On Track and Holding

We are on track with the new eating behavior and maintaining a steady weight. As I have said before, weight is not the real goal but changing the way we eat and live is. Weight is a result of a balanced behavior of eating and exercising. Can you guess which one I have been slacking on?
 
We are not getting our exercising in as we had hoped. Perhaps that is the problem . . . hoping and not doing.

Since we started this diet we have lost a considerable amount of weight and have kept that initial weight off. We have also been faithful with the eating routines we developed early on. Once in a while we will have an ice cream cone from Sonic or a sandwich from the Village Coffee House. I will even slip in a cup of coffee from time to time, but not as a regular thing and certainly not as a habit. We want to maintain the value of living with healthy foods and not sacrifice our wellness with trash foods, (processed junk) and things that do not do well in the human body.

Think of what they ate in the garden and what you could get from the garden. Those are the foods you should be eating the most of. Vegetables and fruits, nuts and good grains. Water in abundance of a gallon or more a day to keep your body hydrated and the parts moving like they should. Eating smaller portions 5 times a day and not stuffing yourself but just taking the edge off your hunger. If you do these things you will be eating healthy and your body will show its appreciation by shedding weight and developing muscle when you exercise.

For today, that is about it. I will start posting some recipes as we have time to but think veggies for now. Raw veggies preferably and lots of them. Your body will thank you.

We are Getting Closer

It's been a while since I last reported our progress but we are making progress. Just thought I should say that so you didn't think we were slacking or something. My wife is looking good and she thinks I'm still as cute as I used to be. Not sure what that means but I keep telling her kittens and puppy dogs are cute. Men are "dashing" or "handsome", not cute. Then she says, "you are so cute when you say that." What's a man to do?

You see this picture of watermelon? Do you know what this means? No, I'm sure your computer is working just fine. It means it is watermelon season and we can start eating watermelon more now. I think I told you in another blog that I tried the watermelon diet and lost 25 pounds in one summer. Well, I have about 15 pounds to go to reach my goal of 190 and I am seriously looking at this watermelon thing as a way to help me get there.

Now, understand that I am not going to stop my eating plan to do this or change anything about my diet. I am going to try to utilize the power of this delicious fruit (veggie?) for it's benefits of helping to curb my hunger pangs at night. There is only one problem with this plan and that is the multiple trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

Just so you know we have pretty much stayed on track with the Page Diet eating plan and utilize no other supplements than the regular herbs and vitamins we normally take. We will occasionally have something that is not specific to the diet but we know that when we do that we will most likely be postponing the inevitable guilt of the bathroom scale. It does seem that a couple pound up on the scale after a day of not sticking to the plan does come off again in a couple of days being on the plan.

Here is an interesting item I found out. From time to time I am not in the least bit hungry. Sometimes for most of the day. Yesterday I just snacked on veggies all day and then had a small portion at supper. (4oz grilled chicken, quinoa salad and broccoli) I lost 2 pounds and weighed in at 205 this morning. Tara was the same. Not 205, just not hungry most of the day. She is maintaining about 135 but that will change a little. So why is that?

I think it's because our bodies are getting used to the eating plan we are on and not craving the starches, sugars and other processed "gotchas" we have been used to for so long. I believe our bodies know what they need and certain cravings come because our bodies are telling us they need something in that food substance we are craving. My body has these unusual craving for a certain snack food. I bet you can't guess what that is.

So we are getting closer to our weight goals and feeling so much better about bodies feeling so much better. That sounded kind of strange but that is how it works folks. The only thing we are lax on right now is the exercise. With the temperatures as hot as they have been we are reluctant to get outside and suffer heat stroke but I know we are going to have to do something.

Don't laugh but I used to exercise to an old VHS tape that Tara had called "Abs of Steel" or something like that. It was a "vigorous" and I mean "vigorous" grueling workout tape that did get me in shape physically. I can't say that the cats liked it when I was jumping around in the living room but it worked. I wonder where I put that tape?

Feeling Like we can Run Again

We are feeling like we can run again. We really need to start the exercising part of this diet, quite honestly. We have both lost over 20 pounds each and I personally am at 211 right now. Well, at least I was this morning. I am losing about 1/2 pound per day average. At this rate it will only take me 422 days to disappear. That's a little over a year.

We have been quite faithful in our diet. I say that because there is some wiggle room every once in a while. The key is that we want to be healthy and loose the weight we have accumulated over the years by not eating healthy. It just plain feels good to not have to carry around so much extra weight. The meals we are eating are not that burdensome as to throw us off the diet either.

We have looked at and are trying some alternatives for meals, such as breakfast. We bought some organic oats and grains and Ezekiel bread for changes in what we eat most of the time. Most of the time we eat eggs and veggies for breakfast but we can mix it up with some oatmeal, fruit and breads like pumpernickel and rye once in a while.

Lunch is mostly veggies and something like a piece of fish or a chicken stir fry or salad with oil and vinegar dressing. We use olive oil and a vinegar mixture with Italian spices and some garlic as a topping. A good variety of veggies keeps things interesting. Dinner is about the same but we have had hamburger meat and rice or keenwa (sp) or one of our favorite chopped salads Marlene makes with cabbage and lots of other finely chopped veggies.

And of course, you knew I had to throw in another statement about popcorn. It is, of course, my favorite food, next to watermelon. Watermelon is just starting to come into season so I will get some of that soon. Just a side note: Two years ago I lost twenty-five pounds on a watermelon diet. Ate regular sized meals and all the watermelon I wanted in between times when I got hungry. The only problem is that when the watermelon ran out I didn't stay on a regular diet of moderation and I gained it all back again.

Anyway, I was talking about something else. Oh, of course, it was popcorn. Did you know that there are some people who don't like popcorn. Can you imagine? Not eating popcorn at a movie, or before bedtime for a snack? Well, I had never heard of such nonsense and it still puzzles me how anyone could turn down a delicious bowl of popcorn. My recipe for popcorn is made in a Stir Crazy popcorn popper and I use a small portion of olive oil to pop it with. Sometimes I use Orville Reddenbockers popping oil when no one is looking. They don't notice and it really works better because it is specially blended to pop the corn at a higher temperature. Plus it's nostalgic and that has to count for something. I use a small portion of "Land-O-Lakes butter (1-2 teaspoons) and some olive oil to put on top of it. The kids love it and I am partial to it as well.

Well, my goal is 190 so I have about twenty pounds left to go. That should happen in about 40 to 50 days if I get busy and start to exercise. I'll keep you up to date as much as possible. Until then, eat healthy and pop some popcorn.

And the Diet Goes on

I haven't reported anything for a while about the diet we are on but everything is going well. I must say this . . . as we continue to eat the approved and recommended foods on this diet, we are enjoying the menus more and more. The foods are limited but our imaginations are not. I'm not talking about pretending that what we are eating is something else or making believe we are full when we are not. We are actually full when we eat the foods we eat and not just because our stomachs are shrinking. The portions are very close to what we ate before, but we are allowed to eat 5 meals a day and that keeps us from being hungry. Most of the times we eat only the three meals our house prepares for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Never-the-less we are not left hungry.

As for the popcorn, you knew I was going there, didn't you? Yes, we still eat popcorn. About three or four times a week and usually an evening treat. It is mostly a habit but when we are watching a movie or talking with friends it goes well with either. Popcorn is an approved staple, I think?

We are starting to look at what restaurants we can eat at as well. Many don't have a salad type environment and we have to be particular in what we eat. Sometimes we can just eliminate the cheese, sour cream, bread and other extras and eat the main menu items. We are careful not to eat the processed foods. Most restaurants at least have some kind of salad, even if it's just a table side dish.

We have lost a considerable amount of weight since we last reported on this blog but to be honest, probably not as much as I was hoping for. This is definitely not a quick weight loss program. It is a program of eating that keeps you healthy and does afford slow weight loss. Tara says she has lost about 20 pounds and I have lost about the same.

One thing good that is happening because of our diet is our household members are looking more carefully at what they are eating or should eat. That is with the exception of the young men in our house. They usually eat everything in sight and don't show one pound of weight gain from it because their metabolisms are so high that they burn it off immediately upon consumption.

More late, got to go to a meeting.

Stay happy and pursue health.

What do You Want for Breakfast?

Scrambled Eggs with tomatoes, spinach, green and red peppers, mushrooms, onions and the works. Protein and veggies all in one. Sound good? It is. Especially if you keep it interesting.


Keeping it interesting is a work that has to go on in this new "living diet" we are on. This week I borrowed a book about raw food recipes and was directed to a raw food website to get acquainted with a more aggressive way of eating than just frying or cooking all your foods. It's great. It saves cleaning up all those pans as well.

Raw foods tend to give you more nutrition and enzymes that are alive and needful for your body than the dead foods you eat. I am becoming cynical about dead food and "junk" food around me. It is so much easier to eat those dead foods and feel full than to plan and prepare live foods which will be good for your body and fill you up the same. I'm talking about snack food, chips, and cookies, packaged and processed things that are quick and easy to eat.

But cutting up veggies and eating them is fun and healthy. My wife and I do a lot of this together and it increases our together we have with one another. :-) We don't always agree on what we want to eat or how much I should eat but we figure it out and go on. None the less, we get time together preparing our food and eating it.

We are going into our third week now and we are being pretty careful not to stray from the prescribed allowances of what and how much we should eat right now. This is still the cleansing portion of the diet and we want to start out right. We drink water for the most part and have a protein smoothie twice a day. Other than that we are staying away from all decaffeinated, prepackaged items along with bread, noodles and other items not listed on our chart.

I am holding at 223 for my weight for now but that is still 12 pounds less than when I started. My pants are looser and I wear a belt to hold them up. I used to wear a 34-36 waited trouser but I painfully went to a 40 in order to have something that I didn't have to pour myself into. I still have some 38's left I can move into when the time comes but if I reach my intended goal of 190 I may just have to go buy some 36's or even a 34.

I am feeling great with no side affects other than the popcorn cravings from time to time. I won't go into that again. I think it is clear I have a weakness for popcorn. When we get into the regular daily diet we are working towards I will need to be careful about the carbs and stay away from the salt and butter.

Two years ago I lost 30 pounds on a watermelon diet. The diet consisted of eating a normal serving for meals and eating all the watermelon I wanted between meals or at bedtime. There were a lot of bathroom visits but it did the trick for weight loss. But, as you can determine for yourself, the weight did not stay off and I am back on this diet now to help counteract the outcome of all that additional eating I did afterwards. Actually, I think I could have stayed on that diet if watermelon hadn't gone out of season. Maybe I should try that again?! No, I will stick to what I have now.

OK, so there you have it for week two. Hoping to loose a little more weight and get “the cleanse” past me this week. I like the veggie and fruit part of this diet, just not the protein effects of slower weight loss. I can tie my shoes by myself though. I will check back in and let you know about week three soon.

By the way, the book I borrowed is called The Raw Food Gourmet by Gabrielle Chavez if you would like to look it up or borrow it from the library. If the library doesn't have it you might look on Amazon for it. It's a good book of raw veggie recipes.

Be Careful With the Protein Intake

It is the start of a new week on the Page Diet and the SP Cleanse combo. I am still feeling quite well however I was a little alarmed this morning. Let me explain.

The day before yesterday, when I weighed myself I discovered I had lost 11 pound from the start of this new eating regime. I was elated with knowing something definite was happening. I started eating some more protein based foods (eggs) and some fish/chicken portions. I guess I am not a very good judge of portions and how the protein works. After just six servings of protein-based foods and a bowl of popcorn (with nutritional yeast) I found this morning I was three pounds heavier. :-(

So, I am thinking there is a definite reason for this. I have been sticking to the diet pretty close with regards to eating only the veggies and fruit. The only thing that has changed is the meat portions and the popcorn. Well, the popcorn certainly couldn't be the problem. I doesn't hardly weigh anything! I mean, look at how light and fluffy it is. It's like eating air! So it must be the meat portions. Right?

It's a sad day today. I thought I was making good progress and then pop. The bubble is gone!

Today I am watching my intake. So far I have had two quarts of water, a fruit smoothie with my protein powder and my swamp moss portions, one egg, 12 slices of squash(sauteed) and an apple. It's 10:15am and I am not hungry. For lunch I plan to eat a salmon patty and stir fried cabbage & peppers. I'm not sure about supper yet but I did bring a banana for an afternoon snack. I will continue to drink water like a fish and then we will see where I am at in the morning. Maybe I can be back to where I was a couple days ago. Oh, yes. My current weight is at 226 pounds. My overall goal is 190. 36 more pounds to go. Yoo Hoo!

I wanted to clarify something here. While I do want to JUST loose some weight. My long term goal here is to be eating healthier and feeling better. Weight has something to do with that, but the nutritional value of what I am eating is more important than the weight. I like being able to feel like I can bend over without squeezing the breath out of myself and not have this big bag of fat in front of me but knowing that my body is getting healthy food, food that is actually good for me, is more of the goal.

So, there you have it. The summation of my thoughts today. My new diet plan thinking. I guess I should watch the intake of popcorn, too, Huh? OK. I get it. smaller portions and a more frequent intake of veggies and reasonably sized (3-4oz) servings of fish or chicken. Lots of water. I am thinking about that water. Could be a good thing to keep drinking water. My new mantra needs to be . . . water, water, water.

I'll keep a water bottle filled and with me always. And drink it. At least a gallon a day. That should help wash all those toxins and fat away. I'm thinking that in the course of this 21 day cleanse and new diet I should be ready for summer fun quite soon. I'm thinking like a month or two. Let me know what you think.

My Daily Diet

This is the first entry into my log for my new daily diet. This diet is called the Page diet and it is a popular diet with many success stories. We are starting our with a 21 day cleanse and then maintaining a more healthy life style of eating.

Just to let you know, in the past 57 years I have pretty much eaten whatever I wanted to and didn't think too much about what I ate or how much. Especially a big bowl of buttered popcorn at night, before bedtime. Not that I am grossly overweight but I am overweight by about 50 lbs. I weighed myself before starting the cleanse and I was at 238 lbs. I started the cleanse last Tuesday the 13th of April. Today is the 20th of April and I must say I fell very much better than I did two weeks ago.

Some of my issues with my weight were mostly the ones that get everyone struggling with weight issues. I couldn't tie my shoes without loosing my breath; bending down and getting back up were a struggle. I can't walk very far (especially uphill) without being out of breath, and other assorted issues with infrequent bowel movements, feeling dull minded, insomnia, always hungry, body aches, ear problems (vertigo) and other related ear issues, stuffiness and ringing sound.

So, since I started last week I can actually tie my shoes, the ringing sound has stopped, I don't feel as dull minded and I am not prone to stay awake at night. I'm sure some exercise will help with this program as well, but I am working up to that. I have been over 230 lbs for quite sometime now and not been one for exercise. Not since before I got married 15 years ago. I did like to eat popcorn before bedtime. Is that considered exercise?

I am now eating vegetables and fruits. Last week I had salads, raw veggies, fruit smoothies with protein powder and lots of water. Some of the evening meals I had a kind of stir fry for the veggies which was a nice change. It hasn't bothered me that I have been eating just veggies and drinking fruit smoothies. I don't profess to live for food but just eat to stay alive. It's kind of like a fast but with food! Great trade-off!

OK. So, this is going to be my journal of things I eat and how I feel. I was hoping to do this everyday but I can see that is not going to happen. I get busy and forget to do this. Maybe I can do this at night after the day calms down or early in the morning. We'll see what happens with that. No promises yet.

We have started on the second week of the cleanse and diet. I say we now because my wife is actually doing this with me. It's easier if you have someone to do this with. Being the lone ranger at the table when everyone else is eating french fries and hamburgers with catsup and all the fixing’s is not easy. People are so cruel. They make popcorn and offer some to me. It’s my favorite food by the way.

I started eating more protein today. This morning we had two scrambled eggs, sautéed onions and peppers and spinach. I use to have wheat toast with butter or a bagel with cream cheese but this wasn't bad. Maybe I am getting used to the no bread part of the diet. At mid-morning I had a fruit smoothie with SP Complete protein powder and the new powder we are taking called Jurassic Green. It looks and feels like dried, finely ground river moss. For lunch we had sautéed veggies and a salmon patty. I am limited to about 13 oz of protein a day so we divide that up between three meals.

Last night I had my very most favorite food on the planet (except for my wife’s meatloaf) which is popcorn. I sprinkled some nutritional yeast and two teaspoons of butter on it. No salt. This is probably the hardest part of the diet, if there really is a hard part. We did have some chicken chunks on our salad last night as well which helps curb the appetite. None-the-less, popcorn is a food that is hard to resist.

There you have it; my first week into the diet and some of my thoughts and eating for the week. Maybe I can try to write something each week at least but I will try to write more on a daily basis if possible. If need be I can include pictures but I didn't think anyone would be interested in looking at an overweight hairy belly in this blog. Did I mention popcorn yet?