I've shown how very self-disciplined I can be, for at least a short period of time. But now, I want to figure out how to eat for the rest of my life, without having to be that disciplined all the time. The end of my Whole 30 coincided unattractively with several binges, coupled with two long road trips that disrupted my physical ability to control my diet. Without rules, and confronted with limited unattractive choices, I ate much more than I intended, and often regretted it even while still shoveling it in.
I've revisited a couple of resources I've used before, notably The Foodist, by Darya Rose. This is the basic approach I would love to be able to say works for me: eat only awesome things, when you want, and never feel guilty about the choices you make. So while also listening to The Willpower Instinct, I'm trying to implement several of the things that Foodists are supposed to do. This is about behaviors, not specifically about what foods to eat and what not to eat. I'm trying to figure out what works - where my definition of "working" is keeping my weight no higher (and ideally about 8 pounds lower) than it is right now, without making my whole life be about this.
One key to not having to have an iron will is to create habits so good things just happen without much conscious effort. To have habits, it helps to have a routine, and with my changed reality (no resident kids, but a declining mother and a second dog) I haven't yet built a good routine. So I'm trying to do both at once - build a routine that will automatically create space for the healthy habits.
Another thing I'm doing is trying to be mindful. Because I've tracked my food for years, I figured I probably have a somewhat higher than average awareness of what I eat because I so often track. However, apparently studies show chronic dieters have a wider discrepancy between what they think they eat and what they actually eat than non-dieters, for a couple of reasons. First is dieters continually have good intentions about what to eat, and recall afterwards more of the intention than the actuality. Second is large portions are harder to estimate by looking at them - everybody underestimates the amount of food in a large helping. I'm probably no better than average, after all.
But the way I'm trying to be mindful now is qualitatively different than tracking. I'm trying to pause before choosing food and serving portions. I'm trying to assess with a gut check if I really want something. Where I get in trouble is just automatically eating without that check. I'm trying very hard to slow down while I eat. I'm finally trying the "chew 20 times" approach to eating, and when I do it, I eat less and feel more satisfied. Consciously savoring the food while biting and chewing is integral to this - and that tilts in favor of trying for the really awesome foods.
This is really hard for me to do. I mostly eat alone, and I'm pretty good about eating at a table. But I almost always read when I'm eating, and that means I'm off in another world while I eat. When I'm with other people, I'm focused on them. So I've found myself reminding myself to slow down, chew, and don't load the fork until I've swallowed as I sit down and pick up the fork, and realizing after the last bite I didn't pay attention to a single forkful, just shoveled it in while reading or talking. So I have maybe a 25% record of being mindful while eating for at least a portion of a meal. It's a start - because I actually think this is an effective technique that will work for me. I'm just not sure I'm willing to give up a 40-year habit of reading while eating to get there.
The thinking before eating is easier, except when I get too hungry or tired and haven't made an easy plan of what to eat (or when my plan no longer appeals, or feels too hard). I learned during the Whole 30 that I can manage my mornings to actually cook and organize food for the day, but week day evenings remain a huge hurdle. Now that Sadie (dog #2) has joined the household, mornings are a bit more complicated because she takes more management than Rocky, and Rocky is now jealous of my spending time with Sadie and more insistent he gets his time. But I can get this back under control. I did learn very very clearly that the single best thing to make my mornings good is to ensure the coffee pot is set on auto the night before. I sit and drink coffee while reading the news on the ipad. Now I'm trying to limit the ipad time - I would love to read the New York Times cover-to-cover each morning, after checking email and facebook and a couple of blogs, but I'm not letting myself do that. Trying, anyway. It helps that I really don't want to read any election news.
Other techniques: Cook. That is the single biggest thing I can do. Cook from scratch, and prepare almost everything I eat myself. That was the habit made by doing the Whole 30, and I keep trying to keep it going. For most practical purposes, that means devoting most of a weekend day to the kitchen, and as the weather is approaching my favorite kind of days, this feels like not the best tradeoff.
One thing that stuck in my mind from The Willpower Instinct is how most people expect they will have more time, fewer distractions, fewer pop up problems at some mythical time in the future, usually about two weeks from now. As I drifted off from writing this, I thought of cooking today, my plans for doing more cooking just a couple of weeks from now when my immediate issues will have been put to bed, and I won't have to run out to take care of.... things, but will be able to stay home and just cook. Sigh. Knowing I've just fallen into a trap doesn't necessarily tell me how to get out of it. Probably the answer is "just do it now". Start today.
On that note, I think I'll stop blogging and go do something. But I'll be back, probably in about two weeks when things calm down around here....
Sunday, September 18, 2016
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Quick Reveal
And the answer is...
Essentially flat, down on average less than a pound. But very stable. Too many other things to do this glorious morning to spend any more time on this.
Saturday, July 30, 2016
Day 30 of Whole 30
For all practical purposes I've made it. This week was not so organized and planned, but it worked out. So just today to get through - and if I want a drink (of alcohol) this evening, I'll just go ahead. There isn't anything official about this. I'm declaring victory as I sit here.
Tomorrow will be the big reveal on weight. I will have all of the past month's numbers to look at, so it doesn't matter if tomorrow morning happens to be a "high" day - I'll have the trend. But I've felt bloated on this diet, so I'm bracing myself for the possibility I've actually gained weight in the past month.
I've got other numbers and records to look at as well, to see how that has varied over the past month compared to before. I do a quick "body check" most mornings on my way in to work - recording how my various parts such as knees and back and head feel at that moment. My impression is not much has changed - my knee is based more on exercise than anything internal, and my headaches persist - but I'll actually look at the data to see if there is any change. Ditto with the sleep data the fitbit records. I don't feel like its been any different - but I'll check to be sure. I'll also look at overall activity levels recorded by the fitbit. A confounding factor in looking at these other areas is I know I fell off the supplemental vitamin bandwagon completely in the last month, so I changed more than one thing at a time, very poor experimental design. Life is messy, an opportunity lost, so sue me.
I wrote last week about my habits and my cravings. Still true. I have forcibly restrained and thus interrupted certain bad food habits. Subjectively, I still feel cravings and urges towards sweets, so I'm not sure I've tamed the sugar beast. I've used fruit - especially cherries - as a fairly satisfying alternative to feed that beast. In Atkins-world, sugar is sugar, and fruit is not encouraged for that reason. But the amount of sugar from even a binge on sweet watermelon is still less than a pint of premium ice cream, so I'll think about the viability of keeping a fruit sugar indulgence going as an diversion from actual sweets. This would require accepting that I need these indulgences, and having the discipline (once the rules are gone) to not just do both: put blueberries on top of my ice cream.
One odd effect from this diet changed something I didn't really care about changing. I love coffee. I am sufficiently addicted that I will get a headache if I don't have it. It's a bit of an obsession - my sailboat, for example, has at least 3 different ways to make coffee on board. One of the items in my travel kit is a few packets of Starbucks instant coffee for emergencies. I have been a 6-8 cup a day person (counting cups, that's 3-4 mugs a day) for years. I found, in the last month, I didn't want that much. After my first mug of coffee, I would pour the second, and find I wasn't drinking it. I'd fill my thermos with coffee for work and bring it home without touching it all day. I did have an after-lunch slump which drove me to Starbucks some afternoons (iced green tea, I'm not a fan of their coffee), but I had those afternoon slumps even with the coffee. I've never thought my caffeine consumption was a problem, so I wasn't trying to cut back. Perhaps eating a more substantial breakfast obviated the desire for the richness I get from my usually very good freshly ground coffee I make at home.
The big thing on this regime has been the planning, preparation, and cooking. I really have devoted quite a large amount of energy and time to this. I find, during the week, cooking in the evening is really a challenge, not something I want to do. I did do a little bit of weeknight dinner cooking, but mostly it was heating leftovers. On the other hand, I found cooking in the morning something I could work into the routine. I've got more time in the morning since we're now done (forever!) with the off-to-school scramble with the shot-clock counting down. I have been filling that time with surfing the news and social media on the ipad. I generally have more mental and physical energy in the morning - after that first mug of coffee has done its thing, at least. So not only did I put down the ipad and cook breakfasts, I even did some dinner prep in the mornings before work. And fixed my lunch to take with me. Every evening I would think through what the food would be the next day, and what I had to do. Sometimes, I would do a little prep after eating my leftovers and before going to bed, but not much. Something like moving food from the freezer to the fridge to defrost, or cleaning the kitchen, was about all I was up to. (Generally, I am content to let dishes sit on the counter overnight and clean up in the morning.)
Last night was the one night of the whole month that left me totally unprepared with no food in the house and no plan. (I had planned to go for run down on the mall after work but the temperature was hotter than forecast at 92 degrees so I blew it off.) I headed to Whole Foods and got stuff for dinner and today's breakfast - dinner was their roast chicken with guacamole and tomatoes so no cooking was required. I still haven't decided for sure on breakfast and lunch and dinner for today - the plan is to be at the boat, so I've got to do prep and get going.
Tomorrow, I'll have my big reveal and decide where I go from here. Stay tuned.
Tomorrow will be the big reveal on weight. I will have all of the past month's numbers to look at, so it doesn't matter if tomorrow morning happens to be a "high" day - I'll have the trend. But I've felt bloated on this diet, so I'm bracing myself for the possibility I've actually gained weight in the past month.
I've got other numbers and records to look at as well, to see how that has varied over the past month compared to before. I do a quick "body check" most mornings on my way in to work - recording how my various parts such as knees and back and head feel at that moment. My impression is not much has changed - my knee is based more on exercise than anything internal, and my headaches persist - but I'll actually look at the data to see if there is any change. Ditto with the sleep data the fitbit records. I don't feel like its been any different - but I'll check to be sure. I'll also look at overall activity levels recorded by the fitbit. A confounding factor in looking at these other areas is I know I fell off the supplemental vitamin bandwagon completely in the last month, so I changed more than one thing at a time, very poor experimental design. Life is messy, an opportunity lost, so sue me.
I wrote last week about my habits and my cravings. Still true. I have forcibly restrained and thus interrupted certain bad food habits. Subjectively, I still feel cravings and urges towards sweets, so I'm not sure I've tamed the sugar beast. I've used fruit - especially cherries - as a fairly satisfying alternative to feed that beast. In Atkins-world, sugar is sugar, and fruit is not encouraged for that reason. But the amount of sugar from even a binge on sweet watermelon is still less than a pint of premium ice cream, so I'll think about the viability of keeping a fruit sugar indulgence going as an diversion from actual sweets. This would require accepting that I need these indulgences, and having the discipline (once the rules are gone) to not just do both: put blueberries on top of my ice cream.
One odd effect from this diet changed something I didn't really care about changing. I love coffee. I am sufficiently addicted that I will get a headache if I don't have it. It's a bit of an obsession - my sailboat, for example, has at least 3 different ways to make coffee on board. One of the items in my travel kit is a few packets of Starbucks instant coffee for emergencies. I have been a 6-8 cup a day person (counting cups, that's 3-4 mugs a day) for years. I found, in the last month, I didn't want that much. After my first mug of coffee, I would pour the second, and find I wasn't drinking it. I'd fill my thermos with coffee for work and bring it home without touching it all day. I did have an after-lunch slump which drove me to Starbucks some afternoons (iced green tea, I'm not a fan of their coffee), but I had those afternoon slumps even with the coffee. I've never thought my caffeine consumption was a problem, so I wasn't trying to cut back. Perhaps eating a more substantial breakfast obviated the desire for the richness I get from my usually very good freshly ground coffee I make at home.
The big thing on this regime has been the planning, preparation, and cooking. I really have devoted quite a large amount of energy and time to this. I find, during the week, cooking in the evening is really a challenge, not something I want to do. I did do a little bit of weeknight dinner cooking, but mostly it was heating leftovers. On the other hand, I found cooking in the morning something I could work into the routine. I've got more time in the morning since we're now done (forever!) with the off-to-school scramble with the shot-clock counting down. I have been filling that time with surfing the news and social media on the ipad. I generally have more mental and physical energy in the morning - after that first mug of coffee has done its thing, at least. So not only did I put down the ipad and cook breakfasts, I even did some dinner prep in the mornings before work. And fixed my lunch to take with me. Every evening I would think through what the food would be the next day, and what I had to do. Sometimes, I would do a little prep after eating my leftovers and before going to bed, but not much. Something like moving food from the freezer to the fridge to defrost, or cleaning the kitchen, was about all I was up to. (Generally, I am content to let dishes sit on the counter overnight and clean up in the morning.)
Last night was the one night of the whole month that left me totally unprepared with no food in the house and no plan. (I had planned to go for run down on the mall after work but the temperature was hotter than forecast at 92 degrees so I blew it off.) I headed to Whole Foods and got stuff for dinner and today's breakfast - dinner was their roast chicken with guacamole and tomatoes so no cooking was required. I still haven't decided for sure on breakfast and lunch and dinner for today - the plan is to be at the boat, so I've got to do prep and get going.
Tomorrow, I'll have my big reveal and decide where I go from here. Stay tuned.
Saturday, July 23, 2016
The Whole 30 Homestretch
I've plugged along on the Whole 30. Now I'm weary of cooking, and bored with my choices. The Whole 30 guys basically say, when folks say they are bored, "You have not nearly exhausted the spectrum of allowed foods! Google some recipes! Go on Instagram! Get some inspiration!" The weariness is a bit harder to cope with, but I will probably just go ahead and clean my kitchen and get going.
What have I been eating? Breakfast, cooked at home, even before going to work. This is very unusual for me - eating in the car has been my thing. But almost every breakfast is some form of cooked vegetables (sauteed greens and onions, sauteed mushrooms and onions, sauteed spinach and mushrooms and onions...) and fried or scrambled eggs. I cook a batch of the veggies at once, then re-heat and fry the eggs before work. On weekends, I grill meat outside and then eat leftovers all week. Lunch at work is my grilled meat, cafeteria "fresh" greens and either my homemade salad dressing or their olive oil and vinegar splashed on top.
The only restaurant food I've eaten is Chipotle. I confess, I did not examine their ingredient lists on the web in detail because I made the decision I was going to eat there, and I didn't want to regret it. So a salad with lettuce, meat, tomatoes and guacamole I've done twice, when I had boxed myself in a corner and it was either that or not eat at all for hours. I've also bought some prepared foods from the food bars at Whole Foods, where I believe I can trust their ingredient lists. It is surprising to me how many of even their salad dressings and sauces list sugar or honey as an ingredient, which scratches it off my list.
Everything else I prepare at home, mostly from scratch. I usually do big batches, so there are leftovers. I've treated myself to a couple of new kitchen tools, one of my motivators. I love gadgets, and I figure reducing barriers to cooking will result in eating well. So I have a new spiralizer, and a lemon squeezer. Since its zucchini season, lots of uses for the adjustable spiralizer. I strive for awesome in eating, but frankly that is a lot of work.
I very much miss dairy, cheese and butter and creme fraiche. In an effort to get that rich smooth mouth-feel, I tried to make mayonnaise this week. I was using the hand blender, and it was going well and then suddenly broke. I've never had a mayonnaise break before, but it was a mess and a couple of efforts to salvage it failed. I'm going to try again, maybe in the food processor, which I've always used before. While missing butter, I have been cooking with olive oil and coconut oil, but I also bought a tub of (organic) lard, which I like for sauteed greens for breakfast.
I miss sweets, of course. I have been using fruit as my treat. After over-indulging in fruit at first, I'm keeping it down to two servings a day. Peaches are great, and also cherries. Those are like candy to me, with my taste buds probably more sensitive to sweet than before. Even though apples are not yet in season locally, a very special treat is to slice an apple (I have a 12-slice gadget that works really well) and dip the slices in almond butter. One amusing thing we're told to expect on the Whole 30 is to dream of food - and I did! I woke up one morning remember some creamy chocolate delight, and some disappointment with myself that I went off plan. It was a relief to realize it was not real, and no need to feel guilty.
I miss alcohol! I love the taste of beer. I like fancy cocktails. I like the way they make me feel. I'm a one drink a night kind of person, but I really enjoy it. Sparkling water with a wedge of lime is cute, but doesn't do the trick.
I think I can buck up, get busy, and cook enough this weekend to carry my through next Saturday, just to see this through. Frankly, I'm not finding fabulous results and outcomes so far. I'm not looking at my weight (though its hard to avoid all numbers, as my internet-connected scale propagates that number through different apps, such as my fitbit. I had to manually go and break a bunch of links to keep it from myself.) It's clear from the way my pants fit I'm not losing huge amounts of weight, which of course I secretly hoped for. It will be interesting to also look at body composition and see if my fat percent has changed any. I can track my blood sugar at home, and it is roughly the same - I've been on-and-off again in the "pre-diabetic" range, one of the reasons I eat low carb. I don't have a blood pressure problem and so no change there. My energy is fine - though I spend more of it focused on food. I am back at the gym and also running, after slacking off through my vacation and its aftermath. Other aches and pains seem unchanged.
So why bother with one more week? There are two stated goals of the Whole 30: detox from all kinds of potential food sensitivities, and change food habits. I don't think I have the kinds of food sensitivities they are talking about, so the detox is not something I needed, so no surprise I'm not seeing an effect. But the habit thing is working. I really was on a sweet-tooth kick before vacation. I had ice cream nearly every day, and we're not talking a single tiny exquisite scoop, either. Clearly I've stepped away from that. I have subbed fruit and nuts, though I haven't broken the concept of my evening sweet treat as a necessary thing. I'm cooking more, and eating better. In particular, I was on a real food truck habit for work lunches, and the off-limits aspect has helped. But the greens from the salad bar at work are not very good, and splashed on poor quality olive oil and red wine vinegar is bland, so I may need to up my game on the lunch front this week. I can make salad dressing at home, and acquire some better greens to use (though I can't buy in advance for the whole week).
One last note - my Foodist friend, Darya Rose, observes that food is better in San Francisco than New York City, which she attributes to better ingredients. In New York, fancy cooking takes center stage instead. It probably means it would be worth it for me to keep a farmer's market habit.
What have I been eating? Breakfast, cooked at home, even before going to work. This is very unusual for me - eating in the car has been my thing. But almost every breakfast is some form of cooked vegetables (sauteed greens and onions, sauteed mushrooms and onions, sauteed spinach and mushrooms and onions...) and fried or scrambled eggs. I cook a batch of the veggies at once, then re-heat and fry the eggs before work. On weekends, I grill meat outside and then eat leftovers all week. Lunch at work is my grilled meat, cafeteria "fresh" greens and either my homemade salad dressing or their olive oil and vinegar splashed on top.
The only restaurant food I've eaten is Chipotle. I confess, I did not examine their ingredient lists on the web in detail because I made the decision I was going to eat there, and I didn't want to regret it. So a salad with lettuce, meat, tomatoes and guacamole I've done twice, when I had boxed myself in a corner and it was either that or not eat at all for hours. I've also bought some prepared foods from the food bars at Whole Foods, where I believe I can trust their ingredient lists. It is surprising to me how many of even their salad dressings and sauces list sugar or honey as an ingredient, which scratches it off my list.
Everything else I prepare at home, mostly from scratch. I usually do big batches, so there are leftovers. I've treated myself to a couple of new kitchen tools, one of my motivators. I love gadgets, and I figure reducing barriers to cooking will result in eating well. So I have a new spiralizer, and a lemon squeezer. Since its zucchini season, lots of uses for the adjustable spiralizer. I strive for awesome in eating, but frankly that is a lot of work.I very much miss dairy, cheese and butter and creme fraiche. In an effort to get that rich smooth mouth-feel, I tried to make mayonnaise this week. I was using the hand blender, and it was going well and then suddenly broke. I've never had a mayonnaise break before, but it was a mess and a couple of efforts to salvage it failed. I'm going to try again, maybe in the food processor, which I've always used before. While missing butter, I have been cooking with olive oil and coconut oil, but I also bought a tub of (organic) lard, which I like for sauteed greens for breakfast.
I miss sweets, of course. I have been using fruit as my treat. After over-indulging in fruit at first, I'm keeping it down to two servings a day. Peaches are great, and also cherries. Those are like candy to me, with my taste buds probably more sensitive to sweet than before. Even though apples are not yet in season locally, a very special treat is to slice an apple (I have a 12-slice gadget that works really well) and dip the slices in almond butter. One amusing thing we're told to expect on the Whole 30 is to dream of food - and I did! I woke up one morning remember some creamy chocolate delight, and some disappointment with myself that I went off plan. It was a relief to realize it was not real, and no need to feel guilty.
I miss alcohol! I love the taste of beer. I like fancy cocktails. I like the way they make me feel. I'm a one drink a night kind of person, but I really enjoy it. Sparkling water with a wedge of lime is cute, but doesn't do the trick.
 |
| I turned my fridge into a white board. It helps to remind myself what is there. |
I think I can buck up, get busy, and cook enough this weekend to carry my through next Saturday, just to see this through. Frankly, I'm not finding fabulous results and outcomes so far. I'm not looking at my weight (though its hard to avoid all numbers, as my internet-connected scale propagates that number through different apps, such as my fitbit. I had to manually go and break a bunch of links to keep it from myself.) It's clear from the way my pants fit I'm not losing huge amounts of weight, which of course I secretly hoped for. It will be interesting to also look at body composition and see if my fat percent has changed any. I can track my blood sugar at home, and it is roughly the same - I've been on-and-off again in the "pre-diabetic" range, one of the reasons I eat low carb. I don't have a blood pressure problem and so no change there. My energy is fine - though I spend more of it focused on food. I am back at the gym and also running, after slacking off through my vacation and its aftermath. Other aches and pains seem unchanged.
So why bother with one more week? There are two stated goals of the Whole 30: detox from all kinds of potential food sensitivities, and change food habits. I don't think I have the kinds of food sensitivities they are talking about, so the detox is not something I needed, so no surprise I'm not seeing an effect. But the habit thing is working. I really was on a sweet-tooth kick before vacation. I had ice cream nearly every day, and we're not talking a single tiny exquisite scoop, either. Clearly I've stepped away from that. I have subbed fruit and nuts, though I haven't broken the concept of my evening sweet treat as a necessary thing. I'm cooking more, and eating better. In particular, I was on a real food truck habit for work lunches, and the off-limits aspect has helped. But the greens from the salad bar at work are not very good, and splashed on poor quality olive oil and red wine vinegar is bland, so I may need to up my game on the lunch front this week. I can make salad dressing at home, and acquire some better greens to use (though I can't buy in advance for the whole week).
One last note - my Foodist friend, Darya Rose, observes that food is better in San Francisco than New York City, which she attributes to better ingredients. In New York, fancy cooking takes center stage instead. It probably means it would be worth it for me to keep a farmer's market habit.
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
NY Times explains DIY Diet Buddy
Combined support with semi-anonymity. Plus Instagram.
(I need to double check link works)
Sunday, July 10, 2016
Shopping with a List
My list for the farmer's market: zucchini and peaches. I bought: zucchini, peaches, eggplant, swiss chard.
My list for Whole Foods: apples and steak. I bought: apples, steak, hamburgers, ground lamb, ground pork, cherries, guacamole, lemon juice, lime juice, onions, sweet potatoes, dinner rolls, walnuts, and lunch. At least this saved another trip the next day.
This is day 11 of 30 on the Whole 30. According to the Whole 30 folks, most folks who drop out do so on day 11 or 12. I think I'm set for today, but I need to be sure I've got the work week covered properly.
My list for Whole Foods: apples and steak. I bought: apples, steak, hamburgers, ground lamb, ground pork, cherries, guacamole, lemon juice, lime juice, onions, sweet potatoes, dinner rolls, walnuts, and lunch. At least this saved another trip the next day.
This is day 11 of 30 on the Whole 30. According to the Whole 30 folks, most folks who drop out do so on day 11 or 12. I think I'm set for today, but I need to be sure I've got the work week covered properly.
Monday, July 4, 2016
The Past and the Future
Since I technically (for about 3 days) made my goal weight last year, I've been contemplating what I want to do now. How do I want to eat for the rest of my life? How much do I care about my weight? I've got a whole parallel running internal dialogue on fitness and activity, but for this post I'm mostly focused on food, eating, and weight.
Partly why I'm doing the Whole 30 is to try out a different way of eating. Because it is for a short period, it's possible to really think about what I'm eating and how it makes me feel. It's very similar to the way I have been trying to eat for the past many years, but with some differences. It's easiest to describe by what not to eat: no grains, no dairy, no legumes, no added sugar or any form of sweeteners, no alcohol. What's left are meat, fish, eggs, vegetables (including root vegetables like sweet and white potatoes), fruit, and nuts. For the thirty days, no using these ingredients creatively to try to re-create treats - no baking with almond flour - because the diet tries to do two things: detox your body, and break eating habits while creating a new cooking habit. Pretty close to every packaged food will have something not allowed - even my low-carb bottled salad dressings which have zero carbs per serving have some form of sugar as an added ingredient on the label, and thus are not allowed. Cooking is the only possible way through. Luckily, it's summer, and vegetables and fruit are good and plentiful.
So I'm doing this, for a month, and then I'll add stuff back. I don't believe I have any actual food allergies nor even intolerances - no problems with gluten or lactose. But this diet will help me know it for sure, when I add things back. (I do have a health challenge of bizarre migraines, and perhaps there is a relationship to food. This restricted diet should help figure it out.) My idealized diet I've conceptualized would include dairy, for richness, and legumes, for more plant-based proteins. I like meat, but I think the environmental toll of meat production, and animal welfare issues, mean I should eat less meat, if I can do so healthfully. And by healthfully, I mean without gaining weight. The ideal diet would also include ice cream, alcohol, and chocolate, but in small exquisitely perfect tiny portions. I haven't shown I'm able to do restrain myself that way, yet.
So far, I feel like I'm eating a lot, including a lot of fruit, and I'm getting the hunger pangs that I think sugar (even fruit sugar) drives. So I may moderate the fruit a bit. In addition, I've been eating sweet potatoes, something I haven't done much of ever. I quite like them. I've been afraid to eat white potatoes.
Let's put some historical perspective on where my weight is now, six months after seeing my goal. First the long view.
I consider anything below the red line to be a victory. I've shown I can keep from doing the big rebound - but only if I pay attention. We can zoom in on the story since I started focusing on this, and blogging about it, in 2010.
One single big loss, and relatively stable weight with an intermittent focus for a few years, then a big push to get down to the blue goal. But last year and this year definitely tell the classic weight loss rebound story.
People who say "diets don't work" would crow at seeing this classic rebound. I think the longer history and context gives that point the lie - I have spent many years lower than my top weight. And my current weight is far from stable - in the last seven days alone, it has varied by five whole pounds. I don't think my blue-line goal is actually realistic for me to maintain - I think I'd need to work too hard, more than I am willing to work. I've set a goal at 140 pounds, ten pounds below the red line and five pounds below today. I have found there is a difference in how I look and feel at that weight versus how I was at the red line, enough of a difference for my vanity to want that improvement. My theory is I can actively manage myself down to that weight and stay there for a while, and eventually my body will realize it likes it and homeostasis will kick in and keep me there.
The Whole 30 goals do not include weight loss, though they say most people do lose weight during the thirty days. They are so adament on the point that it's not about weight loss that the rules include a veto on weighing yourself during the period. I have a problem with not collecting data, but I concede the point about not focusing on it. Since I have a wi-fi scale that automatically records my weight, I've decided to step on it every day, but block my view of the number. The history will be there waiting for me when the thirty days are up. I don't have huge expectations - the decrease in sugar is likely to result in water loss, but so far I'm eating so much sweet fruit I might not even see that. But of course I have hopes for a big reduction.
The working week resumes tomorrow, with a bunch of stressors to be added to tending to my three patients. I've got a fridge full of compliant leftovers, because cooking is not something I generally do during the week. Blogging is also likely to suffer. I am taking pictures of my meals, often, so there may be some food porn posted here, just as record keeping.
I long for a bit of routine, which the coming week should bring.
Partly why I'm doing the Whole 30 is to try out a different way of eating. Because it is for a short period, it's possible to really think about what I'm eating and how it makes me feel. It's very similar to the way I have been trying to eat for the past many years, but with some differences. It's easiest to describe by what not to eat: no grains, no dairy, no legumes, no added sugar or any form of sweeteners, no alcohol. What's left are meat, fish, eggs, vegetables (including root vegetables like sweet and white potatoes), fruit, and nuts. For the thirty days, no using these ingredients creatively to try to re-create treats - no baking with almond flour - because the diet tries to do two things: detox your body, and break eating habits while creating a new cooking habit. Pretty close to every packaged food will have something not allowed - even my low-carb bottled salad dressings which have zero carbs per serving have some form of sugar as an added ingredient on the label, and thus are not allowed. Cooking is the only possible way through. Luckily, it's summer, and vegetables and fruit are good and plentiful.
So I'm doing this, for a month, and then I'll add stuff back. I don't believe I have any actual food allergies nor even intolerances - no problems with gluten or lactose. But this diet will help me know it for sure, when I add things back. (I do have a health challenge of bizarre migraines, and perhaps there is a relationship to food. This restricted diet should help figure it out.) My idealized diet I've conceptualized would include dairy, for richness, and legumes, for more plant-based proteins. I like meat, but I think the environmental toll of meat production, and animal welfare issues, mean I should eat less meat, if I can do so healthfully. And by healthfully, I mean without gaining weight. The ideal diet would also include ice cream, alcohol, and chocolate, but in small exquisitely perfect tiny portions. I haven't shown I'm able to do restrain myself that way, yet.
So far, I feel like I'm eating a lot, including a lot of fruit, and I'm getting the hunger pangs that I think sugar (even fruit sugar) drives. So I may moderate the fruit a bit. In addition, I've been eating sweet potatoes, something I haven't done much of ever. I quite like them. I've been afraid to eat white potatoes.
Let's put some historical perspective on where my weight is now, six months after seeing my goal. First the long view.
One single big loss, and relatively stable weight with an intermittent focus for a few years, then a big push to get down to the blue goal. But last year and this year definitely tell the classic weight loss rebound story.
People who say "diets don't work" would crow at seeing this classic rebound. I think the longer history and context gives that point the lie - I have spent many years lower than my top weight. And my current weight is far from stable - in the last seven days alone, it has varied by five whole pounds. I don't think my blue-line goal is actually realistic for me to maintain - I think I'd need to work too hard, more than I am willing to work. I've set a goal at 140 pounds, ten pounds below the red line and five pounds below today. I have found there is a difference in how I look and feel at that weight versus how I was at the red line, enough of a difference for my vanity to want that improvement. My theory is I can actively manage myself down to that weight and stay there for a while, and eventually my body will realize it likes it and homeostasis will kick in and keep me there.
The Whole 30 goals do not include weight loss, though they say most people do lose weight during the thirty days. They are so adament on the point that it's not about weight loss that the rules include a veto on weighing yourself during the period. I have a problem with not collecting data, but I concede the point about not focusing on it. Since I have a wi-fi scale that automatically records my weight, I've decided to step on it every day, but block my view of the number. The history will be there waiting for me when the thirty days are up. I don't have huge expectations - the decrease in sugar is likely to result in water loss, but so far I'm eating so much sweet fruit I might not even see that. But of course I have hopes for a big reduction.
 |
| A 3x5 card over the numbers is enough to block my view. |
The working week resumes tomorrow, with a bunch of stressors to be added to tending to my three patients. I've got a fridge full of compliant leftovers, because cooking is not something I generally do during the week. Blogging is also likely to suffer. I am taking pictures of my meals, often, so there may be some food porn posted here, just as record keeping.
I long for a bit of routine, which the coming week should bring.
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