accountability - Monday

Physical Therapy day..I was sore and it hurt so bad I cried..I know for sure that if I don't do my exercises, I'm not going to like physical therapy..I need to make sure I do those darn things or get ready to cry when she moves my shoulder!

I found a tuna casserole recipe yesterday and I think I may just have to make it..I have some left over spaghetti squash to put in for the noodles..And I made a couple little loaves of low carb bread (soy flour, flax meal and whole wheat flour..) I'll let you know how it tastes!

My eats for the day:

Coffee

Coffee

1/4 serving protein waffle, 1 small apple, 1/2 sf pancake syrup

double espresso latte

24 oz herb tea with splenda

1 oz cheddar cheese and 1 pc chicken breast deli meat

24 oz drink mix with alittle ice

1-1/2 cups chili con carne made with black eyed peas from last night and a piece of banana bread

24 oz drink mix with ice, caffeinated

dinner: 4 oz pork chops cooked with 1/2 cup crushed pineapple, 1/4 cup mashed potatoes with an ounce of gravy

Yeah, today is gonna be high in carbs, I knew that when I had the chili! still, not too bad:

Numbers:
Caloreis: 1685
Fat: 77.4
Carbs: 160.1
Protein: 101.4

Mmmm.m Fat is at 40%, Carbs at 36%..and protein a low of 24%..

Well, the great news is that I get to try again tomorrow..I think I'll have another herb tea as I'm chilled and cold..I'm just not getting enough water when I have a day off..

How did you do? 

 Hi Dawn,

I have been lurking and watching for a while and decided it is finally time to post.  

I am 2+ years post op.  My lowest weight was 188 and this morning I was 207.  I have been eating a lot of crap and not planning and I don't want to watch that number go up any further.  Last night I sat down and wrote out meal plans through to Wednesday.  Tonight I want to write out plans that take me through the weekend.  I also want to start posting my meals along with you.  I have to be honest, I have started doing this before and don't get too far.  I am going to take this one day at a time.  

Here is today:

B:  1/2 cup 2% cottage cheese, 14 almonds, 5 prunes

Iced venti sugar free vanilla latte

2 x 16.9 oz water

L:  1/2 cup brown rice, sweet italian turkey sausage, 1 tbsp butter, 1/2 cup mushrroms/onions, 1/3 cup sundried tomato alfredo

1 x 16.9 oz water

D:  4 oz boneless skinless chicken thigh, spinach, grated carrots, shredded red cabbage, yellow bell pepper, 1/3 grated cheddar cheese, 2 tbsp jalapeno ranch dressing, 1 tbsp salsa

24 oz Diet Peach Snapple

1525 calories, 94.5 fat, 77 carbs, 91.5 protein

I like your carb and protein number..but where are all those calories coming from? Is that vanilla latte from starbucks? Maybe look at how to shave some calories off of the periferals..ranch dressing or low calorie ranch dressing..alfredo or something low cal? But GOSH, this is a great GREAT starting list..Even if you just keep eating like this, you'll be doing awesome.

Now the strategy..You're journaling your foods, that's awesome..one point for you. You're doing great on snacks-really nice! And I see you're drinking water before you eat something..another point for you! Good job.

what were you eating before that you tend to go back to? Lots of times it's sugar or white carbs that are calling your name..What caused you to stumble before? You need to find that thing and deal with it. Either cut it out completely or come to a treaty agreement with it..how often you'll allow it to be included in your list and such.I had to start a war with sugar cuz I just have such a problem with it. Specifically, my husband's home made chocolate chip cookies. All other cookies are pretty safe in our house but those my husband made..they made me cry when they were on the counter!

Then exercise. I hate exercise but I love shopping and I love doing house work. When I get bored, I get up and DO something rather than get up and safari the refrigerator..I don't go to the gym cuz I know myself. I'll never stick with it and it's expensive..I'd rather go to a car show (free) or farmer's market (also free) than spend any amount on the gym and feel like I have to drag my carcus out of bed to go get it done..drag all my clothes there and shower and get ready for work in a cold shower room..yuk. That's just me and my schedule..If it works for you...I'm jealous!

This list looks really good! You can do this and make it work but it takes some knowing yourself and planning for the times when you're weak..Keep up the good work! You can do this..really you can.

Thank you so much.  I was so excited to see your reply.  Well as far as where I got off track, I was so on point for the 11 months following my surgery.  I really never had a plateau and lost the weight pretty fast.  About 11 months out I decided to have a muffin or something at Starbucks (and yes that's a Starbucks latte - more on that later).  It just progressed from there. 

I was thinking about this on my drive in from work.  Sugar is my gateway drug.  I cannot safely consume sugar.  So for now it is out.  I have been reading your posts to others and you have said to people to pick something and do that thing and move from there.  My thing is going to be sugar.  I may even decide not to do fake sugar type desserts.  I have to think about that because I have these insane sugar free double chocolate brownies I got from Whole Foods in the freezer.  They're very rich and I can only eat about 1/2 to 1/4 of a 3in x 3in bar at a time.  But anyway sugar is my downfall.

Recently I have been eating Hershey's extra creamy chocolates, potato chips, Cheeto's honey BBQ cheese puffs, cheeseburgers, sometimes pizza, ravioli's.  I would come home at night and not eat a real dinner.  Instead I would snack on things - usually chocolate and call that dinner.  I do pretty well M-F during the day when I am at work and then at night and on weekends the wheels fall off.  Oh at work we have a cafeteria ( I work at a very large chemical dependency hospital on a female hall) and I would sometimes not bring my lunch and eat a salad from the salad bar.  Usually, put carby veggies (corn, carrots, peas),  potato salad when they had it, cesar dressing, sunflower seeds.  On the hall we would get these Keebler crackers and I would eat a bunch of those.  I just was out of control .  For a while it seemed I was staying within a 5 pound range and then in the last 2 weeks I went past that range and up.  I knew what I was doing is not good for me.  I have no illusions - I am a compulsive overeater.  The surgery has not changed that.  One thing I can say is that my tool works - if I take care of it.  If I don't I pay the price.

I did walk last night with my husband.  We walked our dogs.  Not a long walk at all.  the campus I work on is also pretty big and I can do some walking there if I put my mind to it.  I SUCK at exercising.  I know I need to do this.  Not just for the physical health, but for my mental health.

As far as my Starbucks goes, I have to say I am willing to keep the calories.  I am not willing to do something different with that right now.  Maybe one day and I will keep an open mind about it.  Same with the butter and the alfredo sauce.  I have tried low cal and diet things and they taste so bad.  I am willing to eat less and taste more.  I hope you don't think I am a jerk because of this, because I would really like to be accountable with you and I want to be honest about what I am doing.

I did sit down and plan some more meals out to lunch on Friday.  I work M-F from 8am to 4:30p.m.  I have a meeting tonight at 5:30 til about 7pm and it will take me about an hour to get home and I will be eating dinner when I get home.  I will post my food when I get home.  I did weigh myself this morning ( I have been weighing myself daily for about a year now) and went from 207.6 yesterday to 205.6 this morning.  Also I was amazed that I was not craving and obsessing yesterday - amazed and really grateful.

Thanks for being there.

" I hope you don't think I am a jerk because of this"

Not at all. I was told never to drink coffee and I do that..I'm still completely addicted to caffeine, as you can see from my lists every day. We have to make allowances for the things we are not ready to give up..so there you have it.

I'm so with you on sucking at exercise..Unless it's for a good reason, I don't see any reason for exercise..I do it (walk) because I like to do whatever it is that takes walking..on the other hand, I do have to add step exercise here real soon. I'm pre-osteoperosis...and must do weight bearing exercise because of it..and I'm draggin my feet, literally..

they operate on our middles and the brain never gets fixed..we have to fix the brain on our own.

Keep going. And if you fall, get back up and keep going..You're only a failure if you don't get up!

Thanks.  See you tonight with my food accountability!