How things have changed. For many years, I didn’t give any thought to how much I was eating, or why. I didn’t put it into words, but my reason for eating was to be full. I ate until I was full at every meal, with lots of enthusiasm. In consequence, I got to be 120 pounds overweight, maybe more. It took a long time – more than 20 years, to get so overweight.
Now I pay attention to what I am eating, how much, and when; and think about the consequences for the next meal, the next day, and the next week. A daily food journal has been my obsession for the last nine months. And it’s helped. I have gotten so that my reason for eating has changed. Now, I embrace hunger, since food tastes best when you are hungry for it.
My food intake and calorie count
Breakfast – ham (90), cheese (100), toast (160) sandwich with pickle and mustard
- 350 calories
Lunch – 2x BLT wraps (200); [4 slices of bacon x 70 calories, 1 bread wrap x 110 calories, tomato and horseradish sauce]
- 400 calories
Dinner – 6x Aldi pizza slices (100); [half a pizza!]
- 600 calories
Snacking – tea with half and half (110); cookies at teatime (160); cookies after dinner (180)
- 450 calories
Total for the day: 1800 calories (limit 1800 + 500 bonus from swimming, total 2300)
The art of eating cookies on a diet
It really has a lot to do with paying attention. I bought some hazelnut doppelino cookies from Aldi and wanted to have them today. I had cookies twice; once around 11AM and once at 6PM. Since I knew I could have 4 cookies for 160 calories, I stuck to that. Later, I had three hazelnut cookies and a different chocolate cookie – 180 calories for that total.
My breakfast sandwich is also becoming a favorite. What makes it breakfast? Well, I eat it for breakfast. That’s about it. Someday I might try putting an egg on it, but I don’t think it would improve it. But it’s great because it’s ready quickly, and in the morning I have an issue where my stomach doesn’t wake up quickly, but when it does, it wants food Now! The bread is long slices of Italian bread optimized for panini sandwiches. I just use one piece per sandwich, though. The other reason this is a favorite (besides the great flavor and textures in the different layers) is that the whole thing is 350 calories, and it is very filling.
And today, I made bacon. I haven’t done that in a while! Thick sliced bacon, oven fried at 400F, makes a tremendously good BLT. I either use Kirkland’s or Wright’s thick cut bacon, but I have heard good things about Oscar Meyer’s thick sliced, and Smithyfield’s. It takes a lot of tomato and lettuce and whole wheat wrap to balance out all the bacon, and then it gets zinged up with horseradish sauce. It’s such a treat for me, that I don’t mind eating a measured amount. After all, I am hungry for this BLT meal, anticipate it, prepare it, and eat 400 calories of it. Then, I know I will be hungry for pizza later! It was a feeling of nonstop taking care of myself today, with the cookies and all. That makes eating less food possible for me.
I did swim today – for the first time in a week! The first day back swimming after a break is always ok. But I have observed that the next time I go swimming (Tuesday) it will be harder – my muscles will be complaining and I will have a harder time breathing.
And last, by eating 1800 calories today, I’ve made sure my weighing tomorrow will be more accurate, or at least more encouraging. Not that I expect to have lost anything this week! I will be pretty happy if I weigh the same as I did two weeks ago. Now the real work can begin. A new week! And I know I will enjoy it. That’s how the system is set up.
-The Doctor