Brand new diet thread!

Tucson · Feb 24, 2018, 02:23 PM

I weigh 183 today, so I indeed have gained some weight from 178 pounds that I started from a while back. I have ordered a cheap activity monitor. If it breaks or does not work well, there is not much money lost. It does have one of the best ratings on Amazon. I guess the low price is part of that rating. Some cost well over $100 like the FitBit strap monitor. This one is costing me about $35 with next day delivery.

I have started with scrambled eggs and chorizo. I will have another turkey burger with refried black beans. I will then have spaghetti for dinner. I want to use up those really good meatballs from TJs. I think I will end up with some remaining calories. So I may have some chocolate, or maybe an extra meatball for dinner. My calorie goal for today is at most about 2100.

PS It is interesting that by excluding tastey high calorie desserts which I ate before dinner, my calorie count is much more manageable. Now when I see calories left over *after* dinner, I can then indulge in a small portion of dessert. I do not know if I am that capable of limiting my portion of dessert when it is something like a pudding cake or cheese cake or peanut butter cookies instead of a fun sized candy bar.

UpDownAround · Feb 24, 2018, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bizi

updownaround, I hope you did not think that my comment about drinking calories was applied to you. IT was just a general statement.
I have a friend who is stuck on these energy drinks.
bizi

No, I didn't. I was just noting that it is something that helps my diet regimen work. Sweet drinks can really add up, even if they seem to be somewhat healthy like homeopathic energy drinks, fruit juice and smoothies. I found they are surprisingly easy to do without. I have a solid food sweet tooth - cakes, pies and candy - but sweet drinks? Meh...

Tucson · Feb 24, 2018, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UpDownAround

No, I didn't. I was just noting that it is something that helps my diet regimen work. Sweet drinks can really add up, even if they seem to be somewhat healthy like homeopathic energy drinks, fruit juice and smoothies. I found they are surprisingly easy to do without. I have a solid food sweet tooth - cakes, pies and candy - but sweet drinks? Meh...

I have not had for all of this year and a good part of last year a sweet drink. There was an upset one time a few weeks ago when I finished one of those extra extra large drinks. Actually, now that I have been off them, I prefer water. Even when I buy one along with getting others their drink, I never end up drinking it. I pour it down the drain.

UpDownAround · Feb 24, 2018, 07:18 PM

I used to drink lots of Crystal Light fruit flavored drinks. They were zero calorie, but had lots of artificial sweetener, which tends to increase cravings. So when I gave up artificial sweeteners, I gave up the Crystal Light. One downside to that is that I don't drink as much water as I did Crystal Light. I rarely finish a glass of water with a meal, but I would often have a couple of glasses of the sweet tasting drink, which is just as hydrating as water. I need to consciously drink more water.

Pre-logging popcorn again. Calories 1649. Steps 4585.

Tucson · Feb 24, 2018, 07:37 PM

Here is my menu for today. I have already put in calories for dinner, which is what I will eat in a couple hours. I also have there my dessert for dinner, two Hershey milk chocolate squares from the very large bar. This all totals to about 2100 calories.

By the way, I am now sitting in a restaurant to get away from my house with my iPad. Even though this place has an incredibly good banana pie, I declined a slice, all 750 calories of it. Also I am drinking water. Sometimes I drink coffee here where I need to watch how much creamer and sugar that I use in total. It looks like I still have my discapline. Tomorrow is when I start walking.

Cocosurviving · Feb 24, 2018, 09:39 PM

MFP calories 1,100. Apple Watch steps 3,123. Water intake 50.7. Still not feeling up to working out. I have been walking my dog.

Tucson · Feb 25, 2018, 12:46 PM

I weigh 183 today. I want to maintain this weight. I am going to have the usual scrambled eggs today. I am thinking of two hotdogs for lunch, with some sweet corn I purchased from TJs. I do not know yet what I will have for dinner. I am thinking of pizza from Costco. I still can get a couple meals from it. I also have been wanting to make macaroni and cheese with nicely aged cheddar. Maybe use cream to make it. But both costs money, and the mac and cheese would be costly in calories. That spaghetti dinner last night was real tastey. I want to make more dishes like that. Best not to think of food on an empty stomach.

99fairies · Feb 25, 2018, 12:58 PM

I'm ingesting no calories today and possibly for the next 3 days. I can't do a 5 day fast like I was doing because I ended up fainting on the fifth day. So I'll go 3 days max.

bizi · Feb 25, 2018, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 99fairies

I'm ingesting no calories today and possibly for the next 3 days. I can't do a 5 day fast like I was doing because I ended up fainting on the fifth day. So I'll go 3 days max.

I am sorry, I don't think fasting is good for you.

((((HUGS))))
bizi

Feb 25, 2018, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bizi

I am sorry, I don't think fasting is good for you.

((((HUGS))))
bizi

Agreed. With fasting I think it really depends on what the reason is behind the fast. Some do intermittent fasting and are able to do so healthily, while others may do so for religious reasons. But in your case 99fairies, it sounds like unhealthy calorie restriction and nothing more. That is not healthy at all. I hope you are able to break free from this pattern someday.

99fairies · Feb 25, 2018, 01:06 PM

Bizi, why do you think fasting is not good for me?

bizi · Feb 25, 2018, 01:10 PM

Read what scaredandconfused just wrote to you .
She posted same time as you.
((((HUGS))))
bizi

bizi · Feb 25, 2018, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scaredandconfused

Agreed. With fasting I think it really depends on what the reason is behind the fast. Some do intermittent fasting and are able to do so healthily, while others may do so for religious reasons. But in your case 99fairies, it sounds like unhealthy calorie restriction and nothing more. That is not healthy at all. I hope you are able to break free from this pattern someday.

I agree with you.
Thank you for saying this so well.
bizi

bizi · Feb 25, 2018, 01:15 PM

My feeling is that Intermitant fasting would be better. Eat during an 8 hour window. Remember you have to eat at least 350 calories when You take your meds. shoot for 1200 calories for the 8 hour window.
Sugar is not your friend so slim fast is full of sugar.
My suggestion to you is to eat regular food.
Sorry I know this is an issue for you, somehow you must eat real food.
You could make delicious healthy smoothies in the blender.
bizi

99fairies · Feb 25, 2018, 01:16 PM

I think I'll just stop posting on this thread. I only get negative feed back. I don't feel like I can be honest here or I'll just get shiit.

Feb 25, 2018, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 99fairies

I think I'll just stop posting on this thread. I only get negative feed back. I don't feel like I can be honest here or I'll just get shiit.

Help us to understand then. Why do you fast? What does it provide you? Are you not concerned about fainting from lack of nutrition for your body? This is a diet thread for healthy weight loss. I won't just sit back and encourage disordered eating, it wouldn't be right.

bizi · Feb 25, 2018, 01:20 PM

I am sorry, it is like you are self sabotaging. You know that you have to eat 350 calories for the geodon to work to help your bipolar....you are rejecting your bipolar diagnosis?
bizi

99fairies · Feb 25, 2018, 01:34 PM

Oh ya. I've got to eat with my zeldox. Thanks for pointing that out.

99fairies · Feb 25, 2018, 01:58 PM

The main reason I fast is because I think I have a food allergy, I just don't know to what. Because when I fast I feel so much better than when I'm eating.

Tucson · 03:12 PM

https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/...ting_healthy#1

This above article may be considered against the idea of fasting, but after careful reading, it really is not. I think it just discourages the more extreme forms of fasting. Surprisingly, it does include both the proponents and opponents of fasting. As a note, it also does discuss fasting for medical reasons. I do think the article makes some very important facts to consider.

FWIW

https://www.webmd.com/diet/a-z/intermittent-fasting

The next article above discusses a healthier way of fasting through intermittent fasts. This does make sense that intermittent fasting would be healthier, does it not? IMHO this type of fasting can be used to have the same benefits compared to going without food for days at a time. Personally, I like the 5:2 plan that UpDownAround is a proponent of, as an example of intermittent fasting. Note that both articles are from the WebMD website, which I consider a great source of accurate medically related information. The site was created and is maintained by a staff of MDs.

Please note that all of this is not meant by me to invalidate those who use the more extreme types of fasting. But when a person is to consider anything extreme like five day no food fasts, knowledge can be of a great benefit. Who knows? It may save a person from an unnecessary visit to the ER.

UpDownAround · Feb 25, 2018, 05:31 PM

I am a proponent of 5:2. Two days a week of very low calorie "fasting". Your body responds to very low calories and no food in the same manner, according to what I have read, but it is easier for most people to make it through a low calorie day. The two fast days are always separated by at least one day, preferably two or more. I did Monday and Thursday as my fast days.

The reason for using 5:2 is it is just one more way to cut calories. Instead of cutting a little from every meal, you eat maintenance meals, but two days a week you basically cut out two of the three meals, so that for the week it is 4/21 or roughly a 20% reduction in calories. Early on, I was abusing it by eating too little on non fast days. It would be fine to throw some in to ramp up a slow loss like I am doing now, but it isn't okay if you are severely restricting calories other days.

I will use it if I decide to let myself go at a big dinner or something. I am eating 1650 a day right now, so a 600 calorie "fast" day would offset an extra 1050 calories. So if I had a day where I ate 3750, 2 "fast" days would make it average out.

On a different subject, the miniature snacks we were talking about the other day are pretty much disappearing from my diet due to saturated fat. I was just in the grocery store looking at different minis and "bites". I think I might make some of these cookies:
https://wholefully.com/healthy-oatme...s/print/32119/
as one of my servings of whole grain. I might go with chocolate PB2 instead of or in addition to raisins.

Tucson · Feb 25, 2018, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UpDownAround

[snip]

On a different subject, the miniature snacks we were talking about the other day are pretty much disappearing from my diet due to saturated fat. I was just in the grocery store looking at different minis and "bites". I think I might make some of these cookies:
https://wholefully.com/healthy-oatme...s/print/32119/
as one of my servings of whole grain. I might go with chocolate PB2 instead of or in addition to raisins.

I think a fun sized candy bar every now and then will not hurt. However, I can understand your concern. As a step toward a healthier diet, I am thinking of making those cookies too. I do not think one needs expensive organic rolled oats for the recipe to work or be healthy. By the way, what is “rolled oats”? How is it different from the oats found in the classic Quaker Oats?

UpDownAround · Feb 25, 2018, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tucson

I think a fun sized candy bar every now and then will not hurt. However, I can understand your concern. As a step toward a healthier diet, I am thinking of making those cookies too. I do not think one needs expensive organic rolled oats for the recipe to work or be healthy. By the way, what is “rolled oats”? How is it different from the oats found in the classic Quaker Oats?

Quaker oats are fine. It just means the big "flakes" and not the finer steel cut oats. I haven't tried the cookies yet, but I love bananas, oatmeal and raisins.

I probably will still slip in a few small candies; they put them out at work every now and then. I will probably go in for another lipid panel in the next few days and see if the oats, walking and avoiding saturated fats has my LDL under 100 or not. I am probably cutting the saturated fats further than necessary.