Middle child and I went to a 4H Dog Show in the morning.
Then we went to a high school graduation open house all afternoon.
(It was after the open house that we had the blood sugar excitement with my mom's husband - see yesterday's post).
I actually slept in the car for the first two hours of the dog show. Then I went in and watched the last hour and a half. I am very allergic to dogs - but being in the same building did not appear to set off my asthma/allergies. If I am bad later in the week - remind me it is fall out from Saturday.
Before we went to the dog show - I ate eggbeaters omelet and a serving of oatmeal.
Nothing at the show.
On the way home we ran two errands for my mom.
So the plan was to jump in the shower and change out of the 'dog air clothes'. Jump into fresh clothes and run to the open house.
I comment to the middle child (running the errands) that I was trying to figure out what to do about food.
She suggested eating one serving of cottage cheese (to hold me). And then eating at the open house.
Got home - no cottage cheese - which is VERY unusual for me. (Later - we went FLYING to the store while my mom was pumping the juice and food into her husband - in case I had to pack food and be at the hospital all night.)
So, I hoped for the best and went to the open house HUNGRY.
There was a HUGE veggie tray - and I ate as much as I wanted - in two sessions - one at 2pm when we got there and another at 5pm when we were leaving.
I also ate meatballs which would have been HIGH calorie counts (both carbs and fat and SALT) - but at least were protein.
I also ate veggie pizza - which would have also been high calorie counts (both carbs and fat) but at least had some nutritional merit. I decided I would rather have the veggie pizza than anything that was straight sugar/carbs (desserts). So that is what I did.
And then I did not eat anything else for the rest of the day. And both of these sessions were MEALS - I did not pick at food all day.
This is my only off (8 week) plan day - so far - and it did not stress me. It was a baseline day. Not a carb up day. If it had been a carb up day - it probably would have been more in line. And the next day (Sunday) - I knew was a carb down day - so it would balance out at bit.
I am writing this on Sunday. And what I do notice is this: I am carb hungry. And I know this is pure science. I ate over processed carbs - so now I am going to have to white knuckle it all day today - the next day.
And it is good that today (Sunday) is a carb down day.
Because that makes it CLEARLY defineable.
My oatmeal for breakfast is IT for the day. The rest of the day is veggies and protein. And only the safe veggies - the dark green stuff. Not the borderline fruit/starch veggies (no peas, carrots, tomatoes, etc).
And once I white knuckle it through today (Sunday) - it will be easier.
And were the veggie pizza and the meatballs worth the trouble? I sort of think they were. They tasted good. Calorie wise they were not totally out of control - of what was there - they were the lesser evil. It is just - today - chemically - they are a pain in the ass. (No migraine if you were wondering).
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
13 comments:
I know exactly what you mean...the days after higher "bad" carbs, my body seems to feel a little craving. I like it that the plan is structured to go up and down...I think it makes our bodies work. And the days when I'm not perfect, I often lose a lot the next day when I am perfect. That's kinda built into the plan, I think.
I also think you did really well with making your choices...with this plan, there are no forbidden foods and if you know what kind of day you are on, you can make the best choices possible if you have to have a meal out.
How did the day after end up going?
Just curioius, what do they do at the 4h dog show?
Here, the kids raise livestock.
Your middle one is a smart girl!
You're so much better at this than I am! But I'm learning a great deal from you...
Dog show is different from when I did it. Here the kids have their own big dog building that is set up with fenced in areas (inside) for the three different parts.
The first section - the dogs are heeling, sitting, doing figure 8's around people - all WITH the kid.
the next section - they leave the dogs in a stay position for a short time (walk away from them).
Both of the first sections it is just them and their dog.
third section is a group of 6 kids with their dogs and there is a long sit and a long down. So the kids are all putting their dogs in sit - all crossing all the way across fenced in area - and the dogs have to stay for (I think) 8 minutes.
Then everyone gets dressed up (kids) for the final part - and it is just like a dog show - all running around the ring (slow motion running) with their dog - putting them in a wide legged stand for the judge to examine them -they even have the tables to stand littler dogs so the judge can see them. They do L's (walking down one side and across the other in an L shape and then coming back to judge - kid and their dog - one at a time).
Day after - was not terrible. But I don't think I have terrible (any more). It was totally expected - and didn't matter in the sense that it was not going to impact what I ATE - what I was going to eat was SET - regardless of the wants. My impulse control is now that of a 48 year old and not a 4 year old. . .
Your comment cracked me up--I posted, I posted. :)
It's interesting to me that oatmeal is allowed on the carb down day, but tomatoes and carrots are not. For me if I eat grains/potatoes/corn I gain weight, if I don't I lose. Meat & vegetables are very easy to keep track of. I don't actually have to count carbs this way.
No, I'm not trying to convert you to my diet plan (paleo/primal) - diet plans are definitely not one size fits all! Obviously what you are doing is working for you, but if I ate oatmeal I would feel the need devour everything in sight. I'll stick with eggs. :)
I have learned to copy questions - because sometimes people have a freak out and erase and then it is lost:
Maryls asked:
It's interesting to me that oatmeal is allowed on the carb down day, but tomatoes and carrots are not. For me if I eat grains/potatoes/corn I gain weight, if I don't I lose. Meat & vegetables are very easy to keep track of. I don't actually have to count carbs this way.
No, I'm not trying to convert you to my diet plan (paleo/primal) - diet plans are definitely not one size fits all! Obviously what you are doing is working for you, but if I ate oatmeal I would feel the need devour everything in sight. I'll stick with eggs. :)
The higher index 'veggies' are only to be watched for the first three weeks - then they can be added back.
Me personally - I put white potatoes, peas, corn, carrots in the same basic category. And I (me) do not eat those very often.
the starch classification (for these) is how I teach my kids too - they look like a veggie but are really starch - so have to be careful what else you eat with them so that you are not ending up with starch, starch and more starch with your starch.
I also (personally) consider beans a starch/carb (even though they have protein in them).
and in a nutrition class - they talked about the fact that they have to be very careful about giving food addicts a 'free list' because some will eat mass quantities of the free foods. So I think that is where the careful veggie list comes from. And like I said - it is just for the first three weeks - so if it is a food addict - they are not setting things off (you might not agree with this - but I am just saying this is where these 'careful and safe' veggie lists come from).
It is very good that you know your triggers - and if oatmeal gets to you - you are smart to avoid it.
I do NOT have trouble with oatmeal. It is real oatmeal - not instant - and I do not add anything (sweet) to it.
there are a lot of things that society tends to lump in as veggies that are actually fruit. first grade teacher told me if it has a seed it is really a fruit. And I tend to keep that in mind.
And I (personally) CANNOT treat fruit as a 'free' for all food and eat it willy nilly.
My last year of losing and my two (just past) years of maintenance - I ate two servings of fruit per day.
And to be honest - this is a factor of what I (now) weigh and the fact that I can be a runaway train with fruit and I know it.
At 200+lbs - I could have eaten a plate full of nearly anything - three times a day - and lost or maintained - because it would have been a limited amount eaten at meal time.
Now - cannot do the same.
And my workouts are at a high enough level - that me personally - need a safe carb - I workout in the morning - oatmeal does not do anything weird to my GI track and does not make me vomit with intense work. So it and egg beaters are really good for me in the morning.
do I love oatmeal? Yes, i guess that I do. It is a very run of the mill food for me - I avoid things that taste like a million dollars - because they are likely to set off the wants (in me).
good honest question - really enjoyed it.
And the counting carbs (g) is only for the first week of this particular plan.
then it is just eating servings from categories (protein, veggie, carb/starch) - which is what I am used to and have been doing for several years now.
On the carb down day - my oatmeal first thing in the morning is the only set carb/starch for the day. sure I am getting others in veggies - but not a lot. and at level I am now (week 3) there are two carb down (1 carb) days, two carb up days, and three baselines (two carbs) days. So the majority of what I am eating IS veggies and protein - just tends to be (mostly) the dark green kind. with a few other colors sprinkled in.
It is very interesting. Helen and I are both watching our wants, our scales, our bodies as we work through the 8 weeks. We are able to look at all this objectively without getting emotionally involved in the process. It is like a chemical science experiment - with a bonus - because we are both dropping fat.
AND -
My WANTS are totally different now than five years ago.
First of all - what I WANT - doesn't have that much to do with what I eat. (Like what I WANT does not have that much to do with what I buy.)
and
I am pretty leery of food that tastes too good to be true - because if it does - there is the piper to be paid (either in pounds or pain).
yes, I know - comments are now longer than the post - but feel free to add on - streets of blog land are pretty quiet these days and people (and ME!) will be glad to hear from you.
I would put fruit in oatmeal if I ate it, but they both just make me hungry so it's still out for me. Wheat is my biggest trigger so cereal in general is a no no.
I eat tomatoes and shredded carrots in a big salad, so the total amount is not a lot. It's mostly dark leafed lettuces and red cabbage with some kind of protein thrown in (meat or eggs, I no longer eat soy).
I agree with you on the bean/ starch thing. I don't eat a lot of them. I gained all of the weight while trying to be vegetarian and too many beans was part of that. (along with wheat, soy, and low-fat high-carb). I went back to eating meat and dropped 30 pounds. I think I have 15 to go. Like you I will re-evaluate when I get there.
I eat 1-2 servings of fruit per day and include tomatoes, peppers, etc. in my fruit count. For "real" fruits I mostly stick with berries. I love the sweeter ones, but count them as a cheat because it is easy to go overboard. You are so right in saying that fruit is not a free food.
loved what you wrote - and really we are not very different.
and I would like to point out that it is probably not WHEAT at all - that gets any/all of US - but all that goes in/with wheat. the whites (salt, sugar, baking soda, baking powder).
We rarely eat 'just wheat' (the only thing I can think of is wheat germ - but I don't have a container here to look at - and I don't think anyone eats straight/plain wheat germ - just fads that go in and out about adding it to foods).
Lots of info here in the comments!
Love to read conversations!
I can't eat grapes...big wants trigger
Post a Comment