I skipped posting yesterday. Altogether it was not a great day in many ways.
However in terms of food, it was great. I had 1420 calories, which is well within the range I need to lose weight, assuming I have enough days like that. I was so busy yesterday that I didn’t have time to have more than a bite for lunch. I made up for it later, though.
Today was a better day. Food-wise, it wasn’t quite as low calorie as yesterday. However, part of the lifestyle (that has been so successful in terms of losing weight) is to only eat foods you really like. This was one of those days. Each meal was better than the last.
My food intake and calorie count
Breakfast – 8oz rice (250); leftover chicken stir-fry with snow peas (100);
- 350 calories
Lunch – 4oz noodles (200); 6.5oz Carbonnade of beef (350)
- 550 calories
Dinner – 8.5oz tenderloin steak (500); Indian cauliflower with potatoes (gobi aloo) (200);
- 700 calories
Snacking – no today (00)
- 0 calories
Total for the day: 1600 calories (limit 1700)
Each better than the last
If you want to live a lifestyle where you are in control of your body, you must find a system that works. That means finding food that you are willing to wait for. It must be worth the wait. I’ve had a lot of success, losing over 100 pounds, by sticking to mealtimes and eating measured portions of foods that I really like. That comes with a How and a Why.
How do I lose 100 pounds? I developed a set of behaviors that put me in control of my body. In the past, I was using food for reasons other than fuel – for example, emotional reasons. Using food as an emotional release is kind of an expedience trap. It becomes the easy way out, a cheap way to feel better. Once you are in that trap, you will start using food more and more for those purposes, and gain weight at every meal.
Why do I do it? There’s another problem with dieting. People (such as myself) try to imitate the behavior of thin people: try eating less in various ways. But none of those behaviors work for us, because we are just changing behavior, not the person underneath. The person you are has developed a mindset that allows overeating and weight gain. Just forcing yourself to behave differently only lasts as long as your willpower. You need to adopt a new set of values to live by. You have to basically become a new person who thinks differently than the old one.
The new person believes strongly in controlling their body’s weight, more than anything else. That’s the kind of dedication it takes. It doesn’t make you a good person, or a deep thinker. But it does mean that your priorities are focused on your body and controlling your body, and your life.
Hunger becomes your friend because it enhances your eating experience. Food becomes a reward instead of a therapy. Think about becoming a new person.
-The Doctor