Fast, but not furious.

[kyburg]

Guys. April 12th. San Diego Wild Animal Park. GROUP HUG. Come on, you know you want to go. Carpools from my part of the world forming up now. You want to go? Now's the time - we'll be stopping in San Jacinto and other points east if people want/need the ride. Speak up, full stop. (We may even be able to find some passes. Ask me.)

Yesterday was doctor visits - I got two out of my five yearlies out of the way, go me. Which ones?

Yearly physical, and yearly eye check. The latter is cauing me more grief,as I had to part with one of my pairs of glasses to get the lenses changed. Instead of changing into those pair, I am looking at *everything* (including computer screens) with the progressive pair. Needless to say, I do not dig looking at the screen with the back of my head lying on my spine. Ten days. Bah.

But the yearly was the big prize.

I have kept the weight I lost in 2006/07 off - with a wiggle of +/- 3 pounds - and I went in yesterday at the heavier end of that scale.

BP 110/60.

I am coming off the hypertensive medication I've been on since 2000. It had only been just a wee bit, mind. But I've also been off anything with pseudoepinephrine in it (Nyquil being my favorite), because I went into the office with an upper-respiratory, and blew the meter at 210/180 on it. Also, fifty pounds heavier.

No, I didn't go to the gym, take up power dodgeball or any such thing. I have the gym membership - I just hate the place and don't go. Admitted freely.

All I did was stop eating everything on my plate. In all honesty, that's it in a nutshell.

I don't go through a pound of chocolate as a snack sitting at the computer anymore. I don't keep cookies in the house as part of the weekly shopping trip. I'm more likely to have a veggie burger instead of a cheeseburger - and these days, prefer them. They cook up faster and have less cleanup. No, they don't taste like "the real thing" - but I don't think the real thing is that tasty to begin with. Haven't run into anything veggie I hated the taste of yet, to be honest. It tastes good - and that's the whole point. (Green bell peppers still make me sneer. Pass.)

I use the oven more. I bought a steamer at the asian market and use it constantly.

I just w00ted a 3.5 lb cheeseball, too. I'm going to do what any reasonable cheesehead does in that case - I'm calling Tommy and setting a date for a huge party. We'll shove it back to the 60's - that's what cheese and crackers make me think of, at least. FONDUE! (Oh wait, that's the 70's.) But I ain't going alone.

I drink a ton of tea. I also love sake and beer.

But love does not mean food. Love is answering the phone and listening. Love is having people over and making them watch bad television. Love is taking a walk instead. Love is taking the metro into town for a show.

Don't want to hear about genetics. I have a great-grandmother in my genetic history who died in her bed, 700+ lbs. I have a sister who could almost be twice my size, and a niece who surely is. My mother did WW herself. Her sister did TOPS and has had both knees replaced, and has arthritis in every weight-bearing point. Do I need to say why?

(Mom's doing so well, she's gone back to volunteering at the hospital. There's your other status report.)

I had the diabetic husband.

Guys, I'm here to tell you it's possible - worse - it's normal.

It's not really fair to use the pizza comparison, as I really don't like the stuff - but one piece of pizza? Probably enough, if you're my size (5'6" and female). Yeah, a veggie with it would be nice - but I wouldn't make you eat the salad without dressing. Why not a baked potato? SURE. I steam beets and dress them in a little rice vinegar. Nom nom.

Leave the butter in the dairy case and go get a can of butter-flavored spray from the aisle instead. (Hey, it tastes like that because you're spraying TOO MUCH ON. Back it off. It'll work. Trust me.)

But I'm not touting a cuisine thing here. (Have said a word about looks yet, and won't.)

I don't have to keep poisoning myself to stay alive.

I didn't have to take up a sport I hated.

I just stopping "treating" myself. I treat myself better these days, thank you. It has to be delicious, or I don't bother.

And I play more video games. That's what I do if I'm bored..

Comments

[djdig.livejournal.com]

No, I didn't go to the gym, take up power dodgeball or any such thing. I have the gym membership - I just hate the place and don't go. Admitted freely.

All I did was stop eating everything on my plate. In all honesty, that's it in a nutshell.

I couldn't have said that better myself.

[dawnspring.livejournal.com]

I'm wired different. I *have* to clean my plate. Conditioning from when I was a kiddo, it's hard wired. Shoving away a plate that has food on it doesn't work or I graze.

So, I just don't overload the plate anymore. I know what a true serving size is and I stick to it. Clean plate, and I'm done! If I eat out, I either choose the smallest item on the menu (and LOVE places that let me order off the kids or senior menus) or ask for a to go container and fill it up before I finish eating.

It's a bit more work, but better than the alternative.

[dawnspring.livejournal.com]

You know what's funny? I've lost more weight in the past year then in the past 15 years combined. This is with taking up cake/pastry baking as my hobby and losing my thyroid!

Big thing was losing the sugared drinks and the car. Coffee w/cream only, Iced or Hot tea w/a slice of citrus (try orange or lime in iced tea. It's wonderful!), and lots of water. I don't even miss soda and find when I do drink it I feel yucky afterwards. Walking to work wakes me up and gives me more energy than a donut does. And baking sweets every weekend has killed my desire to eat them. Just smelling them is enough for me. :)

I will never be rail thin, but that's ok. I'm from a family of linebackers (My mom, who is very frail and skinny, still weighs 190 and wears a size 14.) I'm happy now that my curves are more due to what God gave me than what Ben and Jerry did.

The other thing one has to remember with weight loss is that it's not fast. It took me 30 years to get this big, so if it takes a couple of years for it to all fully go away then that's fine with me. I still got another 40+ years left to look forward to way I see it.

[dawnmipb.livejournal.com]

Congratulations! Losing weight is an accomplishment, but keeping it off is a lifetime work. You're doing that, and that's awesome.

I have simply stopped dieting, and just started paying attention to what I put in my mouth. Asking myself if I want it or if I'm just eating it because it's something to do.

It's going slowly, but well. And now I just can't even make myself eat a lot of food. Carbonated soft drinks physically hurt me.

I'm awfully proud of you. And of me, too.

[sakuya-masaki.livejournal.com]

I've lost 29 lbs. since last Nov. myself and ya know, I wish I had known yrs. ago that it wasn't nearly as hard as I always thought it would be. My fiance and I are doing the Weight Watchers points system. It's basically just a way of, like you said, not clearing your plate. Or rather, watching your portions and counting calories. I feel like I'm much more knowledgeable about what I put into my body and I feel so much better about it. :)
I don't miss feeling sick after I eat and depending on food for comfort. It's just amazing what you can accomplish by just watching what you eat. You don't have to totally deny yourself all the foods you enjoy and live off celery and carrot sticks alone. You can have chocolate or whatever if you want it. Just take it in moderation. It's actually better that way. I find that if I haven't had something for a while that when I come back to it, I actually enjoy it for the taste and don't feel the need to overindulge in it. It's a way to enjoy the good stuff so much more. When you're having loads of it everyday, it becomes boring and bland, but the first cheeseburger I ate after months of not having one was so, sooo very tasty.

However, I cut cokes out of my diet a while back even before we started the Weight Watchers thing and I find that I just can't stand to drink them now. They're way too sweet.

But anyway, sorry to type so much. I wanted to say congrats to you b/c I've been going through the same sort of thing and it's a great feeling. I'm one who hasn't ever been a skinny girl ever and now I'm at the thinnest I've been in yrs. and I absolutely love it.

[foogod.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean about the Coke. I used to drink Coke constantly (I was known for it). I cut it out of my diet for a bit, and now it's sickly sweet, and I can't drink it straight. But I still miss the taste, so nowadays when I go somewhere I always order a coke and a water. I take sips of the Coke for the flavor, and I drink the water for my thirst. I usually go through about 2 or 3 glasses of water in a sitting, and maybe a half a glass of Coke (if that). It does really confuse a lot of waiters, though..

[redqueenofevil.livejournal.com]

I'd love to go on April 12th. Unfortunately, I can't, due to the performance I have that evening. Plus with all the dress rehearsals I'll be attending, I'm pretty sure I'll be a zombie.

Congrats on the good bill of health.

Regarding veggie burgers- I'm glad they don't taste like meat. Every time I've ordered one that tastes close to the real deal, I freak out. I won't order fake beef in Chinese restaurants for that reason.

Cooking spray- I avoid the butter ones, and lean towards just canola. I'd prefer to use canola or olive oils alone, but T prefers using the non stick spray. So when he cooks, he uses it. When I cook, I don't. Soy margarine goes for eggs and toast though.

[sunfell.livejournal.com]

Yours sounds like a sound and viable method of weight loss. It's all about both portion and what you choose to put in your mouth. There's a lot of stuff that I can no longer eat or drink because I don't consider it 'food'. That includes most 'snack' and packaged foods, and anything in a beverage can. I drink water or green tea or coffee.

I prefer to cook for myself. Right now, my blood sugar is all wonky because I have not been eating regularly- and I can feel it. I don't eat when I am upset or anxious.

I need to get on my feet more. Or eat less. Or both. If I could lose the weight I've gained since I was in the USAF- and keep it off, it would be a good thing. Of course, that would mean an all-new wardrobe, but that's OK.

[foogod.livejournal.com]

Regarding the cooking sprays, I like them, I just wish they made some with a higher smoke point (can't get really good browning or sautee properly with any of the sprays I've tried)..

But one of the things I have noticed is even when I have to use butter/oil, most recipes use a heck of a lot more of it than you really need to get the job done. I usually at least cut it in half, sometimes a third, and it still works fine..

If you use it where needed and only as much as needed, and you calculate it out over several portions, it usually only comes out to at most a gram or so of extra fat you're adding per serving, which if you're watching the fat in the rest of the ingredients isn't a big deal, really..

[amilyn.livejournal.com]

This is incredibly encouraging to me. I've been monitoring my food intake for a month now to avoid consuming WAY TOO MUCH FOOD all the damn time and reduce my (currently unhealthy) weight.

To see someone who's done it successfully--and done so without going crazy doing icky sports stuff--is very, very inspiring.

Thank you for posting and WELL DONE!

[feyandstrange.livejournal.com]

Wow. Congratulations on doing that despite your busy life - I'm impressed and proud. And yay for Mom doing better too!

Mazal Tov!

[drlaurac.livejournal.com]

That's wonderful news, especially the banishment of the BP meds! I wish I could join y'all in San Diego, I'll just have to make due with a family trip to the Atlanta zoo early next week. Fisher Price is having a special Naked Mole Exhibit event.