. One doctor said he suggests it to his patients and "watches their heath improve".  I think it's worth the trouble.  Dr. Oz says to take 600mg of omega 3 a day, and the 17 Day Diet book also says to take it.  As you can tell I am not staying strictly on the meal plan for the diet book.  I'm eating a lot of fruits and veggies (non starchy), eggs, small amounts of whole grain breads, low fat meats, and my serving of yogurt each day.

This would be an example of a days meals and snacks:

Breakfast- 2 eggs on a whole wheat sandwich round or whole wheat tortilla
                 Coffee

Lunch- Veggie Soup (home made so that I can control salt and fat)
             Green Tea

Snack - apple or banana
            
Dinner-Tuna melt
            Salad with a small amount of regular dressing
            Water

Snack- Light Yogurt

Linda

Day 6

Not much to report today.  I had a good day. I am learing that I need to take and apple or something to work with me to snack on late in the afternoon.  I get too hungry and sort of weak before I can get home to cook dinner. So I want to have some sort of snack before I cook.  And when I say hungry, I mean "true hunger"  not just wanting something to eat.

We had our staff party last night and I did very well.  My dad and I stopped for coffee and I ate a yogart parfait before we went to dinner so I was able to avoid the mac&cheese and the peach cobbler.  Just chicken and green beans for me please.  We had free sodas all night and I drank unsweetened tea.  Good job Linda!! Woot!

Oh yeah, I have learned in my various diets that when you burn body fat your body throws off ketones. So you can check to see if you are in ketosis with a ketostick (you can get them at any pharmacy).  I am!  Just another way to gage how I am doing and keep myself motivated.

Have a wonderful night/morning/day which ever you are experiencing when you read this.
I can do all things in Christ Jesus who strenghtens me!

Linda

Day 5

Yesterday went well.  I have pretty much stopped craving sugar.  I miss the full feeling I get from bread, so I am working whole wheat into my meals for the day.  There are some really good sandwich rounds that have only 100 calories per serving so I can have bread with my egg salad.  Also I got some turkey sausage crumbles and whole wheat tortillas for a breakfast burrito that is very good.  The tortillas are very thin and good.  I scramble 2 eggs (or 4 egg whites) with olive oil, scattered with a few of the turkey sausage crumbles and roll it into the tortilla. It's good, healthy, and filling for breakfast.

I made a big pot of veggie soup that turned out really good.  I started with chicken tenders and cooked them.  Then I added to the broth tomato puree (Charlene doesn't like tomato chunks), fresh carrots, onions, and potatoes (only a few because my daughter likes them.  I ate around them), frozen okra, peas (any kind), and green beans.  Then I seasoned to taste with salt, pepper, red pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder.  I left the tenders whole so that I could get a tender in each serving and cut it with my spoon as I ate.  It was delicious!  Well the beauty of the soup is it's still delicious because it's in the fridge!

I am down 4 lbs and very happy.  I will not post my begining weight, but I will post a picture soon. I haven't really explored blogspot to know how everything works here.  So far I only have one follower and she knows how I look so it hasn't been a problem as of yet :) 

Have a great Sunday and I will be back soon.

Day 3

I had a really good day today.  Work was fun.  Josh and I got a lot done and both of us were in a great mood.  I feel good and my energy level is up from a few days ago.  It always seems as soon as I start getting the sugar and carbs processed out of my system I start to feel better and I have more energy.

I know the key to my success is planning ahead for meals at work and the evening meal so that I won't go crazy snacking before I can get dinner planned and cooked. Plan for success!  I cooked a big pot of collard greens and some squash at the begining of the week so that I would have some veggie's easy to access for meals.  I love veggies!  I have only eaten chicken and eggs for protien this week, no red meat this week.  I've had apples and yogart for snacks and if you have never tried slicing apples thin for a cripy chip with a sandwich it's great.  You get the crisp effect and none of the fat or salt.  I think tomorrow morning I will cook a big pot of veggie soup. Most of the veggies are "free"; I just won't put in potatoes, or very few (Charlene loves the little potatoes).  And I will skip the cornbread.

I hope someone finds this blog and it gives you some encouragement to begin a diet.  That would be so wonderful!  By the way, I was down 2 lbs. this morning.  Woot!

Geoff and I are going to see a movie and I will have to report back that I DID NOT eat popcorn and coke.  Just a little extra incentive to not eat the popcorn.

Happy Friday!

Linda

Day 2

I have almost made it through day 2.  I felt really good today, then I remembered I posted the blog on my Facebook wall.  That might have been stupid!  Oh well, if you are reading, welcome.

Okay, what do I think of the 17 Day Diet?  Well, it startes out low fat and almost no carbs to get you off to a good start.  I have no problems with that.  Acutally it is what I have pretty much done on my own before.  I have dieted, read about nutrition, and watched talk shows enough to pretty much know how to loose weight and I can say the eventual plan that you work your way up to on this diet is healthy and will work.  The trick is to get your mind right.  Today I feel like I have done that, but it is a very delicate balance to keep you mind right.

For anyone stumbling across this blog, my name is Linda.  I am a 48 year old mother and wife.  My daughter is 13.  I have a large family of 6 siblings and a father most of who live near by.  My mother died a year ago. I miss her very much.

I have been over weight most of my life begining in elementary school.  Food is a very good friend, it makes me feel warm, comfortable, safe, and I guess rewarded in a way.  Until I think about the consequence of my over eating.  Then I feel depressed, unworthy, tired, and weak as a person.  It is a constant battle in my mind from the time I wake, until I go to bed every day.  If I am eating I feel guilty, if I am not eating, I want to eat.

I am bloging so that I have accountablitly.  I really don't like to fail, at least not in front of people.  I am hoping this will help keep me on track. I plan for this to be a fairly honest blog, so if you join me here you may get to know me better than you really want to know me....you may want to turn back now!!!  And by the way, I have a sense of humor, so not everything I write will be completely serious, please read with a sense of humor.

Today was a good day. I feel good and I had energy.  I did not feel like I hated myself today, I was sort of proud of myself today.  I am off to a good start.

Have a nice night.  I'm going to watch Steven Tyler on AI!!!

Lindies

Day One

Well, today was really just half a day.  I got my 17 Day Diet Book and I said I would start when it came so I did.  I'm sort of proud of that.  It would have been easy to wait until Monday or even tomorrow.  But that is how we gain weight isn't?  Eating today because we are going to start our diet on Monday.

I have no idea that anyone will ever even read this.  But I have found in the past that if I have someone to be accountable to, I will not want to disappoint them so I follow my diet much better. Anyway, if you are here, welcome.  If not....oh well.

It is late and I have to work tomorrow.  I will write more and try to be a little more interesting when I get home.
I will even give a few details of what I think about the diet book, how I feel, and some of my back ground.  I hope someone will find this blog and offer encouragement, friendship, or even join me on my quest to become healthy.

Lindies