Saturday, July 12, 2014

Giving it One More Try!


2:43 pm

Here it is.  One week later, I have not been able to get on track for anything.  I was doing well Sunday and Monday of last week.  However, I felt very ill on Tuesday and ate off plan – it was the only way that I started to feel well.  In fact, it was so bad on Tuesday, I felt l was going to pass out and vomit. I think it was something that was with my blood pressure pill and the increase in the diuretic part.  I have stopped taking that level of pill and feel better, but I have not been on plan since then.  I had a revelation last night and decided that it was time to get this on track with NO MORE EXCUSES and lose weight. 

So here I go again, I really need to start.  It is going to be time for blood work again and I will not have lost any weight or improved my eating.  I might postpone the blood work until Thanksgiving.   I am also going to go and have the necessary work and tests on my back since I have met all deductibles this year due to the operation. 


New start weight: 239.4 lbs.  (I keep losing and gaining the same 7 lbs. of water weight)

Saturday, July 5, 2014

Daily check-in - 5:08 pm

Today is the third day of low carb eating.  Last night was a little rough and I almost once again did not get past of the first two days without caving in.  What saved me was the cat was begging for food and I did not have any food left for her so I opened a can of tuna and shared it with her.  For some reason, I have been very nauseated today. When I was in the Walmart, I felt faint and was sweating.  As soon as I got home, I ate a pickle to get the sodium.  I had a feeling that my sodium level was too low.  I do take a blood pressure pill that has a diuretic in it. I think I just got too dehydrated.  I started to feel better once I had eaten something with higher sodium content. 

We are going to a party tonight which at this stage I am not too happy.  I do not like to drink so much liquid (diet coke and water – real late at night as it will register as water weight tomorrow morning.  I plan on cooking dinner before we go so that I am not tempted to eat anything there. (NOTHING will be low carb)
As for my food journaling, I have not been able to track my food as closely as I like.  I did it on the first day (July 2) but the last two days have been erratic eating.   What I have been eating is all low carb though so I have been losing the water weight you lose when starting low carb.


I am posting a picture to set up what I look like at the start of this journey.  Here in this picture I weigh 232.6 lbs. I don’t have a picture of what I looked like at my heaviest (261.8).  I am currently 10 lbs. lighter than I was when I got operated on May.  My goal date is October 24; this is 6 months since I saw the doctor for my physical and to set up my operation.  I would like my loss to be 25 lbs. and hopefully the diet will improve my blood work numbers.



Friday, July 4, 2014

My Journey Begins.....

First, thank you for visiting my blog.  This blog is my accountability, feeling, hope and prayer guideline to get through this diet.

Once again I am trying to lose this weight that has been plaguing me for years.  This May, I was operated on for a hernia that was caused by the fact that I was lifting boxes that were not overly too heavy, but my back was not strong enough to keep up with the pace.  In turn, I used my stomach muscles too much and tore open a hole in the stomach wall.  Two months later, I am ready to get this going no matter what.   Work has started to subside and I can start to focus on myself once again, hopefully to be very successful.  Of course, the operation brought about a physical and it was determined that I have “high” cholesterol.  The doctor wants me to take Lipitor because I do have borderline high blood pressure.  I believe that losing weight and eating healthier will lower my cholesterol which is only 29 points over the level that is considered normal.   

My highest weight was 261.8 lbs. right Christmas.  I had an asthma attack and was placed in steroids for two weeks.  When I saw that the scale was over 260 lbs. I thought enough was enough.  The next few weeks through February, I followed the diet and lost about 20 lbs. down to 242 lbs.  My weight stayed steady at that point, stress at work was building and I was not watching as closely as I should to what I was and could get to eat.  After Easter, the operation was set up and I was still holding at 242 lbs.  After the operation, I had lost about 5 lbs. and stayed at that level until I began once again on July 1 at 237.0 lbs.  

So here I am today.  One good thing this time, my husband has decided to try and lose weight with me.  He is finally convinced to eating this way with a little more carbohydrates than me.  I am following a plan of low carb eating that is based on Dr. Steven Parker’s idea of adding a Mediterranean flair to the choices.  It emphasizes more chicken and fish in place of red meats, using olive oil and healthier fats, lots of fresh vegetables (low carb in nature), limited amounts of hard cheese and dairy. 

Below is the guidelines designed by Dr. Parker:

GUIDELINES for KETOGENIC MEDITERRANEAN DIET
(20 – 40 net carbohydrates daily)

1.                  Unlimited meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and shellfish. (I, however, will limit consumption to no more than 12 oz. of protein daily.)

2.                  Fish/Seafood should be consumed daily – at least 4 oz. (I will only be able to eat it - Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays for lunch)

3.                  Olive oil – at least 2-3 tablespoons daily in salad dressings or in cooking.

4.                 Nuts and seeds – 1 oz. daily (I hope to be able to control my consumption after a two week induction as in the Atkins Diet. Mainly walnuts due to the properties to lower cholesterol)

5.                  Vegetables – up to 14 oz (400g) daily. (In the two week beginning, vegetable consumption will be 2 – 85g servings daily. After two weeks, it will be raised to 3 – 85g servings.)

6.                 Cheese – up to 3 oz daily. (Real, regular cheese – not low fat) This is optional as he recognizes that cheese and other dairy can stall some people. (I will try to limit it to 1-2 oz only for the day)

7.                  Wine – 4 ounces daily - I do not drink alcoholic beverages so I need to try and follow some of the guidelines it states if you do not drink. The one that I would try to follow is the 20g piece of dark chocolate (65-85%).

8.       At least 64 oz. of water (I need to make the effort to drink more pure water and less tea or at least in addition to what I drink as tea. I really don’t like to drink water unless it is almost frozen.)

Other condiments, oils, and spices

  •         Butter – only after the requirement of olive oil has been used. No more than 2 T. daily.
  •         Plant oils, vinegar (cider, red wine, and distilled)
  •         mayonnaise (preferably, homemade),
  •         yellow mustard (1 tbsp daily),
  •         salad dressing with less than 3g carbohydrates per 2 tbsp daily (use olive oil based preferably unlimited)
  •         Worcestershire sauce (1 tbsp)
  •         A1 steak sauce (1 tbsp daily)
  •         lemon juice and lime juice (2 tbsp daily)

 Other guidelines: 

Tea and coffee in moderation only (I drink tea all day, very weak and with lemon for flavor, however.  It takes the place of drinking soft drinks, which I may drink only once a day at the most.)

Use cream in moderation.

Suggested supplements as stated by Dr. Parker (I do have problems taking supplements with major indigestion so I do not take them on a regular basis but I will try to get into a regimen to see if they will help.)

  • (3) Fish Oils – 1000 mg
  • (5) Potassium – 99 mg
  • (5) Chromium – 200 mcg
  • (3) L- carnitine – 500 mg
  • (2) Vitamin D3 – 1000 mg
  • (3) Magnesium – 50 mg


Following is the guideline that I will follow to set up the basis of my meal planning (of course, there will be a few additions, such as vegetables her and there, no salad or vegetables as I feel, add an ounce of cheese or butter within limits)

        Week # 1-4:  (July 1- August 1)

Breakfast: 
3 medium eggs whites/ cooked in 1 T. olive oil
1 oz. cubed ham or 3 slices pork bacon or 4 slices turkey bacn 
1 slice American or Swiss cheese 

Lunch:
3 - 4 oz. protein/ cooked in 1 T. olive oil
Daily Salad:  50 g. salad lettuce/20 g. cucumber/ ½ oz. cheese/ 2 T. salad dressing

Dinner:
3 - 4 oz. protein/ cooked in 1 T. olive oil
Vegetable: 85 g. with 1 T. butter/ ½ oz. cheese or another daily salad as above

(Cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, and spinach are the main vegetable choices as these are the only green type vegetable I like aside from salad greens.)