Wednesday, December 14, 2005

"D" Day for me and Cliff

OK, enough is enough.  I've been steadily gaining weight since I quit my job, and of course it gets worse at this time of year.  I weighed this morning.  ACK!!!!  I'm as heavy as I've ever been, except toward the end of my first pregnancy.

I've been mentally preparing for this for some time.  Every morning, right after I tell God, "Good morning," I thank Him for giving me the power to make right choices.  Now it's time to start actually using that power, because the right things are always here to choose.

Cliff's been wanting to work on his weight too, so I guess we're in it together.  I wrote both our starting weights on the calendar, as well as Cliff's blood pressure numbers, since that's a problem for him.

I know the things to do... all the little tricks, like writing down everything that goes in your mouth, and drinking lots of water.  I have lots of low-fat, low-calorie recipes that we love.  It's finding the motivation that's hard.  When I was younger, I'd lose weight because I wanted to look better; that is no longer one of my reasons for losing weight.  At sixty-one years old, nothing short of plastic surgery is going to make me a glamour-puss.  I just want to feel better, maintain my health, and avoid buying a whole new wardrobe of jeans and sweats.

A few years back there was a marvelous free website called DietWatch where you could record everything you ate, and then a program on the site would tally calories and nutrients for you.  You could even enter the ingredients of any favorite recipe and that recipe would be on record, with nutrients and calories per serving, from then on.  The website is still there, but now it costs real money (or should I say plastic money).  As does the Readers' Digest ChangeOne, and Weightwatchers.  All of them are around $15 to $20 a month, and I hate to pay for something when I really do know what it takes to do it myself.

I happened to recall TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly), and remembered hearing that they are non-profit; sure enough, they have many free helps on their website.  They ask you to make a user-name and password, but there's NO cost.

Then I found an anazing site, Calorieking.com, that has calories for thousands of foods, including name brands and fast foods. 

I'm editing to add another helpful site that's been around forever, but is always being improved:  3 Fat Chicks

I have decided to cook one normal big meal on the weekend, because the family fellowship around that meal means a lot to me.  Cliff and I will either fall off the wagon at that time, or we'll limit ourselves.  I figure once a week, a big meal (within reason) won't kill a diet.

As I said, I know what works.  I'm hoping that making it public in this way will keep me honest.  If I fail, you, my readers, will be the first to know.

Of course, failure isn't final. 

Oh, and a promise to my readers:  I won't be going on and on about how little I've had to eat on a given day; that is SUCH a bore!  I'll simply mention my progress, perhaps once a week.  No more.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Another thing you should do is take your measurements such as waist, calfs and even your neck. Sometimes when the scale doesn't show much improvement it is encourageing to see that you are losing inches.  This really helped me in my struggle to lose the weight.  I lost 50 pounds with Weight Watchers program.  I need to go on a little diet myself as I have gained some of this back. I will make it my new years resolution because I am not giving up my holiday feasts. LOL Barbara

Anonymous said...

It's going to be hard just to mention it once a week I think.... especially when things are going well... hope your once a week is a long entry then. I would like to know how you are doing and what you are doing to get you there... I need to diet also. I already put those 2 sites on my favorites. I do have a little booklet like the second site has... good luck, Sandra

Anonymous said...

Good for you. The Christmas season will be tough for you. I used to be able to loose weight when I wanted to. It used to be mind over matter with me but now it's matter over mind. After I became a diabetic and found out about it around this time last year I had to leave off the sweets and white foods. Plus I have craved sweets all my life. All I keep sweet in the house for me now is graham crackers and allow myself one each day sometimes with peanut butter between them and sometimes a half of a baked sweet potato but not both in the same day. Good luck to you and Cliff. Helen

Anonymous said...

This is a bad time of year to START a diet.  I have made all of your recipes that you have posted and will be making the tator tot casserole tomorrow with my grandaughter so she can take it home to have her father and brothers eat it.  
 I gained my weight because of my feet. When you can't walk, you can't lose weight.    Good luck.    Anne

Anonymous said...

Lord, the worst time to be dieting is now. I was 180 before thanksgiving...now...193...I fall off my no fried food, redmeat, no sugar diet the worst way. I'm a fiend for pie and ice cream and fried anything!!! I wish you luck!

Anonymous said...

Oh for Pete's Sake!

Count me in...<sigh>


LOLL

*Good luck you two, I'm off to look at those sites.

Anonymous said...

at our age the metabolism ..ummm.. dare i say it?  sucks!   Since it's a hard time to begin a "diet" (a word i never use btw).. it may behold you to just "cut back the amount" until after christmas... you know, the ol' MODERATION thing... that way your system has 2 weeks of a small adjustment before you  wham it with the big stuff lol...   I do believe anyone throwing theirself into a "big time diet" will just come off of it and eat more then ever.. but if you make smaller adjustments to how you eat it generally stays with you..  slower, but lasts longer.

about 1 1/2 yrs ago i found i had high cholestrol.. they put me on Lipitor, but on my own i stopped eating red meat and all dairy products.  After a year of that i allowed myself "one cheating day" a week... seems to be working.  I went from 160 to about 145. (and yes the cholestrol is in the safe area).  

I hope whatever you do that you are happy with the results... I do kinda believe that as long as I am not Obese that's all i can hope for in my older age.. if blood pressure and cholestrol etc. are all in the ok range.. then your health is "ok" too.

Anonymous said...

I gained about 15 pounds since I stopped working outside the house and I went on a diet......not a real diet and took off 15 in four months. All I did is eat smaller portions. I ate low fat things and stayed away from the cake, chocolate and cookies. Came off easily and I didn't feel deprived. I ate 1200 calories a day. I eat 1500 now. And now, I can have candy and cake again but in moderation. : )

Angela

Anonymous said...

Mosie....and Cliff....good luck in the "dieting".....and remember...exercise...exercise....exercise.....as important as drinking lotsa water....oh and if you need a "stairmaster".....LOL...I will gladly ship it off to you....free of charge.....LOLOLOL....Hugs...Ora

Anonymous said...

   Please DO NOT ALLOW cliff to drink a lot of water.

   AT HIS AGE. and yours., the extra water that you dirnk goes into storage in the form of fat cells.  Not a good thing.
It is a false hood to drink a lot of water.  It makes you FAT.

ALSO, puts a strain on ones heart.l  ASK, your DR. for the truth.
Not some made up story that he has heard.

Anonymous said...

TOPS is great. I did that one about 6 years ago and lost 50 pounds. This time I am doing weight watchers...well minus the last two months! I was doing so well, I had lost 30 pounds and now I am afraid I have prolly gained back 10...too scared to get on the scale. I am starting again as soon as I get back from CHristmas vacation!

You know I look at pictures of you and you don't look a single pound over weight...either you hide it well or you aren't that over weight.

Anonymous said...

Sounds fair to me. Good Luck. Are you gonna start right now? Right in the middle of the Holidays? Good on ya! rich

Anonymous said...

Are you sure you'll comment on the slow weeks as well as the great weeks??!!  lol   Bet if someone invented a software that could detect your body weight when you sat in front of the screen, and it locked you out if you were over your "goal" weight for that week.....we all be looking svelt in no time at all!!!!!  lOl -  Barbara

Anonymous said...

You are one brave lady thinking diet this time of year!  Not me!  I have some elastic wastebands that will still stretch a little further !  'On Ya ' - ma

Anonymous said...

Good luck, Mom.  Also, in answer to robinngabster, the women in our family NEVER look their actual weight.  I am overweight still, although still losing.  When I weighed in at 277 (ACK) I looked fat, but I did NOT look almost 300 lbs.  We can weigh 170 and look 130.  Yeah, it's cool in some ways, but it's hard to get folks to believe how much you need to lose.  Mom looks great, but wants to FEEL better....more power to her!

Anonymous said...

I guess I will be joining you. I have to lose weight and eat right. YUCK

Anonymous said...

At 52-ish, I find the struggle a lot harder than just 10 years ago...so,  you can mention how it's going as many times a week as you want!  I'm hoping to be inspired by you.  Like you, I know all the tricks and I know what has worked for me in the past.  Now I'm looking for what will work in the present!

Anonymous said...

I use slimfast.com they also have you sign up for a username and password, but its free, they also have many foods already set in there, have to where you can add your own foods and recipes, have a weight tracker chart, and they make suggested menus for you. If you dont like the menu, or just dont like something on the menu, you can change it. It tracks everything, your calories, carbs, protien, anything you see on a label, it has on there. and after alot of searching on the internet, it is by far the best program (free) that i have found. Just thought I would share that info with you....