Getting your body’s weight control (especially when you have never lost weight before) takes a lot of attention. Keeping your weight under control (once you are at a weight you like) takes a lot of attention, too. It is like a hobby that you feel really strongly about and are very interested in. There are people out there who can pay that kind of attention using willpower. I am not one of those people. To lose weight, I had to adopt a new set of values. It doesn’t mean I give up eating the foods I like, though.
My food intake and calorie count
Breakfast – 2x Spanish tortilla (166) wraps (110) with 1tsp mayonnaise (30)
- 470 calories
Lunch – 2x bratwurst (280); 2x wraps (25); horseradish sauce (10)
- 620 calories
Dinner – panko chicken piece (250); 5oz cooked rice (160); 1/4C lima beans (50)
- 460 calories
Snacking – tea with half and half (80); Snickers ice cream bar (180)
- 260 calories
Total for the day: 1810 calories (limit 1800 + 500 bonus from swimming, total 2300)
Back to normal, all messed up
When things are going well, I never know before I step on the scale whether I have lost any weight that week. I am always surprised. You would think I would know by now. But there is a danger in assuming your system of weight loss will produce results. You might get sloppy or careless. Worse, you might get overconfident. You might think you have have this weight problem figured out and you are in control! I do think of this as a weight control system. That may be overstating things.
Control may be an illusion. But some things are real. Hunger is real. I know when I am hungry. If I have my life balanced so that I am hungry for everything I eat, that makes for a lifestyle I enjoy. I wouldn’t want to be hungry all the time – just when it’s time to eat. Today, I achieved at least that much. Mealtimes were 8AM, 12PM, and 5.30PM. That is fairly standard for me. I did swim today, which gave me a very good appetite for dinner. I had enough calories left over to have dessert right after dinner, and I have not eaten since then. Today felt like a good day. But I don’t know what will happen when I get on the scale Saturday.
Maybe the uncertainty keeps me sharp and focused.
-The Doctor