Slow and Steady

First on the super food list: beans.

Beans are both low in fat, and high in fiber. Beans pack a punch of protein, too, around 7 g for a half-cup serving. Other benefits are vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients, and research shows that beans help protect cell walls from oxidation and damage by free radicals.

I love beans and already include them on my menus! I guess since I’ve been eating them for so long, I’m not bothered by any of the dreaded digestive issues. Just begin to add gradually…or use the “Beano” product if you’re worried.

Here’s some ideas:

1. simmer black beans with chopped onions, saute white beans in some olive oil and spices

2. toss rinsed canned beans into salads - chickpeas are great this way

3. use fat-free refried beans as a spread or dip, or a side dish with any meal

4. add canned beans to soups like Progresso or make a lentil soup to begin your meals

5. create a version of 3-bean salad that fits your plan

There’s a recipe in the current WW magazine that I tried - Pasta Fagioli Salad. Cannelini beans tossed with whole wheat pasta, halved grape tomatoes are the key ingredients.

If you’re worried about sodium, rinse all canned beans, or make your own. Shop for dried  beans at “busy” stores since old beans cook up tough. I’m thinking of trying a crockpot recipe for refried pinto beans soon.

One of my favorite things to do is read weight-loss success stories. In Weight Watchers Magazine, Good Housekeeping, Redbook, Prevention; I get inspired and hopeful.

Usually, the techniques used are well known plans, like Weight Watchers.  However, I was interested to read about a plan centered around a list of “Super Foods.”  To follow this plan, eat ten servings per day from this list.  Nothing is exotic or gourmet, either.

Searching the internet for “super foods”, I found a plan, and a book, by Dr. Steven Pratt. Here’s the list: 

1. Beans: A great low-fat, low-calorie source of protein and an easy way to help control your weight and your blood sugar.
2. Blueberries: The best food on the planet to preserve a young brain as we mature.
3. Broccoli: The best food on the planet to prevent cancer.
4. Oats: A sure-fire way to lower your cholesterol.
5. Oranges: The most readily available source of vitamin C, which in turn lowers the rate of most causes of death in this country, for example, heart disease and cancer.
6. Pumpkin: Loaded with phytonutrients, which keep our skin young and help prevent damage from sunlight.
7. Wild salmon: A guaranteed way to lower your risk for cardiac-related death.
8. Soy: The only complete vegetarian source of protein.
9. Spinach: The best food on the planet to prevent cataracts and age-related macular degeneration, thus ensuring a lifetime of good vision.
10. Tea — green or black: The easiest and cheapest no-calorie way to avoid heart disease and cancer.
11. Tomatoes: One of the easiest ways for men to avoid prostate cancer is the consumption of tomatoes and tomato-based products.
12. Skinless turkey breast: The leanest meat source of protein on the planet.
13. Walnuts: Consuming walnuts is an easy, tasty way to lower your risk of cardiovascular disease.
14. Yogurt: A tasty, easy way to boost your immune system.

This morning, I cooked old-fashioned oatmeal and added a  half cup of blueberries. Last week, I made some delicious salmon patties from a leftover filet.  Since my main goal with my eating plan is getting healthier, these are great foods to incorporate.

I’ll be featuring each of these in this blog with my ideas, so stay tuned!

I recently read an article about genes, obesity, and dieting.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/05/08/healthscience/snfat.php?page=3

The research presented should be read by anyone who wants to lose weight. It’s a logical argument about how heredity is more important than diet in determining your weight. Is it “gloom and doom” for dieters? This article goes a long way in explaining why it is very difficult to lose weight and keep it off. It has been for me!

I prefer to take a positive attitude, try to understand the role of calories and metabolism, and work with my body to make permanent lifestyle changes.

Many factors affect metabolism, and one of the factors is the amount of food eaten. If you reduce calories too much, your body will slow down and not burn fat - the opposite of the desired effect.  If you do manage to keep your metabolism up and lose weight, it’s likely that as soon as extra calories are eaten, your body wants to fatten up again.

Look at the numbers:

A 275 pound sedentary woman needs 2223 calories to maintain her weight.  Cutting calories by 500 calories a day should yield 1 pound a week of weight loss.  That’s 1723 calories per day to start. She’ll have keep lowering to keep losing. Let’s say she stops when she’s 175…now her maintenance calorie requirement is 1679, less than the level at the beginning.  If she relaxes and begins to eat just 200 calories more a day, she’ll begin to gain the weight back a little at a time.

Hopefully, our theoretical woman has been exercising, since that helps metabolism. Losing slowly helps keep the “fat-storing” mode at bay as well.

When I learned all this, I became more relaxed about staying on a plateau. Some people believe that plateaus reset that “normal” weight that your body wants to maintain or return to.  I hope so!

Last night, The Biggest Loser featured a vending machine challenge. Trying to get cash and a 1-pound-pass, the contestants entered a code and were randomly awarded items. If it wasn’t the Extra Sugar Free gum (with a cash amount), or the pass, the treat had to be eaten.

A table in the corner of the screen kept track of Calories and Cash. A few of the contestants were very unlucky and had to eat a lot of fat- and sugar-laden calories.

How typical is that of any vending machine??

I work at a community college. My classes are located in the same building as the Student Center. Within the center is a Chick-Fil-A, with a few healthy choices. (And coffee in the morning, thankfully) Otherwise, there are soda machines and two vending machines.

A study of these machines found absolutely no items that were both low fat and low sugar. There were small packs of peanuts and cashews, which contain healthy fat, but a bit high on the calorie/point count. Along with a salami stick choice, those three snacks would please an Atkins eater, but not me.

A few items fit into the low-fat category - a large pack of fruit chews and a pack of Chuckles - sugared jelly drops. But those are pure sugar! If looking for reduced fat, you could also choose Chex mix or Animal Crackers.

All the other items were the expected chips, pastries, cakes, and chocolate bars.  Full of trans fat, high fructose corn syrup.  Any of them would take a big bite out of your calorie or point budget.

I am making a list of healthier alternatives to present to the manager of the book store, who I’m told oversees the vending machines.  Baked Lays, dried fruit, 100 calorie packs - there’s plenty of items available. 

What are healthy and tasty items you’ve found in vending machines?

Yesterday, I explored the nature trail at Cheraw State Park. I had to drive about an hour to drop off my oldest son for a Scout overnight, so I decided to hike the trail there.

I was so glad I did! The weather was perfect, 70 degrees and sunny. The trail was a little rough, lots of roots and a thick covering of pine needles and oak leaves. Since my pace was slow, it took 3 hrs to complete the 4.5 mile trail.  I was alone on the path for the whole time - peace and quiet abounded.

Hiking in parks is one of my favorite ways to exercise. And it’s free! Here in South Carolina, we have the Palmetto Trail running through our state. I’ve researched it, and it looks gorgeous in sections with waterfalls, rock formations, and more. I keep promising myself to get on the trails more, but my weekends seem to fill up with busy-ness! But I was very happy to be outdoors for 3 hrs vs 3 hrs of housework.

Now I just need to carve out more hiking time!

Today’s Cathy cartoon was amusing or disheartening, depending on your viewpoint.

Cathy asks the women in her office, “What are you doing for lunch today?”

Each individual answers with a different cosmetic treatment: non-surgical fat removal, non-surgical face lift, laser hair removal, teeth veneers, hair extensions, eyebrows threaded, paraffin pedicure, nail extensions, spray tan, body wax, eyelash extensions, chemical peel. (!)

She exclaims, “Stop, we haven’t worked this hard so we can spend all our money and free time on superficial beauty treatments! Take a good look at yourselves, women!”

They flip open compacts, look in the mirror,  and then rush out, calling for more: lip augmentation, eyelash tattoo, botox!

Who is benefiting from all the emphasis on appearance? The beauty industry! All the while causing low self-esteem in females at younger and younger ages.  The unrealistic ideals of beauty includes weight, of course.  Not only do we have to maximize our looks, we have to be thin, too.

In my readings of Fat Acceptance blogs, I’ve learned so much that’s positive, even as I’m working toward a more healthy body. It’s past time to love the body the holds me now - I don’t need to conform, I need to be confident in my intelligence, femininity and sexuality.

And I’m worth the time it takes to eat healthy and while I’ll exercise for the good of my body, I’ll never be a gym rat and I don’t want to be! I’m going to update my hairdo, dress stylishly, too!

I sometimes still wish I could lose faster, but I’m getting more on board with a gradual change.

I visited a WW friend last weekend, and I showed her my weight loss graph. She chided me for my frustrated whining. When viewed over the entire time interval, the line is clearly sloping downward. I made a separate graph on Excel, using my weights at four week intervals, and the change is even more definitive.

Unfortunately, I can’t figure out how to import the graph into this entry.

Overall, I’m down 35 pounds since August 11. In each four week period, days will go by at the same weight (days!). But then, suddenly, there will be a loss. I’m still using my plateau-breaking strategies and my latest monthly total loss was a bit higher than average, so I’m sticking with them.  (I’d switch to a monthly weigh-in, but I watch to be vigilant about staying on track.)

When I read elsewhere of 30+ losses in one month, since January 1, etc., I still want to scream & cry. But I remind myself that, sadly, there are just as many who are giving up, dropping out of WW, ignoring their blogs, and will probably not reach their goals.
Persevering is the key to success!

My strategies had a useful life of one week. I’m plateau-ing again. My loss last week is holding. I guess it could be worse.

I followed most of my intelligent-sounding plan, but it didn’t matter. I read a lot of weight loss blogs and I’m happy that people are losing pounds right and left.  But I wonder why that can’t be me? What is wrong with my body? (besides being old and fat, that is)

In a few weeks, I will be seeing my doctor and I hope we can get to the bottom of this.  Is one of my medications stalling me? Can my thyroid hormone be edged up safely? Is full-body liposuction the only answer? (That last one is made up - I don’t think it exists LOL)

I’m still trying to adjust to the fact that it will probably (hopefully) take me a year to get below 200 (from 230).  I’m not giving up, but I’m moving ahead with sad resolution…

My weight dropped this week - is my plateau-busting plan working?

Updated stats:

Beginning weight: 263 lbs

Aug 11- Sept 11 = 11.5 lbs lost

Sept 12-Oct 10 = 4.5 lbs lost

Oct 11 - Nov 9 = 5 lbs lost

Nov 10 - Dec 12 = 1 lb lost

Dec 13 - Jan 15 = 4.5 lbs lost

Jan 16 - Feb 14 = 3.5 lbs lost

My current weekly loss rate is 0.8 lbs per week over the last month.

Current weight: 230.5 lbs

The next month will be key in judging whether my calorie cycling and seafood meals are working. I hope so!

Who doesn’t love chocolate? There’s lots of excellent WW recipes for chocolate desserts, but if you’re like me, you don’t have time to cook, or don’t want to cook a dessert that makes 12 or 16 tempting servings. If I’m going to eat a chocolate dessert, I want a good taste, not a “diet” taste.

Try these:

Warm Delites Minis - 150 calories, nice and warm and sweet and chocolatey. Not a large serving, but satisfying.

Russell Stover Chocolate Strawberry Cream Heart - this treat “says” V-Day for me! In the past, I’ve bought a dozen at a time. As a girl who was born in Kansas City (home of RS), I have to enjoy one of these. And at 130 calories each, one is not so bad. Yum!

Betty Crocker LowFat Brownies - 140 calories for 1/18th of a 13 by 9 pan. This brownie was more chewy than fudgey, but the chocolate taste was good. Plus, my husband eats these too, so I’m not tempted by a full pan!

Godiva sugar free chocolate bars - I don’t have exact calorie counts, but I believe the range is 190-250… Also not bad if you plan ahead for a special treat.

I think my Valentine’s Day splurge will be a ChickFilA sandwich and a strawberry cream heart. My family love ChickFilA and we’ve been avoiding lately. But I bet there won’t be Valentine’s crowds there LOL !

I’d better plan the whole day to be sure to budget that, and it’s an 1800 calorie day in the cycle. YAY!