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Post by chexbres on Oct 25, 2015 22:33:42 GMT
Since I'm currently on a mission to lose some unwanted pounds that sneaked up on me during the last several months, I am looking for motivation, support, advice and the internet version of a shoulder to cry on if things don't go as well as planned.
I'd like to hear what anybody else has to say about losing unwanted weight, keeping it off, and how you deal with people telling you that you look just fine the way you are - even if you know they're just saying that so you'll stay fat and they can feel much better about themselves.
So, let's get started down this dismal path:
I was an obese child, and even though I lost weight on fad diets once in awhile, it never stayed off and I was an obese adult. This didn't change until I moved to Paris and was able to begin breaking the bad habits I had learned living in New Orleans. I also eat when stressed - which seems to be most of the time - and I eat when I'm sad. I will overeat anything - sweet, salty, crunchy, smooth, animal, vegetable, mineral - if I'm one of those moods. It's as if I am possessed, and I don't regain consciousness until there's nothing left to eat. Potato chips - preferably the inexpensive ruffled kind - are my real drug of choice, though.
My "lightbulb moment" arrived one day in a flurry of potato chip crumbs when I suddenly realized that it was important for me to finish all of whatever it was that I was eating - the whole box, bag, jar - all of it had to be gone, no matter what size it was, before I would be satisfied. The next day in the market, I was really in the mood for more potato chips, but for some reason, I bought a couple of bags of ready-to-eat lettuce instead. I have no idea why I did this, it just happened. I ignored the lettuce for a couple of days, then when I became deranged by some typical French bureaucratic nonsense - and had no potato chips in the house - I grabbed the bag, ripped it open and ate lettuce right out of the bag. I finished the bag, and realized that this gave me the same gratification that potato chips did - it was ready-to-eat, it was crunchy, I ate with my hands, and most importantly I ate the whole bag. Better still, I didn't feel guilty.
So, I kept this habit until something sent me over the edge about a year ago and I started mainlining potato chips again. Along with the lettuce thing, I had also started swimming on a regular basis, but the municipal pool closest to my apartment was closed for repairs during most of the year, so instead I got my exercise strolling the junk food aisles in the market and making sure the kitchen was well-stocked with emergency supplies. But when Autumn rolled around and I discovered that my clothes were really too tight - and I couldn't afford a whole new wardrobe - I decided to start thinking about getting serious about trying to lose the 10 kg I had gained. I figured that losing 22.07 pounds would have been way too difficult, but losing only 10 kg was entirely do-able. And in some convoluted way, that made sense to me.
My approach is to cut down to 1000 calories for 7 to 10 days, which will jump-start my system and re-boot my brain (I'm almost at the end-point of this period). Lots of mineral water, black coffee/ginger and lemon tea, lots of clear soups, green salad, some fruit. After that, I will increase to 1200 calories until I reach my goal, which should take about 6 weeks. During this second phase, I'll eat a balanced, sensible diet - just lots of green stuff and smaller portions of almost everything else, but nothing fried, and not much in the way of carbs, since I can never seem to get enough of them. I do allow myself 2 small squares of 70% chocolate every day, but no other sugar or alcohol. I gave away everything that I didn't want to eat anymore and stocked the kitchen with mineral water, fresh fruit, green salad, canned fish and things that need to be cooked from scratch. I don't carry money with me anymore when I go for a walk, so I'm not tempted to buy something I shouldn't. My dog walks me for a total of 90 mins per day, then I supplement with another hour wandering around alone and also swim for one hour twice a week - all this, plus doing the usual things on foot every day in Paris is plenty of exercise for me. For some reason, I don't feel compelled yet to rip open a bag or box of anything, but I have armed myself with bags of baby carrots and lettuce for when the time comes. Phase three will include keeping up the same amount of exercise and increasing to 1500 calories or maybe a little more, if the scale and my clothes oblige. At this point, it wouldn't kill me to have a glass of wine or dessert once in awhile, and I can increase carbs like potatoes and beans, but will always have to limit quantities of bread and pasta, which are like heroin to me.
So - my first progress report goes like this: I've lost 1.5 kg in a week and feel pretty good, but I had hoped for a more miraculous weight loss - old habits die hard!!! A little tired, and still having mental arguments with myself about why I shouldn't cross the street to just take a little peek in that bakery window - but that's because there are demons lurking there. I'm a little irritable, but that's normal. I have not been eating out at all, because I'm not ready to deal with restaurant food yet, but will at least go have a coffee when I'm out walking. I'm noticing just how many really overweight people there are around here, and noticing what they are stuffing in their faces helps me stay on the right path - and yes, I'll sheepishly admit that I'm feeling superior to them. I need all the help I can get, and I'm really hoping that nothing comes along to rock my boat.
Anybody else out there in the same boat? Any advice, tips, good stories?
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Post by rikita on Oct 25, 2015 22:59:58 GMT
i think 1.5 kg in a week is great! and it sounds like you have a good plan, and are doing pretty well so far! in the end, it is not about finding a miracle, but something consistent that you can live with - so losing weight slowly but consistently is much better than losing lots at once, i think ...
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Post by rikita on Oct 25, 2015 23:26:48 GMT
as for me, i was slim during childhood and youth and early adulthood. it varied a bit (like i gained some weight during my exchange in the US), but in general i did okay, and i must admit at those times i had the tendency to think that people who can't keep their weight must be weak or something ... well, i learned ... from my early twenties onwards i started gaining about a kilo or two per year, which at the beginning did not seem much, until at some point i realized that i am not at all thin anymore. i am not very overweight, but i am not at a weight i am happy anymore, and additionally there is the fear that if it keeps going like that, i will end up at a weight that is unhealthy. and there is the nagging of my mom (who is very thin and the type of person who can be full for the rest of the day after eating a banana - she is a great mom in many respects, but in this respect she kind of lacks tact towards me, she likes pointing out how i am "just about okay, but i should REALLY not gain any more weight than this).
well anyway, what i am doing for now is also counting calories - at first i started pretty high (trying not to eat over 2000 per day, for a week) to get a general idea even how much i am eating. then next week 1900, next 1800 etc., down to 1400 - which was something i knew i couldn't keep with, as i just really like food ... so now i have for now settled on 1700 per day on average - which seems about right to keep my weight (i had lost about three kilo with what i did before, so i got a bit down from a number on the scales that scared me one morning). but i do it as an average - as this is kind of a reward system that seems to work for me: if i manage to stay below 1400 or 1500 the first days of the week, then on later days of the week i can go up to 1800 or 1900 or similar ... my plan is that when i feel i have settled into this well, then i want to lower the weekly average a bit. ah yes, another reason for wanting to go slow is that i still breast feed (though it's down to 5-10 minutes in the morning, usually) ...
problem is especially sweets - i love them, and so does my husband. and since my husband loves them, there are always some in the house. and for a long time when he had sweets he would always offer me some - and more than i'd normally take. now he finally learned, and when he opens some sweets he just says they are there on the table and i can get some if i want, rather than placing them in front of me. he also cooks better than i do and likes cooking pasta dishes or dishes with cream sauces. and i like eating those. and for a while the problem was that while i hate throwing away food, he refused to eat more than half of what was there. so the problem was always that i could not stop myself from eating the rest - so either we made so little he stayed hungry, or i ate too much. now it works a bit better by me keeping part of my portion for lunch the next day, and also putting more of the food on agnes' plate (she might not eat it all, but i have an easier time throwing it away when she has mushed it up). the other problem is, on the days i cook (we take turns and mr. r. is not very flexible about switching days with me), that i often have late-afternoon appointments, so not always time to cook, so i end up getting take-away. there are of course organic healthy fast food places in berlin - but not in my neighbourhood ...
exercise is also a problem - i used to cycle 45 minutes per way into the office every day, but now i work from home, and in the afternoons am busy with agnes (who at the same time is too small to exercise with her, unless you count pushing the swing at the playground or running after her when she wants to pull everything out of the supermarket shelves) ... i don't have a car, so that is something, i suppose, and live in the fourth floor without lift ... but the truth is, i sit at the computer a lot, both for work, and for most of my hobbies ...
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Post by chexbres on Oct 26, 2015 8:44:47 GMT
Since you have recently given birth and are still breast-feeding, technically all is forgiven and you shouldn't obsess over losing weight at this point. When agnes is a little bigger, maybe you can put her on a bike and go riding? Is there a municipal swimming pool in your neighborhood? There are always parents with babies in the pool I go to - they start them young, here. It's not easy trying to diet when there are others in the house, and most of us hate to waste food. I'm lucky that there aren't any good take-away places near me, and there isn't much delivery service, either. If I want something decent, I have to walk at least half an hour to get there, which I don't usually feel like doing. It's not easy when you have to work, manage to get dinner and deal with a child. You just have to try to make the best choices available.
I started setting an alarm - when time's up, I turn off the computer. It was hard at first, but the thing was controlling my life, so I had to make a drastic change.
I had no idea how many calories I was consuming - everything in New Orleans was super-sized, usually fried and/or covered with gravy and mayonnaise, fries and lots of bread with everything - I figured out an average day's meal and it was around 5,000 calories! Portion sizes in Paris have increased greatly over the last few years - maybe to please tourists, maybe because most restaurant food is pre-prepared stuff that costs less so they can afford to pile it on the plate. Anyway, I had no real idea of what "normal portions" were all about, and neither my stomach nor my brain could tell me if I was really hungry or not, because I was pretty much eating all the time.
So I looked around on the internet and found a few food/fitness diaries - I had to make my own lists (based on weight of raw ingredients), because most of these sites list restaurant food, junk food, etc. Once I got everything set up, I just made sure to weigh and log whatever I ate/drank as well as how much exercise I did every day. I was a little obsessive about it in the beginning, but I had to be strict with myself. I have a cheap pedometer, which was a good investment, because I was really overestimating the amount of activity I thought I did per day. For me, accountability seems to be the key. If I mess up one day, I do the same thing you do and just cut back the next day. If I really-really-really want to give into a craving, I'll do it, just not every day. I start every day with a blank slate, and don't torture or blame myself if I slipped up.
I like sweets too, and found some pretty good substitutes - I bake whole apples or pears with cinnammon, and found small bags of caramel corn that only "cost" 150 calories and are good for real emergencies. Also, knowing that I can look forward to those two squares of chocolate every day seems to keep me on track. But if I had to keep sweets in the house for someone else, I don't think I'd do quite so well.
My real downfall is bread - once I start eating it, I can't stop. The alarm just went off - time to go get some exercise!
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Post by rikita on Oct 26, 2015 14:15:34 GMT
you are very disciplined ... i think i still need a while until i can be that strict to myself about my computer time. (thing is there are so many things i feel i need to do, like editing my photos, writing my stories and all that, i am already frustrated that i often need years to finish a story i really want to write).
saw this list of calory-richest food in american fastfood restaurants once, and they had items on it that did not even look like much, but had more calories than i'd eat in two days ... for restaurant food i kind of have to guess, for cooking, i use a website where i put in the ingredients (www.fettrechner.de - it is in german though). mr. r. is a bit annoyed sometimes when i keep asking him what he used in the dish, so sometimes i guess instead).
well, the birth is not all that recent, in fact, i am just a long term breastfeeder ... but yeah, the plan was to do more things like cycling with her over the summer, but somehow the days were always over too soon. we go to a toddler swimming group once a week, but that's only 45 minutes. was speaking to my sister in law while ago to maybe sometimes go to an indoors swimming pool together, but so far we haven't managed (lately our free afternoons seem to always be opposite each other). also try to play chase with agnes a bit every day, but then i often feel lazy and suggest we cuddle on the bed instead ...
was considering to get a pedometer at some point too - so you'd say it is a good thing to have?
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Post by whatagain on Oct 26, 2015 14:28:05 GMT
I've never been obese young but am at the limit now. What I've realized is that I can easily lose weight. My body is ok, it is my mind which is f***d up :-) So whe I eat less and do more sports, I lose about 1 kgm per week. But then I'm stressed or ... and I gain weight.
My problem is in duration. I weighed 70 kgms at 20, 75 in the army (I was fit) 93 kgms 10 years ago, 75 8 years ago after a burn-out and now about 98... I've fot a whole bunch of excuses to gain weight..
Reality is that I like to eat, and I d'ont like to limit myself...
So, my hat to you Chex.
today was ok tough, I ate chinese noodels at breakfast that was actually lunch and some pork wth rice tonight (well my body says it is afternoon)... Goodnight from around Beijing.
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Post by mich64 on Oct 26, 2015 21:44:18 GMT
I gained quite a lot of weight after my brain injury 9 years ago. Through the years, I have slowly regained most of my balance and 2 years ago I began walking back and forth in my house for 20 to 30 minutes a day and then moved outside to my deck in the summer months. I also walk back and forth in about knee deep water down at the lake for about 20 to 30 minutes (on nice days) during the summer. Now that winter is quickly approaching, I have had trouble motivating myself to resume my walks in the house so last week we bought a treadmill that should arrive here this week. I tried it at the store and am really excited to begin. I hope it will help me lose more weight but more importantly, keep my heart healthy. Good Luck to everyone trying to lose some weight! It is difficult to do.
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Post by rikita on Oct 26, 2015 23:10:47 GMT
sounds good about the tread mill, mich!
was actually offered one of these exercise bikes today, but i said no, since i wouldn't know where to put it, every free bit of space in our apartment is occupied by rocking horses and bobby cars, or is space dedicated to big brio train constructions ...
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Post by mich64 on Oct 27, 2015 0:55:21 GMT
I understand the issue of space and we chose a smaller model that will fit into a spot where we currently have a desk. It is also a beginner model, not like the size of models at a fitness center. We are going to relocate our printer, dispose of the desk top computer, store the desk and purge most of the files in the desk. We cleared out a few extra drawers in the kitchen and we are going to utilize this new space for files and storage by making this kitchen space multi-purpose. I put a lot of thought into this but there are only two of us, you have a beautiful little girl that needs space for her development.
Now it is up to me to keep up the motivation to fulfill my goals.
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Post by chexbres on Oct 27, 2015 20:48:22 GMT
Congratulations on your recovery, mich - if you've come this far, it sounds like you have all the motivation you need - plus, now you have a brand new toy! Just don't overdo it at first, or you'll begin to hate that machine...
Once you have made your decision and the equipment - or diet food, etc - is in place, there is nothing that should stop you. But there always seems to be something more important than taking care of yourself. I don't know why that is, but that's always been my problem.
I learned from my dog that rewards are extremely important, and that even a tiny little success deserves a treat - and more importantly, reinforces good behavior. But I don't give myself a food treat every time I exercise or eat according to plan - and I haven't lost enough weight to buy new clothes, yet - so instead will go to a movie or go buy a nice skin cream or a magazine or something. This also involves walking, so I sneak in a little more exercise as well as keep my mind off food.
Pariswat - you've got it tougher than a lot of us, because you travel a lot and don't always have a choice about where and what you eat and drink, not to mention how much time you have to do that in. I know you're a big fan of traveling by bike, wherever you are - is there any other sport you enjoy and could fit into your schedule? I agree that stress is the main enemy, and strikes most often when we are least equipped to handle it. I hate the fact that alcohol has so many calories...it really works well as a stress reliever, at least in moderation! But the temptation to get a little too relaxed is always there, at least for me, so I've put a hold on those calories for the time being.
I had a rough time the last two days, because the scale isn't moving and I decided to start cleaning out my many closets, which is a much bigger job than I thought it would be. Result - overworked brain, aching muscles, trouble sleeping, hating my scale. And I'm only about 1/5 the way through all my stuff. Having terrible trouble making decisions about what to give away (and to whom) or what to toss, and where the heck I'll find room to put the stuff that remains. I really wanted to just open a bottle of wine and forget all about eating - but I'm glad I didn't, and had a big bowl of soup for dinner, instead. So far, so good...but I'm really glad that there isn't a bag of potato chips in the house!
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Post by rikita on Oct 27, 2015 23:09:20 GMT
managed to eat relatively little today and yesterday (though still more calories than what you manage, really admire you for that) - which is good, as i need to "save up" some calorie allowance for saturday, as we'll have a halloween party for the kids, and there'll be lots of food. considered cycling to work today, but it was pretty cold and i kind of suspect i might have an ear infection, so i took the train after all. part of me feels like i should have cycled ...
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Post by mossie on Oct 28, 2015 8:20:23 GMT
Good for you Mich. Sounds like you have enough determination and self discipline to succeed, I wish you luck.
For myself have always been the lucky one, until I retired never being above 70Kg, generally about 65. But I put that down to a healthy upbringing when because of rationing and money, food was in relatively short supply, we did not have cars. We children were extremely active and could seemly keep going all day. Then farmwork, which was real work in those days, and then the RAF kept me fit. I then pursued a reasonably active career.
Summing up I would say exercise is key, followed by sensible diet, but do not obsess about it. Counting calories meant nothing to me until I went to Las Vegas and couldn't walk past a woman on the sidewalk because she was too wide. Then I went to a buffet and saw a notice on the dessert counter saying "These portions all contain 1000 calories"
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Post by mickthecactus on Oct 28, 2015 8:23:30 GMT
Eat less. Move more.
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Post by lagatta on Oct 28, 2015 12:55:10 GMT
Mossie, that kind of morbid obesity one sees in certain places is deeply disturbing, even though I tend to be on the chubby side. I dread that I could look (and above all have the attendant lack of mobility and health problems) if I weren't active, or if I fell into depression while having ready access to crap food and lots of drink (as in Vegas buffets, though I've never been there and have no interest in doing so).
I have a friend who is like that in miniature, she is less than 5'/1m55 tall and about as wide as she is tall (after two very difficult, bedridden pregnancies) and she is practically incapable of doing any exercise, even walking. This makes it very hard for her to lose weight, even if she eats ver little.
I'm sure you remember other kinds of ill health when you were a child and very young man, though. You were born before the NHS, no?
When did the type of eating patterns more typical of the US take hold in the UK? Now chexbres says that French restaurant portions are creeping up to US portion sizes, would others agree?
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Post by mossie on Oct 28, 2015 19:56:03 GMT
Yes, I predate the NHS by 16 years. In the good old days my father subscribed to a "Friendly Society" called The Oddfellows into which he paid weekly. This enabled him to have the doctor for about 7/6 (37.5p) per visit. I was most annoyed to get tonsillitis during the Easter holidays 1945 when I was 12. My mother called the doctor in. He took one look down my throat and said "we shall have to have his tonsils out, I'll arrange that for the summer holiday!!" At least I was promised that in the childrens ward I would get ice cream AND jelly, delicacies we did not get as the war was still going.
I duly went into Folkestone hospital in August and lost both tonsils and adenoids. But because the childrens ward was full, I was in the mens ward, so no goodies! This was full of wounded soldiers from the fighting on the continent. What really sticks in my mind is that VJ Day occurred while I was there and the services had the most glorious fireworks display down in the harbour, which we could see from the window.
But the NHS served my family well, my wife had something called Lupus which was not diagnosed until the '70's. This caused problems with our first two children, our daughter dying of complications at 19. My wife also had to have both knees replaced in later life, the last one causing an infection which meant she did not get the necessary physiotherapy. As a result she had severe mobility problems and had to be pushed round the shops in a wheelchair which lived in the boot of the car. She could manage short slow distances with a sort of baby walker, dementia finished her eventually, but that's life as they say.
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Post by htmb on Oct 28, 2015 20:21:46 GMT
You've experienced some very tough times, Mossie. Yet, you are an amazing individual with lots of grit. I'm certainly a big fan.
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Post by mossie on Oct 28, 2015 20:47:42 GMT
No, that was the way I was brought up. My mother was a very strong woman and there was absolutely no molly coddling. "Don't make a fuss" was her watchword. She had the tough times, left school at 14 to go 'into service' as a skivvy in a big house. Then 3 boys which she had to bring up while my father worked long hours and then spent time on his allotment growing all our vegetables. Then he joined the RAF in 1940, leaving her to cope with me at 8, another brother at 7 and the youngest son barely a year old. He was born 2 days after the war started and she had to cope when the war threw various difficulties at us. So it is a good upbringing that I owe my forthrightness to.
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Post by rikita on Oct 28, 2015 23:26:43 GMT
When did the type of eating patterns more typical of the US take hold in the UK? Now chexbres says that French restaurant portions are creeping up to US portion sizes, would others agree? i can't say for sure, and especially can't say for the UK or France, but here i think eating patterns started changing as soon as people were less poor. since meat and fat and sugar and similar things always were considered good for you, and were luxury items, if they suddenly could afford them every day, why not eat them ... (of course there are lots of people who don't do that - just like in the US). of course, the extreme things with 1000+ calory desserts aren't that common here yet, but they will come too, i suppose ...
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Post by mich64 on Oct 29, 2015 1:45:55 GMT
Mossie I do think most of us here admire your strength and spirit. I think I have mentioned before that you describe life experiences with frankness but also with modesty and compassion. Mick, I hope to remember your words each and every day, eat less and move more, that is my plan. Lagatta, my experience is that meal sizes are increasing where we have visited in Europe over the past 12 years but they are still not as large as most North American restaurants. I did find on our recent trip to Ireland that I frequently did not finish my meals. Facebook dessert photos from family members in France and Belgium show some huge ice cream desserts! They look so delicious and I estimate they may be close to 1000 calories as well. Chexbres, the tread mill was put together today! I will begin tomorrow. I have to remember my limitations and begin slowly, there is no other option for me. I have been told of these plateaus that you are experiencing and have been advised to then make changes in the exercise routine and the food choices to stimulate the metabolism again. Maybe this might help you? Eat less, move more, eat less, move more... and so it begins.
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Post by mickthecactus on Oct 29, 2015 8:22:43 GMT
Indeed. Huge admiration Mossie.
Some years ago I worked with a guy (in Norwich Mossie!)whose son had been killed some years before in a car crash. He said eventually you learn to live with it but never forget it. You can get over parents dying and even partner but never children and I would think grandchildren would be even worse.
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Post by chexbres on Oct 30, 2015 9:45:34 GMT
Today, the scale finally moved a bit in the right direction, so that's good for keeping my spirits up. Also, I am now able to wear a belt again, instead of just letting my belly hold up my pants. So, progress...
I've increased the time I walk my dog, which is fairly painless to do, since the time passes by more quickly when I have to concentrate on what she's trying to lick off the sidewalk. I have been troubled by terrible leg cramps at night - but I discovered that I wasn't drinking enough water, so have fixed that and am sleeping much better.
I've found acceptable substitutes for many foods that have more calories than I want to eat. Last night, I sliced and roasted a "potimarron" (red Kuri squash) and ate half of it, with some roast chicken. It tastes similar to a sweet potato, but lots fewer calories.
This afternoon, I have to go to a wedding and reception, so plan to enjoy myself without overdoing it too much. Then tomorrow, things will go back to normal. You're right, mossie and mich - eat less, move more - and so it continues!
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Post by lagatta on Oct 30, 2015 12:08:42 GMT
Potimarron is really good. I only regret that I don't know how to use the seeds...
I hope you're having (you've had...) a good time at your party and enjoyed a bit of wine and a (smallish) portion of very good food.
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Post by whatagain on Oct 30, 2015 12:26:40 GMT
I'm amazed at the candour and niceness (? being nice) on this forum. There is also a lot of strength coming from many of your posts.
On weight : I lost some weight this week, due to eating less, drinking less : no good wine in China, and I discover every time I'm on business trips with a group of colleagues that I'm no fan of beer - anymore. Plus we were with 2 Indians who were teetotallers (did I get this one correct ? No alochol drinkers).
Reading about jelly in wards in 45 - I ate what I thought were alguae this trip (I usually try about everything I'm offered). Found it good but a little bit crisp. Then told it was some kind of jelly. Until my colleague, much less an idiot than myself (ok, scuba diver too) explained I was eating jellyfish. (j'en suis encore médusé - joke for the frenchspeaking, impossible to translate).
It was good actually. :-)
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Post by rikita on Oct 30, 2015 12:47:48 GMT
sounds interesting, didn't know you could eat jellyfish ...
i ate a bit much yesterday - there was a meeting at agnes' daycare, and there were cookies, so i had a few. then at home i calculated what i had eaten during the day, and as it was not that much, i allowed myself some sweets (still have half the box of chocolates mr. r. gave me for my birthday two weeks ago). only this morning i realized that i had not written down the cookies from the daycare, so with cookies and chocolates, it added up to a lot. wouldn't be a problem, as i could even that out the next days - except i was trying to "save up" for tomorrow, as we are having a halloween party and people are bringing good food, and i am baking muffins ...
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Post by chexbres on Oct 31, 2015 10:03:40 GMT
ParisWat - meduse was a good one! I like your puns - even though I have to look up some of them Well, yesterday started out very well, but by the time the reception started, the diet went out the window. The meal was a sit-down affair, and there wasn't any choice about what to eat or drink. Even worse, almost everything was really tasty and I was seated next to the bride's father, who kept insisting "Mange, mange!" I had a little too much champagne, so am paying for that this morning. Fortunately, I have absolutely no desire to eat anything! But all that happened yesterday, and today is another day. So far, so good. I do have a fridge filled with lots of different vegetables that I had blanched so they are ready to eat as is, or put in some kind of recipe. I hated not eating those seeds, too, but cleaning the junk off them just takes too much time.
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Post by lagatta on Oct 31, 2015 18:32:12 GMT
I don't know how to remove the shells.
Don't worry about a "free day" for a wedding party. The people who have to really worry about that are people who have to take part in suppers or official functions as part of their jobs. Some women especially, as those official meals are designed for men, and on average we need fewer calories (alas!)
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Post by rikita on Oct 31, 2015 22:53:37 GMT
i tried a few times to make something out of the seeds of potimarron, and it never turned out well, so now i just throw them out.
well today was the halloween party, so in the end i decided not to think about calories. there was just too much nice food. i only took one of my muffins though (but admittedly have had a bit of dough here and there while baking), but then agnes only licked some of the cream off her muffin and bit into it maybe once, and then gave it to me, so i ended up eating that one, too. but i think it's alright, i did not go to any extremes, eating-wise, and i had a very small breakfast and lunch before that ... ah and also i walked to the party and back, so that was a bit more exercise than i have most days. should try to visit my brother more often though, going there on foot ...
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Post by chexbres on Nov 1, 2015 8:33:36 GMT
See - I think we're all keeping things in perspective! The two most important things are to be aware of what we do and not to beat ourselves up because we go off-track occasionally. That, and get back to our sensible routines as soon as possible.
When I sat down yesterday and figured out that I had probably consumed at least the equivalent of 3 days' worth of calories during the reception, my head hurt even more than it did due to the excess champagne. But it was good to be reminded that that's what I did, so I will pay more attention in the future.
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Post by rikita on Nov 1, 2015 9:20:25 GMT
i recently read that to get any effect on your overall weight from overeating on one day, you'd have to eat more than 3.500 kcal more than what you normally eat in a day. so if you currently eat 1000 kcal per day, you'd have to have eaten over 4.500 kcal yesterday to have any effect (and even then the effect will be very small).
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Post by bjd on Nov 1, 2015 10:05:32 GMT
I haven't bought any potimarron, but I had some pumpkin seeds that I heated (sort of grilled) in a frying pan. Then you can peel them to eat as a snack. Mind you,they are such a pain to peel that you wouldn't eat many anyway.
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