So, crunch time on Top Spin 2 is over. So it’s time to start my diet up again.
We’re starting slow and simple, just like I did last time when I was nearly successful. All I’m doing this week is drinking water. No exercise, no food restrictions yet. To help wean me off the caffeine, I have laid in a large supply of Jolt Gum, which I ordered off of ThinkGeek.
I’ve already screwed up a perfect score for this week by forgetting and drinking a soda with my lunch, dangit. Hopefully I can redeem myself later.
(just fyi: Penguin makes a caffinated gum that’s also sugar free)
I’d suggest not beating yourself up for lapsing once. Yesterday I took a candy bar from a bowl my coworker leaves out, but it was the first time in over a week, so I felt fine about it. Today, however, I was tempted to take another and reminded myself that I don’t actually want it.
I never did get into soda pop and coffee, and I don’t smoke, so I am not sure what it would be like to be addicted to caffeine…well, other than the fact that my girlfriend can get headaches if she doesn’t get a can of Mt. Dew in her system soon enough. I imagine headaches and a lack of focus might be coming. Still, once you’re out of it, you’ll never “need” coffee or cola again, and that’s a good feeling.
I don’t know what you ate before and what your new diet consists of, but I would strongly suggest making fruits and vegetables a significant part of it. They’re delicious (so if you like sweet candy, eat apples, grapes, peaches, tangerines, etc), they fill you up, and they aren’t processed beyond recognition before you eat them. From what I have been reading these days, it seems that a whole foods, plant-based diet is healthiest, but a nice side-effect is that if you have extra pounds, it also lets you eat as much as you want while losing weight. You just obviously have to avoid eating the bad food along with it. B-)
Good luck to you!
I was aware that even with the gum, I was going to feel a lack of energy when I gave up the accursed Mountain Dew…it’s not just the caffeine, it’s the constant influx of sugar calories. That’s why I couldn’t do it until crunch on Top Spin 2 was over.
I’m not watching what I eat yet (one step at a time), but last time I had success eating a lot of rice and seafood. My lunch would consist of a bowl of rice or ramen noodles and shrimp, with a little ranch dressing in it for flavor. Mmmm, mmm. Now I’ve got a rice cooker, so I could easily make a whole day’s worth of rice at once (and the cooker will keep it warm until it’s eaten, I LOVE the Japanese!) I’m in good shape to do this again…I just need to take it slow. Impatience is what sabotaged me last time and I’m not going to let it happen again.
Sounds like you’re doing it in a sustainable manner, which is smart.
A few years back, I went on a diet and lost over 100 pounds. I kicked it off with a 7 day fast. I could have gone on longer mentally but when I found myself having trouble standing I was startled and ended the fast. That really set the stage for the loss, as I limited myself to one small meal all day for roughly 6 months, and was able to know that if I had the mental discipline to fast as I had, the one meal limit was doable. Also, I can’t explain it, but the fast had somehow ‘reset’ my bodies expectation of what ‘full’ felt like. And that helped immensely.
My ‘success’ was my downfall. I let myself overeat my favorite food (PIZZA) a little too often, and my personal life unraveled yet again, and without even realizing it, my eating habits slowly went back to thier formerly bad state, and I was back up 75 or so of the lost weight. I am now working it down slowly.
I believe that had I not been so SEVERE in my eating changes, and integrated them into my psyche more smoothly rather than just a form of severe mental discipline, the changes would have been sustained through the rough moments. Not to mention, the dietary changes I made were not shared by my wife and kids, so it was not truly integrated into my life.
So my advice, make changes, but make them in a SUSTAINABLE way.
And best of luck. I know the stuggles you’re up against in the battle of the bulge. If you need some support in it, gimme a holler.
Wow, Warren!
I imagine what happened was that your body thought you were starving. I have to convince a few of my friends all the time that starving is just going to gain you more weight, as counter-intuitive as it is. When your body thinks it is starving, any food it can get gets stored. After all, it is starving, so it will need those reserves later.
On the other hand, I love eating fruits and vegetables. I can eat as much as I want, and I can’t gain weight. At least, so far it seems that way. If I eat pizza, meat, or processed foods, however, I have to be careful. I’ve been trying to cut out such foods from my diet, but it is tough on those long days when you don’t feel like cooking. B-