Every day, my task is the same. Since January, 2019 and for the foreseeable future, I am paying attention to how much I am eating and writing it all down in my food journal (which is an online spreadsheet). To do this I am not directly using my willpower, which wouldn’t work. I am inventing a new lifestyle built around some new values, and living those out. In consequence, my body’s weight is coming under control. It’s what I value now.
My food intake and calorie count
Breakfast – 2x barbecue chicken sliders (150); small piece of cold pizza (50)
- 350 calories
Lunch – 10oz macaroni cheese (475); mandarin oranges (75)
- 550 calories
Dinner – 13.5 ounces vegetable curry (350); 5oz cooked rice (160)
- 510 calories
Snacking – tea with half and half (80); tasting food while cooking (estimated 100); 3x Sarris chocolate pretzels (70)
- 390 calories
Total for the day: 1800 calories (limit 1800)
The price of success
I spent two hours today making a double batch of the vegetable curry. There was the cooking, but there was a lot of preparation – there always is for vegetarian food. I usually find meat satisfying while running a calorie deficit, but sometimes vegetable curry is welcome. And this is a fabulous recipe, flavored with coconut, Indian spices, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, chilies, and caramelized vegetable fond. Cooked just right (and this one was), it is an amazing dish. You don’t quite notice the lack of meat. (You may notice I didn’t count the yogurt featured in the picture in my calorie count; once I got the calculations done it was about 10 or 15 calories, so I ignored it.)
Anyway, I minced four onions, six garlics, two inches of peeled ginger, and processed 1.5 pounds of potatoes, a whole head of cauliflower. Because ingredients are added in layers to make the curry really good, there is a lot of running back and forth to the stove, the recipe, and the cutting board. You don’t really sit still. I can see why people like outdoor kitchens and grilling, too. Cooking curries can make a lot of clutter. I spent a long time cleaning everything afterwards. But the dish is totally worth the effort, once in a while. Since my food intake and weight control are my hobbies now, this is all time spent doing things I like, or else accept cheerfully must be done in their pursuit.
While that was going on, I also made a two pound meatloaf, with potatoes and carrots. Yes, it was a busy afternoon. On the other hand, I won’t be spending a lot of time cooking dinner this week. And my lunches will be easy to fix. The cold meatloaf sandwich is an underappreciated gem, with mayonnaise and lettuce on a wrap. I can hardly wait! This is exactly what I have found works. In short: this is all a lot of effort, but since my success is dependent on really looking forward to what I am going to eat, it is a price I am willing to pay.
What would you do to lose 120 pounds? What price would you pay to achieve what you desire?
-The Doctor