Every day, I keep a food journal as part of my commitment to a new lifestyle of weight control. For years, I didn’t pay much attention as my weight slowly increased. I did try a few times to lose some weight, but nothing worked very well and I soon quit. The only thing that worked a bit was a low carbohydrate diet, butit turned out therer are two parts to losing weight on a low carb diet: low carbs and low calories! I had part 1 working really well, but part 2 was lacking.
Now I just do the calorie counting. Carbs can be high or low and I don’t care. Behold my lunch and its big flatbread full of carbohydrates!
My food intake and calorie count
Breakfast – 3 slices Kirkland low fat ham (90); Muenster cheese (140); sandwich bread (140)
- 370 calories
Lunch – Big Greek Cafe Gyros sandwich (600)
- 600 calories
Dinner – Spanish tortilla (500); 1.5 Tbsp mayonnaise (150); piece of soft pretzel (100)
- 750 calories
Snacking – morning tea with half and half (80);
- 80 calories
Total for the day: 1800 calories (limit 1800)
Hunger is the goal
Today I was very careful to protect my appetite. That sounds better than hunger, eh? People don’t like to be hungry, in the context of losing weight and calorie deficits. I think I could sell the idea of appetite protection better.
So: today I was careful to protect my appetite. I didn’t eat after dinner yesterday, and about an hour after I woke up, my appetite was at peak power (that is, I was hungry with a strong adjective in front of it). It always takes my stomach about an hour to wake up. Anyway, I spent that first hour dithering over what to have for breakfast. But once hunger asserted itself, the decision was made instantly with no more waffling. I toasted some Italian bread and made a terrific breakfast sandwich. Oh, it was good, with the pickles and mustard and ham and cheese and toasty bread. That was worth waiting for.
Remember: when you are hungry, food that you like becomes even better. It’s like a reward for getting hungry!
I had tea, too. That helped the rest of me wake up. Then I worked until lunchtime. I was worried that I wouldn’t get hungry by 11.30, because at 11.15 I still didn’t feel anything. But, by the time I got to the restaurant at 11.40 I was feeling it and by the time I got home to eat my Gyros I was pretty ravenous. I had been looking forward to that sandwich for days – perfection. I plunged back into my work and didn’t look up until 5PM.
I was careful not to eat anything before dinner, which was one of my favorite meals. For dinner I made a Spanish tortilla. That’s basically an omelette filled with potatoes and onions, all cooked in a half cup (!) of olive oil. Eggs are only 80 calories each (800 calories in the tortilla recipe) but the olive oil makes up most of the rest (960), then the potatoes (300) and onion (70). You can see that 1/4 of the tortilla will be ~530 calories. There’s very little spicing (black pepper and salt) so the olive oil is the star of the dish. Since it is a Spanish dish I like to use a Spanish olive oil, like the Trader Joe’s version. Columela also makes a very nice Spanish olive oil. I enjoyed every bite, though I can’t say I ate the whole meal slowly and carefully – I didn’t eat until about 6.20PM. That’s a bit late for me.
Now it’s 10PM. I do not feel even slightly hungry. There is no need to snack on pretzels or cheese or anything, so I am all set for tonight. I know that tomorrow when I wake up, and after my stomach wakes up, what I will have. And I am looking forward to that, and to lunch, and to dinner. This is very much the way to succeed. I feel happy and satisfied and not even slightly deprived. I used my appetite to advantage, and rewarded myself carefully and lovingly. Since I took care of my appetite, now there is no desire to snack. Tomorrow’s plan is pulling me forward and I want to have a good appetite so that I really enjoy it. Hearty appetite to you!
-The Doctor