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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 9 August 2006 01:20 am |
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Reading other diaries has reminded me: I see plenty of, er shall we say 'sub-optimal' choices in other diaries (naming no names) but as I tend to focus on my mistakes, any readers of this diary can be forgiven for thinking that my eating is quite poor overall. To redress this, I'm going to post all I've had to eat today (numbers in brackets are 25-calorie units. 1 unit is assumed if no number is stated)
Pear(2) Broccoli Orange(2) Egg-White Kiwi Strawberries Plums Cherries BrusselSprouts CrunchySalad GreenPepper 20-ingredient-Salad-Mix(2) IceCreamCone(6.5) FlapJack(3) Egg-White PopCorn(0.5) BeanSprouts Broccoli Orange(0.5) Swede RedCabbage Egg-White Carrot(0.5) Orange Pear(2) Tomatos Plums Strawberries Cheries Orange BrusselSprouts Swede Broccoli CrunchySalad RedCabbage Broccoli Olives Orange Grapefruit Apple Pear Cherries Egg-White Peach Olives Popcorn SweetPotato ChickPeas(3). Current totals: 60 units 79.2g protein (left: 10 units and need to eat 10.8g more protein)
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Skipperdox
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 9 August 2006 08:28 pm |
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I think we all understand and expect that this is a diary of shame. Your moments of weakness remind us all of our own shortcomings in the healthy choice arena. The fact that you fully admit your failures in a good-natured and very humorous way, makes your diary a must-read. We all see ourselves in Nir. We all relate to you in a way that is uniquely you.
The number of "Nir Moments" (as they have been affectionately termed by others on this forum) you have do not detract from the fact that you probably have one of the healthiest diets on this forum. If you didn't have your moments, you wouldn't be human. Your diary would also need a new title.
Stick with the shame...it's way more interesting!
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clarinetgurl
Moderator
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Posted: 9 August 2006 08:35 pm |
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Excuse my simple mind, but...what does sub-optimal mean? I guess that's "less than optimal" so "bad"?
I'm supposed to be a smart kid *embarrasment*
(And if you were talking about me, you can name my name.  I know I don't eat enough fruuits and veggies, eat too many processed foods, and don't drink enough water. I'm still working on it.)
Hope you're having a great day!
clarinetgurl
Last edited on 9 August 2006 09:00 pm by clarinetgurl
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 9 August 2006 11:05 pm |
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clarinetgurl wrote: I know I don't eat enough fruuits and veggies, eat too many processed foods
That's exactly what I mean. Your diary does scare me a little - it reminds me of Peter's tutorial topic about using cheesecake for low-calorie dieting.
http://www.caloriesperhour.com/tutorial_diet_calorie.html
Here's a little story.
Two years ago (mid 2004) I was eating a fair amount of healthy foods, but I also wanted a little taste of something else. So I bought chocolate bars, biscuits (cookies), sweetned cereals, chips, nuts - everything that came in a packet and was no good for me. Towards the end of the day I would use my accurate scales (accurate to 0.01 of a gram) to have a feast. A little bit of this and a little bit of that. I used to save more and more calories for the end-of-day feast. Then one day I snapped and started binging. During the time prior to that, I was showing so much self-control, that I thought it would be safe to buy lots and lots of different types of chocolates and cookies etc. So I had a lot of stock. About 8 kilos of stuff. For the first few days of binging I was counting my calories - came out to about 6500 calories a day. I put all the goodies into two sacks (wouldn't fit into one) and asked my mum to take them to her house. I was good for a few days - and then I asked for my sacks back and continued bingeing. This was how I learnt that I can't keep bad stuff around me in my home. If I have it, I might eventually eat it.
I still have to learn some lessons again and again .
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clarinetgurl
Moderator
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Posted: 9 August 2006 11:15 pm |
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Well, I promise I'm not trying to make excuses, but since I do still live at home...my parents cook...and, they are annoyed enough already about me always worrying about how many calories everything is.
Don't get me wrong, they want me to lose weight and all that. But I think they get tired of me counting calories.
But take the other day for example: My dad made mashed potatoes. I told him before hand that I would not be eating any. But when I didn't eat any at supper, he was kind of offended, and guilted me into eating some.
I know that I should be able to say "no" and eat only what I know is good for me, but sometimes I can't. And truth be told, sometimes I still don't want to.
I think it's really great, all the people on this site who can go to the grocery store, pick out their own healthy food, and make it the way they want it. And I feel bad for the few people who've mentioned it's harder to that because of their spouses. But...I guess I'm just not up to that right now.
I am trying though...and what I'm doing...it may not be the best, but it IS working.
And you don't know how much I was eating before that I am not eating now. As bad as it is, you can't know how bad I USED to be.
So, this is a process...and I promise I am TRYING
But again, I am not making excuses. I know I make bad choices sometimes.
Sorry for posting such a long post in your diary Nir. Thanks for worrying about me.
Off to read a tutorial,
clarinetgurl
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 10 August 2006 06:40 pm |
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clarinetgurl wrote: I do still live at home...my parents cook .. I think they get tired of me counting calories. .. truth be told, sometimes I still don't want to
You can write as much as you like in my diary. Everyone's welcome! I see that you're trying, and you're probably already miles ahead of me - I didn't start learning about nutrition and healthy eating until I was 30 (though I did diet when I was 23 and lost weight by eating lots of carrots and ice-berg lettuce. I didn't know about macronutrients (like protein back then, only about calories-per-100g and about calories-per-volume -> which made marshmallows and ice-cream attractive propositions).
Back in 2003, I'm sure I was eating a 9" or 10"  pizza for both breakfast and my last meal. 100g bars of chocolate or 250g bags of nuts were snacks to dip into while watching TV. I didn't eat anything but junk food. Then I thought I was switching to healthy foods when all I did was make myself sandwhiches on refined white bread - and the spreads, fillings and shear quantiy of those sandwiches meant that I was no better off than before.
I hear you about eating your parent's cooking. The last time I was eating at my parent's, they got upset just because I wrote down the names of the foods I was eating. I'm not talking about quantities: I just wanted to jot down what kind of things I was eating! (It was binge day anyway - 3.5 months ago!). I'm so grateful that I do have control over what I eat. I only have to watch out when eating out, eating at someone else's or being away from home.
As for sometimes still not wanting to eat healthy: the pig  in me makes this choice that much easier! If I'm only letting myself have so many calories, I know that the only way I can literally stuff myself silly is if I eat "rabbit  food". It is almost just a happy coincidence that it is healthy too.
Last edited on 10 August 2006 06:49 pm by Nir
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 10 August 2006 06:56 pm |
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Wednesday
Dragged myself bright and early into the gym only to be told that the instructor was 'ill' and the Pump class was cancelled. I was one of three disappointed people (there might have been more). Two of us did a bit of stair-master-climbing (I stopped when I allegedly burnt 400 calories).
The gym consists of a studio, a cardio-machines area, an area for resistance machines, and a free-weights area (with some heavy-duty machines, benches etc.). I decided to loiter in that free-weights area and see if I could figure out some of those machines and exercises (and see what exercises other people are doing) - spent at least 1/2 an hour there.
At the nearby supermarket I sampled some cheese at the Deli. I weighed the bread with and without the cheese (didn't eat the bread). The woman behind the counter asked why I was weighing these. Said that she used to run (or work in?) a gym-for-women and part of this involved advise on diet and nutrition, yet this never involved weighing food. I explained that I was using this as a temporary tool to learn about calories (two small slices of cheese, each about 16 calories).
Went for a longish walk to a store that sells heart rate monitors (Argos) as I decided I was prepared to pay the £20 they were asking for one that counts calories-burnt. When I got it, they've evidently put the price up to £25 in the last 4 weeks since I was there. (£25 = $47.50 these days.) Annoyed at the 25% price hike and decided to do without.
Walked to a food store (LIDL) and noticed that the tins of Peas that were 0.19 have gone up to 0.22. That's almost 16% price hike! My mum thinks this might be due to increased transportation costs due to rising oil prices. I currently have plenty of tins of peas "in stock" at the old price.
Those two stores are relatively far away, took about 3 hours to walk there and back. I didn't pack food for my walk and was out longer than expected so I was behind on my food.  Ice-cream was a tempting proposition but I held out till I got home and had  fruit instead.
In the afternoon headed back to the gym, but stopped at the supermarket first at 5.55pm. There were indications that it would be a good day for produce shopping. I alerted mum and canceled my workout. There was a lot of hanging around (over an hour) but we both got our loot. Plenty of vegetables for 10p and 15p a packet. There was some competition - one woman in particular stood out as being much faster than me or mum at grabbing things from the reduction shelves. She also seemed to be in cahoots with the staff, grabbing some things into her trolley at 99p and having them reduce them to 10p afterwards. We're a bit jealous. On this occasion I walked away with 4 heavy shopping bags for £3.14 so I can't complain. By the time I was done, it was too late to even fit in the 7.30pm Circuits class, so my only workouts were StairMaster, a bit of freestyle weights and lengthy-yet-light walking around town.
A tub of reduced-fat Humus was reduced to just 15p, yet 306 calories seemed a bit much and I didn't trust myself. Mum saved the day - she bought the tub (two tubs, actually) and passed me just under 1/4 of a tub, damage was just 66 calories!
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 10 August 2006 06:58 pm |
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Thursday
325-calorie breakfast; 175-calorie top-up 3.5 hours later; and then...
Mum called to say there was something to sample at M&S. I didn't quite catch what she said. I tried the Prawn Crackers at M&S (did I break my schedule for that??), Miscellaneous nuts (from the Nuts and Marocon Pastries barrow - definitely a wiser choice than pastries. I'm staying away from those), a couple of complimentary cups of filter coffee at the gym (will go back there for a workout later), a couple of custard tarts (minor price reduction: 54p to 39p), a few small samples of fruit (melons, plum, raspberry, strawberry) - Waitrose is the only place where the freebies are ocassionally healthy! - I was inches from home and decided to detour to McDonald's for an Ice-cream Cone (the lightest since I started weighing them - just 85 grams) and sample of a chocolate-chip Brownie from Starbucks (weighed 25 calories' worth and discarded the rest). Total damage of outing: 1+1+2.5+.5+5.5+1=11.5 -> 288 calories.
There is a turning point in the day (early to late afternoon) when I need to start catching up on my calories, and indeed forward-eat all the calories I'm due until the _end_ of my workout (i.e. to eat a meal that will fuel my workout) so this little trip didn't throw me off target. It even helped a little, in a perverse way. On the other hand, my calories surged forward while my protein was at a near stand-still (freebies are generally low in nutrient-density and low in protein) so ate some more broccoli and zuccini to push protein intake up.
I've only just noticed, but today seems to be the day I'm trying to use vegetation to push up the protein - and not use egg whites for this purpose. May have something to do with the silly amounts of Broccoli and Zuccini I acquired yesterday!!
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 11 August 2006 12:14 am |
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Something a bit upsetting  happened at the gym (no, I won't say what) but I'm not drowning my sorrows in chocolate and ice-cream. Mind you, one of my late-night bargains today was 250g of dried figs (that's 600 calories, or 24 x 25-calorie portions - yes, a lot of work dividing and weighing them). It is early days but it looks like a race to see how quickly I can finish those Figs whilst still staying within my allowance. Dried fruit can be a bit of a danger food for me, so I knew what to expect. So far I've already had 8 x 25-calorie portions. Oh, and the most optimal way to get protein is to eat those egg whites, so I'm eating them today after all. Just as well, might be off tomorrow!
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 11 August 2006 11:23 pm |
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Friday
Oh my. Lots happened today.
1) I did 3 Spin classes today (that's a group class, themed riding on a stationary bike). The classes started at 6.45am, 9.30am and 6.00pm respectively. The first class was a bit of a warm-up. I did hit 80% at times. The second class was my best ride. I was at 75% by the end of the warm-up song and I went past 90% for bits of a few of the songs. The 3rd class wasn't quite as good as the 2nd, but I hovered at 83-85% for a good portion. Last Friday I did 2 Spin classes. Today was a new record.
2) A second upsetting thing happened at the gym. Yes, that's two (entirely different) upsetting things happening to me, in the gym, in as many days! One way of looking at it is that I may have personal issues with two of the instructors in the gym (or rather, they have issues with me). They chose to assert their authority by creating a new rule. This rule would discriminate against me. I am particularly affected because I have a medical condition which requires me to go fairly often to the toilet. The new rule states that I cannot rejoin a class if I leave it half-way. I was informed of this during my first Spin class. I spent part of the day attempting to contact various management at the gym (including their national headoffice, as well as the more local people) as well as researching the most likely alternative gym. It does have nicer facilities all-round and the classes are livlier and more numerous - but I don't want to say goodbye to my gym friends, and being smaller I am a bigger fish in my current gym. Swings and roundabouts. Oh, the other gym works out a bit more expensive as well.
3) Figs and White Grapes: My morning meals, about 250 calories at 6am and again at 9am: I sacrificed variety for efficiency. I used Broccoli and Zuccini to provide both bulk and protein. In the morning I was aiming for a particular % of calories from protein (22.5% - I'll work more on this tomorrow) and this is quite easy to reach with Broccoli and Zuccini. So then brought the protein% down by finishing those dangerous Dried Figs from yesterday, and starting to make headway into my white grapes. Simple maths.
4) Pizza Hut. In contrast to my June 7th binge at Pizza Hut, I wanted to see if I could do it the 'Eat To Live' way, filling up on salad. It still cost me £5.49 (yes, $10.43 - how much does the Buffet cost in the USA?). I was armed with all of their published calories (which they kindly printed for me back in April), a pocket calorie-counting book, a 0.1g scale and a small plastic dish I can place on the scale. I arrived at 1.30pm (having last eaten at 9am and having had all the protein and calories I needed until 11.30am, I was overdue some food at that point) and I left around 4.30pm. The first hour was spent studying the foods, eating slowly, writing things down. After an hour I felt confident. I put my aparatus away and continued eating confidently. I'm sure the entire meal was no more than 500-700 calories, and I made sure to leave in the traditional "buffet stuffed" state.
Yes, I did have some pizza. Or rather, I nibbled on the cheese. Looking at smallish buffet slices, a single slice is around 100 calories, yet if you just eat the cheese and toppings it is around 100 calories for 2.5 to 3 of them! Looking at pasta (either hot pasta, or cold pasta at the salad bar) it works out roughly 5 calories per pasta shape. An apple segment is 4 calories, a grape is 3, a cherry tomato is 2 and a cube of beetroot is 1. A slice of cucumber is 1 calorie. Two pizza-flavoured croutons are 5 calories. 4 sweetcorn kernels are 1 calorie. The fat-free vinigarette was 35 calories per 100ml, so that's 2 calories per teaspoon. Tobasco sauce is very hot so it can't be much.
It was fun. Originally I was going to invite my dad along for the ride, but I'm glad he was busy as it is the kind of fun that's best done on one's own. Next time I go, I'll be a pro. Don't know about anywhere else where I can apply this new eating-out knowledge, though.
5) I've lost touch with my numbers for the day. I don't suppose I've eaten much protein (cheese proides 25% of calories, the vegetables probably around 20%, fruit aound 3%). My aim for the rest of the day is to only eat if I am hungry. Mad idea, isn't it? Who knows how they day will turn out. It might be a lapse or zig-zag day, or I might have a deficit that's too large. I'll never know!
6) Bargains! Found two x 200g packets of luxuary smoked salmon. Both marked down from £5.99 to £2.50 a packet. Big sticker on both says "Buy 2 packets and save £5". Result! but I can't just buy 400g of smoked salmon for the grand total of £0 - so had to look for something else to buy. Noticed that tinned pineapple has a new lower price. 19 instead of 25 - that's 24% less. I like. Then found 10p (in Reward points). Then another bargain (400g of Plaice - a high protein white fish - reduced to just 0.50).
Tomorrow, if I wake up early enough, I'm having the experience of trying out the more expensive gym that I might one day move to (I have a 1-day pass). I'm booked on Body Combat and Body Pump. It also has a Jacuzzi and a Swimming Pool (which mine don't) so I'll try to remember to make the most of my visit!
Last edited on 11 August 2006 11:26 pm by Nir
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ObsessedwithFitness
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 12 August 2006 01:20 am |
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Nir wrote:
Oh my. Lots happened today.
2) A second upsetting thing happened at the gym. Yes, that's two (entirely different) upsetting things happening to me, in the gym, in as many days! One way of looking at it is that I may have personal issues with two of the instructors in the gym (or rather, they have issues with me). They chose to assert their authority by creating a new rule. This rule would discriminate against me. I am particularly affected because I have a medical condition which requires me to go fairly often to the toilet. The new rule states that I cannot rejoin a class if I leave it half-way. I was informed of this during my first Spin class. I spent part of the day attempting to contact various management at the gym (including their national headoffice, as well as the more local people) as well as researching the most likely alternative gym. It does have nicer facilities all-round and the classes are livlier and more numerous - but I don't want to say goodbye to my gym friends, and being smaller I am a bigger fish in my current gym. Swings and roundabouts. Oh, the other gym works out a bit more expensive as well.
4) Pizza Hut.
OH MY GOSH NIR!! That is awful about your gym!!! I, too have to leave class a couple times to go to the restroom because I happen to guzzle water before class, but nobody at my gym would ever mention it!!!!! One time, the instructor even WAITED for me to start the next exercise. I am appauled at their behaviour!! Are they just upset that you are actually (God Forbid!) taking advantage of the fees you pay for your membership??!!! That is soooooooooo upsetting! My advice is go with the more expensive gym...you are worth it and hopefully they will treat their members better!
Secondly...Oh MY GAWD!!! PIZZA HUT is the ONE place my gym buddy, Mary and I have been wanting and waiting to go to. Because I do have portion control issues and can't seem to stop myself no matter how full I am when I am eating PIZZA HUT pizza and breadsticks!! I am soooo jealous of your outing!! You definitely earned it though! When I reach my goal of 130, Mary and I are taking a trip to PIZZA HUT too! I just hope I can have 1/8 of the self-control you have!!!
OWF
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 12 August 2006 01:54 pm |
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| The more expensive gym had 31 enthusiastic and co-ordinated Body Combat 'experts' show up for their 9am class. I am impressed. Fantastic atmosphere. Body Pump class was similiarly energised (though I noticed no-one beat my weights ). The instructor is one of the best in town. This gym has about 4000 members (mine has about 1500). If I have a spare £0.47 a day (let's say a dollar a day) I could treat myself. Actually I am still here! There is a bank of 10 internet(broadband) stations that are free to use! (email doesn't seem to work, but CPH is working here). If anyone is following the news, my brother was due to fly on Thursday but now will fly tonight instead so if and when he shows up I might see him.
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 13 August 2006 06:00 am |
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Frozen Fruit: this started off with those ripe bananas, freezing them in transparent plastic bags (peeling them and cutting off any black bits first). Then I started weighing and preportioning the bananas (in small stackable plastic containers that used to have cottage cheese). I'm not using the main freezer - just the small (about 4 or 5 inches high) "ice-box" at the top of my small fridge.
Right now, I have 25-calorie portions of: peach, red grapes, black cherries, mango, pear and satsuma segments. Last week I also had strawberries, white grapes, plums, pineapple and apple. Basically I found that all fruit seem to do well eaten lightly-frozen (mind you, this isn't -18C deep-freeze, it is just what the puny ice-box can manage)
I almost had ice-cream today. I thought I planned the day well, leaving home beore 8am yet packing two complete protein-balanced meals with me (one to eat at some point before 9.15am, one to eat at some point before 11.25am) providing me with all the calories and protein I'll need by 1.25pm. However I wasn't banking on the attractiveness of those broadband terminals at the expensive gym. It was 3.30pm by the time I finally left, and 4.30pm by the time I got home. My way home did include an overt freebie hunt. I passed on cookies at subway (but this had something to do with having to que for them), grabbed the ham at the supermarket (25 calories). Passed on the J2O at the other supermarket (didn't know how long I had to wait for it - sampler was on a break) and then grabbed cashew-nuts and yogurt-covered raisins (50 calories). There was nothing else to be had. I was considering that ice-cream cone. I argued that I'm behind my calories so much that it surely would be a "good thing". I won though , and got home to have my "all-you-can-eat buffet" of vegetables and fruit. The first thing I had when I got home were 3 x 25-calorie servings of broccoli (that's a 313-gram mountain of Broccoli) to catch up with protein - and boy did it feel good!
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 13 August 2006 09:11 pm |
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Sunday
400-calorie breakfast from 7.30am onwards, to take me through to end of my workout at 11.30am. Afterwards went shopping but also restaurant-comparing. Already familiar with the Pizza Hut offerring, I had a look at an Indian (that's East Indian for USA readers) buffet and what is allegedly a 'Las Vegas style' buffet. The latter, called L & K, was £11 ($20.90). It was very nice. I think this is a lapse day. I'm not planning to eat unless I get hungry. I think I started eating around 1pm, perhaps 1.30pm. At 3.30pm they turned off the lights and removed the food. I was probably already sitting there for a good 15 minutes being unable to do anything except reading at that point. I filled up on salads first (their salad selection was wider than Pizza Hut, their non-salad selection was also wider).
Appropriately, my reading material was Chapter 6 of BFFM (the one that has the BMR formula and the Zig-Zagging schemes!). The gym is very near the restaurant (perhaps 30 metres away). I could barely walk after the meal, and this is no exaggeration. Perhaps my developped Abdominals are making it painful for the stomach to expand? Whatever the reason, I was there from just before 4pm and until just after 6pm, recuperating. Eating out has got to become less painful! I guess I'll be saving a few minutes this evening as I shouldn't need to eat. Not unless I get hungry, at any rate.
Eat whatever you like, even salad (continuously) and 2 hours later you are full. I don't want to give the impression that I just ate salad though. I can recall at least 5 types of dessert and many starters and main course options. I'm proud of my overall choices though. I did much less weighing.
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Skipperdox
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 15 August 2006 03:42 pm |
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Do I understand correctly, Nir? Did you set up a little office at Pizza hut and weigh and count and measure everything while at a table? I would have LOVED to see that! What did the staff think? Did other customers think you were the health inspector?
I think that price sounds high for the buffet, but I think you probably made the price worth it with your "experiment".
We have a lot of different buffet-style restaurants in the U.S., but I don't know how many will give sufficient nutrition information for someone to go in and calculate every calorie. I get very frustrated trying to get nutrition information for some of the regular franchise restaurants. Many will only post their "lite" menu info. online. I don't necessarily want the light fare. I want the ability to compare and make an educated choice before I am confronted with the full menu. Maybe I just want the pasta Alfredo with the heavy cream sauce. I just need to know what volume will be 8 Weight Watchers points. If I can't get that information from your restaurant, I'll just go somewhere that posts that info.
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 16 August 2006 01:11 am |
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Skipperdox wrote: Did you set up a little office at Pizza hut and weigh and count and measure everything while at a table?
I would have LOVED to see that! What did the staff think? Did other customers think you were the health inspector?
- Scales, plastic container, calculator, paper, pen, printout from Pizza Hut website - yes, I guess I had an office set up.
- But my aim wasn't to count every calorie (and indeed I'll never know just how much I ate there). It was to learn about the various food choices, create a rank in my head of low vs high calorie items.
- My aim was opposite to yours: I was trying to establish just what would fit in that Lite category, so I could practice Eat To Live (eat as much as I want). It was a buffet restaurant, after all...
- I think the staff and customers would have thought I was a weirdo for doing this. However, I was only at it for about one hour, and I was there for a lot longer than that so subsequent customes would have had no idea.
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 16 August 2006 01:19 am |
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I've done some reading about a Zig-Zagging scheme, and I want to give it a go. The numbers I'm aiming for: 3 days at 1600 followed by one day at 2000 and repeat the cycle. This is an average of 1700-per-day, so not that different from what I was doing beforehand (1750 a day).
How much of a deficit do these numbers represent? Well, I guess that depends on what is a fair multiplier to represent my actual activity level.
If 1.375 ("light exerciser, 1-3 times a week") is fair, maintenance = RMR x 1.375 = 1460 x 1.375 = 2007
then: 1600 is a 20% deficit and 2000 is maintenance
if 1.55 ("moderate exerciser, 3-5 times a week") is fair, maintenance = RMR x 1.55 = 1460 x 1.55 = 2263
then: 1600 is a 30% deficit and 2000 is a 12% deficit
So, on Monday and Tuesday I've eaten 1600 calories (and around 100g of protein, which represents an increase back to 25% of total calories.)
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 17 August 2006 01:05 am |
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I've been failing to arrange a restaurant meal ever since Sunday. I would like to be accompanied for the next one.
- Initially there was talk of my dad joining me, but now it seems he's forbidden from doing so, as long as there's plenty of food in the fridge. Mum doesn't want food to go to waste.
- My friend from the gym is also willing in principle, but he'd like to spend some quality time with his wife and also has some unfinished DIY projects, so that hasn't been happening either.
- Yet another friend, from the next town over, is booked solid for the next few weekends, but will keep me in mind.
- My brother wanted to lose weight, so he felt that a restaurant meal was not a wise move for him. Fair enough!
- Then there's the friend I haven't even asked, as he always spends his pay-cheque before the end of the month. On beer. I don't think the restaurant bill will appeal to him.
I walked the freebie circuit but I only got 25 calories of assorted nuts. Could have had more (the stand was abandoned - no staff!) but I didn't.
I walked past Pizza Hut today. Then I walked past it again. Then I went in and walked straight through (making no contact with the serving staff). Walked straight to the salad bar. Circled it slowly. Circled it again. (they've moved almost everything around - evidently things don't have a specific 'place'.) Then I walked out via the other door. I decided that I might wish to simulate "all you can eat salad" at home, and thereby use some of my vegetables - before they go off. That's what I did
So that's 3 days (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday) at 1600, which means that tomorrow has to be a 2000-calorie zigzag day. I won't ask anybody for a meal. If it happens, it happens. If not, I shall eat my own foods. I have a 2pm appointment which will make squeezing lunch somewhat difficult anyhow.
Then Friday and Saturday can be 1600-calorie days, and regardless of who is available on Sunday I shall go to the same restaurant (L&K) again. I don't usually consider £10.95 to be an appropriate amount to spend. I think it is a bit pricey. But I was very impressed. The goals would be 1) assuming I am without company, to bring some reading materials and intersperse eating and reading 2) to not be in physical pain and discomfort for 2 hours after the meal is over.
That does slightly mess up my zigzagging scheme. I was thinking of just carrying on at 1600 every day until Sunday, but that would mean 6 consecutive days at 1600. I think that goes against the concept of Zig-Zagging. Or perhaps 5 days at 1600 followed by 2 days (the weekend) at 2000 will work? Well, I have nothing to base this on, but my gut feeling is that (low low low HIGH low low HIGH) is more likely to work than (low low low low low HIGH HIGH). Mind you, the 'Idiot Proof Diet' is 11 days low, 3 days high. Hmmm.
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 17 August 2006 01:16 am |
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On Friday morning I picked a pair of trousers. The size label has been cut or rubbed off (I looked) but I did not need a belt, so I assumed it was a 28" waist. I've been wearing the same pair and today is Wednesday (I don't wear these all the time - I most often wear shorts instead.) and they're getting uncomfortable to wear as they keep falling off me. This might be because I was trying them without full pockets or it might indicate I've actually changed shape this week!
My body fat% remains hovering around 11% (according to the Tanita lower-body ABI scale). Here are my morning weight readings, starting with most recent and going backwards in time: 56.5(today - 16th), 58.0, 56.5, 56.5, 57.5, 57.5, 57.0, 57.5, 57.0, 57.5, 58.0, 57.0, 57.0, 56.5, 56.5, 56.5(1st of August).
I challenge anybody to make sense of those numbers (you may take it for granted that on no day did I eat the 3850 excess calories required to put on 0.5 a kilo!)
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 17 August 2006 01:48 am |
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My Eat To Live dilema.
- 100g of protein on 1600 calories
- Fruits (at least 4 fresh fruits, no limit)
- Legumes (at least 250g, no limit)
- (whole)grain (up to 250g. I worked out that probably means up to 150 calories)
Ok, the protein requirement is not ETL. I'm imposing it myself. 100g of protein on a 1600-calorie day means 25% of calories to be from protein. Many vegetables are more than 25% (which is good) but some are less. These include all startchy and some non-starchy vegetables. All fruit and all grain are less than 25% protein. Legumes are about 25% protein. My only options are to either cut back on fruits and grain (which I don't like to do. I love my popcorn and my fruit), to replace legumes with more high-protein vegetables (e.g. garden peas), or (the cop-out, which I do end up opting for often) to balance those fruit and grain with some high-protein foods, such as TVP and egg-whites. I wonder what Dr Fuhrman would say. Perhaps he'd say I'm better off omitting the TVP/eggs and simply reducing fruit or grain, if I insist on keeping my protein ratio up. Any opinions?
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ObsessedwithFitness
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 17 August 2006 02:35 am |
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Hey Nir,
I agree those numbers make no sense especially cause of all of your hard work. It is definitely very frustrating to work hard and see that over a month, there are no changes in the numbers. I know this to be true for myself. So, I know exactly how you feel. I am sorry it is so frustrating. But it sounds like you are doing everything the right way. So, keep up the great work!!
 But I am also a little confused after reading your posts. Your bodyfat% is 11%?? Is this true? And you want to go LOWER? Why? Isn't that REALLY REALLY REALLY low already? I don't know anyone with a bodyfat% that low. You have a 28 inch waist? That is a woman's size 6. I believe. I am not saying there is anything wrong with this, because I have no idea what you look like, or how tall you are, (I tried to do the conversion, but my math skills are suffering)but what I am suggesting is that MAYBE your body can't get any lower!! Maybe your body is resisting because you are the leanest possible? Is this an option?
Just trying to help.  OWF
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suenos
Moderator
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Posted: 17 August 2006 02:35 am |
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Nir wrote: My Eat To Live dilema.
- 100g of protein on 1600 calories
- Fruits (at least 4 fresh fruits, no limit)
- Legumes (at least 250g, no limit)
- (whole)grain (up to 250g. I worked out that probably means up to 150 calories)
Ok, the protein requirement is not ETL. I'm imposing it myself. 100g of protein on a 1600-calorie day means 25% of calories to be from protein. Many vegetables are more than 25% (which is good) but some are less. These include all startchy and some non-starchy vegetables. All fruit and all grain are less than 25% protein. Legumes are about 25% protein. My only options are to either cut back on fruits and grain (which I don't like to do. I love my popcorn and my fruit), to replace legumes with more high-protein vegetables (e.g. garden peas), or (the cop-out, which I do end up opting for often) to balance those fruit and grain with some high-protein foods, such as TVP and egg-whites. I wonder what Dr Fuhrman would say. Perhaps he'd say I'm better off omitting the TVP/eggs and simply reducing fruit or grain, if I insist on keeping my protein ratio up. Any opinions?
Nir, I'm wondering why go "full throttle" ETL at all at this point? You understand and are more adept at creating a healthy calorie deficit better than anyone in the world, you already happily consume - on a daily basis - an impressive array and volume of fruits and veggies, IMO, given your earlier stated desire to increase lean muscle mass, the 25% protein is essential - and you're getting it from primarily "clean" sources, and, most importantly, it looks like you've gotten a handle on how to include all those calorie dense little samples and freebies you love without blowing your daily cals and macros or going off into binge mode. Seriously, it seems like you're already on track to getting down to your 7% body fat.
Is there something I'm missing?
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ObsessedwithFitness
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 17 August 2006 02:45 am |
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Nir,
My doctor is Dr. Fuhrman. I thought he was yours too. But I just realized he is from the site.
Last edited on 17 August 2006 06:18 am by ObsessedwithFitness
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PUDGYPOODLE
Restricted Member
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Posted: 17 August 2006 03:43 am |
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| Well Nir , I see most of you calorie counting obsessed with dieting folks aren't interested in another perspective on dieting . Perhaps you should read the article in this magazine Today's diet and Nutrition summer 2006. alot of sense to me. Much more normal. No denial. Teaches self control. If you don't know you shouldn't eat 10 cookies then you deserve to be fat. When I was fat I knew I was eating too much, And I knew I wasn't exercising I wasn't stupid about It. I just didn't pay attention. I was happy like I was. So my husband dumped me for younger and thinner. His loss. SO I was depressed and I decided to do something about myself.Have some self control. And yes I used Slim fast . I need a jump start. And I used it for a while because it was easy. But I did feel deprived. And I found this web site and it was kind of interesting to read the stories. But as I was reading I couldn't believe how obsessed many of the people were with this dieting .I thought AM I going to become like that. God I hope not. Counting up every morsel I ate. I thought about the weight watchers , but all the points . Oh I only have 4 points left. What the heck is that. Crazy. I really like this intuitive eating approach If I want a cookie I can have a cookie. It's not that it;s so important to me , it's that I don't have too feel that I am deprived. I have 2 cookies for snack and I am satisfied. Am yes it's summer and on the weekend I have a SMALL frozen custard with a chocolate shell. And I do my exercise, and walk the dog. And I am happy . And I am not counting . I am losing weight. I am not stupid. I do know what a serving is. I'm not supposed to eat the whole cow. And if you don't understand another perspective. maybe you should have a cookie.
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 17 August 2006 02:01 pm |
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OWF,
The Dr Fuhrman, of Eat To Live fame, is based on your side of the pond - his address is "4 Walter E. Foran Blvd., Suite 408, Flemington, NJ 08822" so he's practically local to you.
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 17 August 2006 02:16 pm |
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Poodle,
I don't think that magazine is published in the UK, though to be entirely honest I have not tried to obtain it.
How can an article teach self-control? I won't pretend I'm not interested. After all, that is what my hypnosis CD is for.
Saying "then you deserve to be fat" is rather bitter. We have a topic about how friends, relatives and co-workers try to sabotage your diet, especially if it is working, by offering you cakes and cookies, telling you that you're too thin etc. It would appear that you have fallen into this trap. Some people are having some success with a particular approach and this makes you angry. Why be so angry? No-one is forcing you to count calories. No-one is even forcing you to eat healthy. Why are you currently making yourself a nuisance on this website?
One large cookie is 200 to 250 calories (a small one is likely to be 50-75). It contains sugar, fat and refined flour. It has virtually no nutrients. In fact, more nutrients will be lost from my body processing the cookie than gained from eating it. There can only be one reason for eating that cookie - if I "crave" it, if I "want" it, if I don't want to feel "deprived" from having "forbidden" foods. My body doesn't need the cookie. My screwed-up mind might. You say you are satisfied after 2 cookies. Do you mean you no longer crave them, or that your body has all the fibre and nutrients it needs? I doubt you mean the latter.
What is the alternative? if we're talking about two small cookies at 100-150 calories, there are plenty of healthier choices that will satisfy my body more and will also be more of a substantial meal than those cookies. Yes, healthy choices tend to be more expensive, I am sorry.
If I eat those cookies instead of the nutritious food, I will feel deprived.
Perhaps you mean that I still eat my healthy foods, but then I add the cookies on top. Well, as long as they are only a small proportion of the total calories consumed, this could work. Otherwise, what you are really talking about is increasing calories. I hate to break this to you, but calories do count - whether you personally like to count them, or not.
I've already said this before: if your are happy with your results, keep using your approach. Most people look at alternative approaches when what they are doing STOPS working. What will you do if you stall? What will you do if you stay at the same weight for a month or two? Will you pay more attention to your intake then?
Peter has this website that helps others to count calories. He doesn't count calories himself, but he doesn't tell other people to stop counting calories! I don't think I will count calories forever, but for me it feels comfortable to do so now. You must understand that the challenges of weight loss and weight maintenance are personal. What works for one person does not necessarily work for everyone else. What works for one person later might not work for them now. Perhaps you stand outside AA meetings offering 'just one drink'?
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 17 August 2006 02:27 pm |
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Trip?
I've just had an offer to join a friend and go away on a camping or youth hosteling type of break for about a week, starting Saturday. My main concern is not whether I'll enjoy it, but what is going to happen to my exercise (it will be reduced to walking around) and what will happen to my food (I won't be able to afford fruits and vegetables at the prices they will be - it'll be living on tinned food, any supplies I bring in the car and/or restaurants. I feel I'll be lost!). I have a day or so to decide.
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zenobia
Moderator
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Posted: 17 August 2006 04:36 pm |
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maybe bring a cooler and keep your veggies in there as you will just have to restock ice.
are you going to be sleeping outside? camping has got to be one of the greatest ways to spend time. so fun! have a blast!
edited... iforgot that dried fruits are a weakness.. sorry about that
Last edited on 19 August 2006 08:42 am by zenobia
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 20 August 2006 01:03 am |
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Predictably, I passed on the camping thing, to keep my life simple.
Saturday
Today I had some freebies. First a cookie at the supermarket - this was a small one so I guessed it would be 50. I was wrong - it was heavy and dense and hard and 83 calories. A bit of a waste. Next, I picked 8 individual samples at the nut stand - they weighed 8.4g so around 50 calories. If I didn't have both of those freebies I'd have been behind with my calories, so they didn't throw me off course.
In the evening wanted to inject a bit of variety so did some sampling of grain products. Tried 5 different ones - and then decided that I was right all along and air-popped popcorn is still best. I don't know why I don't just throw away my stock of frozen 25-calorie portions of pita bread. I guess they are useful to remind and educate me in the "worth it" stakes.
I am still really looking forward to tomorrow's meal. It feels a bit dangerous and unhealthy and obsessive that I am so looking forward to it. I hope I behave - just like I did last week! The plan is to wake up, have a small breakfast that will give me sufficient energy for my 45-minute cycling class and the follow-on Circuits class (which could be an hour). Somewhere in the 300-350 calorie range probably. Then present myself at the restaurant at noon!
Workouts: I've been working out for the last 22 consecutive days without a break. The last time I didn't make the gym was July 28th, due to a late bus. Now it's more a question of whether I visit the gym once a day or twice a day mind you I wonder if fatigue will set in. Yesterday I almost didn't feel like going for my second workout (and it showed - my heart rate didn't climb much)
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 21 August 2006 01:41 am |
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Sunday
Ate breakfast between 7.30am and 8.30am. Totals were 275 calories, 24.3g protein. Cycled for 45 minutes at 9.30am. At 10.30am it looked like there wasn't going to be a Circuits class, but we made a bit of a fuss and mobilised them (the gym personnel) into action. At 12pm I walked into that L&K restaurant and was warmly greeted by a waitress who remembered me from last week. Things started to go wrong one minute later...
The head waiter walks over. He says I wasted multiple cakes (only eating a little of each of 3 cakes last week). "people are starving" (points outside restaurant at no particular direction). He does not want me to dine there. I leave without a fuss. I am disappointed. I go to the supermarket and buy some bargains. I briefly contemplate Pizza Hut (incidentally, I always waste food at Pizza Hut as I rarely eat anything except the cheese and toppings and no-one ever complains!). I have been looking to this eating experience for the majority of this week. I go back to L&K and ask to speak to the head waiter. I have a conversation. I promise to finish everything on my plate. He tries to be personable, to explain that this is important to him because there was no food when he was young (he is Oriental-looking, I don't know which country he is from but presumably he didn't live in the UK when he was young). The eating experience begins...
So how did I do?
- Did I succeed in my objective of mainly eating Salad? I would say, less so than last week.
- Did I succeed in my objective of not being in physical pain when I left the restaurant? Slightly better than last week (took fewer hours to recover) but still disappointing, and remarkably I stuffed an entire slice of cheesecake into myself when I had already been in being-stuffed-pain for 1/2 an hour! This experience is clearly the opposite of "Intuitive Eating": A) I was not hungry when I started eating B) I did not stop eating when I was full, or even when I was stuffed C) I ate for 'social' reasons - i.e. I had paid £11 and I was going to get my "money's worth".
- How did the clean-my-plate rule affect me? I initially opted for lighter desserts (fruit arrangements, trifle/custard, individual profita rolls). Later on tried to select those things that I'm likely to enjoy every part of, such as cheesecake. I did go for a Lemon cake, which was a sponge - that was a mistake. I tried to hide it by breaking it into pieces, putting pieces on different plates etc. I think I got away with not eating 25% of it. My 3rd "heavy" dessert was that 2nd cheesecake, which I ate when already painfully-stuffed. That behaviour is a bit binge-like.
- Was this a binge? Well, it certainly shared some characteristics. I looked forward to it for a while. I did "what needed to be done" to be there (i.e. make peace with the head waiter on his terms, with my tail between my legs). For the first hour I ate AT SPEED. Well maybe not really at speed, but without the reading breaks which I originally planned, and which I only started to have once I was feeling uncomfortable. Money certainly played its part! If the meal was a 1/3 of its price I should have been able to eat a lot less, go away and feel it was worth it and that I didn't need any more.
- I didn't even get my scales out once. I have no idea how heavy those cheesecakes slices are, for instance.
Given A) the clean-plate rule, B) my less-grown-up-than-last-time behaviour around the non-salad items and C) the high price tag, I have decided to make the L&K experience a less regular one. Perhaps it is appropriate every 2 months or even less frequently. Perhaps it should DEFINITELY be reserved for a social ocassion i.e. when I actually have company and 'need' to eat out.
I was considering how to make sure that next week I shall remember my commitment not to eat there, and especially to remain the serious discomfort I was feeling. I met mum at the supermarket and she theorised that my full stomach is probably pressing on the nearby heart and pressing against the ribs, that this surely cannot be good news and that some people have died this way. Interesting.
Did I need any more food? Surely not, but there were 4 pork pies to be had for £0.00. (One of those deals: buy 2 pork pies for £0.25, or buy 4 pork pies for £0.00). I gave 3 for my mum to freeze for guests and ate about 1/2 of one, throwing the rest in the bin (1 pie = 273 calories). I think that is another tick in the "was I in binge mode" column.
Anyhow, in my conversation she reminded me that in any event I am doing something else next week. A visit to the "Notting Hill Carnival", in Notting Hill, London! This shall present its own challenges, of course. First, the challenge of eating away from home (I'll be leaving on Sunday morning and coming back on Monday night) but also a stay in a prestiges Hilton Hotel, with a buffet-style breakfast and possibly (I do not yet know) a buffet-style evening meal. This experience is special for all concerned (myself, my brother and my two sisters will all be coming along) and I am sure I will indulge!
I probably sat down for the meal around 12.20pm and I know I finally left at 2.35pm. I think I got home between 4.30pm and 5pm and eventually had a nap. At 8pm got up and decided to be useful with the food (wash, prepare, weigh, portion etc.) which I've decided I've had enough of after 3.5 hours. There's a lot of work involved. It is 11.30pm now. Protein doesn't stay in your system, so I've just had 15g (25 calories of a low-fat version of Philadelphia-alike and 50 calories of spicy chicken breast).
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clarinetgurl
Moderator
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Posted: 21 August 2006 03:51 am |
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Wow, sounds like you had quite an experience. I can't imagine being kicked out because I didn't eat everything I ordered...interesting.
I'm a little confused about your purchase at the supermaekwt though...you paid nothing for four pork chops? Am I missing something? I don't get it...
clarinetgurl
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sugarNspice
New Member
| Joined: | 12 August 2006 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 34 |
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Posted: 21 August 2006 04:01 am |
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Nir..
That waiter was rude..very rude and it was none of his business what you did with the food you paid for...as long as you didn't paste other patrons with it or toss it up to stick on the ceiling..or throw it on the rug..but even throwing it on the rug is acceptable if you are of a certain age...
Can you imagine if the garbage man came to the door and stated you couldn't go to the grocery store anymore because you threw too much food away..The principle is the same..
He is a Waiter..for goodness sake..Not your mum or the UN authority on food distribution to starving Africa..You should have told him to buzz off..and never gone back to that restaurant!
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ObsessedwithFitness
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 21 August 2006 04:36 am |
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Nir,
What the heck????I can't even IMAGINE (as I am a waitress now at The Cheesecake Factory) talking to a GUEST in my restaurant about the food they ate or didn't. You are one guest (a paying guest) in that restaurant. If he wants to make a difference in the starving children relief fund, isn't he in the wrong place? I think so. I HOPE you didn't TIP him!! I certainly would never return!! THE ENTIRE POINT of a buffet is to sample many different types of foods and ENJOY your visit. What if you were having a reaction to some of the foods you tasted? What if you ate MORE than you were "supposed" to...I suppose THAT would be alright with that jerky waiter????
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clarinetgurl
Moderator
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Posted: 21 August 2006 04:38 am |
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Ok I wanted to say what sugarnspice said when I posted my first post, but I didn't know if it was my business. but I totally agree. he is not running a restaurant to decide who gets to come and who doesn't based on whether or not they what they are served. As long as you pay for it, you ought to be able to eat however much of it you want.
IMO, they don't deserve your business ('course, no one asked for my opinion, so feel free to ignore it  )
clarinetgurl
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 21 August 2006 03:07 pm |
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clarinetgurl,
Pork chops would probably have been much healthier than pork pies, which have all the pork but then also have some lard and the surrounding pastry crust.
A pack of 2 small pork pies normally costs £1.25. That would work out £2.50 for two packets. However, there is currently a special offer on the packets, it says "Buy two packets for just £2.00". In order for that deal to work, the computers at the supermarket are programmed to charge £1.25 for each packet, but then to give a £0.50 credit, to bring it down from £2.50 to £2.00. (With me so far?) Now, because the pies have to be sold that day or else it actually costs the supermarket some money and administration to throw them away, they reduce the price. Normally the reduction isn't significant, but sometimes it is. On this ocassion, the packets have been reduced from £1.25 down to £0.25. The supermarket is hoping you pick just one packet and pay some money for it. However, if you buy two of those packets, the computer still gives you the £0.50 back. So: £0.25 + £0.25 - £0.50 = £0.00. So I pay nothing!
It can get even better. Last week I bought two "Italian Salads". The calculation was: £0.10 + £0.10 - £0.98 = -£0.78. (I didn't physically get any money back, but it reduced my bill. I made sure I had enough other items so my bill was positive, but the checkout girl still raised an eyebrow when I collected a full shopping bag with a total of just £0.22)
sugarNspice,
I agree with you that the waiter was rude. I agree with you that they have no right to dictate that I clean my plate. I wanted to share everything that happened to show just how "desperate" I was at that particular hour to dine there, that I would go ahead and play by their rules.
Also, I do not drive, so my choice of restaurants is limited to those I can reach by walking or public transport. From a practical point of view, it would simply be inconvenient for me to not be able to dine there should I wish to.
ObsessedwithFitness,
I think with that waiter, it would be ok if I ate any amount of food, however large, so long as I did not waste it.
I can see why he might feel this strongly about it, but I also think that he is abusing his position of power (his ability to refuse my custom) to persue a personal agenda. I don't think what he did is right.
No, I didn't tip. That's a different matter though - at a buffet restaurant I am serving myself. I didn't even ask for a Tap Water (which would have been free). I get more than enough liquid in the large amounts of salad I consume.
As to whether I go back there again: to be honest, I am more disappointed with my binge-like behaviour, paying too much attention to non-salad items especially the desserts, the physical pain I suffered and the high price tag. I think that these are the main issues. It was nice to have rewarded myself with 3 visits to a buffet restaurant in the space of 10 days, but now I should space it out a bit more. I think if I wait for a couple of months then than restaurant might be worth a return visit.
You are all correct, the waiter is in the wrong and they do not desserve my custom. But at the end of the day I am thinking about my options. At the end of the day there might be ocassions when I would want to go there (because it is so local to me, because it is one of the few restaurants oferring extensive Salad Buffet options, because it does offer value for money AS A SPECIAL, RARE TREAT).
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 21 August 2006 03:20 pm |
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Monday
Went past Krispy Kreme and didn't bother going in (well they did refuse to give me a free one a while ago). Then decided to go back and at least smell them (it is free and no calories). It was a different member of staff and they did offer me a free one. I went to the sitting area and weighed myself a 25-calorie portion (6.6g, or an 1/8th of a donuts) and enjoyed it but reflected on how small an amount you get. Then I allocated myself a second 25-calorie portion and chucked the rest in the bin.
Being painfully-full. What is the trick? I only seem to get this way at buffets like Pizza Hut, L&K, Chinese buffets, and when a very large special dinner is served by family (at Christmas or for a birthday). I'm not exaggerating - I re | | |
