I've decided that I'm not going to call my new eating habits a diet anymore. While it is true that my goal is to lose weight ~ 102 lbs to be exact ~ my new eating habits are enabling me to eat healthy, well balanced meals and snacks without depriving me of the foods that I truely love to eat. In fact, I am eating a much greater variety of foods now, than I ever did before.

In the past when I "dieted" it meant that I couldn't have certain foods. So I would deprive myself and deprive myself until I would give in and then go nuts and eat everything I could find in the house. I would be completely out of control. Now I can plan out my day's menu and incorporate my favorite foods. The trick is knowing how big a portion is, how many calories a portion of the food contains and how many calories you can eat for the day and still lose weight.

I have been following my new eating habits now for about 3 weeks. The first week was tough. I was used to eating tremendous amounts of food. For instance, when I ate a steak, it was usually a 16 oz. porterhouse. With it I would have a great big baked sweet potato soaked in butter. I'd also have a big pile of cooked vegetable downed in butter. Or, say we were having spaghetti. I would pile it on my plate until the plate was full... and after it was gone I'd fill up the plate again! And let's not forget about the dinner's beverage. 2 -3 glasses of wine... or maybe a couple of beers. When I would be done with dinner I was eating way more calories than I needed for the day!!! I'd eat big breakfasts and big lunches too. At night it would be nothing for me to eat two or three P&B sandwiches for a TV snack. As you can tell, I was probably eating 3 or 4 times as many calories as I needed for the day. (the amazing thing is that I only weighed 297 lbs.)

The first week I only had 1000 calories a day, I was hungry but I stuck it out. Now I'm on 2000 calories a day. By planning ahead and measuring or weighing everthing I am able to eat just about anything I want and keep my daily caloric intake to 2000 c. a day and the amazing thing is that I'm not hungry!!!

I'm also learning that exercise is key. I have boosted my time on the Nordic Track to 30 minutes twice a day. But sometimes, like today, I feel pretty good at the end of 30 minutes and just keep going. This morning I did 46 minutes. Tonight I will do at least 30 more minutes. I'm also doing a lot more walking and stair climbing in my daily life.

All of this already making some difference, too. I have only "lost" 15 lbs; but it is evident that I've lost quite a bit of fat already. I'm looking better. My clothes are fitting better. I can do things without getting winded. I'm feeling great. I'm even beginnig to think that I might even be able to get off the medications that I take to lower my blood pressure and cholesterol someday. But for now I'll settle for the loss of the excess pounds.

Is your name Marc? May I call you that?? You have truly found the best "secret" there is about your health...eating right, and exercising..and knowing it isnt a "diet" that implies you will stop doing what you are doing when you go "off" your "diet" your progress is fantastic!! Love your website also..it is fabulous..including your cats..3 weeks is def enough time to form new habits..and your 15 pounds is the best evidence of that!!!

*

Sooz,

Yes my name is Marc and of course you may call me that.

Thanks for the compliment on my web site. Amateur astronomy is one of those hobbies that can quickly get out of hand. My 25" Obsession is one of the largest amateur telescopes in the southeastern U.S.

:cat: The cats are such a big part of mine and my wifes' lives that it seemed natural to include a few pictures of them on the website.

Good for you.....

I agree, exercise a key. You have to use the calories that your taking in daily, if not, they turn to fat.

"deprived"... I hate that word so much... IMHO, most of the time it's used as an excuse. Whats worse.. being deprived of food or deprived by being fat? And what's more important?

John wrote:
<"deprived"... I hate that word so much... IMHO, most of the time it's used as an excuse. Whats worse.. being deprived of food or deprived by being fat? And what's more important?>

Does it really matter? If you are on a program that does not allow you to have certain foods, whether those foods are fats, carbs, proteins, sodium or whatever, then in my opinion you are being deprived of them.

How you handle being deprived of certain foods I'm sure varies from person to person. I would assume that most people have an iron will and just tighten their belt, time after time, and ignore their urges as they eat yet another celery stalk. I'm not one of them! In the past when I have been on one of these programs I have always reached a point where I would give in to an urge and then just go nuts, eating everything I could get my hands on.

Is the deprivation an excuse? Probably. But that said, the result of deprivation, for me, was always the same. Since I have been following the Richard Simmons plan, which controls how much you eat, not the types of foods you eat, I have not felt deprived of anything and so far (knock on wood) I have not had any uncontrollable urges to eat.

Very interesting posts, and you have a great hobby and job. Enjoyed your web site.
One question: how is it that you are not hugry on 2000 c a day? Any insights?
Hunger is my biggest problem.
I'm very active and exercise a great deal and i wonder if that increases my appetite.:)

Hi Cili,

Why am I not hungry on 2000 calories a day?
Boy, that's a good question. And I'm not really sure why.

I have made a few changes in how I eat. My wife is a very slow eater. Before, when I was eating great quantities of food at meals I wolfed it down and because I ate more food than she, we managed to finish together. Now, I have to slow down. I take very small bites. I put my fork down between bites. I even allow my mouth to remain empty for a minute or two during the meal. I don't know how it works, but if I slow down while eating I become full by the time the smaller meal is gone.

In the evening, the most dangerous time for me, I make sure that I have enough calories left to have a nice snack. Mostly I snack on the normal "diet" snacks; celery, carrots, cucumbers, etc. If I save a serving of dairy I put some lowfat cottage cheese on the celery. I love MacIntosh apples so they make a good snack for me. I have also discovered that I really like Sugar Free Jell-O and Sugar Free Jell-O pudding. A 1/2 cup of either one really satisfies any craving for sweets that I might have and at 10 and 25 calories, respectively they don't break the daily calorie bank.

I would tend to agree with you that the more active you are and the more exercise you get the more likely you would be hungry because the difference from what you are taking in vs. what your body needs. But that is just my "gut" feeling. Hopefully someone with a little more knowledge on nutrition will chime in and shed some light on the subject.

I am reminded of something that I have heard all my life... "Maybe it is nothing more than that my stomch has shunken."
:)

Marc,
Thanks for your very helpful reply. I had forgotten about this technique. I just used it to eat lunch and what a difference! I'm guessing that i ate a fourth to a half of what i would have eaten if I had wolfed my sandwitch down, which is what i usually do.
Thanks again.
Back to my apple.
Cili from frigid NJ!:D

Hi Cili,

Wow, I'm really glad to hear that the eating technique worked for you. Maybe our mom's were right, afterall, when they would tell us to "slow down" as we ate. :D


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