Breadstring's Bounces Back

[breadstrings]

I never managed to complete my first 6 week challenge last year due to failing my exams and pushing everything aside to prep for the resits (I passed btw!). So now that I'm in a better place and not so depressed, I've decided it's time to stop wallowing in junk food and get back into gear with baby steps whilst still keeping my grades as my focus.

 

The thing I struggle most with is food. Like many people here, I love the taste of all foods that are unhealthy. I tried the paleo diet for two days and I guess the transition was too abrupt, but it was horrible. Growing up with strong flavours with heaping amounts of salt, sugar and rice, I can safely say that diving into the paleo lifestyle was doomed to fail.

 

So baby steps starts with simple goals. I won't start with exercise, because I know my diet requires the most work and the phrase "you can't outrun your fork" is gospel around here. I want to sort that out first.

 

So in 7 days, I want to proudly say I have achieved the three following goals every day:

1. Avoided the traditional midnight junk food binge at work

2. Say "I don't eat [insert unhealthy food here]" instead of "I can't" or "I shouldn't", in particular I want to avoid cakes, chips, overly processed meats (frankfurter sausages and salami are great examples), pies, biscuits and chocolate drinks. Considering I don't eat them much (maybe 3-4 times if they're available) it shouldn't be too hard to do.

3. Reduce my portion size by NOT seeking second or third servings of my meals. (and not grabbing the extra large plate from the cupboard and pile that up instead)

 

I'll keep track of any problems I meet whilst trying to achieve these goals here each day, along with how I overcame them or how I plan to eliminate that problem in future so it doesn't happen again.

 

As with NF's post on willpower, these goals are really going to challenge that.

 

As baseline, I'm currently BMI 27.5 (female who doesn't do a smidgeon of exercise). I aim to be BMI 20 as is appropriate for my genetics. I am aware that I shouldn't put too much stock into BMI considering it can be inaccurate with regards to muscle mass, however considering the distinct lack of muscles that I have right now and my focus on fixing my dietary habits, I'd say it's an accurate enough tool for me right now. I will change how I measure my progress once I start adding in exercise to my goals. 

[Jett]

Hey Breadstrings. Good on you for coming back after getting your exams sorted out.

 

You can still get strong tastes on a paleo diet, but it requires learning to use a spice rack. Certainly, jumping in with two feet is going to be too abrupt a change for most people!

 

Best of luck on your goals. I'll be checking back in a week to see if you kept up with them.

 

When you binge on junk at work, where does that junk come from? Do you bring it with you, buy it, or is it freely available? In the first two cases, you could avoid it by not brining anything (and/or bringing a healthy alternative) or not bringing any money to buy junk food. But if it's the latter, then that'll be harder. Do you have any co-workers you could tell your goal to, who could help keep you accountable this week?

[breadstrings]

@JMitch, thanks for the encouragement!

 

I have heard that strong spices help with the paleo diet. I'm not a fan of western spices like thyme, rosemary and such. I'm more inclined to the Asian spices like chives, garlic, chili, mints, etc. It's hard to cut back on the salt/sugar since the strong taste of most Asian foods come from the salt/sugar content! Soy Sauce is a great example of this. I'll need to be a bit creative, and as you say, slowly ease myself into the transition.

 

The junk food comes from the co-workers! It's a tradition that as soon as the clock strikes midnight, all the food comes out of the woodworks. Cakes, chips, biscuits, etc. It's like a buffet! It doesn't help that I have to walk past this table all the time. I'm not a permanent member of staff over there, so no I don't have any co-workers that keep me accountable.

 

So on to today's progress:

Thankfully I didn't have night shift today. I had an evening shift, but a nice co-worker had opened an entire chocolate fudge brownie cake tin to share around dinner time which was hard to resist. It didn't help that everyone was making those enjoyable, Oh-it's-so-delicious! noises whilst eating them. I'm so proud that I managed to avoid delving into that admittedly delicious looking/smelling/sounding brownie.

 

This brownie incident ties in with goal #2. I told myself that I don't eat chocolate. I tried to make it as unappealing to my mind as possible with phrases like: "It's too sweet", "I hate raisins", "it will be dry", etc. It worked!

 

Goal 3 was thankfully easy today. I didn't have much time to eat, so I definitely didn't have the opportunity to get a second serving of anything. I anticipate this being more of a challenge tomorrow when I'm home and have a bit more time.

 

Overall, a good start to the week. I hope this continues.

[Jett]

It's true, lots of asian dishes like to load up the salt or sugar. The first time I made seasame chicken at home, I was shocked at the amount of sugar the recipe had me pour into the sauce! It was yummy, but I don't make it anymore... :/ Fortunately, there are a lot of recipes you can find online for things that are both tasty and not bad for you. For Paleo sauces, I like to look at this page. Of course, you don't have to be on the Paleo diet to enjoy those sauces! I'm not, and I still make them sometimes.

 

Hmm, it's too bad about the snack food tradition. In that situation, I guess I would bring my own packets of nuts and fruit, and eat that while everyone else is gorging on junk. Not an easy thing to do, but not impossible. Good job avoiding those tempting brownies!

[breadstrings]

@JMitch, thanks for the link to the paleo sauces! I'll have to try some of them out. I particularly like the idea of BBQ sauce.

 

Today was a bit interesting. i decided to try the paleo again, but probably did it the wrong way, lol. It was a bad day to start as there was minimal vegetables in the house. Breakfast was eggs and bacon, Lunch was a lettuce and minced chicken combo (with heaps of spices as suggested!) and dinner was 1 pear.

 

I think the serving size for lunch was a bit large, but I was quite hungry after breakfast. I also craved something sweet and..unhealthy. I ended up making a paleo chocolate mug cake (with coconut flour and pure maple syrup as sweetener). Again, not my best decision. I bet the calories went through the roof today.

 

The biggest surprise was that I didn't crave a proper dinner. The pear was plenty enough for me after that enormous lunch (and cake!). I thought I would succumb to my traditional instant noodles with sweat and sour soup that my mother had...or the Hungry Jacks burger that my dad ate. I'm still surprised I was happy with that little pear. Haha!

 

So clearly I had troubles with the portion size that probably equates to a second serve, and the cake problem, I did say no to my wheat cravings and hot chocolate today.

 

I guess that counts as a minor success. Skipping on the chocolate milk and a nice bowl of mi-goreng was probably better than adding it to the interesting day I had today.

[Jett]

Well, if you want to eventually eat Paleo, then finding foods that you enjoy that are Paleo-safe is a great start! Plus, personally, I find it fun to experiment with new recipes.

 

It's good that you were self-aware at dinner and didn't eat just because it was dinner time. Keep working on keeping your portion sizes reasonable.

[breadstrings]

@JMitch, you're encouragement is very appreciated. I'm starting to look forward to your words. I do want to go paleo as I like the general principles of how it mainly consists of fruits and veggies, which is what we need in this over-processed world.

 

Today I'm quite proud of my portion control. I still had that tasty paleo chocolate cake though. Thank goodness my friend gave me maple syrup as a gift, I know those things are pricey.

 

I also went on a shopping spree today! A whole variety of fruits and veggies. My parents laughed at my excitement over grapes. I hope my enthusiasm for healthy stuff lasts for a while.

 

So, aside from the cake, there weren't any slip-ups. I had trouble refusing lobster at family dinner because my mother had deep-fried it and smothered it in a thick caramelised ginger sauce. In the end I was pretty much force-fed a bite of it and I think it was a complete waste of good lobster because I didn't enjoy it at all. That morsel of lobster was way too salty in comparison to the rest of my meal (I'd had fresh veggies and a slice of turkey). So unhappiness for everyone after that ordeal.

 

The grapes were excellently sweet. Sweeter than that mug cake I had at lunch! I don't think I'll be craving that mug cake until my fruits run out now.

 

No work today! So I didn't have to deal with the temptation of junk food.

 

Overall this day rates 7/10 with 10/10 being the best day in living history.

[Jett]

@JMitch, you're encouragement is very appreciated. I'm starting to look forward to your words.

 

Aww, gee...

 

 

It sounds like you are doing great! Way to go!

[breadstrings]

@JMitch, it's true! It's nice to have someone in my corner saying "way to go!"

 

Today has been a battle. I think my body went through carb withdrawal or something and it was a struggle not to eat a second serving of lunch...or overeat my delicious fruits as snacks. On the upside, I avoided that chocolate mug cake! 

 

So portion sizes have been reduced for all meals (yay!), I didn't have work today, but the temptation of cookies, cakes and deep-fried calamari rings was within reach today. I didn't have any of those. Whilst it passed the goals I set for myself this week, I was disappointed that I couldn't say no to a dinner roll, but that just proves I'm not quite ready to change to a complete paleo diet yet. I will approach that challenge in a few weeks time. It's not my goal at the moment, so I won't be too sad about it. 

 

Overall, I like my progress and efforts at eating more veggies, reducing portion size and saying no to those tempting dessert foods.

[Jett]

Well, then, Way to go!

 

No, really! You made it through a rough day, and stuck to your goals. As you said, being paleo isn't one of your goals yet. And you know from the past that jumping in too quickly didn't work, so your progress toward paleo eating is actually quite good. Don't be afraid to eat a little bit of carb now and again (like your dinner roll) while you're transitioning your food habits. Carb withdrawl/cravings are a real thing that will happen when you start going into a low-carb diet!

 

Here's a useful youtube video about what to do if you do find yourself craving certain foods.

[breadstrings]

@JMitch thank you for the youtube video. I'll have to check it out when I get a better internet connection. ^^ It's comforting to know that I'm not the only one who gets those carb withdrawals.

 

Today bore the return of that pesky chocolate mug cake. Perhaps I should have never found that recipe. It was just too easy to make. So resisting non-nutritious sweets is still a problem.

 

But aside from that today was pretty good in terms of my goals. I had leftover carrot "pasta" with sauce for brekkie and lunch and dinner was a delicious grilled salmon and calamari rings with tomatoes and cucumber. I even resisted the deep fried battered calamari and onion rings that my mother set out for the family. I'm very proud of my resistance there.

 

Again, no work (that's tomorrow! Eep!), so no problems resisting that there. My plan of attack tomorrow is to just avoid the tea-room and bring an apple to snack on. The apples I have at the moment are exceptionally sweet. It's very easy to pretend it's an apple pie.

 

There was only one second serving at brekkie...I just barely managed to resist a second serving at lunch. It was quite hard to listen to my stomach when the tastebuds say "MORE!!!". But I was truly full, and I took an extra two or three mouthfuls as my "second-serve" at lunch before shoving the rest of the pasta in the fridge. Gah, those tastebuds will be my downfall, I swear.

 

Maybe next time the tastebuds rebel and demand more, I shall drown them in water first and see if they're still being loud or if the water makes them forget the taste.

 

So in summary, my plan of attack for tomorrow:

1. Avoid locations of snack foods at work, and bring an apple to sate cravings for sweetness

2. Drown tastebuds with water if feeling like a second serving due to taste alone (i.e. wash away the craving)

3. Hide the coconut flour...because that mug cake is too easy to make and is an unhealthy sweet masquerading as a paleo "healthy" treat

[Jett]

Maybe next time the tastebuds rebel and demand more, I shall drown them in water first and see if they're still being loud or if the water makes them forget the taste.

This is actually a really good plan. Lots of people struggle with wanting more food because it's tasty, not because they need it - myself included! If you slowly drink a glass of water between your first and second serving, that should help you feel whether you're actually still hungry, or if it's just a matter of wanting more of the taste. (The water will also help you fill up!)

 

One of the strategies from the video I linked is called the "chicken test". It's basically this: if you're craving something, ask yourself, "Could I eat a plain, unflavored chicken breast right now?" If the answer is 'no', you're probably not actually hungry. Then you can ask yourself why you're craving that specific thing, if not for hunger.

 

Something I often do when I have sweet cravings is to drink some hot tea. I have a peach tea flavor that is 0 calories, but the tea is pretty sweet on its own. I'm basically just drinking hot water, but it tastes as good as a piece of peach pie. If you like hot tea, check out the tea aisle next time you're at the store, maybe you can find a flavor you like that is sweet enough on its own. (Or if you don't mind artificial sweeteners, you can add sucralose or whatever to some plain tea.)

 

I'm also glad to see you recognize that "paleo" does not always mean "healthy" in the sense of calories.

[breadstrings]

@JMitch, I like your idea of the plain chicken test, but I shall replace chicken with celery. I hate celery and only eat it when I'm absolutely desperate. Because plain chicken actually tastes good to me. Like plain white bread! Salty, yet sweet...

 

I'll try the now renamed to raw celery test (has to have 3 words after all. ;P) tomorrow.

 

Today has been the best day for me. My meals have all been decent sized with a healthy serving of veggies in each (not 80% meat!!!) and I haven't been hungry and nor did I overeat the fruits. I'm very proud of myself.

 

I even avoided that pesky chocolate mug cake. Will wonders never cease! I'm not sure if it's because I was so distracted at work that I didn't think of food, or if it's because my lunch was already pre-made, but it was a good day. There were not even any second servings, I said "no" to all the foods I knew I don't eat (including a chocolate easter egg) and I completely avoided treats today.

 

The level of pride right now is through the roof! It feels good.

 

Tomorrow, I'm out of the house all day doing errands before another late shift at work, so it will be a good test for how well I survive when I'm away from the kitchen and my supply of veggies. I'll see if this wonderful day carries over until tomorrow and see how the pre-made meal affects my will power considering it worked so well today.

 

I'm looking forward to tomorrow.

 

I've also recently been tempted to hop on the scales. My brain is definitely hard wired to immediate results and wants to see 10Kg gone already. Silly brain, it's only been almost 5 days but feels like forever. I've now got a new daily on my to do app saying "avoided scales!". I'm committed to waiting 3 months before I hop on those scales to see if there's any change.

 

For future reference, when I last weighed myself about a week ago, I was bouncing between 63Kg and 64.5Kg (I weighed myself way to often so I saw daily variations). I'm BMI 26.7 and hoping to get down to 20 as is healthy for an Asian. My Asian friend is the same age as me, slightly taller, with a BMI 17, full of muscle (she's very athletic!) and eats pretty much a paleo diet with the occasional brown rice/jasmine rice as she likes. She even goes all out with chips, burgers, pizza and chocolate when we get together as a group. I wouldn't mind joining her lot. It shows a nice balance between health and treats. 

[Jett]

I know what you mean about plain chicken... I rarely spice chicken when I put it on salads, I just grill it up and enjoy. But my mom, somehow, ruins chicken breasts. They come out dry and with a sandy texture. So when I do the chicken test, I imagine her chicken breasts. If I still want to eat oneof those, then I'm definitely hungry!

 

Sounds like you are starting to get into the swing of things. Good job. I'm impressed with your ability to turn down the easter chocolate... I have to avoid buying any, even when it's on sale, or else I will eat too much... T_T

 

I like to see quick results, too. I almost got too discouraged to continue with my healthy eating after 1 month, because I couldn't see any results on the scale or by measuring. But then, all of a sudden, I dropped 4 pounds! I think my body was holding on to some extra water for a while, and finally got rid of it. Waiting three months is likely a good idea, because by then you should have some results to see.

[breadstrings]

@JMitch, yeah that dry, sandy chicken sounds awful. Like the chicken breast i was once served at a restaurant. Never went back there. XD

 

It's definitely hard to avoid eating unhealthy foods when you have it in the house. My father is a great eater of junk food. Tonight, he bought two (TWO!!!) packs of chips today and left it in my plain sight...open. That was one time where saying "I don't eat that" worked wonders for me. I didn't even think of touching them. Likewise with a free chocolate easter egg I was given at my CPR course today. Instead, I said "I don't eat that" and saved it for my mother when I got home. I even avoided the free biscuits (a whole buffet of them) at the CPR course. They're nice to provide it and I'm still amazed that I didn't touch a single one, simply due to my mantra of "I don't eat that". 

 

I hope I can stick with my goals like you did with yours. I have a feeling that in a few weeks time I'll be feeling the same way, wondering why there isn't any change and whether it's worth it all. How did you convince yourself to stick with your lifestyle changes past that 1 month?

 

In regards to my other goals, I definitely reduced my portion sizes (only one egg for breakfast, instead of two, and I stuck with one portion of salmon for lunch), there were no second servings (even when my mouth wanted more of those prawns for dinner) and I did not succumb to all the temptations that were available to me throughout the day.

 

I think I'm on a roll at the moment. Again, I hope it lasts! I'm finding it's really helpful to know that writing about my struggles and achievements keeps me accountable throughout the day.

 

@JMitch, thanks for your support again. I'm thankful that you're still reading my daily posts when the going is good and the posts are becoming monotonous. XD

[Jett]

Woohoo, good going.

 

For me, the thing that really made me keep going even though I was discouraged was that I had joined one of NerdFitness' 6 Week Challenges. I didn't see the results until week 5, but I couldn't stop at week 4 even though I was discouraged, because my team mates would yell at me! So, basically, I had shifted 'keeping up with healthy habits' from being something I had to sustain under my own willpower to being a responsibility to other people. With the way my brain works, it's easy for me to justify letting a habit slip if it only impacts me. But if there's a negative impact on other people, then I am less likely to let myself give up.

 

As to being supportive, I'm glad to do it. Honestly, I am learning to be a more positive and supportive person through this site. It's something I've never been good at before, but I am starting to get better.

[breadstrings]

@JMItch - I tried the 6Wk challenge last year, but didn't complete it due to unavoidable life circumstances. The goals last year were probably a bit too stretchy for me too. They were to have a paleo breakfast, eat veggies with every meal and exercise 20 mins daily. I wasn't able to change both my meals and exercise commitments in addition to study and my limited food funds, so that failed around week 4. I like the idea of the 6wk challenge, but I don't think I'll be doing them for a while...maybe once I graduate and things aren't so hanging in the balance. xD

 

I'm glad you're learning to be more supportive and optimistic. That's something I have to learn too. It's easier to do online than it is in real life. At least online there aren't any awkward pauses whilst you figure out how to say something that comes across as supportive. XD

 

I like that you were held accountable by your team mates! I couldn't figure out how to join a team, despite reading about it everywhere and adding my name to that excel spreadsheet, so it ended up being a solo expedition. That probs contributed to the failed 6wk challenge too. 

 

The past two days have definitely been more calorie dense than usual, including the return of the chocolate mug cake two days in a row. I really craved something with a bread texture, and that was the easiest/quickest thing to make to satisfy the tongue. There was also an iffy moment where I was *this* close to scoffing down a chocolate easter egg. I had to force my mother to eat it before I broke down and ate it. I even shoved my dad's chippies at him as he left for work so I didn't have that open bag taunting me from the cupboard. To satisfy these junk food cravings, I ended up eating more calorie dense meal instead. I had a whole cup of milk (so sweet!), and carrot "spaghetti" in carbonara sauce (essentially eggs, cheese and bacon heaven), and my snacks were ham, ham and more ham.

 

Those two days weren't quite the junk food binge of ice cream, chips, cookies, cakes and BREAD!!! But it was almost there. I did contemplate hopping in the car and driving 10 mins just for an ice cream fix. Not kidding.

 

So it was a horrible two days. The only bright-side is that I still managed to stick to mainly paleo, so whilst it was definitely calorie dense, I at least got some nutrition out of it.

 

Today is looking better. I didn't feel like meats like I had for two days. So breakfast was half a pear (I got full!). I've left the rest of the pear and a few grapes on my desktop for snacking as needed so I don't avoid studying like I have in past by hanging out in the kitchen.

 

I'll update tonight to see how I'm progressing back on the wagon of health.

 

On another point, I couldn't resist the scales either, yesterday. I guess my willpower was at an all time low and any resistance was futile. Haha. Anyways, I was expecting no change (it's only been 7 days after all, and not a very faithful 7 days at that), so I was absolutely gobsmacked when the scales read 60.9Kg. Seriously!!! I haven't changed scales, or anything either. I seriously lost 2 Kg in 7 days. WHAT?!?! Those mi-goreng packs that I ate for all meals must've been more calorie dense than I thought, because somehow I'm still getting a calorie-deficit. I doubt it's water weight because I drank more than I usually do as well. I'm still astonished. So that's kept me motivated to continue another week.

[breadstrings]

Today was a good day! I had pumpkin and chicken for lunch and dinner, with added ham for dinner (cravings!). I somehow avoided the massive buffet of easter eggs available at work tonight as well. Even the fancy ones such as Lindt, coconut, cherry, snickers... One of my colleagues even ran to the easter egg bowl as we passed it. That was fun to watch.

 

Surprisingly, making the decision to not eat the eggs today was easier than usual. I don't know why I had such little willpower the last two days. :/ So, I said no to chocolate easter eggs, I avoided junk food AND I also reduced my meal sizes. I'm quite proud of my come back. I think my thread name is very apt because I have a feeling there will be many times where I will be "bouncing back".  

[Jett]

Those two days weren't quite the junk food binge of ice cream, chips, cookies, cakes and BREAD!!! But it was almost there. I did contemplate hopping in the car and driving 10 mins just for an ice cream fix. Not kidding.

 

Today is looking better. I didn't feel like meats like I had for two days. So breakfast was half a pear (I got full!). I've left the rest of the pear and a few grapes on my desktop for snacking as needed so I don't avoid studying like I have in past by hanging out in the kitchen.

I understand! Somehow, ice cream is one of the hardest foods to give up, or at least that's been my experience so far. Sometimes I still clear out some caloric room in my day just to eat some ice cream. But, that usually leaves me hungry later, so these days I've started thinking, "Eh, it's not worth the bother" and letting laziness override my cravings.

 

I'm glad to hear that you lost some weight already. It is so encouraging when you see the scale start to move down after it's gone up for so long!

 

You'll have some days where you end up eating a bit more, like your last few days, and others where you eat less... as long as you keep bouncing back, the occasional "low willpower" day is nothing to get worried about. Keep up the good choices!

[breadstrings]

Thanks @JMitch. I fear the day when I am tempted with free ice-cream. Especially if it's a hot day.

 

Today I survived my first special event family meal. I had some relatives over, and my mother had prepared a smorgasboard of food. I only had 30 mins before I had to run out for my shift, so I allowed her to prepare the food. When I got to lunch...there was no veggies. At all. There was fish and meats galore, along with deep fried goodies and rice and all things wheat, but not a single veggie in sight.

 

After I got over my shock, I faced a lot of stares as I gathered the veggies from the fridge and just piled my plate with raw cucumber and carrots to eat with the meat available. There was also a lot of mocking about being on a "diet" and such. I know for a fact that the majority of my relatives have tried similar diets and failed, so I guess it's Tall Poppy Syndrome or something. It was embarrassing having to explain the concept of why I've changed my diet.

 

It was also hard to face the amount of criticism from my relatives. I'm glad my parents haven't been too resistant to the changes I've made. Unlike my various previous attempts at changing my habits, they're no longer complaining that I'm not eating "real food" or that I'm not eating enough. I bet it's because I'm eating bacon. XD As soon as the bacon comes out, they're all "thank goodness she's not vegetarian...or anorexic."

 

Aside from that, I happily avoided the lollie bowl at work, reduced my meal size and increased my veggie percentage and successfully survived the family feast. It helped that I skipped out to work before the desserts were served. I had to refuse ferrero rocher!!!

 

So today has been a good day, overall.

[Jett]

Yeah, it's probably a Tall Poppy Syndrome thing. I hope that your relatives will become less critical once they see that your diet is working, and maybe even ask you what you're doing and give it a try. I'm sorry you had to deal with their criticism.

 

I didn't think I knew what ferrero rocher was, but then I googled it and realized I've had it before. Yummy stuff! I received some chocolate eggs for easter, but I have been reserving them as rewards for meeting fitness goals. I finally made it to 30 seconds on my plank yesterday, so I ate the first half of one. :3

 

You seem to be keeping up with your goals very well, which is great!

[breadstrings]

@JMitch, I hope so too. It can get demotivating when you don't have the right support. Thank goodness it was only one meal with them and they weren't staying the week or something. 

 

Oh yes, the Ferrero Rocher's are optimum chocolate just second to Raffaellos by the same company. Asians tend to like coconut better than chocolate. It was really hard to resist.

 

Good work on your fitness goals! How long did it take you to achieve that? I'd never be able to limit myself to just a half a chocolate egg. It'd be all or nothing. I'm like an action potential in that way.

 

My friend offered me a whole bagful of chocolate easter eggs at our study session today to share. I felt bad for letting her eat it by herself, and she got suspicious about the change in my dietary choice immediately. I kid you not, the first thing she said when I refused a chocolate egg was, "are you on a diet?" Lol, must be because I've never refused *any* junk food in our past study groups. This was the first time.

 

After some skepticism about paleo being an "All Meat" diet, I managed to tell her that it's more like an 80% veggie diet. She's now interested in NerdFitness! Maybe I'll meet her on here soon if she likes it here.

 

Today was interesting in terms of meals. I did a bad thing and had two cups of coffee this morning with artificial sugar. No food! I wasn't hungry, but fatigued from a late night and early morning start. I hate the taste of coffee, so caffeine overload. XD Didn't help that I also got a free Red Bull at the library today (sugarless, but still the caffeine!!!).

 

Lunch was a few carrot sticks (again wasn't hungry). But by the time dinner came around, there was definitely a feast. I had wombok "pasta" with carbonara sauce and salmon...and half a tomato. ^^ I really enjoyed dinner.

 

I'm worried about having too little calories now and putting my body into starvation mode. :/ Especially since I didn't eat much all day. I think the dinner should have at least bumped me up to 500-600cals? Still not enough since my BMR is around 1300. But I'm full now! Well...I guess one day shouldn't be a problem.

[Jett]

Good work on your fitness goals! How long did it take you to achieve that? I'd never be able to limit myself to just a half a chocolate egg. It'd be all or nothing. I'm like an action potential in that way.

It took me about 7 weeks to get to 30 seconds. My core strength is pretty poor. Even the 30 seconds was a huge effort, and I haven't been able to repeat it yet.

I am able to motivate myself to do things with delicious food, but a lot of people - maybe even most - seem to look at food rewards as a bad idea, because they have trouble eating only part of something, like you. I usually portion my rewards beforehand, so maybe that's a big part of how I can keep my amounts limited. :3

 

After some skepticism about paleo being an "All Meat" diet, I managed to tell her that it's more like an 80% veggie diet.   She's now interested in NerdFitness! Maybe I'll meet her on here soon if she likes it here.

That would be cool. I hope she joins. It's always nice to have someone in real life doing the same type of dieting and working out as you.

 

I'm worried about having too little calories now and putting my body into starvation mode. :/ Especially since I didn't eat much all day. I think the dinner should have at least bumped me up to 500-600cals? Still not enough since my BMR is around 1300. But I'm full now! Well...I guess one day shouldn't be a problem.

Yeah... I've had that happen occasionally. Not sure why our bodies just decide to not be hungry... although, I do know that caffiene can be an appetite suppressant. I wouldn't expect the results to be that strong, but maybe for you they are, since you don't drink much coffee. On the other hand, maybe you just didn't need that many calories for the day. It's probably fine as long as you get your appetite back later.

[breadstrings]

It took me about 7 weeks to get to 30 seconds. My core strength is pretty poor. Even the 30 seconds was a huge effort, and I haven't been able to repeat it yet.

Congrats! Sounds like a great achievement. Being young, fit and standing all day at work, I have a naturally strong body core. Doesn't mean I like doing those planks. Holding it for 30s is uncomfortable, but if pressed, I could hold for 1 min before saying "never again". lol Needless to say, I haven't done planks since last year. So I'm proud of you for sticking with such a hard exercise.

 

I am able to motivate myself to do things with delicious food, but a lot of people - maybe even most - seem to look at food rewards as a bad idea, because they have trouble eating only part of something, like you. I usually portion my rewards beforehand, so maybe that's a big part of how I can keep my amounts limited. :3

Splitting it into small packages! What an idea. I had completely forgotten about that technique. I'm glad it works for you. I wish I had the same mentality. Instead, my brain says "that wasn't enough of a taste, just open one more". So pre-prepared small portions just make the cravings worse and is gateway to binge eating for me. Now I binge eat veggies. 2 carrots in one sitting!

 

It's probably fine as long as you get your appetite back later.

My appetite definitely returned today! It must have been an off day, or as you said, the caffeine. Although, i haven't heard of it being an appetite suppressant before.

 

Today, was more on the carb/fat heavy side of meals. I also learned how to cook my first poached egg. It tastes like a cross between boiled and microwaved egg. The portion size was out of control, so I do hope NF was right in that it's hard to overeat veggies. I had almost 4 humongous leaves of wombok for lunch in my soup in order to replace my noodle cravings. A pure protein breakfast (2 bacons and 1 egg) and dinner was simply potatoes and wombok.

 

I'd like to cut down on my salt intake too. It slowly crept up and up recently once I found out that there wasn't really a restriction on salt. Not that I have any hypertension concerns (at 97/60 blood pressure, I think I cause panic in most medical professionals).

 

I didn't succumb to the mug cake cravings, although I did set it as an award for getting over 70% in my assessment today. I'll redeem it when the cravings are awful....likely tomorrow. No temptations at work today (thank goodness), and hence I managed to avoid most junk-like foods. 

 

This weekend, I think it's time to change my goals to a more difficult one as I seem to have a handle on saying "no" to junk-foods and even wheat/rice products at the moment.

[Jett]

Haha, binge-eating veggies is probably the safest form of binging. Most leaves and veggies are super low in calories, so it's not likely that the wombok leaves are a problem. (Although... I honestly don't think I know what wombok is. ^^; What does it look/taste like?)

 

Are you thinking of adding any exercise to your goals, or sticking to diet goals?