July 19, 2003
Current weight:140
Goal weight:125
I have read SO much about health and fitness, and have had great success in the past. My greatest successes were with portion control. My weakness seems to be in maintenance. My plan now, will take a little bit from many sources. I plan to eat only when my stomach growls, so that I am eating when I am physically hungry, instead of eating when my head says I want to. I plan to eat very small portions of food, stopping when I feel full, even if it means throwing away food! I plan to pay attention to caloric intake, although I may not figure my exact calories, from past experience, I will estimate daily calories. I plan to drink water and take vitamins. I plan to get my exercise through housework (I have many stairs), doing laundry, scrubbing windows and floors. If I do half an hour a day of vigorous housework, not only will I be burning calories, but I'll have a clean house! Also, I won't get overwhelmed by housework and want to eat! I will eat healthy most of the time, but will allow some pleasures in small portions without feeling guilty! I will pray daily for help, support and success. And of course I will post daily on diettalk!
SunnyB-)

Welcome Sunny :)
Wishing you the best of luck in your journey!

Thank you, Aria!

I am doing well so far today! Paying attention to true physical hunger and refusing to eat emotionally is really great! It has helped so much! Also, sometimes I finish a meal, but do not feel full because I eat fast. About 10 minutes, later it's like a buzzer going off, I notice that my stomach is full. It also stays with me a long time. When I want something, I just tell myself that the next time I am hungry, I will have that. Usually when I'm hungry, though I want something healthier. So far today:

calorie count is approximate

2 lg. coffee w/ splenda and creamer - 220 calories
1 iced animal cookie (my dd insisted) - 25 calories
cereal and 2% milk - 300 calories

total calories so far - 545 calories

Looks like you are off to an excellent start, Sunny :)

Okay! I did well today! I am just waiting for my dh to come home so we can eat, so s&s chicken is what I am going to have. My exercise today was housecleaning. In fact I moved my stove and fridge and cleaned under them! I scrubbed on my hands and knees! I really like my kitchen now! Amazing that my exercise burned a lot of calories, but didn't take time away from my housecleaning!

Food today:
2 lg. coffee W/ creamer and splenda - 220 calories
1 iced animal cracker - 25 calories
cereal and 2% milk - 300 calories
3 iced animal crackers - 75 calories
ramen noodles - 100 calories
1/2 cup soda - 75 calories
s&s chicken over rice (the healthy type) - 500 calories

estimated total calories - 1295
exercise - hours and hours

You are doing good, Sunny!
What a nice benefit to have a clean house too!

Thanks, Aria!
I don't know why I didn't think of using housework as exercise before! I always took time out for exercise, but then my cleaning fell behind. I have an old house, much bigger than a ranch, with 3 floors. My laundry is in the basement and the bedrooms are on the second floor, so I get lots of exercise just doing laundry. So I can take the 30 minutes I used to walk, and do some good cleaning for 30 minutes. Of course once I get cleaning, I don't stop. It's the getting started I have trouble with, though.

Today I did okay. I have yet to do my cleaning, but as soon as I'm done writing this I plan to. I am eating when I feel hungry. I was more hungry today than usual, might have been cooler weather.
Weighed in at 140 lbs, still.

Food/drink:

Lg coffee w/creamer and splenda - 135
Subway turkey sub - 400
grapes - 30
casserole with roll - 600
brownie - 100

estimated total - 1265 calories

July 22, 2003

Struggling today, it's tough trying not to nibble on everything when I'm home all day! I've been good so far, eating only when I am truly hungry, but my head isn't agreeing with my stomach at all! So far today:

2 lg. coffee - 220
cereal and milk - 250

The pringles, the brownies and the ice cream are calling my name, though.

SunnyB-)

140 lbs, still

hi sunny!

I was reading through your journal and would like to offer some advice, if you don't mind. eating only when you are hungry might help you lose weight at first but then you might hit a giant plateau. you should time your meals about every 3 or 4 hours and listen to your body tell you when you are full. obviously if you eat and then 4 hours later you still aren't hungry then don't eat. but if you feel at all you should eat then go for it. Then again, different things work for different people. Also watch those ramen noodles!! i'm a college student, so i'm a ramen addict. but theyhave lots and lots and lots of sodium in them. if you still want to eat them dress them up with some veggies rather than eating them plain. and housecleaning is great exercise but don't forget about walking. you may be burning the same amount of calories but not working the same parts of the body.

This is just some advice to help you maintain! I think you are doing a great job, look at how much you have lost now!!! KEEP IT UP SUNNY!

Thank you, morestars!
Actually, I do become hungry at regular intervals, however I have never been hungry in the morning. I appreciate the warning about the sodium in the ramen noodles, I hear that sodium is bad if you have high blood pressure. However I have very low blood pressure, so if the sodium will bring it up to normal, great! The low blood pressure tends to make me tired and cold! But, anyways, that's why I don't limit sodium too much. As for housework, I can see your point there too. My job gives my legs a workout, so if I build my arms, cleaning that is great because they are quite weak. Thanks for all the great advice! I really appreciate your concerns!
Sunny

:o well then i guess you dont' need me. heheheheeh.

Actually I do need people like you, morestars, that's why I'm here. I get comments about my salt intake all the time because I put salt on my food regularly. Sometimes I crave salt. I took Psychology in college and it talked about how your body will crave what it needs, and boy do I believe it! Once in a while I crave milk and I don't even like milk unless it is extremely fresh or mixed with something else. So when I crave it, I'll drink chocolate milk. When I take vitamins regularly, I don't have as many cravings. Going back to my blood pressure, one time a nurse took my blood pressure, and it was so low, she told me to stand up because that would raise it, she took it again and it was even lower!

Anyway, today I survived

2 lg. coffee - 220
Cereal and milk = 250
grapes - 50
S/S chicken and rice (healthy type) - 600
rice - 150
total 1270 calories

i know sunny, we all need eachother. it was just a little joke towards myself. on the blood pressure thing. when i was in the hospital last fall..and right before my surgery. i was going in all the time for blood tests and blood pressure check ups. well the nurse took my blood pressure this one time and was like do you workout? at the time it wasn't very regular. and i said sometimes and she tells me i have excellent blood pressure. weird thing is i'm also a smoker. and am a constant worrier. i dunno it was just weird.