The daily report is all about my daily commitment to a weight loss lifestyle. I’ve constructed the lifestyle carefully so I enjoy it. That’s so that it doesn’t take a lot of willpower to keep it going – it provides its own motivation. That works through the power of paying attention. I pay attention to what would keep me satisfied and happy, while eating less, and try to do it. For some reason, that works. I think of it as an ongoing negotiation between myself….and another part of myself.
My food intake and calorie count
Breakfast – skipped (00)
- 0 calories
Lunch – rice (200); Italian hot sausage (245)
- 445 calories
Dinner – 8 ounces chili (320); 1 ounce chips (120); 2T sour cream (60); Snickers ice cream bar (180); candy (250)
- 930 calories
Snacking – tea with half and half (80); pretzels and cheese (200)
- 280 calories
Total for the day: 1655 calories (limit 1800)
Eating patterns
Usually I stick to three meals: breakfast 8-9AM, lunch 11.30 and dinner 5.30. If I plan them all out ahead of time and have the foods I want to eat ready to go, that keeps me satisfied between meals. Through experience, I have found I can’t be late for those times – I will overeat if that happens.
I am teaching myself to think like a person who can stay thin. That means I pay attention to how much I have been eating. Thin people stay thin because they work hard at it. They keep track of how much they eat and they keep track of how their bodies are responding by weighing themselves. I am discovering that, for people who stay thin, how food tastes is less important than for those of us who are overweight. They still notice if the food is tasty – but it’s not necessarily what they look for in a food. I have met several thin (older) people who eat rather bland and monotonous diets – but wow, do they stay thin into old age.
It seems like – at this point – the bland & monotonous approach works well for someone who doesn’t want to spend a lot of time, effort, money, and attention on food. What I am doing does take a lot of time and effort. I made chili today – it took 3 hours from preparation through cooking. Tomorrow, I am making an apple pie. That will take a while too. I am also planning to make an Indian cauliflower dish this week. There will be the last of this year’s grilling – my community grill shuts down after Labor Day. And that’s just this week! Not to mention all the incidental meals I will prepare. Someone who is having the same thing every day has a much easier job. At this point in my life, the effort is worth it.
-The Doctor