I'm Watching What I Eat (2023)

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

So it's that time of year again for me. Time to avoid standing on the scales and accept that I enjoyed Christmas, Wedding Anniversary and a big birthday a little too much, and now need to continue in shedding a few kilos.

I'm still aiming to get back down below 60kg. I can't say what I am now because I'm avoiding the scales. I have a long relationship with them and it mostly involves me not standing on them and not wanting to.

I'm not starting the weight loss this week but will in earnest next week when hubby returns to work. This week will be mostly aiming to reduce what I have been eating and eat the remaining temptations in the house. I'm fine at dieting if and only if the packet isn't open. Once a packet of whatever is open, I have to eat it all. So this week is a case of removing temptation and planning on dropping the calories without actually starting the 'diet'.

 

[TastyReuben]

Once a packet of whatever is open, I have to eat it all.

It’s interesting you say that, because I’m the same way, sort of; I don’t need the packet to be opened, just in the house.

It’s something in my psyche, I view eating things like that (crisps, cookies, cheese, etc) as a task, in a way. If there are five packets of crisps in the cupboard, I’ll eat one a day until they’re gone - whether I want them or not.

Same thing with individual pieces of fruit, which is fortunate, I suppose.

 

[Windigo]

I've been at around 100 kg/ 220 lbs now since a month, due to the diagnosed malnourishment I haven't wanted to lose or gain and that's going well.
I know it's still a number that's too high, but I am down from stage 3 obesity to stage 1, and that's a major improvement already. There's no rush to lose more, and my general health is also fragile right now. Once treatment has started I'll aim to go down another 25 kg so I can be 'overweight' and shed the obesity.

 

[Herbaceous]

I’m in the same boat - partly thanks to the broken ankle. I’ve not been able to exercise, and predictably, I’ve gained weight. Hoping to lose maybe 10-15 lbs over the next few months, although I’m still not fully weight-bearing. I can’t wait to be able to get back to my regular activities!

 

[TastyReuben]

Ok...I think either MrsT has hit the dreaded weight-loss plateau that most dieters reach at some point, or it's residual holiday calories, but over the last two weeks, she's managed to lose a total of just 0.6 pounds.

I've also gained, going up as high as 179.5 pounds, and right now, I'm hopefully head back down, because I weighed in at 179 this morning. Half-a-pound one way or the other doesn't mean much, but maybe I'm pointed in the right direction.

 

[Windigo]

Sometimes a measurement gives more insight than the weight loss in lbs or kilo's. I'm wearing new set of trousers now, in a US size 12. I used to wear size 18/20 most of my life, so this is significant.

In European continental sizes I've gone down from 46/48 to 40/42 (the latter being average for women in my country). I like these pants, they're certainly motivating to keep the weight off!

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

So I weighed myself this morning. Yuck, not impressed at all. But it happens every Christmas. Thankfully the hot, dry weather has now started which makes dieting so much easier.

I'm trying to track what I eat in MyFitnessPal and as always I've hit all the usual problems with what I'm consuming either not being on there (stuff I've purchased) or I need to actually add as a recipe (such as my pesto) and guess at the number of portions it will make. But I've made a start. I've faced off the biggest hurdle so far and that's standing on the scales. I'm slightly more than I was this time last year and because I need to get my hip replaced sooner than expected, I need to get a much off as possible, so I'm serious in trying MFP yet again.

Off to create that recipe for pesto that we're eating tonight.

 

[TastyReuben]

I'm trying to track what I eat in MyFitnessPal

I’ve tried tracking meals in that app. I hate it.

 

[Windigo]

I’ve tried tracking meals in that app. I hate it.

Well you and SatNavSaysStraightOn apparently have a completely different experience than I do.

I've been doing it against your advice and I've lost as easily as I had with WW, the only reason I'm not under 100 yet is because I chose to stay stable for a while. But I guess it depends on where you live a lot, I can see the potential for problems.

 

[caseydog]

When I get home from Houston, I'll need to watch what I eat. I'm staying with my sister, and she easts out WAY too much. The foods she has in her house are mostly processed meals -- most of them 'low fat' processed meals that leave you hungry after you eat them. On my way from the airport to my sister's house, I stop at the grocery store to buy stuff for me to eat. But, that doesn't help if we eat out almost every night.

I need to get back to my normal 'grazing' style of eating, and focus more on fruits and veggies, and less on meats -- and no fried foods -- for a few weeks.

My sister is seriously overweight... actually, seriously obese. There is absolutely no advice I can giver her that she will listen to. She mentioned last night over dinner at her favorite Mexican restaurant that she needs to lose the six pounds she gained on her recent cruise. I wanted to say, "No, you need to lose 60 pounds." That would still make her heavier than me, and I could stand to lose about ten pounds -- and I am 8 inches taller than she is.

Just so nobody thinks I'm "fat shaming" on my sister, I don't care what she looks like. She is flirting with a heart attack. She is a Registered Nurse in a major Houston hospital, so she knows it. She's in denial, and I can't fix that.

If we went to a restaurant, and I tried to order an alcoholic beverage, she would dress me down, big time. But, I can't do that if she orders a 1,000 calorie slice of cheesecake. She's got to make up her own mind that she needs to change what she's doing.

And, when I get home, I'm going to have to eat more rabbit food, and less of the food I really want to eat... at least for a while. I can live with that.

CD

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

When I get home from Houston, I'll need to watch what I eat. I'm staying with my sister, and she easts out WAY too much. The foods she has in her house are mostly processed meals -- most of them 'low fat' processed meals that leave you hungry after you eat them. On my way from the airport to my sister's house, I stop at the grocery store to buy stuff for me to eat. But, that doesn't help if we eat out almost every night.

I need to get back to my normal 'grazing' style of eating, and focus more on fruits and veggies, and less on meats -- and no fried foods -- for a few weeks.

My sister is seriously overweight... actually, seriously obese. There is absolutely no advice I can giver her that she will listen to. She mentioned last night over dinner at her favorite Mexican restaurant that she needs to lose the six pounds she gained on her recent cruise. I wanted to say, "No, you need to lose 60 pounds." That would still make her heavier than me, and I could stand to lose about ten pounds -- and I am 8 inches taller than she is.

Just so nobody thinks I'm "fat shaming" on my sister, I don't care what she looks like. She is flirting with a heart attack. She is a Registered Nurse in a major Houston hospital, so she knows it. She's in denial, and I can't fix that.

If we went to a restaurant, and I tried to order an alcoholic beverage, she would dress me down, big time. But, I can't do that if she orders a 1,000 calorie slice of cheesecake. She's got to make up her own mind that she needs to change what she's doing.

And, when I get home, I'm going to have to eat more rabbit food, and less of the food I really want to eat... at least for a while. I can live with that.

CD

I have similar issues with my entire family (as in parents, brothers and sister. I'm the only one who has ever held a sensible weight or been fit and I know our eating disorders stem from our mother's constant fad dieting when we were growing up. I have no memory of my mother at a sensible weight. My memories of her buying clothes are of her trying to find something big enough at a time in the 80's & 90's when Marks & Spencer only went up to a size 18 (UK sizing) and she needed 22 or greater.

I was anorexic as a teenager because of her and the peer pressure of an all girls school but not helped by the fact that my parents never cooked anything vegetarian and went out of their way to make it as hard as possible rather than help.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Well you and SatNavSaysStraightOn apparently have a completely different experience than I do.

You're lucky then and I'm glad it works for you. But they don't for those who cook from scratch (irrespective of where you live) unless you type each and every recipe in by hand. (Yes if it is an online recipe you can link to it, but mine usually are not online unless I've written them up here on CB)

Today only the Dorset Cereals Berry Granola I ate for breakfast scanned. (And until recently, I'd have had to create an entry for breakfast manually as well because i was making my own Granola before covid). Everything else I've had to scan and edit, scan and add, or create from scratch. I'll spend the next 3 months making meals from scratch in it so I can calorie count. But I rarely eat anything pre-made or ready to eat from the supermarket unless hubby is away from home and that assumes I don't want anything I made from the freezer (which will need me to make a recipe for and remember how many servings it made etc).

If you live off ready meals, tinned products, supermarket freezer food or 'here is a bag of mixed veg to roast' like my sister does, it would probably work easily. Scan the barcode, enter quantity and you're away.

But I don't and can't with most stuff (my Saturday night usual might just work) so there is no option but to spend a good 30-45 minutes everyday looking up recipes and trying to recreate them in MFP to calorie count. It would be the same no matter what app I used.

For example. I drink coconut water everyday for its high potassium because I have hypokalaemia and I am to retain more potassium in liquid form than in tablet for. So I went to scan the barcode of the coconut water. They're are 2 major supermarkets in Australia, Coles & Woolworths. And Woolies own brand coconut water isn't in the database. I suspect other brands probably will not be either but I won't know until I change brand at the next monthly shop (moving to the cheapest on offer). It accounts for some 8-10% of my calories at present, so needs to be taken into account, not ignored or changed to a different brand because coconut water varies highly both in calories and in potassium. This one isn't a sweet as many others, but has a decent amount of potassium and I drink 500ml a day of it.

Obviously the pesto I made at the weekend won't be in the database. It is also not similar to shop bought dairy free pesto, so i can't substitute, so that has to be entered manually. I grabbed the 2 bags of nuts from the top of the bin to scan the barcode. And I scanned the barcode of the olive oil I use, thought it would be easier if I did that. 1 of the nuts was in, the other wasn't. The oil (is a locally grown oil) wasn't it, but that didn't surprise me, I just settled for any old extra virgin olive oil instead. I was surprised that the nuts were not in the database though.

I'm not expecting the shop bought frozen vegan ravioli were having tonight to be in the database either. It would be nice but it's unrealistic to expect it. And yes, I do add them, but it gets tiring constantly having to add things manually. I won't probably have these ravioli again after this bag for maybe a year if they are nice. We don't eat them that often. It's just the 2 meals I had planned can't be made at present and both will need to be entered manually as a recipe. Only the rice will probably scan, actually I don't even know that my brown basmati rice is going to scan thinking about it! I don't eat Tilda microwave rice like my sister, so it may it may not scan. I do know that in all likelihood that the beer we've got at present will scan because it's a UK brand and sold in Tescos in Scotland, so I'm guessing it will be in the database.

Every single day is like that every time I try to log food with MFP.

 

[caseydog]

I have similar issues with my entire family (as in parents, brothers and sister. I'm the only one who has ever held a sensible weight or been fit and I know our eating disorders stem from our mother's constant fad dieting when we were growing up. I have no memory of my mother at a sensible weight. My memories of her buying clothes are of her trying to find something big enough at a time in the 80's & 90's when Marks & Spencer only went up to a size 18 (UK sizing) and she needed 22 or greater.

I was anorexic as a teenager because of her and the peer pressure of an all girls school but not helped by the fact that my parents never cooked anything vegetarian and went out of their way to make it as hard as possible rather than help.

My sister's eating issues came late in life. She and I were both swimmers as kids, and into our college years. She was 'petite' well into her thirties. She just kind of gave up at some point. Some people get high on drugs, others on booze... my sister uses food to "feel good," even if she only feels good when she's eating.

My parents have never had weight issues, either. My 88 year old mom weighs less than 100 pounds, and recently acquired a sweet tooth. We are all for her eating as many calories as possible, because she was losing muscle mass. We keep her well stocked with high calorie snacks, because she needs them.

When I gain too much weight, I feel like crap, and that is my motivation to lose weight. I'm all about feeling good (which is why I drank more than what was good for me for too long). I feel my best when I am between 165 and 175 pounds. Less than 165, I start to feel a bit weak. Over 175, I start to feel burdened by my weight.

CD

 

[Windigo]

You're lucky then and I'm glad it works for you. But they don't for those who cook from scratch (irrespective of where you live) unless you type each and every recipe in by hand. (Yes if it is an online recipe you can link to it, but mine usually are not online unless I've written them up here on CB)

I do cook from scratch most of the time, and I agree it is a hassle. I also wouldn't recommend the app for everyone for that reason. But I have dieted for half my life, so what the app doesn't know I do know and I think that makes the difference. I agree that it's not a suitable app for everyone.

Today only the Dorset Cereals Berry Granola I ate for breakfast scanned. (And until recently, I'd have had to create an entry for breakfast manually as well because i was making my own Granola before covid). Everything else I've had to scan and edit, scan and add, or create from scratch. I'll spend the next 3 months making meals from scratch in it so I can calorie count. But I rarely eat anything pre-made or ready to eat from the supermarket unless hubby is away from home and that assumes I don't want anything I made from the freezer (which will need me to make a recipe for and remember how many servings it made etc).

Yeah I agree it's a lot of work. And probably I can afford to make some mistakes with it because I am eating about 750 cals under my TDEE so I lose weight even if I miscalculate due to my large margin. When you don't have so much weight to lose as I have it gets harder because the margin is much smaller.

If you live off ready meals, tinned products, supermarket freezer food or 'here is a bag of mixed veg to roast' like my sister does, it would probably work easily. Scan the barcode, enter quantity and you're away.

Well I do use more convenience foods than I used to, like indeed frozen veg / fruit and pre peeled potatoes etc. No ready made meals though unless it's sometimes pizza or snacks.

I'm not expecting the shop bought frozen vegan ravioli were having tonight to be in the database either. It would be nice but it's unrealistic to expect it. And yes, I do add them, but it gets tiring constantly having to add things manually. I won't probably have these ravioli again after this bag for maybe a year if they are nice. We don't eat them that often. It's just the 2 meals I had planned can't be made at present and both will need to be entered manually as a recipe. Only the rice will probably scan, actually I don't even know that my brown basmati rice is going to scan thinking about it! I don't eat Tilda microwave rice like my sister, so it may it may not scan. I do know that in all likelihood that the beer we've got at present will scan because it's a UK brand and sold in Tescos in Scotland, so I'm guessing it will be in the database.

Every single day is like that every time I try to log food with MFP.

Yes, I get the frustration especially because it's very time consuming. I do regocnize that. And the more complex meals are the higher the chance that you can't find an ingredient. I just estimate based on experience, and have calculated mistakes in my calories deficiency. That saves me now, but when I get to lower weight I realize it might no longer and I will consult an RD instead for a meal plan.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I'm currently trying a 1,200 calorie day.
Nearly 10% of that will be in drinks despite me actually preferring the diet lemon cordial to the regular one, and ½L if a lower calorie coconut water. With it being 31°C on and off since 10am, only just dropping to 26°C now at nearly 7pm. I'm drinking almost twice my normal amount, so around 4L a day. I sweat more than most always have done.

Today I'm over by 200 calories. That's a wide margin to be over by, so guesswork isn't going to work for me with me being on steroids.

If you end up on prednisolone long term, you'll soon find out why. I'm on hydrocortisone twice daily (it's meant to be 3 times daily but I prefer twice which my endocrinologist has agreed to, the daily total is still the same though). It makes weight loss much harder as does getting older, chronic pain and so on. You know the score.

I'll just mark the first few days down to could do better and be to increase exercise. That won't happen tomorrow, I have to be out of the house before 8:30am and right now, 7am is about the only time it is cool enough to exercise in a home without air-conditioning. Summer has apparently arrived and straight into heatwave and now low humidity, so increased bush fire risk.