Fat Chat

August 24, 2011: 155.2

 

Ugh.

I seem to be stalled out here in the 155-pound zone, with just a 0.2 pound loss this week.  Well, it's better than nothing . . . or a gain.  Maybe this is just one of those plateaus I read about.  But, you know, these increments--like the five- or ten-pound loss, or moving into another "decade" of total weight, like from the 150s to the 140s--are just so important.  Such milestones help to maintain a head of steam in the process.

Still, I should be able to achieve my two-pound loss this month and will just forge ahead.  Hopefully, next week will see something more dramatic!

In other news, we had an earthquake here in the region yesterday.  And, over the coming weekend, we are expecting strong, tropical storm-force weather, as Hurricane Irene grazes the East coast of the U.S.  The projected path of the hurricane now has Irene pulling a little east of the Chesapeake Bay, while earlier data indicated the possibility of the storm pushing directly into the Bay--a devastating scenario for us.

Maybe the pressure from Hurricane Irene will suck out some of my fat.

I'd better get moving--there's company coming tomorrow and there's a lot to do.

See you next week.

August 17, 2011: 155.4

I've decided to dispense with the writing format I adopted some weeks ago here at Fat Chat after finding that it's more work trying to make sure I have something to say, or a photo to post, for each category.  Who needs that kind of pressure?

This week, I managed not to lose and not to gain, and I'm happy with that.

It's been kind of a weird week.  Last Wednesday and Thursday, I had a major, major need for carbohydrates, and I'm sure I overdid it.  Really, no carbohydrate was safe around here.  The Cheerios box was shuddering in the corner on top of the fridge, and the loaf of bread was desperately trying to hold the bread box closed from inside, while I yanked at it.  It wasn't pretty.

After driving up to see Mom on Saturday, my lower back was giving me some trouble.  I'm finding it harder and harder to spend long periods sitting, as I do when I make these visits.  By Sunday evening, things were going south, and Monday found me basically unable to move without a lot of discomfort.  I'm not sure the problem was related to all the driving, as it seemed more like either a wrenched muscle or a nerve issue.  Things seem to be improving very, very slowly, but I'm still having problems sitting, while lying down or standing are more comfortable.

As for the new, short-term goal for losing 13 pounds by year's end, I'm still on target.  But just--with no wiggle room.  It's a little early to say whether I'll be successful in this, but, if not, there's still the long-term, half-pound loss goals, which I'm meeting nearly every week.  In fact, as I write this, I'm thinking about dispensing with those revised, short-term goals altogether.

Staying with the half-pound, weekly losses will have me exactly half-way to my goal at the end of December, with a 21-pound loss.  I can live with that.

See you next week.

August 10, 2011: 155.4

 

 

Weekly Weight

This week, I'm setting some new, weekly goals for myself, with the aim of dropping an additional 13 pounds by year's end, taking me down from 157 to 144.  That's five whole months away, so it's not like there's just not enough time, or anything.  Of course, November and December are tough months, what with the hell-idays and all, but I'm gonna give it a try.

The only adjustment I'll need to make will be to increase the average, weekly 0.5-pound loss by a mere tenth of a pound, to 0.6.

Why am I doing this?  For some reason (New Year?  Fresh Start?  Clean Slate?), it's important to me to be over halfway to my goal by the beginning of 2012.  What can I say?  Okay, I'm a nerd . . . a dork . . . a nork . . . a derd.  It's kind of arbitrary, I know, but I like goals.  But the goals have to be realistic for ME.

Short-range goal:  Lose 0.6 pounds each week

Medium-range goal:  Lose 13 pounds by the end of December 2011

Long-range goal:  Lose 42 pounds

I lost 1.2 pounds this week--more than expected.  I'll take it!

 

Candid Fat Photo

A view inside our refrigerator before I head out to do some grocery shopping.  There's homemade chicken and rice soup, egg salad, green salad, cut-up cantaloupe and pineapple, broiled chicken breasts, a rice ball in tomato sauce and a bunch of other stuff.

 

Interesting Issues

I think I've mentioned before that I sometimes drift around the internet in weight-loss blog territory.  I search for bloggers who have a similar approach and mindset to mine (in the weight-loss game), I suppose.  I like the blogs that have an extra element or facet to them, too--maybe the reducing blogger lives in another country; maybe they've undertaken a hobby or sport that I dream about doing; maybe they have challenges, like a parent with Alzheimer's Disease, as I do; maybe they're hilariously funny and self-deprecating; maybe they write intelligently about timely topics related to girth.

Because of some, er, unpleasantness I created when commenting on another blog recently, I feel compelled to write a little bit here at Fat Chat about what I think about stuff.  So, here goes.

As well as anybody, I understand how easy it is to gain weight, and under what circumstances, and how difficult it is to take weight off.  Losing weight can be hard work and not always a pleasant undertaking, for many reasons.  To lose (or gain) weight, a person has to alter whatever it is they've been doing in the past.  That is, to make changes--small or large.  And change requires adjustment and getting used to a new routine.  Change also requires self-discipline and willpower.  Personally, I don't find these terms to be loaded with evil meaning, and I admire people who are disciplined and can achieve their goals, whether organizing an office, completing a project, becoming a proficient musical instrument player, becoming a runner or losing weight.

Self-discipline and willpower are hard to come by, though.  They can be present at some times, and not at others.  And there are many reasons why this might be so.  A person who is disciplined in one aspect of their life may not be so in another.  Self-discipline and willpower can come and go--in every person and in every instance.  Still, I think these concepts are ideals for which to strive.

In that vein, I don't, for a minute, think that a person's size or measure of willpower and self-discipline is who they are.  To me, who a person is related to their kindness (or meanness), morals and ethics (or lack thereof), passions, interests and so forth.

I've expressed a lot of views and opinions here at Fat Chat, but I don't think any of them have involved disrespecting, hating or dismissing people who are fat.  That's simply not how I roll in life or here in the blogosphere.

And that's all I'm gonna say about it.

 

Do This, Don't Do That

I've added a new module over there on the sidebar, titled "It Works for Me."  I combed Fat Chat's vast archives and come up with a list of behaviors which are helping me to succeed at losing weight.

To that list I'll add, today, to set realistic goals.

In past attempts to lose weight, I thought about goals A LOT differently.  I'd say to myself, "Gosh, Fat Chat, you are fat.  You feel like crap, so why don't you do something about it?"  Then I'd get out my calendar and figure out how many weeks there were until the END OF THE YEAR.  Then I'd figure out how many pounds I wanted to lose.  I'd divide the number of pounds by the number of weeks and come up with the amount I needed to lose each week to achieve my goal by the END OF THE YEAR.  That amount was completely dependent on what month I did these calculations--sometimes I figured I'd need to lose two pounds each week to reach my goal by the END OF THE YEAR.

One of the reasons I think I'm having better, long-term results this time around is that I'm striving for a very small loss each week, which translates into just two or three pounds each month.  The date at which I achieve my long-term goal of losing 42 pounds is still enshrouded in the mist of the fall or winter of 2012.

Weekly half-pound losses equate to only very, very minor, very, very infrequent feelings of deprivation and to much, much less disruption in the amount of food I consume.  While I consider every day the number of calories I take in, I rarely suffer from the very small decreases I need to make to achieve my goal.  These small goals, along with consuming healthier foods most of the time, has been a recipe for success for me.

I also consider that if I had adopted this more realistic approach a couple of years ago, I would have finished the weight-loss portion of my revised approach to enjoying food and been busy, but happily, maintaining, within four or five pounds, my ideal weight RIGHT NOW.

Oh, well.  Woulda.  Coulda.  Shoulda.

August 3, 2011: 156.6

 

 

Weekly Weight

Thank you, God of Heftiness, for allowing me to enjoy an AWESOME, long weekend in Charm City with my friend, Peanut--a weekend of shopping, eating and movie-going (museums got a pass)--AND to log a real, honest-to-goodness loss (especially after last week's gain).  You are the BEST, and I will be leaving a package of Berger cookies at your shrine sometime soon, provided I don't eat them first.

 

Candid Fat Photo

I've been hearing about Berger cookies for years from Peanut, the only person I know who's from Baltimore.  Apparently, they're quite famous--being produced locally, in the city.  They're a simple concoction--basically a doughy, vanilla cookie, slathered . . . heaped, really . . . with about a half-inch of rich, chocolate fudge.  Each one is the fastest 140, or so, calories I can possibly consume.  Yeah, they're good, alright.

 

Interesting Issues

Intuitive eating.  This theory/philosophy is the new kid on the block in the weight loss/weight acceptance world.  The 10 principles reflect logical, healthy approaches to food, but what I find missing (or presumed) is a knowledge of nutrition and the need to pay attention to calories consumed.

Supposedly, if you heed the hunger pangs and the sensation of fullness after eating and get a little exercise, your weight will automatically adjust itself to a pre-determined, genetic range.  As if by magic.

Hmmmm.  Honestly, I require a tad more structure.  And, I like a few guidelines.  But that's just me.

Also, you can rely on your body to tell you that you don't want that Big Mac, but a big ol' bowl of broccoli, instead.  What you have to do is pay close attention to how you "feel" when you're eating--angry, happy, bored, etc.  If you recognize how your emotions affect your food choices, and the amount of food you consume, all will be well.

Basically, I think this is just so much common sense--indeed, what the public has been told for years, i.e., make wise food choices, eat less, consume a healthy variety of food, etc.--but the popularity of the program highlights the fact that Americans, and others around the globe, have developed a complicated relationship with their food.

The intuitive eating program maintains that dieting, as we've come to know it, is destructive, both emotionally and physically.

I wonder why past generations didn't seem to experience these things?  Specifically, I wonder what has, in recent decades, separated us from eating intuitively, as we seem to have been doing up until the 1970's or so.  Is it the worries of modern living?  Or were people just more careful about their weight in the past?  Is is the food industry and their evil ways of making us desire whatever they're selling?  Is is technology?  Is it a combination of everything?

Generally speaking, I think the intuitive eating philosophy is a good thing, but I also think that it lacks some specific information and parameters--the notion of limiting calories if you want to lose weight and the importance of basic nutritional knowledge.  The program seems to take for granted that calorie limitation will occur naturally and that people will, more often than not, opt for vegetables, for example, over a pancake breakfast.  I dunno.  I wonder if I would.   I seem to be always thinking about the caloric and nutritional value of everything I shove in my mouth these days.

I don't always make the best choices, but these things are always a consideration.     

 

Do This, Don't Do That

In last week's post, I lamented the fact that I didn't eat some of that fried chicken Tony brought home.  Pamela-J left a comment that I should have eaten the chicken, if I wanted it.  And, of course, she was right.  She conveyed in her comment, in a round-about way, that it's important not to demonize food--to make it something bad, something not to be enjoyed.  We chatted later on in the week, and I assured her that I could always have fried chicken, and soothed her (because she was worried that she had stated her case for eating whatever one wants too strongly) by confessing to eating another favorite food--a grilled cheese sandwich--that very day!  So, she was happy . . . and so was I.  Yum.  Grilled cheese.  Yum!

And I'm all about enjoying good (and not-so-good-for-you) food.  But, in my case, just not so much of it.  I ate all the special things that the city has to offer, except blue crabs, because, you know, I can get those where I live, any old time.

After I arrived late Saturday morning, Peanut and I went IMMEDIATELY to do some shopping, after which we stopped at a Mexican restaurant, where I had the biggest burrito in the universe.  OBV, burritos are NOT a Baltimore specialty, but we were famished after spending a lot of money, so we wanted something quick.  I'll just say that I did not have to eat again for, like, nine hours!

Later, on Sunday evening, armed with Pam's advice and my own determination to thoroughly enjoy my time in Baltimore, I suffered no qualms about savoring an amazing meal at one of the city's best restaurants--The Helmand.

I've never had Afghan food and presumed it would be somewhat similar to Indian food.  And, it was, but only vaguely.  Where the flavors and spices of Indian food can often be very in your face, so to speak, the tastes at The Helmand were far more nuanced and understated.  Virtually every dish Peanut and I enjoyed was flavorful, savory and light.  OMG, click on the link to have a look at the menu.

I have to say, Baltimore is growing on me.  Who needs NYC when Baltimore has so much to offer?

DO enjoy every, novel eating experience, like I did at The Helmand.  To the very core of my being did I love that food!  DON'T overindulge, though, and be a piggy!

Oink.