Nobi's diet blog of dictation, observations, and suggestions

[Nobiyuki77]

Well, the diet is being weird on me, so I think I need to keep it written down so I can keep track of it all. I would appreciate any and all help with my diet; I MUST lose this weight, and I MUST do it THIS year. If I don't do it this year, I don't think it's going to happen. I'm already nearly 4 months into this thing and I'm falling behind so I need help!

The stats:

Starting weight: 236 lbs. (as of 1/1/09)
Goal weight: 180 lbs (taken from doctor's suggestion, and this is about what I weighed before I put on)
Goal inches: 37 (basing this on my waist line, if should be something different please let me know)

Last week's weigh in Saturday: 223 lbs.
Last weeks' measure in Saturday: 43 inches (measured from belly button, parallel to floor)

This week's weigh in Saturday: 225 lbs.
This week's measure in Saturday: 42 1/4 inches (I know, weird right?)

Current regular eating habits (not that my food intake is not limited to this, and I will be updating daily with actual intake of all food. This is just a reference of major "landmark" intake on any given day)

Breakfast:
- 2 hardboiled eggs
- 1 cup of Folder's singles coffee with 1 teaspoon of sugar

Lunch:
- 1 ham sandwich with yellow mustard and 3 slices of ham
- 1 bottled water
- 1 orange

Dinner:
- Typically skipped

Other:
- Polar Seltzer water
- 1 Centrum multivitamin
- Saltine Crackers

I think the reason I went up last night (I had been hanging around 223 all week) was because I ate dinner last night: Spaghetti with meatballs. Hopefully with a good day today I'll drop down to 224 tomorrow.

[CatsWithMatches]

Two questions:

How much water are you drinking?
How much exercise are you getting?

That diet sounds pretty sparse, so if the pounds aren't falling off, I'm guessing the answers to the above are probably lower than they should be. I'm also not sure skipped dinner is the best idea. And drink green tea.

But then, I'm no expert. While I'm in good shape, I've been trying to lose about 10 myself to drop to a lower weight class and haven't been successful yet.

[Nobiyuki77]

I drink a bottle water at lunch, and sip Seltzer water throughout the day.

I jog for 15-20 minutes and do 40-50 crunches every other day (I've heard it's bad to do every day?)

[Sonic#]

First, I'm no nutritionist, so take my words with appropriate levity.

Do you eat any snacks besides Saltines? How many of those do you eat?

Do you know how many calories you are consuming per day? It doesn't sound like much. If I were you, I'd try to get at least 1600 calories with adequate exercise. Also, I wouldn't have only two meals a day; rather, I would space everything out to about 4 meals of 400 calories each, with appropriate amounts of fat and carbohydrates. That way, you're hungry less often, and when you eat your body will be less likely to store it immediately (your body is probably in panic mode after missing dinner, sleeping for however long, and eating breakfast).

I wouldn't recommend coffee. If you are going to drink it, it'd be better to drink it black; otherwise, the coffee's every bit as bad as soda with the sugar content, causticity, and all that. If you want the caffeine pick-me-up in the morning, I'd recommend making tea; it's inexpensive, and if you don't do it southern style (dump in lots of sugar) it should be alright.

I imagine a better schedule might work like this (provided you exercise); I haven't counted the calories or anything, but it sounds about right:
Breakfast: two eggs or two slices of toast with spread, coffee or tea.
Lunch: Sandwich and water.
Dinner: Fruit, light salad and drink.
Supper: Soup, stew, or chili and drink.

That way, you won't feel the urge to snack around during the day, and the heavier meal at the end of the day will tide you over until morning. But again, check with someone who actually knows these things; I've never had to lose weight (I'm the low end of average for my height; 155 at 6'3"), so I'm not sure what actually works for myself, let alone you.

As far as the amount you exercise... it's fine to do it two days in a row. Generally three days in a row is discouraged because after that the body likes having a day to recover from fatigue. The jogging is good; do you walk very much? Anaerobic exercise is useful (running, sprinting, so on), but aerobic exercise (walking, so on) over longer periods can also have a beneficial effect. I normally work the walking into my commute, as well as into little things throughout the day (like taking the stairs frequently).

[Kizyr]

Some things that stick out to me...

Don't skip dinner! Fasting is not a good way to lose weight! You may lose some quickly, but you make up for it later by eating more to compensate--and your body is more likely to hang onto that food since you starved it earlier! Spacing out many smaller meals is much better--not to mention you're less likely to feel hungry. It's win-win there.

I don't see a lot of vegetables in there... Leafy greens are always good, too, and steaming is better than frying. Have some vegetables with dinner, and maybe for lunch as well--or at least on your sandwich.

Turkey is a bit leaner meat than ham, I think (I don't eat ham anyway, so I don't have a point of comparison). Maybe eat turkey sandwiches instead?

The hardboiled eggs in the morning... Well, my two main concerns are saturated fats and cholesterol, so I don't make a habit of eggs. But you may not have the same concerns (mine are due to specific medical history, and family history). I tend to prefer grains in the morning myself, and milk/juice is good too.

Now for some good things...

First, you've seen a doctor for advice. You're leagues ahead of most other people in this area. Check with him/her when you have any questions. That alone is encouraging; most people who waffle on sticking to a diet or exercise plan try to go it alone without seeking professional advice.

Second, you exercise regularly, but not too much. You can step it up if you feel comfortable doing so, but (speaking from a habit perspective, not a health one per se) don't feel pressured to overdo it. If you overdo it, that steps up the pressure to give up entirely.

Anyway, overall, don't feel rushed! It's better to take a while to get healthy and stay that way, than overdo things, lose a few pounds, but also sacrifice your health in the process (and set yourself up for regaining that weight). KF

[Maru]

I agree with Kizzie, DON'T SKIP DINNER! That's bad, for all the reasons already mentioned.

I'm not nutritionist, of course, but caffeine is actually really bad for your body. Well, the amount in coffee, anyways. I read and heard from my physical therapist once that it makes women's breasts smaller and men's larger, on top of a whole other slue of stuff. I agree with Sonic in that drinking tea is MUCH better. Less expensive, and healthier. Green tea is caffeinated, and does wonders for your skin, hair and nails. Also, if you buy the antioxidant kind, it's good for your immune system. Does coffee do all'a dat? Naw.

[WD RPG WD]

I havn't read anything anyone's said but from reading your diet I can tell you that you're doing it the wrong way. Your going to lose some weight but your also going to lose all the muscle in your body. You need to eat healthy foods as well as protien's and fibers. Try making fruit and veggie smoothies. Or go buy one from a smoothie place. They are full of fiber and protien keeping you from feeling hungry.

[GhaleonOne]

Yeah, you're dropping your body below the limit of calories that makes it go into starvation mode. Meaning, any calories you do eat it's going to cling to. And the reason for waiting 2 days before doing things like crunches (more specifically working out a specific set of muscles) is that it takes your muscles 48 hours to recover after working them out. You can injure them by overdoing it daily. And definitely eat dinner. That's too long for your body to go without food.

As some friendly advice, I dropped 60 pounds in 3 months about 2 years ago, and have kept it off for the most part (I've had some small gains, but most of it muscle because of how much soccer and racquetball I play). My diet was generally a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast (don't hold back either, a big bowl of oatmeal with some brown sugar and fruit in it will keep you full until lunch and make you feel a lot more energetic and healthy throughout the day). Lunch was usually a small salad, though once or twice a week I'd hit Chipotle and eat half a burrito (the other half for dinner). Dinner was usually salad or a wrap with some yogurt. I also drank tons of green tea, and still do (though I've gotten into a habit of too much plain iced tea). My caloric intake was probably 1400-2000 a day when I was doing all of this. It varied day to day, but I never went a day going under 1200, and most days were over 1500. Like others said, breaking the meals into smaller quantities 4 times a day is even better, but a good breakfast, lunch and dinner regime is quite fine if you just pay attention to the details. By not eating enough though, you're not going to lose anything but muscle, and your body is becoming unhealthy in the process.

[CatsWithMatches]

The real secret to exercise is to find something active that you really enjoy, even more than the workout you get from it. Kind of a head-fake for getting in shape.

Examples:

Play soccer (like G1).
Take up golf and skip the golf cart.
Take dancing (easy way to meet girls, too).
Find cool places you've never been before to go walking.
Find some friends with a frisbee.

Personally, I prefer This twice a week. The social connection and spiritual fulfillment are more important to me ultimately than the workout, which is a nice bonus.

[Kizyr]

Play soccer (like G1).
Take up golf and skip the golf cart.
Take dancing (easy way to meet girls, too).
Find cool places you've never been before to go walking.
Find some friends with a frisbee.

Add DDR to that list. I've met guys who have lost 50-100 pounds due to DDR. (They also tend to do things like look for high-energy and healthy foods to keep their energy levels up, so they can play better.) But there are plenty of things you can get into the habit of.

...I'm not so good with this. I do a fair bit of walking during the normal course of my day (just commuting and going out for lunch leads me to walk at least 1 mile every day, if not more). But other than that I'm not too active. I do keep an eye on my diet though to make sure I'm getting what I need, and only a moderate amount of saturated fats and cholesterol.

I havn't read anything anyone's said but from reading your diet I can tell you that you're doing it the wrong way. Your going to lose some weight but your also going to lose all the muscle in your body. You need to eat healthy foods as well as protien's and fibers. Try making fruit and veggie smoothies. Or go buy one from a smoothie place. They are full of fiber and protien keeping you from feeling hungry.

One caution about smoothies: if you buy them, particularly fruit smoothies, they can sometimes be loaded with way too much sugar (remember that sweet fruits naturally contain sugar--it's not terrible for you, but it's still sugar and should be eaten in moderation like anything else). Check the nutritional information of any smoothies you buy, and keep an eye on the "serving size" and "servings per container" numbers. (That's how muffins trick you--one muffin is 4 servings.)

I'm not nutritionist, of course, but caffeine is actually really bad for your body. Well, the amount in coffee, anyways. I read and heard from my physical therapist once that it makes women's breasts smaller and men's larger, on top of a whole other slue of stuff. I agree with Sonic in that drinking tea is MUCH better. Less expensive, and healthier. Green tea is caffeinated, and does wonders for your skin, hair and nails. Also, if you buy the antioxidant kind, it's good for your immune system. Does coffee do all'a dat? Naw.

Coffee isn't that bad for you, but it should be in moderation. I like the taste of coffee, but I limit myself to 2 cups a day (though this is on account of getting addicted my freshman year of college, so the limit keeps that from happening). Of course, Folgers tastes awful to me... I haven't noticed problems myself, but your body may vary.

Tea is good, but there are tons of different varieties and its one of those products that manufacturers claim a lot of health benefits that are either fictitious or have never been verified. Black and green tea still contain caffeine (generally not as much as coffee), though most herbal teas are non-caffeinated (with some exceptions--mate has more caffeine than coffee). Honestly, I wouldn't recommend bothering with tea unless you actually like tea (of course I actually like tea, so I drink a fair amount of it). And stay away from "Republic of Tea" and "Celestial Seasonings"--not because they're unhealthy, but because they taste pretty bland or foul. KF

[CatsWithMatches]

Black tea has about half as much caffeine as coffee, and green has about half as much as black. So green tea has an amount of caffeine that isn't worth making a big deal out of. And if you DO care, there's decaf. The only think you have to worry about health wise with tea is bottled tea which can be loaded with sugar (or brain-rotting artificial sweeteners).

And DDR is a great idea too.

[Nobiyuki77]

Tonight's update: Today is my "off" day, where I allow myself to be a little off on my intake (once a week, to keep from going insane).

Food eaten:

Breakfast:
- Slept in, so I missed it.

Lunch:
- Foot long subway sandwich: Ham and Swish Cheese, Mustard
- 100 calorie chips
- Sprite Zero

Afternoon Snack:
- Banana
- 10 (yes I counted) Saltine Crackers

Evening:
- Peanut Butter Sandwich (thin spread)
- 1 glass of cranberry juice.

I will be taking all of the advice given so far in this thread and developing a list tomorrow of how I want to structure my diet. My mother is going shopping on Tuesday, so you probably won't see dramatic change (though I'll do what I can) until then.

The coffee issue is problematic though. I absolutely NEED caffeine in the morning because I can not wake up without it. I used to drink Soda in the morning, coffee seems to be working much better diet-wise. I've tried green tea in the past, but it doesn't really have enough "kick" to boot my ass outta sleep. >>

I used to play soccer all the time, but sadly until I'm back in shape I'm too embarrassed to play with others (I know, stupid reason, but I can't get over that one. I refuse to play on a team and be worthless).

What kind of oatmeal do you recommend G1? How big a portion? What kind of fruit did you put in it?

[GhaleonOne]

With oatmeal, I buy the big containers. Those microwavable packages may be good, but you might as well eat sugared cereal, for the calorie count. Most groceries will carry the big tube of plain oatmeal. While it tastes better cooked over the stove, I generally only have time to microwave it. As for fruit, I usually buy a big 7 dollar bag of frozen fruit and mix a few pieces in. Plus, that frozen fruit can be made into smoothies.

[Alunissage]

My husband got into oatmeal made from steel-cut oats, and once I got into it too, it became our standard at-home breakfast, when it works with the schedule. Definitely worth finding, and a very different thing from rolled oats (e.g. all the Quaker's type and instant oatmeals). Steel-cut oats are oats that, well, have been chopped up instead of flattened. They're the sort of thing you buy from Whole Foods and health food stores but you can sometimes find similar stuff at Trader Joe's (see also Irish Oatmeal, though I think that's a bit different too.)

Here's how we cook 'em: Melt about a tablespoon butter in a small pot, on high. Pour in a cup of steel-cut oats and toast them slightly, stirring now and again. When they start smelling toasty and nutty, pour three cups of water in, turn the heat down to low, and put the lid on. Ignore it for half an hour (this is a good time to shower and dress, or do morning email/web reading, etc). When that time's up, turn off the heat, add some salt -- it's important to do this AFTER it's cooked rather than before because the salt inhibits the gluten release that makes the oatmeal texture -- and a cup of milk. Stir. This is two largish servings. My mom will make this amount or twice that and just refrigerate the extra and reheat it during the week. It has a chewy, nubbly texture.

Zq eats his with maple syrup and sometimes some more milk; my sister puts brown sugar in hers. I, slightly more virtuously, put sweetened dried cranberries in mine but no other sweeteners. It takes a bit of time for the heat and moisture to hydrate the cranberries to full yumminess, so usually what I do on work mornings is pack my portion (about a cup and a half to two cups) in a container and take it with me to work. Then I eat it over the course of the morning/early afternoon. As I mentioned in another thread, I can't seem to take sweets in the morning very well, but the buttery taste (more from the salt + oatmeal than the actual butter) and the cranberries work well for me.

I highly recommend this as a breakfast/lunch that sticks with you and is fairly healthy. Most breakfast foods, if I can eat them, I find myself getting hungry again in an hour or so or else having a stomachache (cereal and fruits seem to do this especially), but this has worked well for me. The proportions above are for two servings, as I mentioned; when I've made it just for myself I've made a one-third or two-thirds recipe, depending on how many meals I intend it to be. It reheats OK too, so sometimes I'll make a full recipe for myself and have it for dinner as well as breakfast.

Regarding proteins vs fibers and all that: My own personal experience is that I don't feel fed unless I've had some protein (and/or fat). Salad does not work for me, even when I am not feeling anti-lettuce, because there's just not enough there there to make me feel filled up. I also find that a lot of things make my stomach acidy and such. But everyone's different. I used to like having a single fried egg on a piece of sourdough toast for breakfast, ideally with a slice of Canadian bacon and a slice of cheese. I still think this is a very nice combination, and all that protein does set me up pretty well for the day. But even though I like eggs, in the morning I find them too rich often, and the thought makes me feel sick. On the other hand, clearly many people manage just fine with a bowl of cereal and (if the boxes are to be believed), some orange juice, coffee, and perhaps some toast. Those are all foods I like, but my throat burns just thinking about how acid my stomach (and therefore my throat) would be if I tried to have that the morning of a workday, and it would probably mess up my appetite for the rest of the day if I forced it. It's not always easy finding a balance point between what makes your personal stomach work for you and what the rest of your body needs, unfortunately.

[Nobiyuki77]

Tonight's update (4/19/2009):

Breakfast
- Two eggs
- One glass of cranberry juice

Snack
- Banana

Lunch
- Ham Sandwich (4 slices of ham)
- 100 calorie snack (doritos)
- Seltzer Water

Snack
- Orange

Evening snack
- 15 Saltine Crackers
- Cookie

This weekend wasn't the best, but I'm gonna work on a list for my mother when she goes shopping for what I want to eat based on the above suggestions.

Also, to clarify the coffee point, I only have one cup of coffee at the beginning of the day. At no other time during the day do I drink coffee. Is this still a bad drink?

[Sonic#]

Also, to clarify the coffee point, I only have one cup of coffee at the beginning of the day. At no other time during the day do I drink coffee. Is this still a bad drink?

It's not a fantastic drink for your health, but one cup a day won't kill you. I say if one cup of coffee is your thing, don't fear indulging in it. The health concerns really start with two, three, or more cups, or the people that chain-drink like some people chain-smoke. Then again, chain-anything seems to be rather bad.

[Nobiyuki77]

Todays' check in.

Morning:
- Scrambled Eggs
- 3 slices of bacon
- 1 sausage patty
- 1 apple

Snack:
- Banana

Lunch:
- Ham sandwich (3 slices)
- Bottled Water
- Orange

Dinner:
- 1/4 pound ground beef (sloppy joe's)
- Peas

Evening snack: (as I seemed a little low calorie-wise)
- Peanut Butter Sandwich

Exercise:
- 15 minutes jog on treadmill
- 40 crunches
- 20 side crunches (both sides)

UPDATE: For some reason, this morning I was 221. This is startling because I was 225 two days prior, so I need to be careful not to under eat anymore (thus the additional sandwich for now). Mom decided to go shopping a day early and got Oatmeal and some fruit cocktail for me to use in the morning, and carrot sticks for me to nibble on at night. I also asked her to get Turkey slices instead of Ham slices, and she also picked up some apple sauce. I hope these changes will be for the better.

[GhaleonOne]

Don't worry about a drop like that. If it happened a few days in a row, yeah, but your body will fluctuate like that. When I was daily weighing myself in, it could do weird stuff like that, especially depending on what I ate the day before. Stuff with high salt, carbs, etc. were always a temporary gain, but other days of eating foods that were light and little carbs/salt usually dropped me a few pounds. Usually if you see a 4 pound drop like that in 1 day, it'll level off or even gain over the next few days before dropping again. Even over the course of a few weeks, I could drop 8 pounds total one week, then stay almost level over the next week. Your body just adjusts itself at times.

[Nobiyuki77]

Well, this morning I was 222, so I felt a little bit better. Gotta get things balanced out.

Today's update:

Breakfast:
- Oatmeal 1/4 cup
- 1 piece unbuttered toast
- Seltzer Water

Snack:
- Banana
- Cup of Peaches

Lunch:
- Turkey Sandwich
- Bottled Water
- Orange

Snack:
- Banana

Dinner:
- Vegetable Stew
- Cranberry Juice

[Kizyr]

Hey, that's looking a bit better... Mind you, I'm no nutritionist, but that seems like a better diet than the first post or two. Although, if you ask me, it is vital that you find something healthy that you actually like--if you cut back to healthy food that you can't stand eating, then it creates a disincentive to keep up your regimen.

And just to echo G1, don't try to micromanage your weight. There are a lot of things that cause it to fluctuate by a few pounds. (Water content is a big one--some disreputable diet pills actually claim to shed pounds, but really cause you to lose a lot of water.) Weighing in every day is more likely to stress you out and magnify those little fluctuations. Try once a week maybe, and at the same time each day? KF