Once you have changed your mind (how you think about food) and once you have changed your values (how you look at the world), and start living those changes out, your body will follow. The revolution in my thinking happened in late 2018 and I have been living out the consequences since January 2019. Since that time, I have lost about 60 pounds, with another 60 to come. For too many years, I tried to diet without changing anything about the way I thought. It didn’t work. It has to be the other way around. Change your thinking, change who you are.
My food intake and calorie count
Breakfast – Leftover half Chuy’s King Carnas burrito from yesterday (600)
- 600 calories
Lunch – chips (150); granola bar (100); cheese stick (80)
- 330 calories
Dinner – 2 x Grilled bratwurst wraps (300); Bush’s baked beans (125); corn on the cob (125)
- 850 calories
Total for the day: 1780 calories (limit 1800)
Recovery
I’ve spent the last week recovering from an anonymous stomach ailment. This has not been a great week for calorie reduction! But part of keeping track of everything I eat, is that now I have data and can take an honest look at where I am.
Last weekend I weighed 263.4 pounds. This week, I have been eating a diet rich in simple carbohydrates, with very little restriction. I was sick and sad, and wanted to feel full and comforted. You would think that this week has been wasted, right? But I have data.
According to my food log, I should finish out the week at 15,610 calories eaten. For the last several months, I have had about 13,000 calories per week. I have also generally lost between two and three pounds per week. The difference is about 2500 calories. What does that mean? Since we know it takes 3500 calories per week to lose a pound, it means I will still have lost weight this week, just not as much. I might be down a pound from last weighing. I won’t be going up, even though I have been eating very different food and more of it! So, maybe I haven’t lost a week.
Keeping a record of your calorie count, even if you are eating more than you plan to, can still tell you a lot. Especially when you get weighed, which I do every Saturday. There are many reasons to keep your food journal up to date. You too can do it, if you have made the necessary mental transformation.
-The Doctor