Daily tracking of food intake is the mechanism I use to control my body’s weight. It’s not a moral imperative that keeps me going. It’s just a method. What keeps me going is what I value. People who stay thin through their adult lives recognize this. If they see you getting thin, they know you value what they value. They reach out to you. Any number of thin people have asked me how I am able to lose weight. I have had exactly one overweight person ask me about it.
If you don’t keep track of how much you are eating, you are left with guessing. Calorie counting is one way to keep track. Eating an invariant diet is one way. I know some people use volume based techniques, like a special bowl or cup to measure how much they can eat. I think people do a fair amount of guessing. That means people’s weight probably fluctuates a bit.
My food intake and calorie count
Breakfast – 2 cups Cheerios (200); 1 cup whole milk (150)
- 350 calories
Lunch – cheese steak sandwich (500); few french fries (50)
- 550 calories
Dinner – 10oz beef carbonnade (600); 2.5 ounces cooked rice (80)
- 680 calories
Snacking – tea with half and half (80); chocolate (115); grilled chicken strips (100)
- 295 calories
Total for the day: 1875 calories (limit 1800)
More of a struggle than I would like
Wednesdays, I have gyros. It is starting to look like on Mondays I have cheese steak sandwiches. Over time, maybe I will develop a rigid routine for every meal, every day!
Keeping my aim high is currently more work than I would like. During most of 2019, I had a feeling of exultation, reward, and satisfaction, when I would successfully complete a day or a week of calorie controlled eating. Right now, I am not feeling that. Hopefully that will build with time. I don’t remember it being this hard when I first started. But so far this week, it has been possible to generally follow my calorie restrictions. That is hopeful.
I was reading Scott Adams’ new book Loserthink. He makes the point that your hierarchy of values should start close to you and then move outward in importance. You, your family, your house, your home, your work, your country, your world, and your universe. You have to take care of yourself first so that taking care of the rest is possible. It’s a useful way to think.
That’s another moral imperative, then. Take care of yourself!
-The Doctor