The daily task is to keep a food journal. It’s one part of the mechanism I use for weight control. #1 regulate food intake and #2 weigh yourself regularly. Keeping a food journal isn’t the only meaning of regulating your food intake, but it is the most consequential. Once you know how much you are eating, you will find out how much food you need to eat to gain weight….lose weight….keep the same weight. That kind of knowledge allows long term weight control. And weight control is the goal, rather than dieting. Weight control is yours forever, while dieting is temporary.
My food intake and calorie count
Breakfast – Spanish tortilla (333); 1.5 teaspoons mayonnaise (40); whole wheat wrap (110);
- 485 calories
Lunch – Steak and cheese hoagie (500);
- 500 calories
Dinner – 15oz split pea soup with ham (465); toast (130); cream cheese (70);
- 670 calories
Snacking – tea with half and half (80); yogurt (150); chocolate nuts (130); cookie (110);
- 470 calories
Total for the day: 2120 calories (limit 1800)
long lasting
My intestinal complaint is really hanging on into the third week. I need to get to bed so I don’t have a lot to say tonight. Just two things:
- A lady at work complimented my weight loss and wanted to tell me about her husband, who she said has recently lost 80 pounds after a health scare. Very interestingly, his approach upends all my observations. He gave up eating everything he likes for dinner (on Saturdays he allows himself to indulge a little) and during the week eats lean protein (fish or plain chicken), brown rice and vegetables. For lunch he only eats fruit. She is sure that he does not count calories OR measure what he is eating. This is super dedication and willpower. I have met other people whose eating goals have been transformed by health related concerns and I admire the dedication. Such people are looking at food and eating a different way than they used to. This lady told me that her husband’s rule is now that he considers the impact every bite will have on his health. This is different from my “vanity” project where I am just trying to lead a more fulfilling life and live out higher goals. But congrats to him. (He really lost 80 pounds and didn’t count any calories????)
- I was reading about Mister Rogers (Fred McFeely Rogers of Mr Rogers’ Neighborhood fame) and discovered that he controlled his weight very successfully in his adult years. As a child he was overweight, but for most of his adult life he weighed 143 pounds. Late in life he also quit eating meat altogether, and he never smoked or drank alcohol anyway. I wonder what were his eating habits and how he managed to keep his weight so stable for so many years. Maybe he counted calories, but maybe not. He was a man who developed extremely regular and productive habits, so he probably had a system. We may never know what it was, but I will look into it.
Good night!
-The Doctor