I'm very late in posting yesterday's entry. Let's see how
many reasons I can come up with.
1) I couldn't bear to see Mom's picture not have top
billing.
2) I ate another boring salad with grilled chicken for
dinner.
3) I had nothing clever to say.
That's it, really. But, I have to tell you, I was very happy when I got on the scale this
morning. I am the lowest I have been in a long time. (No, don't expect a skinny
person when you see me, just be happy that you haven't seen me in a while.) I have
to admit, part of my success is eating boring meals. I know that salad with
different veggies and a lean protein works for me. So, sometimes I will eat it
over and over again. It doesn't make my blog very interesting, but it helps me
lose weight.
This is a picture of my mom and her Sunday afternoon lunch.
She is 90 years old and still has quite an appetite. She has an appetite not
only for food but for partying and going out. Thank goodness she had four kids. If she's not
going out with one, she's going out with another. Two thoughts come to mind
when I look at this picture. 1) My dad never had a chance. He was overweight
and obviously his metabolism couldn't compete with Mom's. 2) I inherited Mom's
appetite and Dad's metabolism. Bummer!
I loved dinner tonight. I felt like I was cheating,
because it was just so good. But, really? I ate almost all vegetables. Compare
it to what I used to eat daily and there really is no comparison. I didn't eat
any bread or anything fried. The only "non Virgin" thing that I ate was a
little fresh Mozzarella. It was actually Burrata and so worth it. We went to dinner with
a friend that I have known for over 30 years and her husband. It was the first
time that I have been to the restaurant, The Six, in Studio
City. I will definitely go back again. We started our meal by sharing small plates of cauliflower
and Brussels sprouts. For my "entree" I ordered another small plate of
beets.
Day 4 on the Beck diet suggests that you give yourself credit for any positive changes or tasks that you accomplish. Well, I am definitely
happy with myself tonight. Sure, I would have loved to have eaten the delicious looking hamburger that I saw
the waitress delivering to another table. Or sharing a piece of one of the many
small pizzas that they offered. (or eating my own) But, my mindset is slowly changing and I am
still focusing on health. Today was an easy day to give myself
"credit"! Good job, Patti!
After a day of careful eating, I have eaten a very light
dinner. I ate a cup of homemade chicken soup for breakfast. For lunch, I ate
two ounces of grilled chicken and a honey crisp apple. For dinner, I ate a
grilled artichoke. Period! I considered eating more, but quite frankly, I couldn't figure out what else to eat. We went to Stanley's for
dinner. It was very difficult for me to understand what was gluten free. I guess I have more reading to do. However, I knew that the time it would take for me to eat an entire
artichoke, would equal the time it would take Tony to eat a salad and an entree.
So...that is all that I ordered. And I feel satisfied. Day 2 of the Virgin diet
is over.
If I lost a pound for every dollar I've spent trying to
lose weight, I'd be on the Dr. Phil show looking anorexic. Today I bought
another book. "The Virgin Diet" by nutritionist, JJ Virgin. She
claims that most people with an obesity problem suffer from food intolerance.
It is similar to a food allergy, but not
as severe. You slowly suffer from the ill effects of certain foods without
really noticing. She advises giving up 7 of the highly intolerant foods for 21
days, and see if you notice a difference. If you do have an intolerance, you
will not only feel much better, but lose weight as well. You are probably wondering
which 7 foods are the culprits. Here is the list: soy, sugar, (including
artificial sweeteners), eggs, corn, dairy, peanuts, and gluten.
I can pretty easily give up most things on this list. The
hardest item to avoid is gluten. It is hidden in so many things, and it is not
actually listed on the ingredient labels. I know not to eat breads unless it is
labeled gluten free. But gluten hides in so many products - even ketchup and white pepper!
We'll see if I can manage this one. As far as today goes,
I have succeeded. I made a chicken soup for lunch, and salad with grilled
chicken for dinner. It was a bit boring, but I finished day 1.
The new behavior introduced on Day 3 of the Beck Diet says you must eat sitting down. That is an easy one for me. I am a diner not a grazer.
Tonight I didn't have to worry about anyone but myself. I
was home alone and could make anything I wanted for dinner. I was looking
forward to dinner because I really hadn't eaten much today. I ate a cup of
shrimp soup for breakfast, shrimp soup for lunch, and grapes as a snack. I was
definitely hungry for dinner, but I didn't want to go to too much trouble since
it wasn't really necessary. I looked in the freezer and decided to defrost a
hamburger patty. I added a few vegetables to eat with it and I was finished.
It's amazing how easy cooking can be when you only have yourself to please. As
I said earlier, I am still following "The Beck Solution" program. I need to pick two diets. I am picking up a new book tomorrow
that I think I will use as my primary diet. It is called "The Virgin
Diet". (Virgin is the author's last name.) I watched her on an
infomercial recently and she requires only 3 weeks to see results. That sounds
doable. My back up plan will be plain old calorie counting. There are so many apps for the Iphone to track calories, that I think it will be a reasonable back-up plan.
I made a big tray of roasted mini peppers from Costco
tonight with the intention of adding them to my salad. I also made a big pot of
Mrs. Renfro chicken for the rest of the family.
Anne invited a friend to join us and by the time we sat at the table, I
lost my resolve to diet and just ate a chicken burrito too. I went to bed and
read Day 2 of "The Beck Diet Solution". Day 2 says
I need to pick 2 diets. I need one to start with and a back up plan if
that one doesn't work. More on this tomorrow.
I'm very late in posting yesterday's entry. Let's see how
many reasons I can come up with.
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