Emotional Rollercoaster

July 14th, 2009

Why do I let my emotions get the best of me? Why do I let the number on the scale determine how I feel? All day Monday I pouted because I gained one pound. When I discovered the gain I instantly started having these irrational thoughts that I’ve had many times before: I must be doing something wrong and I might as well give up. But, I didn’t do anything wrong, and it would be insane to give up.

Can my food plan use some tweaks? Yes

Here’s what I really want to pay attention to:

salad dressings – Right now I don’t measure how much dressing I pour over salads, and I’m not using low fat dressings.
sauces and toppings – I want to find alternatives to A1 steak sauce and blue cheese dressing. Currently I use A1 for sirloin patties and the blue cheese for broccoli and salads.
salt/sodium – I want to track the sodium in my foods and find good salt substitutes
food planning – I know that I keep mentioning this, but I believe that pre-planning my meals, snacks, and drinks will allow me to know exactly how much I will be consuming.

I hope you have a great Wednesday!

Monday July 13, 2009

B:
oatmeal + apple + protein powder
2 eggs boiled no yolks
2 turkey sausage

S1:
protein bar

L:
whole wheat tortilla + ground turkey + taco seasoning + salsa
cottage cheese + yogurt

S2:
whole wheat tortilla + ground turkey + taco seasoning + salsa

D:
1 small slice of Turkey meat loaf
salad + tomato + dressing
green beans + succotash

W:
4 cups

Other Fluids:
coffee

E:
none

Tuesday July 14, 2009

B:
oatmeal + apple + protein powder
2 eggs boiled no yolks
2 turkey sausage

S1:
protein bar

L:
whole wheat tortilla + seafood salad
cottage cheese + yogurt

S2:
whole wheat tortilla + ground turkey + taco seasoning + salsa

D:
2 sirloin patties
salad + tomato + dressing
broccoli and cauliflower + ranch

W:
3/4 gallon

Other Fluids:
coffee

E:
walk one mile

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Posted in Uncategorized

Geuka | humancipate.com

Stephen, I wish you good luck and continued progress towards better health. Look back at the progress you've made since you've begun and know that you've accomplished so much already and use that strength to keep it movin'. Stay strong man!
z. Smith

Hang in there - do not let a one pound gain make you forget all the progress you have made!
Wade's World

I found you via AL bloggers, and wanted to ask if you had tried using sea salt instead of regular salt. It's saltier, so you use less if that makes any sense.

That or Mrs. Dash, although I don't really like the taste of Mrs. Dash, but I use it anyways.
Tom Furman

Stick with it Stephen. The more you measure you intake and exercise, the easier to diagnose bumps in the road. As you get leaner,, you will get more active and things will accelerate. You're are on the right track. From your logs, I can see that the hidden carbs and sodium REALLY trigger you to retain weight. These are the areas to watch. Your attitude and humor will win.
T-Money

Dude! Don't even sweat it!! You're doing great! You may have heard this before, but think of your metabolism like building a fire without matches or an accelerant like gas or lighter fluid. First off, you gotta get some small stuff and the flint-n-steel. You get a couple sparks going and add on a few larger (but still very small) things. This is your diet right now... your food. Fat, salt, and bad carbs are like throwing wet twigs and even water on that fire. You need to really work hard (just like you're doing) to get a good fire going before you can "cheat" a bit and throw a few of those things on it from time to time. Try to cut as much of that stuff as you can out of your diet (salad dressings and all - even that super salty A-1). Keep doing what you're doing by eating those small meals spaced out by about 3 hours. Don't skip any or you'll have to work just a bit harder to keep that fire (your metabolism) going. The great thing is that eventually you have a roaring fire giong that you can throw all kinds of things on... granted you don't want to throw a bucket of water on it by going crazy with the McDonald's Dollar Menu... but you get the idea. It's why Michael Phelps can eat literally 13,000 calories a day and still not gain a pound. His metabolism is off the charts.

All of that is to say that you're doing perfect and you're building that fire right now. Watch what your putting on it and keep plugging away!! Keep it up my brotha!! Rock on!

-Trent
Rachel

Like some of the others said, counting calories helped me. I didn't physically sit down and calculate them, I used MyFitnessPal.com and it helped tremendously. It also helped me plan meals and snacks days in advance.

As for your sauce questions, Worchester sauce is a good sub for A1, just dip each bite in it...yum!

Salad dressing is hard...I have never had a "good" light ranch, but Kraft makes a great Light Asian sesame, light balsamic vinaigrette is also good.

Sometimes, if the salad is fresh, it's good to just squeeze some lemon on it.
saoirse

yep, everyones pretty much said it all. all the other times i tried to lose weight, the 2 things i didnt change were half and half in my coffee and ranch dressing on my salad. and i didnt lose weight. i swear, if i could have bleu cheese or ranch on my salad, i would eat it for every meal. i have realised, though, doing weight watchers from home, that it really has opened my eyes up to the calories, not so much in foods, but in the food accessories. im not saying ww is for you, but even something like fitday or an online meal planner might work for you. try it all out! and keep it up!
ReverseMagazine.net

I think measuring all your foods for a little while will help you know exactly how much you are taking in and I think it will really educate you.

Every setback is actually a lesson in disguise... a messenger if you will... So greet the messenger and listen to his message, and make your adjustments, but never judge the message, just do what you need to do.

You are doing great. What you are doing takes great courage and discipline. You will move mountains in other people's lives as well as your own, so please stick with it! --Robin
Michelle

Don't forget... when you start working out regularly you'll loose weight at first, then gain... but it's not fat! It's muscle! That happened to me and I freaked the freak out when I gained 5 lbs. I talked to my doctor about it and he said, "no... it's not fat. you're gaining muscle." and once that stops you'll start burning fat, gaining muscle but not to where you starting gaining drastic weight.
Lisa

Those sound like great things to look at. you will do it!
L.L.

You MUST measure out the sauces and stuff because there can be an awful lot of calories in salad dressings and things. However, I would stay away from low fat dressings for two reasons, the first being that things that are typically low in fat are loaded with extra salts or sugars to make up for flavour, and secondly, your body NEEDS fat to burn fat. I know it sounds crazy but it's 100% true.

Bottom line, measure everything you eat, and make sure you do get some healthy fats into your diet... it will help.

Two questions - have you ever thought of doing Weight Watchers? I've done it, it totally works and you learn SO MUCH about food. Also - have you ever heard of a website called Calorie Count? It's very helpful, you should check it out.

http://caloriecount.about.com

PS - if you want any info on this, email me at lindseyanderson@shaw.ca, I got all kinds of info to share!
Jack Sh*t, Gettin' Fit

If you haven't done it yet, Stephen, I encourage you to go read Sean's Daily Diary of a Winning Loser blog start to finish. There's somebody who was in the same boat as you and who's laid out a roadmap out of the woods. He's proof positive (and the accent is on the word "positive") that this can be done.
Token Fat Friend

Hey Stephen, I have done calorie counting in the past, and it really opens your eyes. I only did it for a month or two, but in that short time, it helped me learn basics of calories. For example, 1 tbsp of regular mayo is almost 60 calories! but 1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce is 13 calories. (Not that those are interchangeable necessarily.)

Also - on the salad dressings, I measure out 2 tbsps of salad dressing with my meal (or ask for it on the side) and instead of pouring it onto my salad, I just lightly dip the lettuce into the dressing then put it directly onto my tongue. That way the first thing I taste is the dressing and I don't crave more.

Here's a good link (though not vast in its entirety): http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/
Reina

Listen, you are doing GREAT. If you want to change something, you might try counting calories and investing in a food scale and some measuring spoons and cups. It sounds like a lot of work, but it really isn't and it will help you keep track of what you're putting in your body.

The nice thing about counting calories is nothing is off-limits. You can have anything, as long as you have room for it in your calorie budget. If you don't have enough room for it today, you can have a smaller portion or make room for it tomorrow. You just have to be disciplined enough to not go over, which I think you are.

Remember, you are doing AWESOME. You are taking control of your life! Only good things can come of it, so don't give up now. I believe you have all the tools you need to keep on keeping on and, if you lack anything, we're all here to help you out! Take care of yourself this week. Don't beat yourself up too much.
anne h

You are getting smarter and wiser! But don't get out of shape over a stinkin pound. That's why scales are fickle...
About the dressing - I put mine ON THE SIDE and dip just a little in each bite. I use MUCH less that way.
Jen, a priorfatgirl

ooohhh....salad dressings are a killer - definetly reconsider the type you are using and scale back or find a lower calorie type.

I agree with my mom (who'd of guessed!) in that we are all human! Let me just tell you one thing - losing the pounds is actually the easy part of losing weight. The HARD part is the emotional rollercoaster and the temptations/motivation and all that psychological mumble jumble.

Just know, you are in this for the rest of your life. Whatever happens with regards to the scale is what happens but you are making life changes and those are hard. So you have to keep pluggin' away. YOU HAVE TO. Yep, I command you :)
Jill

Stephen, you're doing great! I would highly recommend counting calories for a while - I did that for a while and was amazed at how quickly they added up when I thought I was eating really good!
priorfatgirl's mom

It is a emotional rollercoaster ride and sometimes it's real scary. I'm riding in the back sit with prior fat girls dad. Some day's are good and other days are not so good. Why do we let that little box with numbers run are feelings? I guess because we are human. Welcome to the club.

I'm glad you are still a live to tell your story.

I was just telling Clint this morning as he didn't lose the pound as he hope to, that he needs to start having his dressing on the side and dip his fork before eating. This way he won't eat as much as the dressing but enjoy a bit of flavor. Ok...he rolled his eye at me and went to work. Just a thought.

I do like reading about you and prior fat girl and me are rooting for you

Kim
TjRenee

Like Sean, I'm a calorie counter. I use MyFitnessPal to put all my meals into and it calculates the calories for me. Very easy.

Almost everyone has times they want to give up. Don't do it! This weight loss and getting healthy gig is SO freaking worth it. You're worth it too!

Blue cheese dressing used to be my favorite salad dressing, but now I always use light ranch. It takes some getting used to because it doesn't have that 'kick' to it, but the calories saved is what's more important.

As for a replacement for steak sauces, try a Lawry's marinade. My favorite on just about any meat is ginger sesame. So good, you won't need a dipping sauce!

Instead of salt, I use salt free Mrs. Dash. Again, it took some getting used to. Your body will get used to these new tastes. It won't happen overnight, but it will happen.

Oh, and I plan my meals a week at a time. It's nice knowing what I'm going to have and what my calories for that day will be. Also, helps me plan my exercise for the day. My higher calorie days are the days I do more exercise.
Sean Anderson

Stephen,

I get you. I've been there man. Listen, you're so right...It would be insane to give up. Your food looks awesome, but seriously---

Have you given any thought to counting calories? I don't plan on doing it forever, but it's really opened my eyes to what a portion really is...

If you tried 1500 a day for two weeks straight, and made sure to not go over even once--and kept up your exercise routine...I would bet you would have an explosive weigh day with results that would shock you!

Those dressings can add up quickly...it's not hard to have two or three hundred calories worth of dressing.

It would be very interesting if you gave this calorie thing a try, consitently for a solid two weeks and just see what happens.

You're on the way man...you're on the way to a most amazing success story. Don't you dare let frustrations steal it away from you!

My best always

Sean
Lila Leeds

I get those thoughts too, but I tell myself, OK if I stop what happens? I stay the same & that's just not an option any longer.

Maybe you could try a few different fat free dressings? If you don't like them you have only wasted a couple of dollars.

I plan my weekly lunches & dinners, it definitely helps me and ends up saving me money.
Marcee

Don't get discouraged! It sounds like you've targeted some potential problem areas, I think that's the hardest thing. And I'm with you planning is everything! Keep up the great work!