I gained back what I lost earlier this year. I’m now at 285.2 though I was up to 290 last week.
As for eating, my big challenge is going to be planning ahead and making time for fixing stuff at home. I went shopping and got a load of food… so let’s see if I can stick to eating that rather than getting take-out for a while. I would like to plan ahead more… I would like to start off in this direction by planning at least one meal a day by the day before. That is, not “improvising” for both lunch and dinner in a day. (Yes, buying groceries and making something from what I bought counts as planning ahead.) I want to reduce my portion sizes and take in less food overall, and cut back on candy/sweets, but for now I’ll cut what’s easy and won’t make a specific resolution in this area yet.
As for exercise, this one will be a harder one to fix, because of time. I could try taking a walk at lunchtime but I won’t make any specific resolutions yet other than to try a couple things over the next couple weeks to see how it goes.
Friday I had cereal, tea, splenda, milk, canned soup, half a slice of pizza, and I can’t remember what was for dinner, possibly leftovers. Saturday I had cream of wheat, tea, something I can’t remember for lunch, turkey, broccoli, mayo, cheese, crackers, olives and figs. Today I had oatmeal, 2 hot dogs w/mayo and mustard (7/11), diet soda, probably about 10 pieces of homemade beef jerky, homemade chicken noodle soup with crackers, another diet soda, and dates. I went shopping at Costco and PW and got lots of stuff for future meals.
Diaries -> Diet
I’ve gotten into the habit of keeping a calendar and writing down what was had for dinner, and if it was something out, what it cost. It was originally to keep a budget under control, but it also was documentable data for the inevitable question of ‘when was the last time we had food out?’
A few suggestions I have for you besides the calendar:
1) Drop the diet soda (stick with water/juice/milk/tea), and convert your snack choices to dried fruits.
2) Try drinking water instead of snacking by impulse — sometimes being hungry is just being thirsty.
3) When you do cook, don’t be afraid to make something different for yourself and Michelle; when you go out, consider just getting something for Miche and making something for yourself when you get back.
-Traveller
I’ve been extremely lax with my food choices for most of 2007, when depression has made eating a chore. Starting this new job in the heart of Mountain View, I’m by so many excellent restaurants, and want to eat out all the time, but just can’t afford it. Between weight and cost, I’m trying to gear myself up for packing bento lunches, cooking the night before and having everything ready–I hope that if I spend time on a meal, it’ll mean something, and I’ll be less likely to scarper off for lunch out somewhere.
Best of luck in your own food prep/weight loss! Once I’ve managed to get my kitchen stuff unpacked, you should come over for dinner some night, or vice versa. ^_^
It could be something like stress that is making it difficult to lose weight.
I agree that dropping the diet soda is a good idea. You can actually create the same effect without sugar by combining unsweetened juice with carbonated water.
With restaurant portions I just tell myself I will only eat 1/2 or whatever size seems best. Otherwise I eat too much and I feel overfull afterwards which I don’t like.
IME with getting my son to eat a wider variety of food I found that it was a process of gradually substituting more healthy options for the less healthy options he was eating. For example at first he only liked apple juice which IMO is not that great. Better than diet soda but not that nutritious. Through a process of trying different things we discovered he liked carrot juice. I had a friend who used to love coke who found that actually just sparkling water was what he really wanted and he lost a lot of weight.
For gaining weight they told us not to count each calorie or individual food or pushing food on him but focus on having healthy food available in the house that he likes and works with his diet and not having the food that is bad for him. When we go out picking food that fits his diet. Also having a variety of foods over the course of a day or a week rather than trying at every single meal and having set meal times including snacks where we sit down and focus on food. It works for him. I would imagine this would work for losing weight too.
Also when you eat are you thinking about whether or not you are enjoying this food and why you’re eating it? Or are you eating because you’re bored or tired? Are you eating slowly and tasting each bite? My husband lost about 10 pounds when we started dating because I got him to stop snacking at work. We both really love chocolate and candy but the good stuff. The stuff at least both our workplaces is/was pretty awful.
I also find it’s easier not to buy food at the store than it is not to eat it at home.