Dan Nied's Fortress of Weight Loss: Day 37

Nothing to see here

Note: Comments are definitely turned on for the 210west blog. They have to be approved, but I will do that several times per day, and I will not edit your text in any way. So come on, let me know what's up.

WHAT I ATE TODAY
Meal 1
2 cups of corn chex
1 ½ cups skim milk
Calories: 360
fat: 1 gram

Meal 2
2 slices of wheat bread
1 can of tuna
fat free mayo
Calories: 290
Fat: 3.5 grams

Meal 3
1 Pumello (I have no clue what nutritional value this freakishly large, bastardization of a grapefruit contains, so I will estimate.)
Calories: 100
Fat: 0 grams

Meal 4
1 Big salad with: Lettuce, green peppers, onions, fat free cheese, fat free croutons, fat free cottage cheese.
Calories: 600 (guess high!)
Fat: 6 grams

Meal 5
1 Orange
1 Fat free yogurt (Blueberry)
Calories: 145
Fat: 0 grams

Meal 6
2 slices wheat bread
7 slices of lowfat salami
10 fat free croutons
Calories: 255
Fat: 2.5

Total calories: 1,750
Total fat: 13 grams

Exercise: Woke up at the crack of 11:30 a.m., had breakfast, and went directly to the gym. Hell yes. That was a stand against fatness if I have ever seen one! Got in a half hour on the ol’ elliptical machine, burned 500 calories, went to work. Exciting.

THE REAL REASON I BROUGHT YOU HERE TODAY
Actually, the real reason I brought you here today was to tell you all about my gallbladder surgery, which was going to be a great post, full of reflection, humor and life lessons. However, I seem to have waited until 2 a.m. to begin, and it turns out I am super tired.

So that got postponed. Hopefully you’ll see it on Monday.

But, with that idea off the table, I really have nothing on topic to write about. I mean, overall, things are going pretty good with the diet. I can’t really complain.

The only thing that really bothers me is how big of a struggle the middle of the week has been lately. The problem, again, is the work schedule. Thursday wasn’t bad at all, though. Lots of fruit, some vegetables even, not that much fat. Under 2,000 calories. AND I went to the gym today.

Though yesterday, I wasn’t totally happy with the eating. I did have to fight a fast-food urge around 10 p.m. I ended up doing something really weird: I went to the liquor store on my corner, and purchased canned chunks of roast beef and a can of clams. The whole thing was pretty good as far as fat and calories are concerned. But I really don’t know why I chose that meal over anything I had in the house.

For the record, it was about as delicious as it sounds.

So anyway, with nothing on my mind, let’s answer some comments.

From: maskay
Comment: Great job! I look forward to you columns. You've motivated me to join a program to lose weight at work. I hope I can be as successful as you are!

See what’s happening here? I am an icon. No, I don’t believe that, but it seems the blog is having the desired effect. What I want, honestly, is for people to look forward to reading this, and then take something away from it. So Maskay, thanks for reading, and it’s really not that hard to be successful in this. Just find a plan that works. Though, it did take me years to do just that.

From: alexandria jackson
Comments: Wow. Again you amaze me with your honesty. Listen, I'll admit I am NOT the best person to talk you into how to cope with office offerings. These are 'hiccups' you have to work through. Again I say that denying yourself in such a situation leads to bingeing and further unhealthy choices. You had one bad day in a so-so week. Big deal? Overall, you at least went to the gym 3 x right? That's great! And overall, you made better choices than before, right?

Listen, you aren't doing the bulemia thing and you aren't totally blowing it. These are great accomplishments. Perhaps your scale expectations are a bit too much for you to handle? Ease up there, buddy. You're doing a great job. You have lost 13 pounds in one month and that may seem like a little to you but I'd kill to lose that much in a month. Keep your spirits up! I was worried about you! We are out here waiting for your posts - happy or sad, good week or bad, we're out here cheering you on. (and hey, if you have to picture Alyssa Milano in a cheerleading outfit, yeah, that's what your fans all look like).

Alexandria, we’ve already discussed that I picture you more as a Salma Hayek type. But really, Alyssa Milano could work too.

Anyway, I think you and I are on the same page when it comes to this diet. The odd thing is that everything you said there, I have already thought in some way. Still, I think that in order to keep the focus on the task at hand, I have to be uniquely hard on myself during the bad days.

It is easy to let one unplanned bad day throw the whole thing out of whack. I’ve done it plenty of times, and I know a lot of other fatties have done it to. You are cruising along for a few days, maybe even a few weeks, and then you decide it is ok to give in to an urge. And so you do, and then the next day you rationalize yourself into giving in to another urge, because hell, two bad days can’t undo the amazingly healthy week you just turned in. And then all of a sudden, you are back where you started, and you are planning your next weight-loss attempt.

When I have a bad day, I know it isn’t the end of the world. I know that I won’t wake up the next day having gained all 17 pounds back. But I do understand that it is a bit of a slippery slope. Mind you, I am talking about unplanned bad days. Sunday, when I enjoy my annual Super Bowl Sandwich, I will do so with a big smile on my face, knowing both the consequences of that sandwich and what I put in to earn it.

But when I give in to urges and ruin an entire day, I always have to pause before I go to bed, and think to myself “This didn’t help me achieve my goal. I can’t let this day fuck up all the work I have put in so far. Tomorrow will be a perfect day.”

Not coincidentally, the next day usually is perfect as far as eating goes. It’s about climbing back on the wagon as quickly as possible.

From: Jojo
Comment: Dan, I am impressed with your efforts.......but please add some fat to your diet!!!! You will most definitely cave in to the chicken wings and cake when your body is in need of fat. Trust me. I did the whole low cal/low fat thing and really messed up my metabolism. It took several years (and getting over the fear of fat) to become a hot chick!! You just need some balance and will do great. You seem very dedicated to this and I wish you the best of luck!!!!

That’s an interesting theory about the fat. Certainly it makes sense. On the off days, I get plenty of fat. But on the 90 percent of days when I am eating right, I barely get any. Check today: 13 grams. That’s gotta be a new low. But I have to admit that I am wary of fat. I don’t trust it. I won’t use olive oil to cook, because it is high in fat (even if it is the good kind). As I settle into this, I may experiment a little bit. But for now, I’ll stick with the super low fat, and just fight the urges as they come.

All right, that’s it for today. Back Monday after the Super Bowl Sandwich.