10 Pounds in 8 Weeks or Subtract 35,000 Calories--Week 3

Light and Lusty Tomato Soup--Yesterday's Veggie Lunch. My recipe here.

OVERALL:

Week 3 of my fitness program and I'll admit it's not going as quickly (is that "as well") as I'd like--if I'm measuring success by weight loss, that is.   I've lost 1.5 pounds after finally buying a scale and also figuring out how it works.   I feel better in certain ways.  For instance, it's always nice to be taking care of yourself, isn't it?  I stretch out daily, so my body feels looser, more able.  I thought the grocery bill might go down after giving up most cooked  or restaurant lunches and quite a bit of meat, but vegetables and fruit are expensive.  As you know.  I'm struggling with mid-afternoon munchies, which is a new thing; I rarely snack.  A tablespoon of almonds or a tiny piece of low-fat cheese and a big cup of decaf green and mint teas mixed are my solution.  Perhaps 1 or two Triscuit triangles for crunch...this is not easy.

As I'm slaving over the soup book--re-writing and editing, I'm sitting at the computer way too much.  I am thinking of moving it to the kitchen counter every other hour to stand rather than sit.  I think it'd be better for me anyway, though recent research shows those office workers who are standing all day long at high desks are having serious foot (feet?) problems.  We'll see.

10 Pounds in 8 Weeks or Subtract 35,000 Calories: Week #2

One dinner from last week.  I love one-pan meals.  I'll blog this on dinner place.

I have my black coffee in front of me.
I just ate my egg white-veggie omelet with salsa. YES!
The only change from a "regular" morning is no cream in my coffee.  Pretty painless, huh?


I did stay on the program ..  with a couple of deviations:

30-Minute Vegetable Soup a la Provence (Vegan and Gluten-Free) or What I'm Eating for Lunch

If you've been reading along on the blog, you'll know I've made a commitment to lose 10 pounds by Saint Patrick's Day when I always make a vat of potato soup and  loaves of Irish soda bread:

I've got a routine of exercise and cutting back on food so that I subtract 35,000 calories in 8 weeks.  (For instance, no meat 2 nights a week.)  No fancy-schmancy (as Sandy would say) diet; no gimmicks; no cash or meetings.  Just me.  My bean-counter head and my family room and the city of Saint Paul as gym. 

One of the things I've changed is that I can  have only fruit or vegetables 4 lunches per week.  No meat, no bread, no rice, etc.  I am fine with a piece of fruit each day so far and if I'm starving, I cheat a bit to add some Greek yogurt and a little of my homemade, low-fat granola. 

10 Pounds in 8 Weeks or Subtract 35,000 Calories

I had a little too much Christmas.  Hm.

I am going out on limb here.  I'm putting my behind (insert your favorite epithet here) on the line as well as in gear.  My current fitness goals include these objectives:

•  lose ten pounds in eight weeks by changing/cutting back on my food intake and to....
•  put in 30 minutes of aerobic exercise 4 days a week (outdoors when possible)
•  do a stretch routine daily
•  weight train 3 times a week
• blog my progress weekly

If you do the math, we're talking about (how do I get) 10 pounds off by Saint Patrick's Day (Sunday, March 17), which, if you're a long-time reader, you know is when I have a houseful of potato soup and soda bread:

And it is NOT that potato soup and Irish soda bread are particularly highly caloric (they're not), it's just my date.  The one I chose because it's eight weeks away.

I thought if I blogged my process, I'd be a little more accountable.  The choir will be asking me on Wednesday nights, "How's that ten pounds going?"

Here we are at our Christmas party.

My fellow Friday bloggers (many of whom are very healthful indeed) will probably post comments about my ingredients or dance routines.   

My sisters will email, "Well?"

My friends will be looking at me every week. 

My couch potato dogs will be after me to take them on more walks and play ball more often.  (It's -14 F this morning; we're staying home, guys.  We do play ball down the stairs on really cold days.  Your mother wouldn't be pleased.)

Why not  a regular diet program?

I cannot seem to stick out a "regular" diet program any more or, if I do, it's not successful.  I stayed on South Beach for months.  I think I lost five pounds, which I promptly gained as soon as I added bread back into my diet.  Dave lost nearly twenty in around 10 weeks.  I'm not saying it's me and I'm not saying it's the diet, but I'm JUST SAYIN' I can't get any of it to work.  I am a life-long Weight Watcher.  I've gotten to goal more than once and then fell off the wagon.  Sad.

After thinking about it for quite a while and talking to a number of friends who had worked out their own systems (one was: no snacks and cut back on serving size at dinner for a year for a total weight loss of 22 pounds), I came up with mine just because I'd like to be able to move more easily and quickly and have my clothes fit better.  If it works, I may try it for another eight weeks sooner or later.  Another ten wouldn't hurt.

What I usually eat:  One of the things I wanted to do was to keep a portion of my meals just like they always are.  My typical day begins with a veggie/egg white omelet or Greek yogurt, fruit, with 2 T homemade, lowfat granola.  I drink coffee with milk or cream--probably 3 cups a day.  Lunch is leftovers, homemade soup, or if I'm out--soup, salad or veggie burger.  Dinner you know--it's often on here.  I often drink wine with dinner.  I'm not a dessert person, though I like to make them. (A pie or cake could sit here and mold before I'd eat it.)   I 'm a chocolate addict and so rarely keep chocolate in the house.  I'm not a snacker and evenings are not a problem for me.  I don't eat much bread.

FYI:  I have no health problems and all my "numbers," according to my recent physical reports are "optimal."  The only number I need to change is that of my weight.

Here's what I'm trying:

I have a total of 35,000 calories to get rid of by any means that works.  I can do the math.  I know what foods have what calories (I'm a food blogger and have cooked all my life!) and I know what calories are burned by my typical exercise routines.  If I wanted to buy a beautiful $35,000 car for cash, I'd have to bank the money monthly--right--until I had enough to walk in to the dealer and lay down my check. (I'm doing that actually--for a trip, not for a car.)  To lose weight, I use the same concept, but in reverse.  I START OUT WITH the 35,000 in my "bank" and I take some out each week until there's nothing left.  If God is good (and I know that's the case), I'll have lost 10 pounds.
My way.  Still eating things I like within reason.  To make things rounded off and easy, I plan to take away, subtract, lose (whatever) 4,000 calories per week for a total of 32,000 calories.  The other 3,000 or 377  per week (53 per day) will come from less fat and dairy in my regular daily diet.

The weekly goal is to take away 4,000 calories per week for a total of 32,000 calories like this:

1. 30 minutes of low aerobic exercise (walk/light dance w/ 2 min run) a day 4 days a week (400 cal.)
2. No cream in my coffee 6x a week (Even God rested on Sunday.) (600 cal.)
3. No meat -2 nights a week/Cut back a bit other nights (1,000 calories)
4. Vegetables or fruit ONLY 4 lunches per week--the lion's share (2,000 cal.)*

*Raw  salad, cooked vegetables, fruit salad, an apple with a little yogurt, etc.)

...

I'll let you know how it's going! I have no idea if this will work, but I'm giving it a go.  I trust my own intellect and instincts.

I'll track my intake, exercise, and weight loss on my fitness pal--a fine, free tool you might like to explore.


I'm singing a new song and would really appreciate your support,
Alyce