232 and back on plan

I finally stopped my post-trip snacking and got seriously back onto the Induction diet plan. I realized on Tuesday why I had been stuck at the same weight for a few days and blogged about it. I guess I knew, but I finally internalized it. This morning it paid off, and I am close to getting down into the 20's. I hope to be well below 230 by the time I head off on my business trip next week.

Yesterday I was seriously hungry at 6pm, so I ducked out of the youngest kid's "beginning baseball" game, and bought a "McDouble" for $1. Gave the bun to the dog, ate the two small burger patties, and was good to go. Given the ubiquity of burger fast-food shops, I think it will be easy to always find a "burger snack" when the hungry horrors hit.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow, to see how the re-dedication pays off.

No make-ups

In other diets, when you cheat you can make up for it by being "extra good" the next day. Have a scoop of ice cream Monday night, and you can make it okay by skipping lunch on Tuesday, or making celery your main course.

Atkins doesn't seem to work the same way. Since you are changing your metabolism to break down body fat, sneaking some carbs can't be compensated by having fewer the next day. As I understand the body chemistry, you just have to go back to following the plan and waiting for those sneaky carbs to be consumed by your metabolism. Only then do you get into that state he calls "Benign Dietary Ketosis."

Losin' it at Disney

I think that except for the display of nations at Epcot, and the independent restaurants (really, "food places" is a better description) at Downtown Disney, all the food served at all the parks is really the same. You can get a pulled pork sandwich, cheeseburger, or chicken wrap anywhere -- at Pecos Bills in Frontierland, or at a refreshmant landing at Epcot. And of course they all come with Fries; occasionally apple slices or carrot sticks as an option. That's a bit unfair, of course, but as a generalization it's valid.

So lots of times I'd order the burger or a salad and leave the bun. And of course, leave the fries to the rest of the family. I did cheat sometimes, having some licorice or granola bar as a snack. But overall I did pretty well, and managed to not gain any weight, staying at 234. For the most part, I didn't feel slighted. But the day after we got home, I turned into a human vacuum cleaner, and ate about four home-made chocolate chip cookies. (Hmm, did that a couple of weeks ago too. Memo to self: when you see the bag of chips on the counter, flee!)

Going away

In a couple of hours we'll be going on a family vacation to Disney World in Florida. This is the first time I've been away since starting the diet. I'm 234.5 right now -- I know I said no 10ths, but I want to be accurate when I come back, Thursday night.

I really want to come back weighing less. I think I'll be okay with it if I gain a pound or two, but I will be really pleased if I can stay on-track with the eating style. Disney has a reputation for crappy food, but I figure I can live on cheeseburgers (no bun) and diet coke. :)

Avoiding the airline snacks may be harder, since you're stuck in a seat and it can get boring. I intend to bring my Atkins book and catch up on inspirational reading ...

Sugar

Giving up sugar has been surprisingly easy. I have about 12 ounces of coffee a day -- either your typical medium while driving into work, or one or two (on the small size) cups. Almost always before lunch. I guess it's more of a habit than anything else, since I forget about it if I'm busy and really in the middle of something.

One morning I just decided to change the "medium regular" to "medium cream no sugar." I don't miss it. After a bit more than a week of this, I find that McDonald's is better and more consistant than Dunkin' Donuts. DD tastes better with sugar than without it. I wonder if that's something they do on purpose?

When will they notice?

So far I've lost about 15 pounds (237 this morning!), and nobody's said anything. At what point will my colleagues and immediate family see a difference? It's a pretty large amount of weight, but I've still got so far to go (ideally down to 190). So maybe it really isn't visible yet to anyone but me, standing naked on the scale in the morning. (Now there's a mental image I wouldn't wish on anyone!)

I'm not really bothered by it. I know that it's practically impossible to notice changes in someone you see every day. But I am curious, in an abstract sense, when people I see every day will all of a sudden see me as looking different.

Easter treats

I did reasonably well this Easter weekend. We had to bring a dessert to the family dinner, and I made a mango cheesecake from a New York Times recipe. I added a banana for texture and taste. The whole thing was awesome.

In addition to about half a slice, I also had too much candy. But the stuff that really tasted the best was the couple of bit-size pieces of crusty bread and butter.

For my sins over the weekend, my weight rose to 240 on Monday morning. :)

How do you like your eggs?

Eggs are a big part of Atkins breakfasts. I thought I would grow tired of them by now, but the combination of (1 or 2 eggs) coupled with (cheese or sausage or bacon) hasn't grown boring yet. I still would like yogurt or the occasional bowl of Rice Krispies, far I'm doing okay.

One annoyance is getting the egg carton out of the fridge. My wife is amazingly organized. She runs the house, makes sure all family and kid obligations are met, on time, etc. She also likes to bake. When she does, she grabs the eggs randomly out of the container. Since it's flimsy plastic, the eggs are unbalanced, and I sometimes wonder if it's going to tip out of my hand, break the eggs on the floor, and give the dog a very nice breakfast. I am nowhere near as organized, probably qualify for ADD treatment, but always take my eggs from the end. More then that, I rearrange them to fill in the gaps so that all the empty slots are at one side of the container.

Hindu's have the concept of the "cosmic egg." Apparently in my house, the egg container also holds the yin for our yang -- the complementary side of each of us.

Cheating

I think that for most people on a diet, "cheating" is a complicated issue. There are all sorts of emotional phrases attached: something you shouldn't eat, checking your weight the next day to see if you got away with it, the idea that you're sneaking the food, and so on. It's very similar to the language used for infidelity. I guess that shouldn't be a surprise: a good diet, like a marriage, should be a lifetime commitment.

I was gonna blog about something else today, but last night I had six homemade chocolate chip cookies. I thought this post would help get me past the emotional burden :)

This morning my weight was up a pound. I wonder if that's a coincidence; I was once told by a commercial weight-loss program that food takes 24 hours to show up as weight.

241

My digital scale goes to 10ths of a pound, but I think that's a "false accuracy" and won't be recording it here.

A pair of pants that for the longest time didn't quite fit now fit better. Instead of sliding down my belly and lodging under my gut, I can now button them squarely across my waist. It's still snug, and there's a definite "tuck in" where they ride across my belly button, but it's a definite improvement.

Changing habits

Starting back in the fall, my youngest son, my dog, and I would have a weekly Saturday ritual. We'd stop at McDonald's on the way to CCD (Catholic religious education class), he'd get a sausage McMuffin meal, and I'd get the burrito meal. He'd eat it on the way there. After dropping him off, the dog and I would go to a nearby park so he could walk around and do dog stuff, while I sat at a bench and ate my breakfast before joining him to tromp through the woods for half an hour.

Now, of course, I can't eat that stuff. What am I supposed to do, pack something to bring? Lucky for me, today was the last class -- first communion next month, gotta start cleaning the house now -- so I don't have to worry about that any more. But still, I did think for a minute how much I'm going to have to change many things that I've been doing without thinking.

American Cheese

American cheese isn't really cheese. Last I looked (years ago), a package of Velveeta called it "pasteurized process cheese food." Ugh. Yet we still buy it at the deli counter, along with the sliced roast turkey, etc., just as if it were something real. But on the plus side, it has no carbs. Cool!

Crystal Light stains

I used to drink one or two soda's a day. Ginger-ale and Coke, mainly. Now I've got to cut out the sugary drinks, of course. Since I get tired of drinking plain water, I started to use diet powdered drink mix and a two-quart pitcher now regularly occupies the fridge. Every day I mix a new batch. I've got to figure how to keep the powder off my fingers because the damn stuff never comes off!

Breads

So far I don't miss bread, although my middle son has been teasing me. I don't think I'll ever miss the typical sandwich bread, but bagels and crusty baguette are another thing altogether. He keeps offering to make me an olive and white bread sandwich. I respond by offering to ground him for a week.

Tuesday

249. I know you need a few days to get an overall trend. But still... three pounds.

I felt really good this morning. I know that's a placebo effect, but I don't care. I'm feeling older and creakier, but less so this morning. I know once I lose 50 pounds my joints will no longer hate me.

First day

First day. Starting weight 252

Yesterday (Sunday) I printed out the list of foods that are allowed during the Induction phase. I took it with me when I went to do the family food shopping. They're having lasagna this week, I'll have hot dogs and sauerkraut. I'm the only one in my family that likes sauerkraut. Olives as a snack? Might as well give it a try.

That was a mistake. Lunch was crab salad on lettuce, snack was about a dozen olives. I had to go home early, I felt really sick, the smell and taste of olives stayed with me. I got home, nearly threw up, and slept for an hour.

I will never eat another olive again.

Starting

I'm 49 and been overweight for most of my life. I've occasionally dieted before, but of course it didn't stick. I seem to be ready now to do something long-term, like however long I have left. So I'm starting the Atkins diet. I started two days ago, Monday March 30. But I have some backlog to clear out.