I have committed to two behaviors that will gain me control over my weight. They will work throughout my lifetime, but I will have to keep doing them. (1) Monitor your food intake and (2) weight yourself. These are mechanistic – they work, but you have to have your head right, or else you will not keep doing them. My flawed past understanding of this fact resulted in previous failed diets. I wanted to lose weight but not have to change anything about myself. It’s really the other way around. Losing weight, especially the 120 pounds I am losing, takes a complete mental revolution. The body follows the mind.
My food intake and calorie count
Breakfast – leftover 2 x chicken fajitas with creamy peppers and onions (170); pretzels and hummus (150)
- 490 calories
Lunch – Half slice Costco pizza (380); chicken wrap with hummus, lettuce and tomato (200)
- 580 calories
Dinner – Spanish tortilla (500); mayonnaise (100); steamed vegetables (50)
- 650 calories
Snacking – tea with half and half (80); ddd (00)
- 80 calories
Total for the day: 1800 calories (limit 1800)
Building anticipation leads to fulfillment
I had never heard of Spanish Tortilla until a few years ago, but now it is one of my favorite meals. My recipe is slightly different from what they make in Spain, but still fabulous. It’s a mixture of eggs, potatoes, and onion cooked together in olive oil – no spices apart from salt and pepper, and no other ingredients. It’s simple to prepare, but does require an oven so I don’t make it much during high summer. But I made it today. Because of all the olive oil (a half cup, or 1000 calories), the entire dish is 2000 calories. I usually cut it into 12 wedges of about 165 calories each. Mayonnaise is wonderful with it (100 calories for a tablespoon – I don’t eat light mayonnaise). The recipe will be posted on another page soon.
I made sure I was very hungry for this meal, since I like it so much. I didn’t eat until nearly 6PM, which is late for my stomach’s clock. It was totally worth the wait. And now I have the leftovers in the refrigerator ready for breakfast the next few days. It’s great, I get to enjoy it all over again, thanks the same insight – it will be at its best if I am truly hungry and famished when I sit down. Looking forward to a meal you know you are going to enjoy, and then preparing by getting hungry (I try to avoid snacking or appetizers just for this reason), and then eating it and having it be every bit as good as you were hoping – wonderful. Fulfilling and comforting. It’s a nice way to live.
I am starting to think more about what will happen when I get to a weight I want to maintain. How will I go from 1800 calories daily to 2800, and still maintain the sense of hunger and fulfillment I have now? It’s a really intense experience to live this way, I feel like time is moving slowly this year since I am paying so much attention. But I think part of the answer is going to be: liquid. I have avoided having a glass of milk, or apple cider, or many other drinks, for months. I just can’t afford them and still feel satisfied with the restricted calories I am eating.
A hint of the rest of the answer might be found in reading Mark Twain. He said that his favorite was to eat a meal and a half for day – a roll and coffee for breakfast, then nothing until dinner. Looking through my weight control lens, this is a great strategy. He admits his dinner was really big, and he found the food very enjoyable. I think he was waiting until he was hungry, then matching that hunger to his dinner. On the other hand, it sounds like he was eating until stuffed, which I am avoiding. I will keep thinking about it. I feel like the answer is in there.
-The Doctor