A glass of tomato juice. ( 52 cals)
2 Weetbix with (107 cals)
1C So Good light soy milk (122 cals)
Splenda
A boiled egg (71 cals)
A wholemeal english muffin with (159 cals)
5gm lite margarine and (18 cals)
5 gm strawberry jam. (13 cals)
Coffee with about 40 ml Hi-Lo milk. (20 cals)

2 Wholemeal Saltine crackers divided into 8 little pieces, topped with (110 cals)
100gm cottage cheese and (91 cals)
1 tomato. (19 cals)
A small tin of pumpkin soup. (117 cals)
A small pear. (81 cals)
Coffee with about 40 ml Hi-Lo milk. (20 cals)

2 (tot 130gm) skinless chicken thighs, roasted with herbs and w/o added fat (98 cals)
a medium sized potato (microwaved with skin), (160 cals)
a large salad with lettuce (4 cals),1 tomato (19 cals) , 1 carrot (21 cals), 1 med stalk celery (6 cals), ½ medium cucumber (10 cals), 2 med.mushrooms (8 cals), 5 snow peas (7 cals), 3 sliced olives, (12 cals)
A little no fat, lite dressing. (4 cals)
A tub of diet apricot yoghurt (82 cals)


Total calories: 1431

I don’t normally count calories, I just wondered what an ordinary day’s worth of my food looked like, seeing as I think I eat heaps.

Edit: I just noticed that I didn't actually have that yoghurt last night - it's still in the fridge. What a difference from Saturday!

I went for a walk in the bush at a nearby open space today with my husband and our dog. Brisk. 22 mins.

Water: 1500 ml Bed: 12.30

It was interesting having another look at what I eat. I reckon I could have a smaller tomato juice at breakfast time and still be having as much as I need. I don't especially look for it. Also I could cut back to half a muffin now. A full breakfast like the one above has been making me feel a bit too full, and I am not ready to eat lunch when I should be. Also I noticed that pumpkin is a controlled vegetable, though still ok to fit in with a tomato at lunch time. However the vege soup I have been buying, I now see has potato as a main ingredient! So that's less satisfactory from my point of view. It could be useful if I was in a terrific rush - I'll check it later.

i for one like counting calories. it makes me feel like i'm keeping myself on-track. You obviously choose good foods to eat... thats a lot for such little calories. good for you. keep it up!

This is for yesterday. Monday 11 December.
For some reason I could get in last night but it wouldn't accept my post.

School holidays can be stressful. Today was a good example. I ended up thinking my blood pressure’s going up, and doing some deep breathing while I was preparing dinner. (It helped a lot). In the morning I wasted time trying for ages to do something on the computer that I didn't achieve, and then lost over an hour to delousing my girl’s hair. Then the worst bits were worrying that I had already bought the wrong computer for my son and trying to find out about upgrading it which makes me feel ignorant and stupid anyway, while I was also feeling guilty and that was making it harder to think straight. Then my son rang up (husband: “He wants to speak to you”.), to say his bike has been stolen. Second one in three months. So then my husband is wanting to act cool about the bike but actually still angry....
It was a crumby day. Still it's just ordinary crumby, not really a disaster.

I wasn't seriously thinking about breaking my plan, but I can still feel the bogey woman nearby ready to say “Give it up, it’s too much trouble, hide out here…….”

Walked the 30 minute route – a bit more slowly I think, concentrating on enjoying it. Those sheoaks are great. I swear it’s like they talk to me. Relaaaax. Relaaaax..

Breakfast ~ 8:30 1 slice wholemeal toast, 1 tspn margarine, 1 tspn strawberry jam, 1 boiled egg. 2 weetbix, Splenda, 1 C SoGood, 1/2 C coffee with 50ml Hi-Lo milk Lunch 1:30 ~ 2 Salada wholemeal crackers (8 squares), 20 gm hard cheese, 1 tomato, 1 carrot, 1 kiwi fruit . Snack 5:20 glass So Good 720 1 carrot, 1 stalk celery Dinner: 70 gm steak, 50 gm lite cheese, 100 gm corn, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, celery, carrot, capsicum, mushrooms, lite dressing. Tub of diet yoghurt. Exercise: 35 min fairly quick walk. Water: 2500ml Bedtime: 11:30

I had a dream last night that I was eating chocolate biscuits (Tim Tams). In my dream I had one before I remembered not to, then later in the dream I was somehow still eating it, thinking, but I don’t have to eat the other half, then later on I was somehow thinking that I had already eaten two, and was eating another, which was so big it seemed kind of like an éclair. There was no enjoyment in my dream just massive guilt - which was not stopping me from eating anyway. Also in my dream I was back working in a place I used to work but had somehow got left behind while all my friends were working in a new section that I didn’t think I had the skills for, also I had invited people over who would soon be expecting food but I had none in the house, also, I was supervising children but somehow not paying much attention and a principal was saying aren’t you supposed to be in there supervising their toileting………

What did I do to make myself have such a BIG GUILT dream? Buy my son a computer, after much careful investigation, that was probably not such a good choice. Not do enough housework? I woke up feeling depressed and lethargic from the dream. I feel normal now though.

Maybe it wasn’t a BIG GUILT dream. Maybe it was a FAILURE dream, a fear of failing dream. As though there is a bit of me that is very conscious of all the things I haven’t managed to do – or don’t seem to be able to do well – a whole bunch instantly spring to mind - and it was just out there having a go at me. I did have a lot of failures/mistakes on my mind yesterday – not just the ones I recorded here.

You sure 'magic' mushrooms aren't in this diet plan ??

OMG!! Is that what the problem is!! Stopping today! Promise!

PS I love your Christmas decorations.

Thank you. I guess I'm a lil ahead of everyone on here. Two weeks must be a bit pre-season-ish. I guess it's just the kid in me

Good job on not giving in (: I guess that dream personifies how you used to feel about food, and maybe you're just reflecting back on it.

At least you weren't eating the Tim Tams in real life! I had a weird feeling when I woke up early this morning too, like I'd already eaten 500 calories and would have to keep track of that later in the day. But it was only 7 am, and I THINK I fell asleep right after that, so I'm not entirely sure if I really did eat or not.

Weird, huh? o__o

Well, if you got the wrong computer, could you ever return it?

[SIZE="3"]Hi Felici,
I'm no dream expert or anything, but it sounds like you've been pretty focussed on your diet and eating plan lately - it's only natural to have thoughts about food and temptations pop up in your subconscious. It's like the angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other telling you it's ok while the Angel makes you feel guilty! Don't worry about it, just keep on doing what your doing and you will get there. At least your only eating Tim Tams in your dreams and not letting it turn into reality. Did it taste good!!

Here's another little something that may help spur you on to greatness!!
(Not that I for a second think your going to quit... it just may help somewhere down the track...)
[/SIZE]

Don't Quit

When you've eaten too much and you can't write it down,
And you feel like the biggest failure in town.
When you want to give up just because you gave in,
and forget all about being healthy and thin.
So What! You went over your calories a bit,
It's your next move that counts...So don't you quit!
It's a moment of truth, it's an attitude change.
It's learning the skills to get back in your range.
It's telling yourself, "You've done great up till now.
You can take on this challenge and beat it somehow."
It's part of your journey toward reaching your goal.
You're still gonna make it, just stay in control.
To stumble and fall is not a disgrace,
If you summon the will to get back in the race.
But, often the struggler's, when loosing their grip,
Just throw in the towel and continue to slip.
And learn too late when the damage is done,
that the race wasn't over...they still could have won.
Lifestyle change can be awkward and slow,
but facing each challenge will help you grow.
Success is failure turned inside out,
the silver tint in a cloud of doubt.
When you're pushing to the brink, just refuse to submit,
If you bite it, you write it....But don't you quit!

Thanks MellyP. I'm sure there will be a time I need to be thinking about that. I don't feel like I'm going to quit either, but I am nervous about how I will go if/when I need to "get back on the horse"! I do perceive this as being a piece of the "Successful weight loss" jigsaw that I have been missing, and am not too experienced with.

I do get quite focussed over a lot of things that must seem small to other people, but because I have made so many unsuccessful attempts to lose weight, I am very conscious of a lot of the little things that have previously contributed to get me off the path I wanted to be on. Today I was remembering that after my second marriage broke up I saw a counsellor for a while and I told him that I was worried I might be doomed to repeat the same mistakes I thought I'd made after my first marriage broke up and he said that I wasn't, because I had changed since then, and learnt things I didn't know then. He was right, and I'm still with the man I met after that - 17 years. Hopefully I have now learnt enough to make the significant differences I need in order to follow this weight loss all the way to the end too.

How cool that this forum is here? I have been wishing and half looking for something that would allow me to get more of a check in, and support. So far I have tried a psychologist, a doctor, and a dietician. I didn't try WeightWatchers or something similar because I went to EasySlim years ago and perceived it as just a lecture, not the kind of support I wanted.


Today's Journal Entry

I had a pretty good day today. I got a bit more done than yesterday. I went to the library with my daughter and she got some more books. A couple of her friends have been keen on particular books lately which may help. The book she liked the most though is about making Christmas things. So I doubt she will read much until she has finished making all the new things in the book! Luckily there are a lot she can do without much help.

I went for my walk in between making dinner and eating it again. I felt a bit more energetic this time. I was hungry so I ate a carrot and a mushroom before I left. I didn’t feel hungry while I was walking though. I have been eating so many veges we have just about run out of them. I will go shopping tomorrow because I also want to weigh myself. Time to make a dent in the Christmas shopping.

It was a nice walk. When I got to the spot with the wattles it looked like someone had popped baubles on the tree next to the track. It had a little flock of pink and grey galahs sitting all over it eating the wattle seeds. Very Christmas in Australia!

Breakfast ~ 8:30 1 slice wholemeal toast, 1 tspn margarine, 1 tspn strawberry jam, 1 boiled egg. 2 weetbix, Splenda, 1 C SoGood, 1 C coffee with 50ml Hi-Lo milk Lunch 12:30 ~ 2 Salada wholemeal crackers (8 squares), 20 gm hard cheese, cucumber, capsicum, mushroom, ( I made them into little mini stacks – as I had run out of tomatoes, but wanted not to feel deprived)1 carrot, 1 small peach . Snack 7:00 carrot mushroom Dinner: Spaghetti bolognaise: 150 gm lean minced beef, onion, capsicum, olives, carrot, tomato juice, 1 cup spaghetti, 1 carrot, Tub of diet yoghurt. Supper: 1 glass SoGood Exercise: 35 min fairly quick walk. Water: 2250ml Bedtime: 12:00

Hi! Just wanted to say thank you for posting in my before and after pictures thread I can definately use the supprt. You are doing so good with your eating! The word wholemeal isn't even in my dictionary, lol. But you look like you're doing good and your calorie intake is awesome for not usually counting

It looks like another good day Keep it up girl

great job so far! hope you have a great day!

I lost a kilo (2.2 lb this week) – exactly the same as last week. That is good. Validating. The coin jammed at first, and I was a bit disappointed, at first, because I forgot to subtract .7 kg, which is what I have been taking off for my shoes! (I weighed them the first time.)

I was unsure about having a walk immediately before dinner, the first time I did it. I wondered if it would make my blood sugar drop too low and make me super hungry. However it actually felt fine, and I remember now that it is in this list.
From Maleficent’s Easy Ways to lose weight – 50 + ideas
39. Take a walk before dinner. You'll do more than burn calories -- you'll cut your appetite. In a study of 10 obese women conducted at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, 20 minutes of walking reduced appetite and increased sensations of fullness as effectively as a light meal. Interesting. I don’t plan on aiming at doing it all the time – but it’s good to know that it’s a positive thing to do, not dodgy. I know it increases endorphins, maybe it increases adrenalin as well.

I noticed a couple of things about my eating tonight. I was watching TV the whole time I was eating, which I haven’t been doing lately. The salad was really crunchy with lots of celery and I actually got a bit tired of eating it because it just took so long and my stomach was full, but all my protein and carbs were mixed in and I thought I should finish it. Then I finally finished eating at almost the same time as the show, but I was still sitting in a lounge chair in front of the TV – and I instantly was thinking I wanted something else! So to me this says TV is a real crap food trigger. Also, I should not make such a BIG salad – and if I think it might be too big I shouldn’t mix some in with the other things, but not mix all of it in. I left out the tomato and olives, and had virtually no dressing on it and used iceberg lettuce, so it wasn’t as nice as usual. I didn’t do that on purpose, I was just rushing and forgot. (I made 4 separate meals at different times tonight – one for each person.) I will be glad when I’m finished that iceberg. It seems insipid now I’m used to cos. This is all important because I want to be happy about eating these salads. I think it is important that I don’t build up any unnecessary sense that I am deprived. I must stay careful of the TV too. (Lucky I don’t often want to watch it these days.)

Breakfast ~ 8:30 1 slice wholemeal toast, 1 tspn margarine, 1 tspn strawberry jam, 1 boiled egg. 2 weetbix, Splenda, 1 C SoGood, 1 C coffee with 50ml Hi-Lo milk Lunch 1:30 ~ 2 Salada wholemeal crackers (8 squares), 20 gm hard cheese, 1 tomato, 1 carrot, 1 small peach . Snack 7:00 1 carrot Dinner: 8: 15 Giant salad: 100 gm lean chicken, 10 gm lite cheese, 100 gm corn, lettuce, ¾ red capsicum, 2 medium mushrooms, ½ carrot, sugar snap peas, cucumber, celery. Tub of diet yoghurt. Exercise: 6:50 pm 25 min brisk walk. Water: 2500ml Bedtime: 11:15