172.2 A Dear Bob Letter

Today I received a note from a friend who asked me to share my diet with him. This is probably way more than he expected, but it forced me to clarify how I did lose these 80 pounds by responding to his request. Here's my post weight loss view of how I did it.

"Dear Bob, It was great to hear from you! I'd love to share some basic ideas with you. My success was not based on a quick weight loss diet or special products. I had to figure out why I was overeating and I learned to change a lot of my behaviors around food. So, if you're still with me, here we go!

First of all, don't view this as a diet. To be successful over time (especially at our ages) this is a life style change that will be yours for the rest of your life. Once you reach your goal weight, you can ease up a bit, but you will never want to return to your old ways, because you are going to feel so much better and look better.

Okay, so where do you start?

Start by eating one-half the amount you now eat. In other words, don't cut out all of your favorite foods and then feel deprived, just eat less. Serve yourself the half amount and then no second helpings.

Consciously eat much more slowly so that your plate isn't cleaned while Dorli still has lots left to eat. Try to eat more slowly than she does so that doesn't happen. Also, by eating more slowly, you will begin to enjoy your food more, the tastes, the textures, etc., and you'll give your body and brain a chance to get into sync about feeling satisfied.

Learn, if you don't already know, what a healthy list of foods consists of. So, when you do feel hungry, you turn to something on that list to stave off hunger pains. For example, always have raw carrots, apples, berries, sugarless gum (a big favorite of mine for night hunger), etc., so that you don't have to go around feeling hungry. And drink lots of water...between 50 and 70 ounces a day in addition to coffee, etc.

And now the biggie...think about cutting back on the alcohol. I ended up not drinking at all during the period of weight loss. I was drinking about 18 - 20 oz. of wine most nights. What I learned was that if I drank at all, it weakened my resolve and I'd give into more wine and then eat what ever and all I wanted to eat. I'm sure that lots of folks could just cut back and stay in control of their food choices and food intake.

And, there are some foods you really have to think about cutting way back on and those include cheese (oh, I hate to say it, but it is so full of fat), beef, and starchy veges at night - potatoes and corn.

Push fish, chicken, salad with little bits of dressing, and non-starchy veges. I would eat 2 or more servings of green veges at dinner time as insurance against feeling hungry before bed. And yes, put a little butter on those veges, make things taste good, but stay AWARE of all that you eat. Aware is the big word in all of this.

Maybe you didn't expect this long note, but I really want to share my ideas with you. I think you'll find that once you break the habits that aren't healthy, and find new foods you really enjoy (mine was/is spinach - who knew?), you'll enjoy your meals and have success.

Oh, one more thing that is hard and not usually recommended, but that is to weigh yourself at the same time everyday wearing the same thing (your birthday suit is perfect). Yes, your weight naturally fluctuates, but staying aware of where you are everyday will be motivating and give you information. As my wt. loss therapist always said the weigh in process is not judgmental, it's for information. And when you see that you've lost you will feel great and motivated to stay aware during the coming day. And if you see that you've gained, you will be motivated to stick with it so that you can experience the joy of success when you see your weight go down a bit.

If you have any questions about any of this let me know, and if you like, we could stay in email conversation as you move forward.

Love and best wishes for success."

182.6 Living To Eat?

I never used to read the Wall Street Journal and now I read it everyday, because our local paper is, shall we say, very limited in its news and viewpoint.

What I've learned about the WSJ is that it is not just business news that makes it such a good read. It includes great book and movie reviews, and editorials. And, as you faithful know, I have cited at least one other article from it in the past about health and food issues. This morning there was a very interesting article entitled "Eating To Live or Living To Eat?". Here's the website: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704288204575363072381955744.html?mod=WSJ_LifeStyle_LeadStoryNA

I hope you'll check it out. It helps explain why some people have a very hard time saying no to certain foods even though they are not hungry, while others don't. From my point of view, they should have interviewed me :), because I truly believe that I have been able to change that brain function through the hypnosis and habit building that has been going on within my mind and body. So if you have a hard time saying no to food, even when you are not hungry, don't think of it as an excuse to keep eating. Rather, take it on as a challenge as something you want to change and can change.

Let's just say the article provides food for thought!

185.8 Yes! I'm Stuck Again

I thought I was going to be on a roll down the scale when I left the 188 lb. zone, but obviously I'm not. I have been thinking a lot about why/when I get stuck. I like to think it is very mysterious and out of my control. I make it all so much more complicated than it is. The fact of the matter is that the less I put in the old machine, me, the more my weight will drop. It isn't hard to think about, it's just hard to do.

I get hung up on things like am I getting enough nutrients. Well, hello, I have 185 pounds of nutrients to draw on. Everything about me except my weight is within a healthy range. I'm not anemic, not lacking energy, I sleep very well (thanks to my recent hormone adjustment), so what's up?

So I tell myself that with a little hunger and a lot of exercise I can lose weight. What is so darn hard about that? Um... doing it. DUH!

The real question becomes how much do I want to lose 15 pounds. If I can lose 60 pounds, I can lose 15 pounds. Let's see if I can't get my mind, body and spirit all on the same page and make this a reality. I'm not where I want to be on the scale, not how I want to look, and not how I want to feel. Looking hard at myself in recent pictures or in my new mirror, I want it!

188.0 Tired or Hungry?

Oh, I'm tired! It's been a good day and a busy one so I'm not complaining. I am just tired.

One of the things I've come to recognize while losing weight is that when I am tired I'm much more tempted to eat, and it's not because I am hungry. I think that I think (there must be a better way to express this) if I eat, I won't be tired anymore. That works when your body really needs food, but I don't think it helps if fatigue is the problem, not hunger.

Stretching out for a while or getting involved in doing something is a much better option than heading to the pantry or refrigerator. This is all part of being aware that I write about frequently. When I go into a zone where I don't think first about what I'm doing is when I can really sabotage my efforts. And, I did that just before I sat down to write this blog. Obviously, I'm still learning.

188.0 Chew, Chew Chew Chew, Chew, Chewing Gum!

Today was another date day and this time we invited another couple to go with us. Being an advocate of chewing gum when hungry, I thought we should go visit the Wrigley Mansion, actually their "winter cottage". The Wrigley Mansion is not huge or terribly pretentious, but it is certainly grander than your everyday winter cottage. Today was an absolutely gorgeous day here as you can see from the day time photos. We kept talking about how much we'd like to come at night because the views are spectacular. What was really interesting is that you paid what you wanted to for lunch. and we did, and we paid them well because the food was delicious.

So what did I have? I had the Chipotle Chicken Caesar Salad. The chicken was tender and moist, and the romaine was crisp and fresh. I either dipped the salad greens into the dressing, or dipped my fork in the dressing and then stabbed some lettuce. What I didn't do was eat all of the dressing! It's amazing how little I eat when I use the dipping method instead of pouring it all on.

We had a great time. It is so beautiful here now. Yes, it was hot but as we say out here, it's a dry heat so it is much easier to tolerate. It's true. So much better than the humid heat that plagues most of the rest of the country. I just love it out here!

191.4 Night Hunger Revisited

Boring! I am reaching the nudgey stage since I have been at this weight for the last 4 days. You'd think it would vary by at least 2 ounces. (That is the interval my scale is calibrated on.) I'm wondering if I will ever lose another pound. I know I will, but when? :) I'm ready now!

I don't know if any of you have this problem, but the hardest time during the day, everyday, that I have around food issues is about an hour or two after I finish dinner. It doesn't seem to matter what I have for dinner. I get really hungry. If I give into the hunger I feel like have have blown the whole day of being on track with everything. I've tried the gum chewing routine, which works sometimes, but not always, and then I wake up during the night feeling hungry. I often eat an apple, but sometimes I just go nuts and eat nuts, or peanut butter unconsciously or by becoming delusional and telling myself it is okay. And then I get really mad at myself for "falling off the wagon". I think this is basically a bad habit. I need to listen to my inner spirit for encouragement and just not eat anything after dinner for a couple of weeks and let this night hunger lose its hold on me.

191.0 Sick of Being Sick!

Yesterday's post about the ice cream didn't end with my writing it. When Jeff read it, he was so excited about the possibility of Peanut Butter Brittle ice cream being here, in our home. Then I showed him the empty carton! He was astounded and horrified, not by the fact that it was loaded with fat and calories, but by the fact that I had washed it all down the sink! I tried to tell him it hadn't tasted good, and that I did it for his own good, but he was not easily consoled. I think I should have let him decide for himself.

So I am off to see the doctor. I am sick of being sick. Ten days of this is ten days too much. But, when I think about it, I haven't been very hungry lately, so maybe...? No, I'd rather be hungry than sick any day.