Location: Home of the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins
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Trish, I believe unless you are weighing and measuring every morsel, you are going to have some differences in the number of calories/points, especially if you are doing your cooking at home. I could never understand how WW calculates their points values, and I don't think they want you to. Just do whatever works for you. Don't feel that you have to eat more to satisfy a number of calories or points. If you feel you have had enough, then you've had enough. But then, I am no one to be talking, since I am doing something that is apparently not working. I am in maintenance and have been for a very long time. I need to switch to weight loss mode.
Carol Sue I agree wholeheartedly. I am in the same boat. I have only been maintaining for a long time. I know that if I want things to change then I can't keep doing the same old thing or I will stay right where I am or God forbid get out of control and start gaining again. I think I had to try WW one more time to see that it is not for me.
I have my plan made and printed out from MFP for today eating what I like and amazingly only 1391 calories eating 3 meals and a snack. My FBS was 144 this morning when I got up at my regular time and my weight was 213.4 lbs. almost back down to ticker. Sodium is a little higher than the 2300 mg for today, but hopefully drinking water will take care of that. I actually feel more in control counting calories this morning. I will start back to using the bike tomorrow. I just haven't been able to do that and will shoot for 20 min of exercise 5 days a week or either the bike or walking (still figure the time I spend in a grocery store as walking exercise). Sometimes I spend as much as an hour walking around in a store. I usually count 30 to 45 min because of stopping to read labels, but it is moving and I read that is what we need to be doing. Doc wants me walking and that is the best I can do with that.
Well, I haven't eat breakfast yet. I really enjoying a leaner taquito type breakfast at home which costs me a few less calories than what I get at Whataburger 2 days a week. I make mine with low carb veggies. bacon, and eggbeaters on a Low carb tortilla plus I can control the cheese amount so I can have cheese on it.
fatmad I was wondering if you and DH are on your trip? I hope Jose doesn't spoil it for you. I couldn't remember if it was this weekend or during the week.
Location: Home of the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins
Posts: 12,404
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Trish, I looked at the Taquito on the Wataburger site and they look good. They are similar to the McDonald's breakfast burrito, but I think they are bigger. I used to get them, but the carbs are still high in them with the tortilla. It would be much better with a low carb tortilla. I buy low carb tortillias sometimes, but I don't eat them fast enough and I end up throwing some away.
This morning I ate the egg and sausage from a Sausage and Egg Biscuit I had leftover from yesterday. Then DH made some french fries for his lunch and I cut some of them up and cooked them in my scrambled eggs, so that was lunch.
I think DH is going to want pizza for dinner. I hope I can talk him into getting take out so I can just make a salad for myself at home. I don't want to buy a restaurant salad when I have fresh lettuce and fixin's here at home. He is watching the football game right now so he will be thinking about dinner when the game is over. He does not eat during the game like most guys do.
My leg pain level continues to be good. Yesterday my back hurt for some reason. I guess my pain is moving around. I needed Motrin for that, but the pain is milder today. I stood under the hot shower for a while this morning so I think that helped.
I too like to count my walking in stores. We usually go to Walmart during the day when it's not as busy. I know where everything is so I just push my cart really fast from one place to another to get my brisk walking in. I very rarely stop to read labels because I buy the same things all the time. DH just waits for me up front because he is also starting to have trouble walking around like he used to. I tell him to take a cart as it makes it easier, but he doesn't like to push a cart. It's a guy thing, I think. LOL
I've had a good day so far. I've eaten what I want when I wanted and I am keeping the cals between 1300 - 1400. Early this morning I planned my food plan for today, but after eating our main meal, I realize that I am totally satisfied so I'm not eating the dinner I had planned to eat. I do have a snack planned if I decide I want or need it. I'm counting calories, but kind of using the IE with it.
I've decided if I'm not hungry, I'm not going to eat. I've decided that I'm not going to follow other peoples rules. I'm going to try to learn to listen to my body when it comes to how, what and when to eat. I remember that book I have about what other people did to succeed for years of maintaining. Some followed no rules at all or followed what worked for them some used diets and some did not. I do have to take at least 2 berberine pills a day minimum and I need to eat when I take them. I'm taking 3 right now, but I'm not going to worry about the 3rd one if I decide to have just 2 meals some days.
Carol Sue I had to laugh when you said your DH waits up front for you. DH will walk around, but he hangs around toward the front waiting for me too. I can't tell you how many times I've turned to ask him if he needed or wanted something and he is no where to be found. It is irritating when I need to ask him a question.
I'm glad your leg pain is still gone. My back hurts me a lot lately but I think my back pain would improve if I would lose some weight especially belly fat.
BTW DH has lost weight. He still has his belly but he is doing great on his weight and his FBS is down in the 130s. That is good for him.
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Trish, I'm glad to hear DH is losing weight and also improving his FGB.
My DH usually heads for the automotive section at Walmart. That's when I tell him to take a cart, because if he wants something heavy, he will call me on my cell phone and tell me to bring the cart over. We use our cell phone to locate each other but I know he is always either in automotive or the candy aisle. LOL Before cell phone we used walkie-talkies.
I agree that it's best to just listen to your own body and don't pay attention to what others do or say. That's for them, this is for you. It's OK to pay attention to what others are doing if your plan is not working for you. Then you get ideas of what to try. That's just my opinion. I think we both are at the point that we know what's healthy and what's not.
I think it's a good idea to find someone who's succeeding and follow what they do if possible. My friend has succeeded, but I think she's eating in the 800-900 calorie range, and I'm not sure that's healthy for me to try to go that low every day.
There is a woman on another forum who did that same thing. She was considering having WLS, but then decided that instead of having the surgery, she would just eat as if she did. She eats 800-900 calories a day and takes vitamins. She lost over 100 lbs. I admire her so much, but don't know if I could do that consistantly and if it's healthy. Just how badly do I want this? Then I start thinking, "maybe low calorie really is the only way!"
Carol Sue I was reading on MFP community and read a conversation where someone asked the question "Can you really lose weight eating whatever you want eating calories even if it isn't always healthy foods?" That's not the exact words, but what she asked. I was amazed at the answer.
I found the answers interesting. They said very few people eat "clean" or "healthy" all the time. Also what some people call "clean/healthy" is different from what someone else think is clean/healthy eating. They mentioned people who eat only meat, or veggies etc. They seemed to have the idea that if you eat within your allowed calories and allow yourself a treat within those calories each day, or once a week or whatever, you will still lose weight. I think it goes back to the idea of I've heard people say that they eat 80 or 90% healthy and 10 or 20% treats. Even in IE the authors of that book said allow 10 or 20 % Play foods.
Perhaps this is where I get messed up. I was raised by perfectionists who expected me to be perfect although when I got grown I learned they were far from perfect. I think that was how our parents were raised so they did the same with us. Perhaps if we learned to relax and eat the foods we really enjoy and not expect perfection from ourselves. As someone said on that discussion no one follows their diet 100%. So I wonder, why do I expect myself to be 100%. Besides I was on a diet one time that said to "Plan for your off meal". That makes sense to me.
Today I am meeting DD and DS for breakfast at Whataburger. I plan to have a Breakfast on a Bun 370 calories (I think it was) and 2 c coffee with creamer which will be 60 calories. It is a planned meal. (This one of the things I love about counting calories using MFP. They have all this info on their site.) DH and I are going to get our car inspected and shopping at Sam's and Walmart. He wants to eat at Freddie's. I will get a burger and eat only 1/3 of the fries and drink water or a diet drink. The total calories for those 2 meals will be less than 1000 calories. I can come home and either not eat anything else or eat a little something later to bring the calories to 1000. Either way, they are planned meals within the calorie range I want to eat. Although not the best choice for eating out, but it is still OP and I don't have the stress of "guilt". Plus my exercise today will be a lot so I will work some of it off.
My FBG was 124 this morning. I've done my 2 mile 20 minutes on the bike. I will be walking a lot since we are going to Sam's and Walmart plus I have some housecleaning I want to get done today when I get back from brunch with DD and DS and before DH and I go out.
I'm beginning to think maybe 900 to 1000 calories isn't bad. Besides I think 1200 wouldn't be a bad number as long as I'm eating fairly healthy at least 80 to 85% of the time. We will get this girl.
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Trish, I agree that you can lose weight eating food that is not necessarily healthy, and to go further, I think you can lose weight eating nothing but junk food, as long as you stay within your calories. The problem with that is, you are not getting the nutrients. It wouldn't hurt you short term, but I don't know what it would do long term. Actually, DH just eats what he feels like eating and has no knowledge of nutrition at all. He eats so much sugar in his coffee and cereal, and cakes and cookies every day. He is happy to eat just a big plate of french fries for dinner. He has never had a weight problem. Who knows how healthy he is. He's had a heart attack and a couple stents. Never went back for his check ups. He's lived to 74 so far. Some people don't live that long. He said he's not going to stop eating the food he enjoys, live a life of eating "straw and cardboard" as he calls it, just so he can live a few extra years. He grew up this way. He and his brothers went off to school with a breakfast of donuts and coffee. That's what they wanted, and that's what their mother gave them. They got a hot cooked meal for dinner, but there was always endless cakes and cookies in their house and they ate as much of it as they wanted.
I don't know what % I eat healthy vs unhealthy. I know that my tastes have changed dramatically in the past few years. There's so many things that I used to like that just don't taste good to me anymore. One of my favorite meals to eat out used to be Country Fried Steak. There were 2 restaurants in our area that had it and I used to order it all the time. It just doesn't taste good to me anymore. I no longer like any sauces or gravy on my meat and I don't like anything greasy. All I get from it is indigestion. There is hardly anything on menus that interest me anymore, and that's probably why I'm always ordering salads. But apparently I'm eating more than my body burns, because I'm not losing weight. I don't know if I'm healthier for it or not, but I just feel better.
I agree that the good thing about counting calories is that if you go over on one meal, you can make it up on the next, and the total adds up in the end. I think eating something that appeals to you is important, even if you're trying to lose weight.
Carol Sue I agree that a person probably could lose weight eating junk food all the time, but I honestly believe it would not be good for their health in the long run. I'm not sure what % of junk food I eat, but I do try to eat a greater % of healthier foods more fruits, veggies carbs than junk carbs. I have read that regardless of whether you do eat low carb or low fat, you still have to cut calories to lose weight and be healthy.
I too find that there are some foods that I used to love, but care nothing about today. I'm not sure why but it seems that our tastes change over the years. I heard somewhere that it is because some of the taste buds become less sensitive. Not sure if that is true.
I enjoyed a bowl of banana and grapefruit with a cup of coffee this morning. I couldn't have the grapefruit when I took Metformin and I since I don't take it any more and I learned that I can have it with Lisinopril with no problem, I am adding it back into my list of foods I can eat. I am still going to keep the fruit at no more than 3 servings a day. I may not have to any more, but I don't need more than that as I think eating more just might be what caused my potty issues. Right now everything is working as it should be so don't want to change it.
I eat loads of veggies most days and just not too sure I need 3 meals a day any more. I had real eggs this morning and DH wants Long John Silver's for dinner and I will have just over 1000 calories with those 2 meals. So will see.
FBS was 127 and weight back down to 213.4. Bouncing but that usually means a new low is on the way for me.
Got to run. DH is ready to walk out the door. Got to do DD meds today.
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Trish, I bookmarked that article you posted. I think I read it somewhere else recently, and maybe someone else posted it on another forum and I saw it there, or I might have googled it. I've been doing a lot of research lately.
I have a book on my Kindle called The Starvation Method of Treating Diabetes, or something similar. It was written in 1914, I think. I think they are talking about type 1, back before insulin was developed for injection. The person was hospitalized and put on a starvation diet (fasting, is what we call it today) for anywhere from 2-4 days until their urine no longer showed any sugar. Then they were give very very small amounts of certain foods, around 150 calories, which was gradually increased daily. The were given vegetables cooked 3 times, changing the water in between. It said that the starch from the vegetables leeched out into the water. Eventually their food was increased to normal amounts, up to 2000 calories per day, but still very little carb. It was very interesting to read, because this sounds to me like Dr Fung's protocol of fasting for several days to lower blood sugar and insulin levels in the body. The patient had to continue to check their urine for signs of sugar, and if it increased, they had to go back to the starvation again.
Also, my friend who I said I believe is eating very low calorie lowered her A1c back to normal by doing it. She also lowered her carbs to around 50-60 per day, but since she eats mostly carbs and not much protein, her total calories were greatly reduced. For some reason, I just don't think it's healthy to eat that low calorie continuously. Maybe that just comes from what we've heard all our lives....I don't know.
I like grapefruit but people on statins are not supposed to have "large quantities of grapefruit or grapefruit juice." I only eat a couple segments once in a while so I think I'm OK. I make my own rules. LOL
My biggest problem right now is still those pretzels. LOL I sure hope I get sick of them soon, and they become one of those things I just don't like anymore.
By the way, I just checked Amazon, and that book is available free for Kindle if you're interested.
Last edited by Wannabehealthy; 09-19-2017 at 03:28 PM.
Weight was up 1.4 lbs, but no surprise since we had Long John Silvers meal yesterday. I'm just thankful it wasn't higher. FBS up a little but still in 130s No surprise there at all.
Today is DS birthday. She doesn't like to celebrate it since Mama passed away 25 yrs ago on this day however DD wanted to go out and pay for her BD breakfast. He wanted to go to Carl Jr.'s for a change but when I looked up the menu and nutrition to see what I could afford caloriewise I found that their food is loaded with sodium as well as calores. I cald DS and told her and we talked DD into going to Whataburger instead since their food has a lot less sodium than Carl Jr. I ordered the breakfast platter and took 1/3 of the eggs and put it on the plain biscuit with sausage. I have to go over to MFP and see if I can figure out the calories. They were ordering for me while I went to potty and it was easier for them to order for me.
Home for the day and no plans the rest of today or tomorrow. I plan to do some house cleaning during this time and take time "for me". Didn't have time to exercise on bike, but did do some fast walking at the grocery store on the way home.
Carol Sue Thanks for info on the book. I am thinking about cutting my carbs back. I remember reading that you can lose weight on Low Carb faster than on WW or calorie counting for about a year, but then you need to switch to WW or calorie counting after the year because the weight loss slows down. I also read in another book that even if you low carb that you still need to count calories.
This makes me wonder if I should cut my carbs and calories back for one year and then either continue losing that way until I get down to goal and then add just enough carbs to maintain. I really believe this is the way Atkins was supposed to be done; however, people just get so scared they make the choice whether good or bad to stay on Induction. I'm not really sure that is the best way. If I could learn to do it the way Atkins really planned for it to be done and use real food, I would be better off. I say "real food" because I cannot handle the sugar alcohols. Probably the way I eat now with low fat foods, I probably could follow South Beach after all it does allow room for my favorite foods. I need to think about that.
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Remember Trish, any diet will work. And I no longer think you have to stick to just one. I am starting to think that you body can get used to one way you are eating and if you switch to something else you shake it up a bit. The important thing is to keep trying. I can't say I do Atkins low carb. Some days I do, but others I don't. Atkins intended for you to add carbs 5 gm at a time until you reached your critical carb level, the level at which you can continue to lose. Everyone is different. I can't eat high fat. My fat count comes out pretty high to begin with, but I no longer like fatty foods like bacon or sausage, and other than butter, I don't add fat to my food. I really don't think you have to. I'm going to cut back on butter on my veggies and for sauteing. I can do a water saute. I think the fat is supposed to keep you satiated, so if you are satisfied without the fat, why add it? I no longer eat the bread or rolls that are put on the table in restaurants, and I no longer eat a bun with a hamburger, but I still like a bun with the hot dogs I eat occasionally. I eat cooked carrots because I like them, even though they are a starchy vegetable. Dr Furman said the nutrition in carrots far outweighs the carb count. I did not get fat from eating carrots.
There are some people on the Low Carb board who eat zero carb. But I notice that most of them have stalled at a weight higher than their goal weight. The ones who continue to lose to goal include some vegetables with their meals, even if it's just salad. They say that with very little carb, your appetite decreases, so you are naturally eating lower calorie without hunger. I am very rarely hungry. The only time I feel hungry is when we are out and about for a very long time, then I start to get hungry.
My legs hurt again last night so I took Tylenol Arthritis around 4 AM. I have been needing it every few days, so that's not too bad. It's not exactly leg cramps I'm getting, but muscle aches. If it continues, I will mention it when I see the doctor.
Carol Sue My problem is that I don't like all that fat either. I do like eating protein, but not the fat. Example. I had to get some drinks for DH and me on my way home today. I want some pork chops in the next few days and I like the bone in, but they usually have a lot of fat so I got the boneless lean cut. I will cook it in the air-fryer. I think I would do better on a low fat semi-low carb diet and do it IE/IF. I still like the way I feel when I eat within a 5 to 8 hr window.
I've eaten too many carbs the last few days. I don't limit my carbs, but I do not like the way it makes me feel. I feel absolutely stuffed. I think that needs to be key for me. There is no food I cannot have eating low calorie. I am finding that there are a lot of foods I chose to eat over the years that I'm not sure I like as much as it was just what I could have on certain "diet" plans. Suddenly I realize that while I don't really dislike them, I find I don't necessarily care for them all that much either. So I am going to decide what I want to eat according to how it makes me feel when I eat it. I just think I need to come at this from a different angle.
I'm going to look up the kindle book you told me about to see if I think it will help me or not.
Location: Home of the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins
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Trish, I like bone in pork chops better too. Most meat tastes better with the bone. But DH likes boneless loin chops so I buy what he will eat.
The Kindle book is really about fasting for long periods, so I doubt it will actually help you, but it's interesting to read because it's from 1914, but the procedure is so similar to the fasting protocol recommended by Dr Fung. It could even be where he got his information, although back then they called it starvation rather than fasting. I believe it really does help, but it's hard to do, especially when those around you are eating.
