Comment Replies

Hey I got some great comments in my last post (thanks for taking the time to reply) so I figured I would post them and reply to them here.

sounds pretty good to me, other than maybe a protein source at lunch? i feel like i’d be pretty full at least initially from what you’re planning to eat, just based on volume, but like i’d be hungry a couple of hours later.

Good point, and I did in fact add a low fat cheese stick to my lunch yesterday.

Are you going to try to cut down on the alcohol? I don’t mean to say this in a condescending way–I just think drinking with more moderation would correlate better with your new healthy eating plan. Plus I find alcohol always gives me the drunken munchies!!

Yep - I thought I had made it clear in my last post that I had stopped drinking. I haven’t had any alcohol in a few days now and plan to go at least 30 days without any.

Hey Rian, it seems like you are changing plans almost every week (getting rid of chemicals and not so much focus on exercise, before that it was lots of small meals and tons of exercise, before that it was cutting out dairy, before that it was low calorie, before that it was low carb…those are just the ones I remember). Each one has its good points, the one that works for me is lots of exercise and sort of grazing throughout the day without too many big meals - but maybe the reason you are having trouble seeing payoff is because your body doesn’t have time to adjust? If you are on super low-calorie, your body gets tricked into thinking you’re starving, so when you start eating regularly again, it stores everything up and you gain. A week’s worth of exercising a lot isn’t enough to build much, so you don’t QUITE make it to the part where you really see the payoff. Maybe I’m completely wrong, and you are just posting all sorts of ideas, but it seems like every time I check you’ve got a different plan. Maybe you’d have more success if you stuck to one plan for a couple of months? Just a thought.

You are right! The reason I keep switching plans is because I’m trying to find something I can do long-term. Like.. forever. I can’t do low carb for life because I want to build muscle. I can’t do extreme low fat for life because I’m never satisfied without just a little fat in my meal. I can’t cut out dairy altogether because I like it too much. I can’t do six meals per day (but I can do 4) because I’m not hungry enough for that. I can’t do high carbs because my blood sugar spikes too much. This new thing seems sustainable though… more on that below.

I think this is a good plan. Just stick with it and you will be sexy for summer!!!

That’s the idea!

I agree with Susan and SawSaw’s comments.
For example, let’s say you went out and had 3 cocktails (they range from 200-300 calories each; a shot of alcohol has about 100 calories) - 600-900 calories + drunken munchies that could add another 1000. When I used to drink I know I ate at least 500 calories of junk food despite my clean diet during the week. If you do that once per week, it would add up to about 5000-6000 calories (2 pounds of weight) per month!
You really do need to stick to one plan for at least a few months to see results.
I also wondered if you were still going to take the protein shake after your weight training.
I would not recommend the gatorade mix during exercise unless you get light-headed or hungry during the work-out. Otherwise the sugar could inhibit fat metabolism (your body can more easily - and preferably - use the sugar for energy). Also, I would drink it if you are doing cardio for more than 90 minutes.

I know… check out some of my older posts, they are all about how my drinking caused my weight gain in the first place. I know how bad alcohol is, but I face almost daily challenges from friends and lifestyle not to drink. However, in regards to switching my food plans… see below.

---

Anyway, you guys made some really good points. I think I can really stick with my new plan with no problem… this is my second official day on it fully and I’m feeling good. Plus the fact that I’m filling my body with healthy stuff is making me very happy… tons of veggies on this plan, which is excellent! And my blood sugar has remained pretty stable so far, even with me waiting 4-6 hours between meals.

As for alcohol… I’ve had no problem abstaining for the past couple of days. I have fully committed myself to not touching a drop of the stuff for at least a month! And if my weight begins falling off fast during the month, I’ll wait another few months to take another drink. I was in a social situation last night where I would normally be taking shots of Goldschlager… and guess what? I didn’t touch any.

So today’s meals so far are:

Breakfast - 1 serving organic brown rice, 2 servinigs of egg beaters
Lunch - 2 servings of organic steamed root veggies, 1 low fat cheese stick, 3/4 serving of roasted red pepper soup, half of a red apple

By the way… brown rice for breakfast is AMAZING. It is a very slow-releasing carbohydrate, which is excellent for my wonky blood sugar.

I have dinner plans tonight with old coworkers… I can’t wait to see them. We are going to the Outback Steakhouse, so I plan to get something grilled and delicious!

I really, truly feel as though I have FINALLY figured out a plan that works for me and is infinitely sustainable. I don’t feel deprived at all, plus I feel as though I am nourishing my body with wonderful healthy foods (which I am!) and still allowing for foods I can’t live without (like cheese). An occasional addition to a meal, like a baked potato, won’t “ruin” my diet, either, since it’s quite flexible!

And speaking of potatoes…… My “root vegetable medley” from Trader Joe’s is SIMPLY DELICIOUS!! I swear turnips, butternut squash and yams taste JUST LIKE BOILED POTATOES. For a potato addict like myself (who motly avoids them) this is FABULOUS NEWS.

---

Later update:

Well tonight’s dinner was canceled because everyone is sick with the damn plague around here! We had to reschedule for next Thursday. I am a little bummed because I was so looking forward to some intelligent conversation tonight. (The group of people I was supposed to meet tonight is from when I worked at an environmental company, so it mostly includes engineers and scientists.)

Yeah… I used to work at an environmental company as an Administrative Assistant. It was one of the best jobs I ever had. I made friends with a lot of the scientists and engineers when I was there, although I’m more of a creative type than anything. To this day, I find exceedingly logical type of thinkers fascinating.

Anyway, I have no idea what I’m having for dinner now… probably a boiled chicken breast and some salad or something.

On another note, I drove down to the gym to go work out today, but I was so caught up on my cell phone, trying to finalize and figure out tonight’s plans that I ended up turning around and coming home! I will definitely go tomorrow. I figure three days off should more than prepare me for a grueling workout. My throat still hurts, but not TOO much…