I’ve discovered the benefit of keeping online documents: it’s easy to see what you’ve done right and wrong over a period of time.
The week that I had the most encouraging weight loss:
- I ate porridge with blueberries and yoghurt for breakfast every day.
- I ate filling cauliflower and potato soup for lunch every day.
- I ate lots of different dinners but all with a bit of protein and carb and a lot of vegetables.
- I drank only one glass of wine all week. I think there might be something in that.
- I drank a bottle of mineral water while watching tv at night.
- I snacked on Ryvita and cream cheese and fruit.
- I had my usual 5-6 cups of tea and coffee – with and without caffeine.
- I stuck to cappuccinos when I was out and counted for a full fat one rather than resent a skinny one.
The surprising thing is that I didn’t get to the gym that week – which worries me a little because I don’t want to lose muscle rather than fat. However, I did walk on four days. Still – I’d rather have a lower weight loss and a better shape.
Besides daily wine, what else wasn’t on the menu?
- butter – but I had olive oil every day.
- sugar in any vast quantity
- cheese – though I did have super parmesan reggiano on a couple of meals. I don’t count light Philly as “cheese”. It’s something else altogether – a non-offensive dry cracker prevention system maybe.
- crackers other than Ryvita. To quote Donna, “I can one and two point myself to death with crackers.”
OK, I’m sitting here thinking, do I want to lose weight more than I want to drink wine? It’s a serious question. For the next week I’m going to say Yes.
Do I want to exercise more than I want to hibernate? The honest answer is No – but- I want to lose weight more than I want to hibernate so I’ll go.
Do I want to be free from journalling and measuring more than I want to lose weight? Hmmmm – Yes – but for the next week I’ll sacrifice the freedom to grab to food and eat it for the freedom to zip up my jeans.
It’s all about choosing between freedoms.
I just read over the menu again and I’m happy to say that it’s all food that I’d eat even if I weren’t trying to lose weight. It’s all tasty and filling and colourful. So my challenge isn’t so much what but how much.