Diet's Not Doing Well, Lost Self-Control

This week I've barely had one day when I've stuck to my "diet," better eating regime. When offered temptation, I just can't say no.



One day a week eating what I shouldn't can work and still keep my weight down.  But this past week or so, it seems like every single day there's some sort of special/joyous occasion, irresistible food...or drink.

Even worse, my "at home pick me up" somehow morphed from cashews/dates to chocolate chips. They're all stored in the freezer. It hasn't helped that I read one of those "doubtful facts" on facebook that chocolate is a good cure for coughs. A few tiny chips are a lot less fat/sugar than squares of chocolate, but still...

Considering that I've been following the low carbohydrate eating regime for about a decade, I guess that these "little rebellions" are pretty normal. I must get myself back on the wagon, now, soon, tomorrow, after Shabbat.... whenever. I guess it will be whenever I can recharge my motivation, soon, Gd willing.



After all... tomorrow is another day

Could It Be The Cheese?

In recent months, I noticed a occasional increase in my "upper abdomen," but then it would go down. I kept blaming it on weight gain. A few unwanted kilos have been popping on and off. But this was still pretty strange for me, since that part of my body isn't the usual fat-storing spot.

I began to wonder if it was something I'd been eating. Recently, during those same months, I had made a couple of very small minor significant changes to my general diet, food choices.

• Since I'd begun craving carbohydrates, I added some periodically to my meals or snacks.
• For the first time in a decade I began buying and eating yellow cheese. At the time I lost weight, I was also unemployed and had stopped buying the cheese because of its expense. Recently I had started buyin it again and discovered that I felt much fuller/more satisfied after eating a slice or two.

Since I believe that our diet can affect all sorts of things, I decided to see if the carbohydrates, cheese or the combination were guilty in changing my body. Cow milk allergies are common in my family, and even though I love eating yellow cheese, I know that it's terribly processed and unhealthy. Just read the ingredients, if you don't believe me. So, I started with the cheese and eliminated it from my diet. 

The E-202 is a preservative,  Potassium Sorbate, which does cause stomach problems in some people.

And what do you think? Yes, my stomach went down once I had stopped eating yellow cheese. One thing we have to remember is that yellow cheese is highly processed. I've never heard of anyone making it at home, easily or not, while people do easily make yogurts and white cheeses. 

A decade ago, when I began making changes in my eating to facilitate weight loss, I also began cutting down/eliminating processed foods. In addition, I followed the basic principle of the Blood Type Diet, which for me Type O Blood meant eating more animal protein and less carbohydrates. 

As much as I like yellow cheese, I'm just going to have to try to avoid it. There are worse things...

Diet Update, Weight Loss

Like too many people, I've been struggling trying to banish unwanted, unneeded, unattractive and unhealthy kilos/pounds. And in addition, I've had an occasional though chronic cough* that annoys more than anything else.

About a decade ago I managed to lose about 15 kilo, 30+ pounds, by reducing carbohydrates and getting out of the classroom. The rationale behind the low carb diet was based on the Blood Type Diet which prescribes this sort of eating plan for those with Type O blood. And when I was teaching in the yeshiva high school in Beit El, my schedule made it difficult to eat well. But the real reason I was pushed/encouraged into trying to diet was a chance to join the StartFresh kosher diet program for free in exchange for blogging about it.

The vast majority of that weight stayed off until about a year or more ago when I noticed that three kilo, six or more pounds, had suddenly reappeared. I tried all sorts of painless maneuvers to remove them, but somehow instead of reducing I found that two more had joined them. That meant that I was well over five kilo or eleven pounds more than what had become my weight. Even at the reduced weight I was technically overweight, though not obese.

Of course, I blamed my return to the classroom for the additional two kilo. Then at the end of June I really retired. The pool opened, and I exercised in the water a few times a week. And, although I began to look better, the extra weight didn't budge.

I needed to "recalibrate."

I listened to my body, which had been sending hints. For a few months I had begun to crave fruit after breakfast. And you must understand that I was eating nice breakfasts of vegetable omelets, which were large and theoretically filling enough to be proper meals. But somehow they didn't satisfy me. I was craving something sweet afterwards, and I had been drinking lots of coffee with sugar earlier in the morning.

Hint! Hint! Suddenly I decided to listen. If my body was asking for fruit in the morning, maybe it needed a fruit breakfast. So, I began having fruit, oats and goat yogurt. And afterwards I even left out the oats. The biggest surprise was that a small bowl with cut up fruit and under a cup of yogurt was enough for me. I felt satiated and had no sugar cravings.

My next challenge was when the pool closed on the first of September. I needed to exercise and really missed the water. Friends suggested I join the sports center in Ariel, even though the swimming pool has very few "women only" hours. Many of my friends go dressed in modest swimwear, which I do have. I went to take a look, but it didn't appeal. It's part of the view from a restaurant, and there are men who just sit by the pool watching...

I decided on the low cost walking, both with a friend and alone. My walking partner and I even exercise together at her house on occasion, and I've even forced myself to exercise to the music in good musicals. 

goat milk

almond milk

An additional change has been in the milk I put in my morning coffee. Instead of regular cow milk and sugar, I've been experimenting with all sorts of other fattier milks* and leaving out the sugar.

Now for the results. In less than two months, plus the summer vacation, over three of the five kilo are off, bli eyin haraa. And during that time I've eaten out, had some desserts etc. I haven't put myself on a super strict eating regime. In addition, there have been days when I've hardly had any exercise. One of my long time "diet principles" is to find an eating routine you can live with. Don't focus on a "weight goal," since maintaining it may well be impossible.

So far, bli eyin haraa (not to tempt the evil eye,) every few days I do see that my weight is slowly going down. I don't know how long that will continue, but I feel that I'm on the right track.

For me this has been a reminder that we must keep on changing and adapting to the new realities of our bodies and life situations. Do you have similar stories? Don't be shy. Comment, please.

*I will blog about my milk and lactose changes and how they have affected my cough in a future post, Gd willing.

Perfect Lunch, Even for Non-Dieters

I'm a firm believer that if you want to lose weight and keep it off you can't make yourself suffer. If you do, you won't be able to stick to it. When I managed to change my way of eating to get off about thirty pounds 30 lbs, 15 kg, I still ate a lot, and I made sure the food was delicious.

I refused to take the skin off the chicken, because I knew that I'd absolutely hate it and have to doctor the chicken with extra stuff, which would have calories, salt etc.

Being Blood Type* O, I really need to stay away from carbohydrates, bread, rice, pasta, potatoes etc. And for energy and feeling satiated I must eat a portion, one is enough, of animal protein. That lasts, while vegan meals don't. I'm starving just a few hours later. And that feeling of "starving" isn't good, because it means that your metabolism may be slowing down to protect you, and you're more likely to grab something and quantities you shouldn't be eating.

my usual vegetable base

This may have something to do with my being Type O; the only non-animal protein that keeps me satisfied for hours is sesame paste. It's very rich, and I don't even need to add anything or make it into techina. The sesame paste I buy does not have added salt. When I'm taking a meal along with me, I don't take a sandwich, I make vegetables and add the sesame paste. I store it in a container, and it's delicious and filling.

Yesterday, since I wasn't quite sure what my dinner would be, I made a special lunch. It had a nice piece of salmon and a lot of vegetables, including celery, which I don't usually find in the fridge. That meal with a bit of salad kept me nice, satisfied and functioning for quite a few hours.

Deprivation is not the way to diet or keep weight off. The best way is to eat well for your body and that includes eating frequently enough. The vegetables I cooked with the salmon are onion, garlic, squash, celery and cabbage. You can have cabbage in great quantities without it causing weight gain, but you must have some protein, too, along with something fatty or you'll be hungry soon after.

*Blood Type diet

The Blood Type Diet: An Evidence-Based ReviewThis is how each blood type is supposed to eat:

• Type A: Called the agrarian, or cultivator. People who are type A should eat a diet rich in plants, and completely free of “toxic” red meat. This closely resembles a vegetarian diet.

• Type B: Called the nomad. These people can eat plants and most meats (except chicken and pork), and can also eat some dairy. However, they should avoid wheat, corn, lentils, tomatoes and a few other foods.

• Type AB: Called the enigma. Described as a mix between types A and B. Foods to eat include seafood, tofu, dairy, beans and grains. They should avoid kidney beans, corn, beef and chicken.

• Type O: Called the hunter. This is a high-protein diet based largely on meat, fish, poultry, certain fruits and vegetables, but limited in grains, legumes and dairy. It closely resembles the paleo diet.

Nu, And How's The Diet Going?

I was wondering if you'd ever ask me.

Believe me. I am trying. I'm walking more than I had been. And I'm trying really hard to eat more carefully, less "extra," more "no calorie" stuff, like cabbage and cauliflower.

One thing I've been doing which many diet experts consider a "no, no," is that I weigh myself almost every day. I find it helps even though it can be very frustrating and confusing, since my weight can go up and down from day to day. But I try to compare my weight by the week.

Today I weigh less than I did a week ago, but last Friday I weighed even less. I'm curious as to how much I'll weigh this Friday in comparison.

I don't always have control over my meals, the food and the times. When I managed to lose a lot of weight a number of years ago, it was after I had stopped teaching. Now that I'm back teaching, my weight has gone up. Maybe teaching is the cause...

But the bottom line is that I have to find an eating routine that works for me and gets the weight off and keeps it off. But in the meantime, you're my "diet buddy," so thanks for asking.