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Krinkala
Member
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Posted: 31 March 2006 09:55 am |
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Nir, I have logged and counted every morsel of food I have eaten for the last 1-1/2 years. But I have not gone so far as carrying a portable mini-scales about with me to restaurants and such. What a great idea! What brand do you have? Is it specifically for food? How do people react at a restaurant when you start weighing your meal?
I've been reading your old posts here. Why do you suppose you binge? Is it emotional, or is it that you wait too long to eat and then you are actually very hungry and then just forget to stop?
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 31 March 2006 11:25 am |
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I bought mine by searching eBay for "digital scales". I believe they're usually marketed as Jewlery scales. My unsuccesful attempt to sell them locally is recalled here http:// uk.geocities.com/scalesCMK. People's reaction to me using them is to think I'm strange (obviously) so I have to not care.
Krinkala wrote:
Why do you suppose you binge? Is it emotional?
It is, without a doubt. Triggers can include boredom, lack of discipline, frustration about something or other, a bargain (free food is free of calories :)). I was going to look into whether my over-eating and binge-eating behaviour is characteristic of the eating disorders of the same name - but I got distracted by other things.
(I did just explain that I eat a portion of protein, which is 50 calories (or more if I combine it with something else) every 2 hours, for the 18 hours that I am awake. I may also snack between those mini-meals (well I have to eat my 44 non-protein portions at some point during the day). I hardly think there's a chance I'm not eating often enough  )
Thursday
I knew that there was a 115-calorie piece of Cadbury's Twirl chocolate bar waiting for me in the office, so I spent the morning eating around it: ensuring my non-protein portions were largely vegetables (which go further) and plenty of drinks to fill me up. Still it was 12pm before I had no longer "over-eaten" (portions for the time of day). Then at 5.30pm I was about to board a coach and a passenger boarding in front of me was not allowed to board because he was attempting to bring hot food on board. So he put it down on the side. I looked at it, ignoring the deep-fried fries but was excited by the small vegetable spring roll (which I wouldn't normally buy myself - money and health reasons). I scoffed it pretty quickly (well, I was boarding the same coach under the same conditions - not allowed to bring hot food on board. It is a wonder the other passenger didn't have the wit to eat his food the same way I did). I was forced to pick a number - I guessed 100 calories. However, my mind was then on food and I consumed some other bits and pieces (not in themselves unhealthy - sugar-free jelly and small portions of vegetables - but atypical). I was then glad of an opportunity to go food shopping with mum which presented itself unexpectedly - 3.5 hours of "work" with less focus on eating (yes, I stopped to eat my protein at 6pm and 8pm). Went to bed before I finished eating my calories for the day - woke up after midnight and finished that job...
Friday
Today I am due to find out the results of the blood cholesterol test I took 3 weeks ago.
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Peter
Founder, caloriesperhour.com
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Posted: 31 March 2006 11:46 am |
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Nir wrote: People's reaction to me... is to think I'm strange (obviously) so I have to not care.
That could be said about me in general.
Peter
P.S.
Actually this reminds me of a story I've posted a few times about what I did in restaurants.
After I was served, I would spend a few quiet moments looking at my plate and deciding exactly what I was and wasn't going to eat. Or how much I was going to eat of an item.
Often the others at the table would think I was praying and be quiet themselves, which gave me more time to think!
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 31 March 2006 06:50 pm |
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Good News 
My total cholesterol is 3.6 mmol/l, LDL is 1.86 mmol/l, HDL is 1.6 mmol/l, Triglicerides are 0.3 mmol/l.
(converting to American figures requires multiplying cholesterol figures by 38.67 and triglicerides by 88.57, giving, for any readers who can only interpret American figures:) total cholesterol 139.21 mg/dl, LDL is 71.93 mg/dl, HDL is 61.87 mg/dl, triglicerides are 26.57.
LDL to HDL ratio should be less than 3:1. It is 1.163
I guess all factors considered (fat consumption, exercise level, carbohydrates consumption) are all balancing themselves out - if some are pulling me in the 'wrong' direction, others are pulling me more strongy in the right direction!
Bad News 
I have protein in my urine. I did make the mistake of providing them with a mid-day sample and not a morning sample, so the test needs re-doing, but as my protein intake is quite even throughout the day the result will probably repeat itself! I've done a quick Google and apparently the main interpretations for protein in the urine are:
- kidney disease
- protein in the blood above a particular threshold (presumably relating to a high-protein diet).
So, is this just a way of finding out that I am on a high-protein diet (doh!) or have I developed an alarming kidney disease? 
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nevd
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 31 March 2006 06:55 pm |
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You do need to ensure that you drink plenty of water on a high(ish) protein diet.
I'm still struggling this month to get above 21% for protein, so I'm guessing I don't have a problem. Then again, I'm not sure, as no-one's asked me for a urine sample this month. (Again!)
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Krinkala
Member
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Posted: 1 April 2006 06:34 am |
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I had heard recently that to build muscle, protein should never be more than 40% of your calories. And even then, you have to have two things for your body to be able to convert it to muscle. The one thing is to work out to the point where your heart rate is up and you sweat. The other is that whenever you have protein that you follow it by having fresh berries or a piece of fresh fruit. You need to have the right enzymes in the body whenever you eat a protein. Otherwise you aren't gaining the muscle you would hope to and worse yet, the excess protein can be damaging to the system if it is not optimally utilized. So a way to do this is to work out where you have your heart rate up and are sweating and you become aware that you are hungry, then, after you have showered, have a meal with protein (no more than 40%) followed by a piece of fruit.
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 4 April 2006 06:40 pm |
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Krinkala wrote: then, after you have showered, have a meal with protein (no more than 40%) followed by a piece of fruit.
I was browsing a body-building website which seemed to be advocating a general (throughout the whole day) calorie proportions of 40% protein, 40% carbs and 20% fat. This was recommended both for their weight-gain (muscle gain) scenario and the getting-lean scenario (both of which are parts of a body-builder's cycle). The pre-workout and post-workout meals (targetting muscle gain), however, were characterised by having different proportions: 2 grams of carbs for every 1 gram of protein (that could be 60% carbs, 30% protein, 10% fat for instance). From another source I have the suggestion that, for fat-loss, the post-workout meal should be more protein than carbs (as carbs may reverse the post-workout raised metabolism) wheras the pre-workout meal should provide carbs (to reload glycogen stores to provide ready energy allowing you to work harder).
As for muscle gain requiring a raised heart rate and sweating: I am not sure. I thought the main point was a weight-training routine that works muscles to fatigue so they break (and then re-build). I think heart rate matters for fat loss more than muscle gain.
Good news got retested and no more protein in urine!  Looks like it was an abaration.
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Corina
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 4 April 2006 06:58 pm |
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| Don't mean to intrude in your diary... But, since we're on the topic of protein... I was just wondering if I ate too much peanut butter. Because, I usually eat about 2.5-3 servings of natural peanut butter per day. This is generally the only source of protein I get. Is that necessarily a bad thing? Be A Cow suggested that I may be getting too much fat from the peanut butter. But, I'm always under my calorie limit which is around 1,400-1,500 calories.
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 5 April 2006 04:05 am |
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Corina wrote: Don't mean to intrude in your diary... But, since we're on the topic of protein... I was just wondering if I ate too much peanut butter. Because, I usually eat about 2.5-3 servings of natural peanut butter per day. This is generally the only source of protein I get. Is that necessarily a bad thing? Be A Cow suggested that I may be getting too much fat from the peanut butter. But, I'm always under my calorie limit which is around 1,400-1,500 calories.
Just makes my diary more interesting :)
I've not had peanut butter since my Atkins days - like peanuts, it is high in fat and calories (a 500g jar is over 2500 calories and easy to eat with a spoon - oops). Not familiar with "Natural" so I'll use Peter's figures, which are:
For 100g: Calories 624.0, Protein 21.8g, Fat 49.9g, Carbs 21.8g, Fibre 6.2g, Sodium 343.2mg.
So that means, if you eat 100 calories of peanut butter, you've eaten 72 from fat and just 14 from protein (that's just 3.5g - a general guideline is to get at least 0.8 x your weight in pounds - that's not a high-protein diet). At 14% of total calories, peanut butter isn't a much higher source than, say, popcorn (11.2%) and is less than iceberg lettuce (20%). Sure, peanuts and peanut butter have a reputation for having protein, but the fat is such a big component that you can't be getting much protein from it!
Looking at your diary, you are right - you're not doing much for protein at all. You could switch from whole milk to skimmed milk (I think it is called no-fat or 1% fat where you live) - that milk is sufficiently low in fat to be 40% of calories from protein (still not terribly high). You also sometimes have omlettes - an egg is only 33% protein (the rest is fat!), but if you just use the egg-white that pushes it right up to 100%. One egg = 80 calories, 3 egg whites = up to 45 calories and stretch further. I'd say investigate low-fat cottage cheese or quark cheese (I'm not familiar with the string cheese you eat so I don't know if it is low-protein or high-protein). Amongst the foods you're avoiding (ps why??)there is meat, fish and shellfish - and also high-protein vegetables (broccoli, mushrooms, spinach, cauliflower etc.). Legumes (peas and beans) provide about 1/4 of their calories from protein - better than nothing.
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Corina
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 5 April 2006 06:18 pm |
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I guess you can say that I'm officially on a Peanut Butter Diet! But, now I know the error of my ways. I'm no longer going to just "assume" that something is high in protein just because it has that reputation. And your post clearly points out that peanut butter is mostly made of fat.
I use peanut butter because it's so easy to put it on the apples, bananas, sandwiches and granola that I eat. And it's filling! But, it looks like I'm going to have to do some major revisions to my diet and add the meats and fish along high protein vegetables. I'm not necessarily trying to avoid those things, and I definitely wouldn't mind eating them. I just have a habit of buying peanut butter to go w/ my meals since I really don't know how to cook.
I'm going to start looking at protein counts for all of the foods I buy and I'll start introducing some of the foods you mentioned into my diet!
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 5 April 2006 07:24 pm |
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cool.
Meanwhile, a few days ago I've increased my calorie allowance from 1600 to 1650.
Picking the right level is now getting tricky. My activity level has genuinly dropped to somewhere between sedentary and light exerciser. Yes, I now seem to be only hitting the gym 3 times a week (4 at the most), for a one-hour workout (which tends to be weight training - not a big calorie burner). So I don't know what I should use for a multiplier (1.3? 1.375? something in between?). My RMR is 1425 so these figures give 1852..1959. 15% off gives me 1574..1665. So assuming I should be using a low multiplier to account for my lowish activity level, I'm getting into the realm of cutting less than 15% from my maintenance - basically seeing how far I can increase intake before I start putting weight back on.
Oh perhaps I should say, my weight is currently fluctuating within a 1 kilo range, and at the bottom end it is touching my goal weight (BMI 20.0, 55 kilos, 121 pounds)  down from (BMI 21.8, 60 kilos, 132 pounds) about 3 months ago - see http://www.caloriesperhour.com/forums/forum19/932.html my body fat (as reported by the machine) is sometimes reported as 9% :) down from 15%.
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 8 April 2006 04:45 pm |
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Diary of shame is back on topic
Friday Night: The Crash
I was doing so well for so long. I packed 6 shots of vodka for my trip to London (6 x 60 = 360 calories) but chose not to have them and kept eating pre-packed portions in the pub and follow-on club. Even had 10 portions (250 calories) to spare. Then _they_ decided to go to a Greek restaurant. I looked at the overpriced menu and decided I wasn't going to PAY to go off my diet. Unfortunately the birthday boy decided to pay for my meal. What is it they say about restaurant portions? The "Medium Falafel" was quite a generous portion (I couldn't really tell the difference between that and the "Large", which my sister was having). I ate the large salad, and the deep-fried Falafel, and the Humous (and mayonaise too? why??) and as a gesture discarded the Pita bread.
So was all going well? No, I was falling back on previous behaviour. Knowning me as well as they do, my friends were giving me their leftover plates. Took what seemed like lean fish and more salad from Verity (and passed on the rice) but there was quite a lot of protein/calories there. Then I had quite a lot of very fatty (lamb?) kebab meat from Rob (passing on the Pita bread). Then raided the Kitchen at Mathew's house, eating grapes, cereal, a cereal bar and Malteezers!
big fat oops. Anyone for overeating?
Saturday morning: Not Over Yet
Tip-toeing at Mathew's house as everyone is still asleep at 8am, the kitchen raid continues. More grapes, smoked salmon, a couple of digestive biscuits, 3 more cereal bars, cereal with milk, more Malteezers and a banana! (His dad is going to love me, I'm sure.) While waiting for a coach I seriously contemplate a 100g bar of chocolate, but I walk away from it. I'm now back home, and a sense of NORMALITY has resumed, thanks for small mercies. I don't think I'll be worried about ensuring I consume at least 1650 calories today. It is another "lapse/binge" day already! Only thing to worry about today is to get sufficient protein and fibre to stave off any further silly behaviour while minimising the calorie damage. A damage control exercise. It is a bit wierd when the binge happens in the morning and you can't just end it by going to bed!
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Peter
Founder, caloriesperhour.com
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Posted: 9 April 2006 10:51 am |
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Nir,
As of this moment your Diary of Shame has had over 2500 views. This is great!
It's the nature of diet and weight loss that people are on and off their diets, and on and off with anything that supports their goals, like this website. Some of our most active members come and go... or just go away altogether.
I commend you for your ability to stick around even when you have fallen from your diet plan. And I commend you even more for sharing about it... this is truly a great help to others that read your diary and see that they are not alone.
Even more important, they see that slipping for a day doesn't mean that they have to give up and put all the weight they lost back on.
Thanks so much for being so honest with us all,
Peter
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 9 April 2006 11:14 pm |
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Peter wrote: people are on and off their diets [...] This is great!
Peter, thanks for your sentiments :)
In the reading-popularity stakes, it is easiest compare myself with other diarists also starting in January and I see I'm currently comprehensively beaten by Javan(2919), Suenos(3454) and SynicalChic(4542). Though an average of 25 views a day is impressive. They can't all be me checking if I've added anythiing new :D
Saturday, back in Milton Keynes
I weighed and recorded what I ate, but I didn't add it up at any point, I didn't ensure adequate protein levels (er, for the first time ever!) and I did not stop eating at point, for any reason. I bought chocolate at the shop (105 calories) and then the supermarket had some free chocolate samples (160 calories). In the outdoor market I scored a real bargain - 11 huge Mango fruit for £1.00 (these normally sell for £1.00 each - they were in excellent condition too, not overripe as they normally are when sold at such a discount). When eating, I weigh them before, then weigh the remaining stone and peel, to figure what I've actually eaten. The mangos ranged from 100 calories to 150 (finished the last of them by midday Sunday). Forward-looking to counting again at some point, I researched low-calorie dairy products at the supermarket. Cottage cheese is as low as 69 calories per 100g. I saw some very cheap low-fat low-sugar yogurts at 59 calories (and more expensive ones at 48 calories per 100g). There was also Formage Frais (french style white soft cheese) at 49 calories per 100g (and 65% protein!) so got some to try at home. Tried to bake some cheesecake (cottage cheese, formage frais, tablet artificial sweetners, instant decaff granules, bran, 2 whisked egg whites, 190C for 20 minutes)
Sunday
Another day not following the plan. Principle offenders: prsence of mangos (now finished, and also some damage done by the abandant presence of apples and oranges. I'll have to grow up soon though as I've got a lot of these!). Also, being too tired to make the gym (very poor record recently: last workout was Tuesday. Thursday's class was unepectedly cancelled and I wasn't in the mood for my own workout instead; Friday and Saturday was in London. Sunday was too tired. It isn't looking good!). Nothing unwise like chocolate today, but plenty of food (mangos, oranges etc.), weighing and recording but no adding up. Got some ground arrowroot and more formage frais for future cooking experiments. I've been listening to my Hypnosis CD today. The plan is to go straight tomorrow!
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 10 April 2006 12:24 am |
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| Earlier I stepped on the scales (home scales, as the gym scales are currently away for repairs) and I'm 1.5 kilos (3 pounds) heavier than my lowest recent reading. Maybe that'll be a shock to the system.
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 10 April 2006 07:03 pm |
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Monday - great so far
It's coming up to 4pm. I've been up for around 10 hours - over half the day. Yet I've consumed just 425 calories, over a kilo (2 pounds) of vegetables and a little over 50 grams (and 47% of calories) from protein. Yesterday fruit were my downfall, so I avoided them so far today. Only 64 calories / 16g of protein are from rich protein sources (5 egg white omlettes) so 2/3 of the protein is cleverly obtained from vegetables and (a bit of) grain. I've also been drinking like a fish (they do drink decaff, right?). Later on I'll allow myself fruit and more grain as I complete intake to 1650. The plan is to visit that long-lost gym first, though!
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Peter
Founder, caloriesperhour.com
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Posted: 11 April 2006 10:28 am |
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Gym got lost again, huh?
;)
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 11 April 2006 12:32 pm |
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Peter wrote: Gym got lost again, huh?;)
I'll tell you what, when the gym isn't lost then it is the fitness instructors that get lost. I turned up on Thursday and my Body Pump class was cancelled. I didn't go on Sunday but my friend reported that classes were not running either. I was there yesterday (Monday) and did a Reebok Deck class , but the follow-on RPM class was cancelled as the cover instructor didn't make it . [We complained and got some complimentary sunbed vouchers.]
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 11 April 2006 12:42 pm |
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Monday Fruit Onslaught
After being good with fruit during the day (by not taking any with me) I had the task of eating my remaining calories for my evening meal. As I've been naughty the prevous day I decided to shoot for 1450 (my RMR is 1425) rather than 1650. I used about 2/3 of the calories I had available on fruit. I had 1.4 kilos (over 3 lbs) of oranges and apples. Although I was feeling stuffed, I recognised that if I wasn't watching my calories I could and would easily have continued, as eating fruit is very pleasurable. Was reflecting upon those Eat To Live types who say they are finding it difficult to consume 2 pounds of vegetables per day - I really can't see what the problem is. I then finished off my calories with some chocolate flavour rice noodles and some sunflower and sesame seeds. I compiled some statistics at that point: my protein high % figures from early in the day went down to 28% and my % of calories from vegetables went down to about 17%. I know Eat To Live suggests at least 30% from vegetables - so while I have no problem with consuming tons of veg by weight, I can't see how I can consume that much by calories (495+ calories for a 1650 total) - not unless I aim for veg at the calorie-dense part of the spectrum.
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Be A Cow
Senior Member
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Posted: 21 April 2006 10:39 pm |
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You know, I look for your diary everyday to see if someone besides me has been shameful. Lately it's just been me (not awful awful this week, but not fabulous by any means). So, as I can see by Trimblebee's diary, you're very light--a little too light by my way of thinking :)--what was your goal?
Anyway, I think you should get back on the shame wagon :)
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Krinkala
Member
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Posted: 22 April 2006 05:04 am |
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Hey, I miss reading your diary too! What have you been up to?
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 24 April 2006 09:44 am |
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Hi everyone. The shame part is alive and well. First off, there's being a 'foodie', obsessed with foods. This behaviour has come to the forefront in the last few weeks. In fact it is the number one reason why I've been skipping the gym so much - so I have time to be home, in the kitchen, playing around. It is also the reason I'm not present on the forums to the extent I was before.
My goal (http://www.caloriesperhour.com/forums/forum19/932.html) was to either reach 10% body fat, or BMI 20.0 (I reached the BMI goal, which for my 1.66m height translates to 55kg or 121lb - the calipers still show a higher body fat, but the Tanita scales in the gym, which are currently away for repairs for almost 3 weeks, did register a <10% number too). My goal is to reach (done) and maintain (oh dear) this weight, and then it would be nice to gain some muscle as well! (for that, I need to find my way back to the gym though) and then I won't be too light. Either way though, 'underweight' BMI of 18.5 gives 51Kg / 112lb, so I'm not worried about getting there accidentally.
A side-effect of the missing gym scales (and me missing from the gym) is that I'm weighing myself more, not less (at home). I seem to vary within a 2kilo (4lbs) window, which currently intersects my 55kg goal weight, so that's good.
Having said all of that, I did manage to drag myself into the gym for the last 4 days (Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday) in order to try and (re)create a habit. I can't say I worked out very hard (sometimes barely reaching 65% at the top end of a long cardio workout - shameful) but at least I was there, and my muscles are regaining some strength.
Foodwise, I've been adventerous and cocky.
Friday night
Ice Cream: Vanilla, Sainsbury's Basic, 45p for 2 litres. Between 60 and 70 calories per 100ml, that's a bit like yogurt and cottage cheese, right? that's the enticing way I presented this choice to myself. Why allow myself cottage cheese while denying ice-cream?
Saturday afternoon
Squirt-from-a-can whipped cream: just 50 calories per 100ml. Who can say no? (£1.00 for 250g, from Iceland)
Saturday night
At this point I knew who couldn't say no. It was me, I'd already eaten 200 calories into the next day's allowance. The cream proved very hard to dish out in desired measures as so much of it comes out when you press the button. 80% of its calories come from fat and 50% of total calories come from SATURATED fat. It went out via the window (only narrowly avoiding a parked car - oops). The icecream was 59% of calories from sugar, I guess it spiked my blood sugar levels. There was also 35%-odd calories from fat (one way of looking at it is to say that's about what you get in Semi-Skimmed milk around here. I guess that's why I don't have semi-skimmed). I tipped it into the sink, poured lots of hot water on it and washed it all away. So, that's two foods I cannot have, for health reasons but even more because of the binging behaviours they induce. What was I thinking?
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Peter
Founder, caloriesperhour.com
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Posted: 24 April 2006 06:58 pm |
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Squirt-from-a-can whipped cream? In the US we simply call it Reddi-Wip.
You squirt it on a finger then lick it. Repeat.
Shameful.
Peter
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 27 April 2006 11:58 am |
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Wednesday - binge at a free buffet
I was invited to attend a 2-hour meeting to discuss issues of local concern and hear other's concern (local refers to my immediate 'parish' - which happens to encompass just the centre of Milton Keynes, the town where I live). The invitation did state "Refreshments Available" and weary of that, I packed: scales, book of calorie counting, one portion salad (10 calories), one portion spinach (25 calories), one portion popcorn (25 calories), one portion boiled eggs (10g protein).
So what happened? I surveyed the table. My first reactions were: 'no' to most foods. Then I reasoned "well, one of everything won't hurt, and then I'll forgo eating for the rest of the day". So cautiously I loaded a plate: one triangular ham sandwhich, one slice of french baggete with whipped Pate on top, one KFC-style deep-fried battered drumstick, one slice of quiche, one deep-fried (prawn?) battered fritter, one 'fruit kebab stick'. I was even good with the bread items, only eating the Pate and the ham and leaving the bread largely untouched.
My next plate: less than 5 minutes later. Hmmm. Tried to give healthy eating a nod: one KFC-style drumstick and 3 fruit kebab things (I think each had cubes of: pineapple, strawberry, papaya, kiwi and mango). The next plate: more fruit, supplemented by the deep-fried chineese-style fritters (I think they were prawns). Next plate: fruit, with more KFC-style chicken drumstick.
Next, we moved into the meeting room: sitting around a very large table, the food has been moved in but it was difficult to access at anything which wasn't hand length. I continued eating, switching to the sandwhiches and then moving on to the 'fritters' (oh, and the boiled sweets which were available).
Given the deep-fried nature of the foods, I wouldn't be surprised if my excess calories above maintenance numbered 3500 or more, so I'm expecting to be at least a pound up. Normally I see my weight vary by around 1.5 kilos throughout the day. Earlier that day I saw my weight at a new all-time low (X) so I was expecting it to stay in the range (X .. X+1.5). Getting home, It was (X+3.5) kilos - and the following morning, down to (X+2.5) kilos. That's still one kilo heavier than I have seen for a while. I'll have to take plenty of readings before I can get a sense of the true damage done in just two hours.
The next morning, packing for work, found those foods I packed for that meeting. Completely forgotten about them. Had to throw away the boiled egg (which went unrefrigerated through the night).
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Krinkala
Member
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Posted: 28 April 2006 06:56 am |
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What is whipped pate? Was the fruit kabob fried? What are boiled sweets? Seems that everywhere you go you find a food orgy, even at a community meeting. Just shameful. Is there guilt involved or are you only into shame?
You didn't mention chocolate, not even once. The degredation is not complete without chocolate.
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 28 April 2006 11:28 am |
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Krinkala wrote: What is whipped pate? Was the fruit kabob fried? What are boiled sweets? Seems that everywhere you go you find a food orgy, even at a community meeting. Just shameful. Is there guilt involved or are you only into shame?
You didn't mention chocolate, not even once. The degredation is not complete without chocolate.
Rather than thinly spreading a layer of Pate on the french bagette, it seemed to have been whipped, much like whipped cream would look like. Not sure how they achieved that.
The fruit kebab wasn't fried - just cubes of fruit on a long wooden toothpick. It was the healthiest thing there. I ate more than half of them, perhaps depriving others.
Boiled sweets are universal, but they might be known by a different name in the US. You put them in your mouth and suck on them. They are usually fruit-flavoured and look like coloured glass (for lack of a better description). Typically I crunch them with my teeth instead.
If there was chocolate, or cake I would surely have tucked in. I'm so afraid of my chocolate addiction that I have chocolate-flavoured things (made with cocoa powder and artificial sweetner) every day as part of my food. Right now in the fridge I have ready-made portions of chocolate-flavoured mushroom, for instance.
I guess guilt/shame/disappointment/failure are all interchangeable in this context.
Thursday was back on track. I got an Iced Bun with a Cherry from my boss - but I had quite a deficit at that point in the day so did ok despite it. Today (Friday) is another challenge as I believe there is a party organised by the gym with a free buffet. I don't have to attend, nor do I have to eat the foods on offer, but I might. Also it is the last day for a 15-year-old who has been doing "work experience" with us for a week so that might be catered as well. Hmm.
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 29 April 2006 09:53 am |
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Friday
I wasn't going to write this down, I feel rather embarassed. So shame is definitely the right emotion. Friday's binge was in four parts. Could it get any worse???
Part 1
15-year-old Robert came back from his lunch at 1.30pm sporting a box of Celebrations by way of thank-you for providing him with his first experiences of a workplace. There were 4 people in the building: my two (older, female) bosses, who each took a couple of pieces, and then there were Robert and myself, both chocolate enthusiasts. He was generous and also playful (smuggling more for me, despite one of the bosses determined that I don't have more than my 'fair share' - not because she cares about my goals or her share, just because she is a spoil-sport, you see). At this point I was still weighing and counting calories. This part finishes 4.15pm.
Part 2
6pm-8.30pm. I get home. I've had a short break from eating. Evening can still go either way. I can't go to the gym as a couple of fire-fighters are due to come and install a smoke-alarm, but I could be reading, resting etc. Instead I'm nibbling in the kitchen. No longer counting, and hitting those calorie-dense options (dried fruit and nuts!) straight from container. I fancy weighing something (not counting it, just for info) and there's a mini disaster as my scales are broken. One won't turn on and needs caliberating (for the firt time ever - I dropped it earlier at work). The second is reading my 18g plastic bowl as 12g. I tried 'fixing' that one by caliberating it and taking it apart, ended up writing it off completely. The first one I managed to caliberate and breath life into. Luckily I had "stock" so just replaced the 2nd one with a brand-new one.
Part 3
Decided to commit to the gym party, synonymous in my head with "buffet"! Got there at 9pm and left at 9.50pm. Damage: 4 complimentary glasses of wine, John bought me a double-Baileys (a birthday present 2 days ahead of mine, which is on Sunday). Food: little mini-pizzas, slices of garlic-pizza-bread, mini spring-rolls spring-rolls, something else deep-fried, corn crisps ('chips'), potato chips ('fries'). 4 small plates?
Part 4
Sainsbury's supermarket shuts at 10pm, anything worth buying at the last minute? Answer: nothing healthy, but I actively negotiate the £4.00 chocolate cheesecake at £0.30 (I have to ask them). I get a plastic spoon and eat it on the way. It takes me 10 minutes to walk home, I physically feel too full to continue eating and there is 1/2 a cake left. I throw the rest in the bin. Then I feel my pockets and I don't have my wallet, I go back to the bin and sure enough my wallet with £17.00 and a card are in a carrier bag in the bin (phew). I'm in bed by 11pm.
What will Saturday bring?
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Peter
Founder, caloriesperhour.com
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Posted: 30 April 2006 07:53 am |
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I was interested in hearing about your meeting. What would they discuss at such a meeting in England? What I got was a review of the food table and what you ate.
I used to spend every spring vacation with my kids at a friend's home in San Francisco. I kept a map at his house to use year after year and marked it with all the places we visited.
Once when I visited with another friend I showed him my old map. He looked at it for a minute, then exclaimed, "It's all restaurants!"
Our orientation for all of life is food.
Peter
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 30 April 2006 10:12 am |
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Peter wrote: I was interested in hearing about your meeting. What would they discuss at such a meeting in England?
The issues brought up (in so far as I remember)
- broken marble fixtures don't get fixed (they could barely afford to fit this once, never budgeted for repairs)
- resident's parking permits are abused (tickets are sold on by residents or otherwise obtained by people who work in the city centre - spaces are used so residents have no-where to park) and loss of resident parking spaces through re-partitioning.
- bus service to Bletchley doesn't go there directly, therefore takes an hour (could take 15 minutes if went there directly)
- does existence of skate-boarding park prevent skate-boarders from abusing other areas (as was original intention?)
- would we like to pay more tax to the parish council (currently £28 a year, taken from a larger wedge of tax we call "council tax") in exchange for more spend on services?
- How would we like to be informed and consulted of changes to the shopping centre infrastructure which may impact the local residents of the centre.
Saturday
This didn't have to be a binge day. But it was. Started off fine with protein and vegetables. Then the anticipated Pizza event: a friend wanted to give me a coupon that could be exchanged for a large 16" free pizza with two toppings at Pizza Hut. My family are all in town this weekend so I arranged to meet with my brother, two sisters and the boyfriend of one of the sisters - so there were 5 of us (age range 26-33). We had a pan pizza with Jalepenos and Red Onions, 230 calories per 100g. My two slices weighed under 200g. I had a workshop to attend while they all went to the cinema. I invited them for nibbles later and encouraged them to tuck into my collection of nuts, seeds and dried fruit (which I saw as danger foods) and sure enough although they helped out - for example completely finishing the dates and dry-roasted peanuts and making good inroads into the sunflower seeds, there was plenty left over (e.g. raisins, almonds, walnuts), and damage from those foods easily toppled that from the pizza! I stopped when I finished them completely It is the morning after now, so I feel different, but the binge mentality is so dangerous.
It is my birthday today. I'm 33.
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Peter
Founder, caloriesperhour.com
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Posted: 30 April 2006 11:12 am |
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#%@&! skate boarders. No respect for others property. Shame on them.
Peter
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Hisgal
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 1 May 2006 04:02 am |
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Happy Birthday, Nir!
May this be your year! Remember, you are the one making the decisions in your life!
It's taken me 50 years to learn that...may you learn it sooner:D
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Krinkala
Member
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Posted: 1 May 2006 09:14 am |
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Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday dear Nir
Happy Birthday to you!!!!
:D :) ;) :D
Remember that birthday cake has no calories as long as it's your own birthday.
Enjoy!
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 1 May 2006 11:58 am |
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Thank you both!
Sunday
I was edging towards an Indian buffet, but some people weren't sufficiently hungry to justify the £expense so the five of us (siblings and sister's boyfriend) went for a pub meal with 5 shared courses. I wrote down the food components after the event:
(tortialla chip,melted cheese,jalepenos,guacamole,sour cream,salsa),(potato fries),(tortilla chips,white rice,mixed beans,minced beef,sauce,sour cream),(breaded cod,tartar sauce,peas),(chocolate gautox,chocolate sauce,ice cream),(banana,waffle,ice cream)
After the meal somehow managed to get away from the binge mentality by pretending that the meal didn't happen so I was back to eating my daily allowance, focusing on protein etc. The only exception being that there was no need to "get up to 1650 calories" so I could stop whenever I wanted to.
Another birthday meal today (home-made by mum, this time).
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Peter
Founder, caloriesperhour.com
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Posted: 1 May 2006 09:12 pm |
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Yes, happy belated birthday!
Peter
http://www.caloriesperhour.com/forums/calendar.php
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Be A Cow
Senior Member
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Posted: 1 May 2006 09:58 pm |
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Happy Late Birthday Nir!!
Actually, on your birthday (yesterday) I was celebrating my 25th birthday (yes, my birthday has been extended for 2 weeks, it was April 14th) with my friends (so I'll pretend I was celebrating yours too).
I won't fill up your diary with the details (that will be in my diary)--but I do want to say, I had Indian food for you (my first time having Indian, pretty yummy!)
Enjoy your celebration with your mum!
edited to add: In the USA, "boiled sweets" are called "hard candy" :) That's mostly what's in my stupid candy bowl of temptation at my work.Last edited on 1 May 2006 09:59 pm by Be A Cow
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 1 May 2006 11:45 pm |
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[thanks for your lovely  messages] Damage update  : on Wednesday, before binging, I saw my lowest recently-recorded weight of X kilos on the scales. Those same scales just now report X+6.5 kilos (or 14 pounds heavier, or one stone heavier). That gap is wider than all of the fat I lost since joining this site in January! Some of this is salt, water, daily variation and hocus pocus, but I assure you that some of it isn't, and five days of over-eating (Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday) have taken their tall 
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 3 May 2006 04:51 pm |
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Monday
The home-cooked meal at mum's featured, amongst other things, multiple starters, most involving crispbreads (in dips, broken into soups etc.), roast lamb/potatoes/parsnips and two kinds of home-made cake (both featuring margarine and white sugar as major ingredients). I asked for seconds of nearly everything - it is a bit hazy now but I know I had at least five portions of cake!
Tuesday
I was immersed in e-mail and by the time I registered where I was I got off the bus 3 stops after the one for work. On my walk back to the office I saw the baker's shop I used to go to. In the mornings they often sold off the cakes from yesterday for 10p each (freshly-baked cakes are full price). I was tempted and sure enough they're still doing that deal. Picked a small one and a couple of hours later I'm tucking into it - estimated 350 calories. From having a comfortable margin of calories-to-eat, I had now eaten all the calories I was due and had to wait 4 hours before I could eat anything else, bother. I compromised and kept feeding in adequate protein, but it was 7 hours before I could eat anything else. Once the inconvenience introduced by the cake was over, it was a relief to be re-focused on the plan. Ate a total of 1500 calories by night-time and saved my last 150 for overnight snacking and "the breakfast bonus".
On the way home I bought 3 types of spice (Oregano, Nutmeg, Corriander) as they had a deal on. Also noticed a health food store - it must have always been there but I'm blind - mostly more expensive than my usual store, but one novel concept, they sell nuts by weight - after Saturday's binge it is wise to not have too many nuts in the kitchen! Got myself 30g of Brazils to see how it goes. Felt more confident after my workout and replaced the 500g of dried fruit mix (sultanas, raisins, currants) I binged on Saturday (that's over 1400 calories in the pack so I am taking a risk - I'm banking on the shock of putting on so much fat in one week acting as a restraint!). They had lovely cookies at a reduced price - I said no!!! and left them in the shop. My last 100 calories on Tuesday were the dried fruit mix - I was disappointed as the brand I picked (Sainsbury's) has large pieces, wheras the brand I used before (ASDA) is mostly smaller pieces so any given quantity (by weight) goes a little further.
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trimB
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 3 May 2006 11:17 pm |
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YOU SAID NO!!!
:D
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 7 May 2006 01:51 am |
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I've been good on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. For example on Friday I was given an 80g biscuit-based 'cake bar' - about 400 calories. Ate half of it but then thought better and gave the other half away before it would cripple my day further. It just wasn't worth it.
It is now 1.5 weeks since I saw lowest weight X on the scales, but I did once see (X +3 kilos) on the scales, which is encouraging as it suggests that when the dust finally settled, I only gained that much over my 5 days of binging. Still quite impressive as it means I've eaten around 23,000 calories more than maintenance in those 5 days. (average 1.3 pounds gain per binge day). I need to focus on not over-eating. I predict it will take a few weeks to get back to where I was.
Maybe quite a few weeks, as I'm trying a new experiment: I shall increase my intake from 1650 to 1800 and see what happens. I was prompted to do this by a friend at the gym who pointed out that I had a lot more energy and was lifting heavier weights when he first joined the gym (and I didn't know him then). I'm thinking this could be because I was eating a lot more back then. Mind you an increase in calories could stall any weight loss so I'll monitor carefully.
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 10 May 2006 01:08 am |
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| I'm having serious dis-insentives for eating fruits and vegetables at the moment, going to the loo is painful, so I'm not drinking much and therefore have constipation. Consequently on way home from work topped-up my calories by buying and eating a Snickers bar (300 calories) just to not get too far behind my calories. I'm going to pack defensively tomorrow (nuts and dried fruit) so I can have slightly healthier snacks than chocolate bars.
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 16 May 2006 02:52 am |
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Monday
last Thursday I had blood and urine tests in the hope of determining why I am a bit yellow in appearance and also have been feeling weak lately, which I presumed were related. The results, available today, were that tests found nothing wrong with me. This would have frustrated me if not for the fact that today I actually have more energy than I've had in ages! (and used it to good effect in the gym). So what has recently changed?
- on Friday I increased my calories again. At some point (February? March?) I started counting calories quite precisely, so it makes sense to say I restricted them to 1450 (beforehand I can't really say how much I was eating). Then (early April) increased to 1650, (May 6th) increased to 1800, (May 12th - Friday just gone) increased to 2000. If this turns out to be more than my maintenance and I start gaining fat, I'll be sure to reverse this.
- on Thursday I decided to increase fat intake, previously perhaps 5% or less, yet over the last few days in the range 15% to 30% of total calories. This was at the suggestion of forum member Dave Brown who wondered whether my recent binges (late April) related to lack of fat. I'm regarding this change as an experiment.
- Perhaps my energy increase is a temporary effect that will go away. Or perhaps it has nothing to do with either of the changes and I have just coincidentally recovered from some medical condition. Either way, I'm too nervous to make any further changes just yet!
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 20 May 2006 09:11 pm |
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Thursday
Mum has been to ASDA and while meeting to sell me the cottage cheese I asked for we also spotted a high-protein version of 'soft cheese' (texture like Philadelphia, but it is 73% protein - yet another protein source!). There were plenty of prewashed salads (300g for £0.15) so I had to decide how many to buy (i.e. how willing I will be to eat days-old salad next week). Had 5 packs. Mum complained that ASDA reductions were no good except for cakes and cookies. This got me interested and I accepted a large cookie (she wanted to pass me a pack of 5 but I refused!). At home realised the damage would be 225 calories. I served myself 100 calories to see what that would be like. Then reduced the remaining 125 calories to 50 calories by dismantling what was left of the white-chocolate-and-raisins-cookie into "cookie" and "bits" (50 calories was the bits, 75 calories of crumbs to the bin). That felt like a better deal (partly because bits are nicer than cookie, partly because it takes longer to eat individual bits than one whole chunk of cookie) - wish I'd done the same to the first half of the cookie!
Friday/Saturday
I'm beginning to feel uneasy about 2000 calories. Thinking of reducing it to 1900. Can't decide! (I'm unlikely to gain much muscle unless I increase calories, but if I misjudge I'll just gain fat). My weight is already fluctuating upwards a little. I guess some downwards movement on the scales would be reassuring (with RMR 1425, as a very active (1.5) person I should need 2137.5 calories so a 137 calorie deficit (6.43%) is a pound lost every 26 days. what if I'm not "very active"? it is a bit of a long while to wait for potentially bad news!). Of course, if I decrease calories and then loose my energy again those calories go back up like a shot. I chickened out of decreasing on Friday (or maybe I just felt like having those last 100 calories). Don't know what will happen today.
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OnceUpon-A-ThinGirl
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 20 May 2006 10:02 pm |
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Nir wrote:
Friday/Saturday
I'm beginning to feel uneasy about 2000 calories. Thinking of reducing it to 1900. Can't decide! (I'm unlikely to gain much muscle unless I increase calories, but if I misjudge I'll just gain fat). My weight is already fluctuating upwards a little. I guess some downwards movement on the scales would be reassuring (with RMR 1425, as a very active (1.5) person I should need 2137.5 calories so a 137 calorie deficit (6.43%) is a pound lost every 26 days. what if I'm not "very active"? it is a bit of a long while to wait for potentially bad news!). Of course, if I decrease calories and then loose my energy again those calories go back up like a shot. I chickened out of decreasing on Friday (or maybe I just felt like having those last 100 calories). Don't know what will happen today.
1425 seems so low at very active, I don't know much about this, but it seems very low... I count by bmr though, so maybe rmr is lower.
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 22 May 2006 12:02 pm |
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OnceUpon-A-ThinGirl wrote: 1425 seems so low at very active, I don't know much about this, but it seems very low... I count by bmr though, so maybe rmr is lower.
Hi there. To clarify, maintenance "very active" works out as 2137.5 (the mathematics being 1.5 x 1425. I do believe that is what I wrote in the text you quoted - though perhaps I was not clear enough).
I saw yet another unfavourable reading on the scales (56.3kg) and they measured my body fat at the supermarket as 15.7% (hand-held thingy) so I'm cutting it back down to 1900 calories for now. I'll also see whether it was calories or fat that made a difference to my energy level!
Sunday
I spent Friday night thinking about modifications I'd like to make to the way I was writing down my food diary (the one I maintain on a loose sheet of paper) and have tried it out over the weekend. This now involves counting protein and fat - both in a more accurate way than previously. The final data for Sunday is: protein 97.45g, fat 81.86g. Calories 1900 (protein 20.52%, fat 38.78%, carbs 40.70%). Protein is 1.73g per kilo of body weight.
Discovered new figures for walnuts placing them at 688 calories per 100g. Previously I had them as 578 calories but I can't find any record of where I got that low figure from! I guess my existing pre-packed portions are not 25 calories, more like 30 calories.
I went on a high-fat shopping spree, buying:
- black pitted olives
- sunflower seeds
- sesame seeds
- pumpkin seeds
- motzerella cheese [yes, mostly saturated fat]
- squirty cream [yes, mostly saturated fat]
- dessicated coconut [yes, mostly saturated fat]
- bombay mix [40.6% of calories from gram flour which is made from chick peas. I think this counts as refined grain]
- totrilla chips [50.6% of calories from refined grain]
- white chocolate [40.5% of calories from sugar, the rest is mostly saturated fat]
I spent much of the afternoon putting these (except for the olives, sesame seeds and dessicated coconut) in little bags. The ones you get from the bank in the UK if you say you'd like to deposit any coins. Weighing and bagging these portions takes a lot of time!
It was a waste of time bagging the white chocolate into portions though, as many of those are now eaten! I'd say it was the most dubious of my choices! It is packed so densely that my 25-calorie portion consisted of little more than a single cube (the 100g / 569 calories bar was arranged into 6x4 cubes), and whilst numerically the figures fit in with my new higher-fat, lower-carb profile (well, increasing fat has got to lower something, and it sure wasn't going to be protein) sugar has got to be the worst carb. A cube of chocolate goes so very quickly.
My chocolate strategy: I have 9 portions remaining. They are calling me in a way no other food is (which is not a good sign). I shall try to fit them within my calorie/fat allowance and get rid of them (seeing as I'll be eating them one way or another, might as well do so outside of a binge setting). Then hopefully I shall remember the lesson and not buy so much chocolate all at once. A 20g bar is fine - 100g is too much. Speaking of which, I went to a shop called "Let's Eat" where I saw a Tootsie Roll. [It is an American product that other diarists have mentioned and until yesterday I didn't know what it was or looked like. They wanted £0.15 for it, so I might be back to get it one of those days. They had an entire stand of American brand confection: Hershey, Oreo etc. For the benefit of Americans I shall clarify: we have plenty of chocolate products around here - they are just different, and their names probably mean nothing on your side of the pond. And then there are international brands which everyone knows Snickers, Tobleron etc.]
I expect that once the chocolate is gone, some of my other food choices will give me trouble :)
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OnceUpon-A-ThinGirl
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 22 May 2006 11:35 pm |
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| Ah! Thank you for the clarification, that makes much more sense, no wonder it seemed so low! Those numbers sound much better. You'll have to excuse my tendancy to mother and worry about people.
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 23 May 2006 04:29 pm |
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| I have been invited to a formal (posh) 'do' on the 14th of July. Like a college reunion. Expensive champagne will flow freely and delicious canapes will circulate (I shall have to wear a lounge suit). The evening has a value of over $100 (though I won't have to pay as much). I've booked a day's leave from work and making travel arrangements. Am I going because it is an out of the ordinary experience? Yes - but I'm also going for the posh food and drink. I may post the Menu (I have it at home) so you can see the damage. This is a binge almost 2 months in the making! Scary, isn't it? Perhaps it is best to get as lean as I can before the event, so I can accomodate the pound or two I might put on that evening. I could just go and have one 'bit' of everything and then just have fruit - but I don't see myself passing up on food of the type and quality that won't be available the next day. Or I could decline the invitation. What would you do in my place?
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Phoebe
Senior Member
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Posted: 23 May 2006 06:26 pm |
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I would not think twice about going. This is life, enjoy it and the food!
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zenobia
Moderator
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Posted: 23 May 2006 08:00 pm |
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phoebe's got it right. this is life. and you know you will really savor the food. you seem as though you can prepare yourself for the event and have it all planned out, so do it! you will regret it if you don't.
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 25 May 2006 06:44 pm |
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| I'm looking again at that hypnosis CD, which I've neglected for a while. I was interested in paying more attention to the words used. If you're interested too, they're at http:// nir.org.uk/downloads/hypnosis.rtf
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Peter
Founder, caloriesperhour.com
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Posted: 25 May 2006 10:22 pm |
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A few different sessions on my CDs suggest turning to water instead of food. It always makes me laugh after I listen to them... and the idea/desire to get a drink keeps popping into my head!
Peter
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