Fabulous at 51 and Beyond !!!

[fab50]

Okay, here goes...I don't know if I'll end up using this as a food joirnal or as a progress journal, but somehow I think getting started and seeing what happens is the right place to be.

I'm a veteran of many diets and approaches to eating, lots of sucess and lots of yo-yo ing. As an adult, my weight has ranged from 140 to 239...that's 99 pounds, and I hit my high this fall.

So, I turned 49 last month, obese, tired, and out of shape. I also seem to have syndrome X -- hypoglycemia, borderline high blood pressure, and relatively high cholesterol with very low HDL. That's right, a heart attack waiting to happen. There's actually something I can do about it, though, ans I've become convinced that SBD as an MOE and regular exercise is the thing to do.


A friend of mine said the was going to start SBD on January 3, and I decided to start right away. So, here I am on day 14 of phase 1. It's been easier than I thought, but I have struggled with myself some about night time eating and too much afternoon snacking. I have to do some, sincy I'm hypoglycemic, but I've gone beyond what my body needs.

My goal is to turn 50 thinner and healthier. I can do it. People have made the lifestyle changes and lost as much weight as I need to lose. I'm pretty capable in lots of other areas in my life. Why not me?

So here I am, thinking this journal will help with the process.

More later.....off to make some turkey chili!

[constance]

Hey congratulations on making it through your first 14 days. You must be getting ready to segue to P2. You will find it even easier and more pleasant from now on. I've been doing SBD for over 7 months now, and it's the easiest diet to stay on I've ever tried.

[annecolorgreen]

SBD IS the way to do it! Glad to see you on the beach!

~~anne

[fab50]

Just trying to see if my ticker worked

[annecolorgreen]

Your ticker is working!

~~anne

[fab50]

Really good day yesterday. I'm down 8 pounds. 7 were in week one, and only 1 this week. That's happened with me before...when I did weight watchers a couple of years ago, I had a big first week loss and stayed the same week 2, so I'm not discouraged...okay only a little disappointed.

Today is the first day of P2. I just had my Kashi Good Friends back for breakfast in some nonfat plain Kefir (I like it way more than yogurt). With a V-8 juice, of course. I like the idea of veggies for breakfast....reminds me of being in Israel. Cucumber and tomato salad was a breakfast standard there....maybe when the tomatoes get better I'll start having that.

At lunch I get to have an apple for dessert! (it takes a real carb addict to fantasize about a granny smith apple) I think I'll start with one fruit and 1 grain a day this week, as recommended.

Back to work,

Barbara

[fab50]

Whole lotta journalling going on around here. If you're reading this, I'd really appreciate if you'd post on my journal. It would be great to get to know some people and share support.

Yesterday went well. I had cereal at breakfast and a fruit at lunch...otherwise protein, veggies, milk, my daily fudgicle, and my 15 nuts. There was some candy outside of my office, and I really didn't feel the tug to eat it. It was only 2 weeks ago that I was eating whatever was there compulsively.

Maybe some day I'll be able to eat small amounts of sweet occasionally, but right now there's a huge burden lifted not eating them at all.

My one problem area is still night time eating. With the hypoglycemia, it doesn't work for me to eat just 3 meals, morning and afternoon snacks. I've been having 1 morning snack, and 2 small afternoon snacks, which works better for me than 1 larger snack. Typical is nuts mid-afternoon and a string cheese late afternoon. I also have evening snacks. Too many evenings, it's been 2 evening snacks, or one large one. Last night, it was a glass of skim milk and 3 laughing cows. I want to cut that in about half, but I'm not inclined to stop all eating after dinner, especially not on nights when I eat with my stepson, and dinner is done around 6:30.

Then, I'll have 3 meals and 4 snacks (morning, 2 afternoon, and 1 evening). I'm willing to have the weight loss go more slowly, in order to eat this often. Please don't tell me I'm bad or wrong for doing this.

Does anyone else eat more often than 5 times a day?

[bookaddict]

Hi Fab50, welcome to SB!

How can you be bad or wrong for doing what you need to do for your body? I too have hypoclycemia, but it doesn't bother me all the time. When I'm eating right (SB) I can keep it under control, but when I was eating whatever I wanted it sent me to the hospital twice. I would get the shakes, nausea, dizziness, etc. if I didn't eat on time but haven't really had a problem since I've started this WOE. So yours must be much worse than I have. You know what you need to keep your body happy and as long as the snacking is SB I don't see why you shouldn't continue the way you're doing. Possibly after you've been on for a while you can cut back.

I've been doing SB since August 10th and have lost- drumroll please- 32 pounds as of today. That's not fast but I figured out it's a steady 8 pounds a month so I'm happy. It's also the longest I've EVER lasted on a diet and I show no signs of stopping so that's part of why I feel so good. As well as the fact that I don't get faint and sick from the low blood sugar or nauseaous from binging- all plusses.

Don't mean to natter on so, once I get started it's like stopping a train, but just want to welcome you and let you know we're all in the same boat (some people may be in a dinghy whereas I'm in a cargo ship with all the weight I want to lose) and we're here to support you.

Lynn

[annecolorgreen]

I agree. Do what you need to for your body. Don't look at this WOE as a quick fix...it's a life choice.

Keep up the good work!

~~anne

[fab50]

Thanks for your posts and support

8 pounds a month sounds great to me. At that rate, I'd be at goal weight in a year. A year and a half would be fine too. I know, it's a day at a time, and a lifestyle change, so sticking with it day to day is what's important.

I just hope I eventually get to finally reach and sustain a maintenance weight, something I've never been sucessful at. I understand conceptually that the eating you do for slow weight loss near goal weight and the eating you do for maintenance at goal weight are not very different. Putting that into practice is a challenge I hope to have to tackle.

For now, it's off to the cafeteria to get the side salad to go along with my turkey sandwich (on whole wheat pita).

[fab50]

Quick post now. Busy work day. Good food and mood day so far. I weighed myself this morning, and I'm just below 230. Yeah!

[fab50]

Gotta do a new ticker soon. I'm down to 228.

Really liking this diet. It's been so easy to follow. I like having carbs back some, but it's been remarkably easy to stick with one fruit and one starch a day.

Making spaghetti squash with veggies and cheese for dinner tonight. The casserole in Moosewood is completely SB friendly except the breadcrumbs, so I'll just leave them out and it'll be less firm, but that's fine.

I'm looking forward to the family weekend in Texas, but a little concerned about the food. I'll bring some string cheese and small cans of tuna, so if I can't eat the meals, I'll have protein snacks. I think the hardest thing will be the luncheon on Saturday. If it's non-kosher meat, and I'm not eating white carbs, that leaves me with the vegetables. Oh well, I'll do the best I can.

I'm doing SBD through a stressful time with my stepson and and the run-up to more legal proceedings with his mother. I think rather than giving me stress reasons to eat, doing SBD has been really helpful in evening out my mood swings.

All for now,

Barbara

[fab50]

Back from the weekend. It was very good...food-wise and otherwise. Getting back on track yesterday was actually a little more challenging than when I was in Texas.

Thank God my stepson came back from his weekend w/his mom in good spirits...at least last night was easy.

Just finished breakfast...2 hard boiled eggs, an orange and v-8.

I've got a yogurt or cottage cheese for late morning snack. Tofu salad, salad, and a WW pita for lunch.

I still have some resistance to writing down my food. I think it has something to do with thinking other people will read my posts, try to correct my food, and I'll get angry and rebellious.

Gonna go update my ticker and then get back to work.

[fab50]

Home this morning, doing some synagogue work and making black bean soup. I tried steel cut oat this morning for breakfast. Not what I was expecting, but I think I may actually like them more than oatmeal.

For my snack, I just mixed FF ricotta w/splenda and a tsp of peanut butter. I liked it a lot.

This morning, I really wanted a Starbucks maple oat scone, the kind with the maple icing on top. First time that's happened. I guess after 3 weeks the novelty is wearing off a little. Oh well, I didn't get one, even though I passed a Starbucks on the way home from my early a.m. appointment.

Think I need to browse the recipes for some more ideas.

I wonder if there are guidelines for how quickly to increase carbs and fruits. I'm still generally staying at one of each a day, though yesterday I had pita at lunch and a sweet potatoe at dinner.

[annecolorgreen]

I wouldn't go up anymore unless it's a special occasion.

Great job passing up the SB! It is SO tempting for me to go in there!

~~anne