weightless

Tips for Losing Weight

Chris Pirillo has a great post about how to lose weight titled 50 Weight Loss Tips

My favorite:

Know your daily calorie limit. When I was in the process of losing weight, it was suggested that I stay under 1700 calories a day. Knowing that number was half the battle. I could eat anything I wanted throughout the day, so long as I would stay at or beneath that number. While I couldn’t track 100% of the items I ate, I was able to make intake estimates - and adjust my schedule and ration my remaining calories accordingly. In this sense, you’re given extreme freedom - so long as you stay at or beneath that suggested calorie level for your plan. If you don’t know how much you’re supposed to take in, how are you supposed to know how much you’re supposed to take in?! Sounds redundant, but it’s a situation that many “dieters” are in (which is why they fail)!

My success in losing weight was all about watching my caloric intake.    I used the Point system from Weight Watchers but always watched calories.      

I would also add that good calories (vegies, fruits, etc) are much better than empty calories (100 Calorie snack packs that are so popular now)

Weekly Weigh-In

225.    Anyone surprised? I wonder if the scale is stuck.

Ok, I think I need to add something to my diet plan that has been missing.   

Movement.   

Now that spring is here, and the baby is getting used to the light (I think we gave birth to a vampire) a few evening walks with the wife should be a good way to kick start my Movement program.     We used to walk a bit  last year, but the baby has changed our lifestyle a bit.      I should also think about some lunch trips to the Mall (eating before I go of course).   A few laps around the mall with the stroller could be invigorating.

Notice I didn't use the E word. (Exercise).   Exercise is hard work and something they made you do in PE when you were in High School.    Anyone else remember those stupid uniforms?    And I refuse to go to the gym.    Before I would be able to go, I would have to go to some place to get in shape to be able to go to the gym.      Plus I have a hard time paying $50 a month to sit on a bike that goes nowhere.

Goal this week:   Move More.   

The Cost of Dieting

Very interesting article on the costs of all the major diet plans over at MSN Money.  You can read it here.

I actually think my diet is saving me money each week.  I have replaced my $4.82 Wendys Combo meal with a $2.50 Marie Callendars dinner.    Lower calories and fat and I save a buck or 2.    Plus we tend to eat at home much more often which has created lots of left overs, further reducing our budget. 

I think it all depends on what you purchase.    Any good diet should include lots of fruits and veggies, and they are very low cost.     Prepared meals that have the diet plans name plastered all over them are going to cost alot.  That's how they make their money.

Of course there is a lot to be said for price and convenience.   Jenny Craig and Nutrisystems both provide prepared meals and the time cost of preparing them is not factored into their charts.

Weekly Weigh In

Stepping on the scale today I look down to read 225 pounds.

225 seems to be the weight my body is getting used to since I fell off the points wagon a few weeks ago.    I am not sure if I fully got back onto the points wagon, since I am still not keeping track as well as I did.   I will say, that I am maintaining small portions, eating better at breakfast and have cut out most of the fast food/fried food I ate before.   I am not giving up on my goal of losing another 15 pounds, but pleased that I have not shot back up over 225.

My new short term goal is to tear myself away from my Diet Coke habit.  I have no problem going through a 12 pack in a couple days, and that doesn't count the large Diet Cokes I get occasionally when I am having dinner.

My new drink of choice is Sparkling ICE that I purchased from Costco.  I was drinking, and still do, the Fruit2o's that are pure water, but was missing the carbonation.    I am cutting my Diet Coke consumption in half and replacing it with Sparkling ICE.  Eventually I hope to replace 1/2 of the Sparkling ICE with plain old water.

I did find a pretty neat website the other day www.taquitos.net .   Its a snack food review website.    Most of it is not fit for diet consumption, but occasionally I find a new snack that fits my points requirements.   At the least, I can see what the other half are snacking on.

My newest food find has been Pillsbury Singles Buttermilk Biscuits.   They are a 2 pack instead of the traditional tube and make it easy to have a biscuit with eggs in the morning. They are still 200 calories a pop, but at least I don't have 7 other biscuits staring me in the face in the morning.  Funny how they always seem to be available when you have that food craving.    One great thing about the biscuit and egg breakfast, is I have almost elminated any kind of snack in the afternoon.

Back on the slider again.

It all started with a French Fry....or maybe 2.   Ok, it was a whole bunch.

The past few weeks have been a bit of a dieting blur for me.    My last major post was about being obsessed with dieting and I took some of my own advice and stepped away from the diet scene.  And ended up stepping onto a scale a few pounds heavier.  As of today, I weight about 227, which is almost 5 pounds more than I did when I left.    I have not doubt an extra pound or 2 will find its way to me in the next few days.     Yes, I realize some of you are reading it and thinking "5 pounds and he is complaining!" and scoffing at my concern over a measly 5 pound weight gain.    Please understand that I am a competitive sole and hate losing, unless its more weight.    5 pounds is a big deal, when I only lost a total of 20 to begin with.    I don't intend to go back to what I weighed before.

I guess I decided to add those 5 pounds back when I chose to include the french fries with that small McDonald's Hamburger meal.    A 28 point lunch, on a plan where I am only aloud 28 points for the whole day.  But French Fries never tasted so good.   Crisp little warm sticks of salty goodness.   By themselves, they are divine.  But placed on the hamburger, between bun and patty, they elevate a simple dry burger to something meatier.  And obviously with a few more calories.

It continued with various trips to the grocery store for apple turnovers (its a fruit, it should be ok???), a few pieces of cake, and the return of Strawberry Shortcakes at our local Burgerville.  Easter didn't help much either as I enjoy those little chocolate easter eggs.  Oh and I seem to also have forgotten what water was.  My diet coke consumption went through the roof.

So today, I am once again counting the points and avoiding the high fact low traditional foods.   I am back to my 100 Calorie pack with the addition of the new Cheezits Grab bags which are 130 calories a pack.   And I went out and bought a supply of flavored carbonated and un-carbonated water to help me trend back from a 6-pack a day of diet coke.

So for those of you who think your the only one who slips up, your not alone.   The positive side of the whole thing is that I only gained 5 pounds.   I also find that I really don't enjoy eating as much as I used too.   I accomplished my goal of changing my perception of food and my eating lifestyle, I just need to make sure I keep eating things that are nutritionally good too.

So, if you misstepped a bit and gained some back, dust the crumbs off your belly and get back into the game.  What have you got to lose except for the weight?   

Are you obsessed with dieting?

Was listening to Dr. Dean Adell today on the radio and he was talking to a caller about the Eat Right for your Type diet.     Caller wanted to know what he thought, he said "Is that diet still around?"

He made a very interesting comment that he feels that many people who are dieting are obsessive about dieting and dieting programs.  They are always trying to find some new technique or tactic that can help them shed a few more pounds.  His point was that most of the time the extra things they do, only makes a very small difference in their weight loss.    The extra effort or new tactic, even if medically proven, doesn't result in enough weight loss to make it worth it.

He talked about obsession but I see a kind of addiction.    I think people get addicted to being on a diet program.  They participate so long that they feel the only way they can continue to lose the weight is to be part of some program.   They hear about a new diet program and have to try it out because it might be the one.  Or they are so frustrated with the lack of results on their current program that they will try anything.

I have mentioned before that the best way to lose weight is to do the following:

• Eat less calories than you burn through activity
• Burn more calories than you consume during eating.
• Eat your veggies and foods that provide nutrient filled calories instead of empty calories.  Don't eat a donut, pick up an apple.

It really is that simple. Even though I am participating in Weight Watchers, I am following this path.  But American's just won't except that simple of a diet program like that.  Why? Its BORING.  Instead we have to have diets like:

• The South Beach Diet - Because who doesn't want to look like people in Miami.   Thongs optional.
• The Eat Right for your Type Diet - I'm an individual, I should have something that only I can use.   
• The Zone Diet - Food is medicine, not a means of satisfying your hunger or as a way to gain some pleasure.  I guess chocolate is not on that diet.
• Pills like Cortaslim, Relacor and Propolene because they remove the pounds we gain around the mid section that are caused by stress.  Here's a hint.  Stop taking the pills and remove the things in your life that stress you out.
• The LA Weightloss Diet, The Beverly Hills Diet, the Hollywood Diet, because people in LA always look so skinny.   Calista Flockhart, how do you do it?
• The Dr. Phil Diet - because he needed another income stream.
• The Subway Diet - Based on the sandwich shop, not the method of transportation. 
• The Negative Calorie Diet - Eat celery and other zero calorie foods and lose weight.   Can a food really have negative calories?   If I eat enough celery with my chocolate donut, can I eventually be at zero calories? 

And then there are all the diets based on food:

• The Popcorn Diet - The problem is that people couple this with the Watch a Movie exercise program
• The Cabbage Soup Diet -
• The Grapefruit Diet -  I remember this one when I was 15.  I'm 41 and I bet it will get big again when I am 60
• The Raw Food Diet - A current and rising new fad in the restaurant scene.  Cooking food robs nutrients.    Damn those caveman for discovering fire!
• The Peanut Butter Diet - A diet that it is easier to stick to.   

And the list goes on and on.     It isn't hard to see why people end up obsessing over the next big diet trend or fad and want to try something new.    

People! Stop feeding the fuel of this multi-billion dollar a year industry.    When the medical establishment discovers something that really makes sense, I can guarantee you that they will let you know.    None of these diet programs have any proof that they work so don't get your hopes up.      Do some reading and talk to your doctor to see what she thinks.  I bet you that she can provide you with some free dieting advice that will cost you no more than your co-pay.    And that advice comes with all the personal consultations you want and a free blood pressure test.

My suggestion?    Eat less, move more and eat your veggies.    I think I will create a catchy name and sell it for $29.95.   The Less is More diet?  The Askey Diet?  Hmmm...The Well Duh Diet?   I can see the money rolling in now.   Look, there's a dollar!

Weekly Weigh In

Once again I make that joyful Monday morning trip to the scale to see if there is less of me.

This week was my 41st Birthday and I decided that Friday/Saturday and Sunday would be a "Non-Diet" days.   So I enjoyed myself by eating the following:

• 2/3rds of a Celebration Cake I my wife ordered from QVC.   Buttercream frosting and heavenly white cake
• A full order of Kung Pao chicken at PF Changs
• 1/2 a Large Pepporoni and Mushroom Pizza from Piaglacci Pizza in Seattle
• Arby's Number 5 Chicken Sandwich with Bacon and fries
• A #1 from Wendy's with Large Fries
• 2 Blueberry Danishes from Larry's Markets

So as you might think I was very hesitant on stepping on the scale.   I knew that I would most likely gain a few pounds.

The weigh in result.......

223.5 Pounds. That's right, no weight gain.

So I figured I dodged the bullet this week, but also figure that all I did was follow a slightly altered plan similar to the Wendi Plan I talked about earlier.

Will I tempt fate this week?  No way, its back to the points.

Supersize Me no more.

Just watched Supersize me on Showtime.

If you have not seen it, go out and find a copy and watch it.     The creator even admits that his test of eating nothing but McDonalds was extreme, but I was fascinated by his results.   

The movie just reaffirmed that I will make fast food a lesser part of my diet in the future.   

Top Weight Loss Programs Offer No Proof They Work

Found a great article that shows why I chose Weight Watchers:

Top Weight Loss Programs Offer No Proof They Work from Fox News

An excerpt:

A review of 10 of the nation's most popular weight-loss programs found that except for Weight Watchers none of them offer proof that they actually work at helping people shed pounds and keep them off.

Only Weight Watchers had strong documentation that it worked -- with one study showing that participants lost around 5 percent (about 10 pounds) of their initial weight in six months and kept off about half of it two years later.

Breakfast for a non-breakfast eater

One of the things I knew I would have to do with my new diet lifestyle was find a way to choke down breakfast in the morning.    I am not a breakfast eater.    I don't drink milk so cereal just doesn't work for me.    And am not a very active person in the morning (and a grouch if you ask my wife) so pulling out the frying pan and making eggs and bacon isn't an option.   

Here are a couple of things I have found that work for me:

Baker's Breakfast Cookie

I found these at my local Safeway last week and bought one at $1.59 to give it a try.   They have 270 Calorie, 3.5g of fat and 4.5g of fiber.  They calculate out to be a 4pt breakfast on Weight Watchers.

I was quite surprised by how good they were.  I like them much better than the energy bars I was trying to eat.   It is a fairly large cookie and does a good job of holding my hunger back for about 3 hours.   Your mileage may vary.     My wife just started eating them also.

Dannon Low Fat Yogurt Smoothies.

At 90 calories a piece, I find these to be a good quick snack, especially when I am on the road doing my job.     I get the Strawberry Banana.     Make sure you purchase the light variety, otherwise you will double your calorie count.

Lunch Earlier -

This tactic has worked quite well for me.  I have moved my lunch time up to about 11:00am.  I get up at 7:00am now (new baby as an alarm clock) so one of the above and lunch at 11:00 works fine.

Moving lunch does necessitate that I have some kind of snack around 2:00pm.   

Weekly Trip to the Scale

Once again I step on the scale to determine if there is any less of me than there was last week.

The result?

223.5 Pounds.  I wondered if maybe the scale was stuck at that weight, but my previously pregant and now tiny wife showed me othewise.

So the plan for this week?

• Track my eating better.  I think my snacks may be more points than I think
• Cut back on the valentines candy.   I am going to buy more apples.
• Be happy that I didn't gain. :)

Weigh-In Results - Week 7?

I am losing track of the weeks, so I will probably stop trying to figure out what week I am in.

Today I weight in at 223.5 pounds.    For those of you keeping track that's a small gain of .5 pounds.

I am pretty pleased with the results.   I sort of "forgot" to keep track last week of my points intake, so I think I probably ate a few more than I should of.    Valentines day (even with the nice portions my wife made me) created a chocolate fiend out of me.

My solution this week:

• Trader Joes Chocolaty Cat Cookies.   15 Cookies is about 2 points and they satisfy my chocolate craving.
• Smart Ones Chocolate Bar - 1 pt each.    Nice large ice cream bar.

And I move the candy sack somewhere other than next to my chair. :)

Oh and my wife asked me to stop losing weight.  She says I have lost enough.  I love her, but I am still going to shoot for another 20lbs.

On a your diet, Size Matters.

I don't know about you, but one of the hardest things to come to grips with on a new diet is that you eat less food.      Diets are all about portion control and most of us have never heard those two words together in a sentence.   If you don't learn to control the portions, you will never be able to control the weight.   Nutrisystems and Jenny Craig use portion control as one of the main ingredients of their weight loss plans. 

One of the things that has helped me is the current craze for smaller sized versions of normal food.   There seems to be a plethora of smaller sized versions of the foods we love. 

Take Goldfish for example.   These are a favorite snack to munch on.  Salty and fun to eat.  I recently discovered that they have a Mini-Goldfish version.  What is great about these is that I get almost 81 of these small goldfish for about 2 pts.   For regular size goldfish I would only get about 18.

81 Goldfish!  My brain immediately thinks "Wow, how is he going to eat 81 goldfish"

Now on the other side are the energy bars like Pria.    Every time I look at them and calculate out the points, I just can't think of eating something that is so small with so many calories.

You see, when choose what you eat, it is important to think about how your brain is going to look at it.    The larger the portion, the less likely your brain will rebel and think you are not eating enough.   Your brain is hardwired to recognize anytime it thinks you might be starving to start packing on the pounds just in case.   While I have no scientific proof, I think you scare your brain when you start putting less on the plate and it works to convince you that you need to eat more.  I really think dieting is about controlling what your brain thinks about how you are eating.

Here are some suggestion and tips how to "Mini-Size" your portions:

• When making cookies or cupcakes make smaller sized versions.  My daughter just made me cupcakes for my birthday.   She made them in a mini muffin tin so each cupcake calculated out to 2pts a piece, instead of the 5pts.    I can pop 2 in my mouth as a desert, I save a point I would have otherwise spent and my brain thinks I just had 2 cupcakes.
• Chocolate fanatic?  I find that regular old M&M's satisfy my chocolate fix better than anything else.    I get about 15 M&Ms for 2.5 pts.  If you eat them one at time they satisfy the craving.    Can you imagine how many pts I was eating when I used to fill a bowl full of these and have them on my desk?  *shudder*
• Use the "Bunches" Theory. (my own wacky theory I just made up, so read at your own risk) Try to eat foods that provide the same amount of calories but do it with multiple items of that food.  Grapes, beans, corn, are examples of this.    I also tend to cut up my chicken or steak into pieces before I eat because I can make a 4oz portion of steak look bigger if it is cut up on the plate.
• Choose your foods wisely.     When I was looking for a good tortilla chip to use with Salsa, I found that the best portion bang for my calorie buck was Doritos corn tortilla.  I get about 14 chips for 3pts.   When calculating out the Light Lays tortillas I only got 7 chips for 2pts.      I went with more chips so I would always feel like there was enough to eat.
• Eat Slowly.    Even though you have more items, it pays to eat them slowly.  The slower you eat, the easier it will be for your brain to decide it is full before you eat that portion

A Weight Watchers Valentines Day

The love of my life (my wife just so everyone is clear) did a wonderful thing for Valentines day.     I received from her a bag of the following candy for Valentines Day:

M&Ms
Red Licorice
Red Hot Candies
Lemon Head Candies
Mini Peanut Butter Cups
Low Carb Twix Bars
Mini Rolo Candies

Now I know some of you are saying "Wow..that was mean thing to do.  You are on a diet!".   Well don't get mad at her because she made it "diet ready".   

What made it special is she and my daughter took the time to separate all that candying into 1, 2 and 3 pt portions in little bags for me. So I now have some wonderful candy snacks already portioned out for me to eat when I have that candy craving or sugar craving.    She spent an hour and a half behind closed doors measuring out all the portions.  I have enough baggies to last me the next 5 months.   

Love is a wife who makes sure you can still enjoy Valentines Day on a diet.   

Weigh In Week 6

I Lost a Half a Pound!  WOOHOO

Why am I excited?   Well last week was a personal stress week.  My 2 month old came down with RSV and was in the hospital for a couple of days.  During the hospital stay I had:

Hamburger and Onion Rings
2 Small Hamburgers and French Fries - Large
Turkey Sandwich - with about a pound of meat and potato salad
2 Chocolate Chip Cookies with Walnuts
A crossaint sanwich with ham and cream cheese.

None of which would be classified as "Low Points".      It is amazing how completely unhealthy the food is around a hospital.

So I still lost a half of a pound, so I am pretty happy.

Funny thing is, the day after I ate the fries and onion rings, I felt like crap.  So I guess my body is telling me it is not ready to go back to that kind of diet.

The #1 Reason People Fail at Dieting

I have spent the last few weeks reading the message boards at Weight Watchers and I think I know why some people fail at dieting.

They don't take responsibility for their actions, the fact that they got themselves into their weight problem or that they are the only ones that will get them out of it.    They look to programs like Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig or Nutrisystems to solve the problem for them.    These programs are not the solution!   They are simple a tool to help you find your own solution.    They shouldn't be a crutch, but a helping hand to get you on the way to better eating.

And the amount of people that get mad at their spouses regarding their diet is amazing.  I read far too many posts that ask "How do I keep my roommate, spouse, significant other to stop sabotage my diet efforts?"     My answer:  Understand that it's you working the sabotage not them.  They don't force you to eat anything.     I am amazed at how many people are mad that their wife/husband cooks a batch of cookies and that "forces" the dieter to eat them.  What happened to self control?

And it is really a bad thing when your spouse loves you the way you are and doesn't understand why you think you need to lose weight?   I call that true love.   

I have always believed that I am responsible for what happens in my life so taking responsibility for my eating habits was an easy thing to do.   My wife recently baked a batch of cookies for valentines day and left them sitting out on the counter.    Was there temptation?  You bet.   In fact, I decided to have one and figure a way to fit it into my eating plan for the day. (The cookie wasn't that good.  Sorry sweetie)  Did I accuse her of trying to kill my diet?   No, because all she was doing was making a treat for her and my daughter.    Why should my diet plans dictate what she should be eating?

There was a post about a petition that wanted to force restaurants to provide nutritional information.    Someone wanted governmental regulations because restaurants were not doing it on their own.    This is another case of people wanting someone else to take responsibility for their well being.   I am a big supporter of restaurants that provide nutritional information, but I don't think they should be forced to do it.  In fact, restaurants that don't provide an easy way for me to find this information don't get my continued business.    I vote with my pocketbook.

So my point?   If you want to succeed at your diet, then take responsibility.   Understand that it is your fault that you got into this mess and only you will be able to get yourself out of it.  Stop blaming McDonald's, restaurants that won't give you nutritional information, and your boyfriend who keeps making garlic bread for dinner.  They are not the problem.   

The quicker that people come to this conclusion the easier it will be for them to accomplish their diet goals.

Weigh in week 5

Drum roll............

I lost 4.5 pounds in the last week!   Compared to the previous week where my scale refused to show any actual weight loss, this is a pretty major step.    That is a total of 20 pounds in the last 5 weeks!

So I was very excited about this and happily inputted my weight loss into my Weight Watchers tracking chart.     And what did I see?      A caution from Weight Watchers that I was losing too much weight, too fast and that with my new weight, I had fewer points to spend each day.   Their suggestion was to eat more.    

So this week I am going to maintain the same 28 point limit I had for the last few weeks so I don't lose too much weight too fast.

I was pretty impressed by Weight Watchers that they cautioned me on losing weight too fast.  I just wish they could have given me a few more moments of celebration before slapping my hands.

What would you pick from a Snack Machine

For those of us who live in office buildings with snack machines (or are too lazy to pack our own snacks) we find ourselves looking at the machine as a source of food in the 2pm to 3pm hour.    Ever wonder what the best choice is amongst the sugar and fat laden selections?   Well iVillage has an article that can help you decide titled What Should you Pick from a  Snack Machine.

The article provides examples of a number of vending machines and shows the best and worst picks on each.   The article also shows the best options for when you crave sugar, salt and when you need to make a meal of what is provided. 

Here is one point from that article that I found interesting:

When you crave salt: The 2% milk. Milk contains sodium, and among the milk choices offered, the 2% is the one lowest in saturated fat, cholesterol and calories

Who knew you could curb your salt craving with milk? 

So if you are currently on a diet and visiting the snack machine, the article should provide you some direction to help you make the correct choices.

Top 10 Worst Snack Foods

MSN has an articled titled The 10 Worst Snack Foods.

Most of them were not very surprising but one did catch my eye, pretzels.    While they provide a better option than potato chips, you shouldn't really use them as your primary snack food.   They do a good job of satisfying that salt craving though.

My favorite snack food to date?  Nabisco 100 Calorie Packs and Quakers Baked Chili Cheese Potato sticks.    Oh and an apple.

Weight Watchers: Weight Loss That Lasts

For anyone out there who really wants to do something more than diet, I recommend that you pick up Weight Watchers Weight Loss That Lasts.

It is a great book that cuts through all the hype and advertising we see on TV today about dieting.  It provides some great information on why you should work towards a healthier lifestyle, instead of just dieting to shed those few pounds.

Discover how common myths may be holding you back from your weight-loss goals:

• MYTH #1 You can't lose weight and keep it off
• MYTH #2 A few extra pounds don't matter
• MYTH #3 Willpower is the key to successful weight loss
• MYTH #4 You can lose weight with exercise alone
• MYTH #5 Calories don't matter-avoid fats or carbs to lose weight successfully
• MYTH #6 You can't lose weight if you have the wrong metabolism or genes
• MYTH #7 You can boost your metabolism by what, how, and when you eat
• MYTH #8 It doesn't matter how you take the weight off; you can think about keeping it off later
• MYTH #9 There is only one right approach to losing weight
• MYTH #10 Your weight is your problem and you need to solve it on your own

A great book.  I just picked it up the other day and highly recommend it.   Pick it up here.