72 year old food addict starts new program

mskatz1

14 days with no sugar and no flour. The evening of the First Day of Rosh Hashanah--a time of reflection on how want to live our lives for the coming new year--for me, the goal is clear--sustain a major weight loss, change my fundamental eating habits, moved towards being a slimmer, happier, more compassionate person. Onwards. Thanks for the support of this wonderful online community.

mskatz1

switched from instant oatmeal to regular oatmeal on Doctor's advice. Now have lots of extra oatmeal. Ate it--4 oz. weighed-- with 6 oz of raspberries and a touch of almost milk--that was my one fruit and one grain for the morning breakfast on this new Bright Line Eating Program I joined.
Had two egg omelet with 2 oz. of smoked salmon. No more diet coke--only water--as much as I can handle.

PaytraB

Sounds delicious. I never use instant oatmeal either. Have you tried steel cut oats? So delicious. It takes longer to cook (about 20 minutes) but I cook them once in awhile because they taste so good.

I laughed at the "almost milk" (I realize you meant almond milk).

Smoked salmon with eggs sounds wonderful.

bunnyluv19

I use 2 tablespoons of sour cream in tuna instead of mayo_ it's very good.

mskatz1

I am allowed 4 oz of potato instead of oatmeal or quinoa or rice--as a "morning breakfast" grain. What can I put on a potatoe instead of butter to make it tasty? Your ideas appreciated.

AnnPT77

mskatz1 wrote: »

I am allowed 4 oz of potato instead of oatmeal or quinoa or rice--as a "morning breakfast" grain. What can I put on a potatoe instead of butter to make it tasty? Your ideas appreciated.

Plain Greek yogurt with your choice of spices would be one option.

RunawayCurves

mskatz1 wrote: »

I am allowed 4 oz of potato instead of oatmeal or quinoa or rice--as a "morning breakfast" grain. What can I put on a potatoe instead of butter to make it tasty? Your ideas appreciated.

I like new potatoes with tarragon, lemon juice and olive oil. Sometimes I just use tarragon on its own. Tarragon and potato are made for each other in my opinion. You can buy it as a dried herb in the little jars in supermarket.

mskatz1

Thanks for the potato options for flavor; have never used tarragon. Lemon juice sounds interesting--used my .05oz of butter (my one fat requirement) for breakfast. Should not have weighed this morning--staying at 238.3 on my scale. Have to struggle not to obsess over the "weight issue." Hard to do for an impatient, food addict.

mskatz1

Starting to have a 6 oz spinach salad with lunch with 6 oz additional chicken;using lemon juice instead of "oil"and adding1/2 small avocado. Had 6 oz. of blackberries (delicious) for my fruit---following Bright Line Eating program--no fats, no sugars; three meals a day; portion control (weighing food on digital scale); somewhat time consuming, but totally different.

AnnPT77

mskatz1 wrote: »

Thanks for the potato options for flavor; have never used tarragon. Lemon juice sounds interesting--used my .05oz of butter (my one fat requirement) for breakfast. Should not have weighed this morning--staying at 238.3 on my scale. Have to struggle not to obsess over the "weight issue." Hard to do for an impatient, food addict.

Try not to worry! (Easy to say, isn't it? ).

This is just how it works - you won't see a loss every day . . . some days it may even creep up a little. (It can creep up if you eat a little extra sodium or carbs compared to normal - even if it's a reasonable & health amount, or if you get sore muscles from exercise, or for various other water-weight reasons; it can even happen if you ate something with more-than-normal fiber like some extra veggies, and the fiber is still working its way through your system). Sometimes weight will hold steady for quite some days, then a big drop will suddenly happen - a "whoosh".

Plan on your loss not being a straight downward-sloping line, but more like a descending mountain range, with tiny bumps and baby hills on the slope, but an overall downward direction.

Some people find daily weighing distressing and stressful. Personally, I like it: Over time, I gained an excellent understanding of how my weight fluctuates from day to day, what the causes are, and how long it will take to drop from one of those mini-bump-ups. I even got so I could predict these fluctuations reasonable well. But if you find it stressful to weigh daily, there's no reason to do it so often.

mskatz1

Thanks for the advice on weighing; learned this morning that Costco broiled chickens, which I love and was eating with some regularity--even up through yesterday--is soaked in salt brine---6 oz had over 1290 milligrams of sodium---and high sodium retains water; so sadly,I am ready to give up on one of my favorite chicken places--Costco. aaaaarrrrggghhh. I have lost 50% of my kidney function so too much sodium in my daily diet is not a good thing. Onwards.

51time

Tuna. I put green onions and use a little creole mustard with dill season.

mskatz1

21 days with no sugar, no white flour; slight meltdown last night while watching late night tv--ate a cup of canteloupe, container of rasperries and a modest amount of pinion nuts--shot blood sugar up to 149 before bed;
size 44 shorts now fitting comfortably--another 1.5 lbs. off for the week. Slowing progress. walked 29 minutes with less difficulty than previous walking.

more suggestions on how to make tuna without too much light mayo.

socioseguro

I prepare my tuna with dijon mustard (one TSP per tuna can), diced celery, diced red onion marinated 1 hour in lemon juice and 1 TBSP of plain greek yougurt.

2manyhats

mskatz1 wrote: »

Thanks Dancing Daisy. Yes, no pasta at this point. Need to experiment with some different types of fish. I am not a great fish eater, but I should try to expand my limited repertoire beyond my favorites--boiled shrimp, broiled scallops, crab, lobster, salmon. How does one make tuna fish without mayonnaise? Your suggestions!

I use mustard and avocado in my tuna! Good job on cutting out the white stuff!

snowflake930

mskatz1 wrote: »

more suggestions on how to make tuna without too much light mayo.

Starkist has flavored tuna pouches (about 80 calories). I really like the lemon pepper one. You could probably use the plain tuna and mix in your own lemon pepper.
Sometimes I used whipped onion chive cream cheese mixed into plain tuna. It is also good if you put in some dill.
You can make a lighter version of mayo too. There are a lot of recipes on line.

I like baked fish. I dry the filets with a paper towel. Dip in a beaten egg and coat with seasoned Panko bread crumbs. Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 12 minutes. They get crispy and brown. Really good.

mskatz1

Thanks very, very much for the tuna fish suggestions. I have been buying lumped crab meat in cans--but it is super expensive.

mskatz1

weighed in today--235 on bathroom scale--was 248+ with clothes on three weeks ago in doctor's office with clothes on in the afternoon--so somewhere between and 11-12 lb. weight loss in three weeks of no sugar, no flour. Feeling positive. Pants fitting better. Onwards.

johnnylakis

Seasoning is key. I find that you cant help but eat more when food is bland

mskatz1

Going to New York for 4 days starting tomorrow morning; need to pack some healthy snacks, digital scale, some lumped crab meat in plastic container, and commit to eating healthfully with no sugar, no flour; today begins my second month; size 44's fitting nicely. started with a tight 46. Determined not to weigh for awhile; small regular cheats on my Bright Line eating program--usually fruit and nuts in the evening. Some popcorn last night--that was bad.

mskatz1

beginning 2nd month of lifestyle changing food program; feeling slimmer in my 44 pants.

suziecue20

Funnily enough I've just had 40g oatmeal, 200ml skimmed milk, 33g blueberries and 1tsp honey = 259 calorie breakfast and yummy! Good luck with your plan...I'm 68 and lost 51lbs and now maintained that loss for 5 months so far......us oldies can do it!!!

Edit: Just noticed I posted on page 1 duh!

snowflake930

mskatz1 wrote: »

Going to New York for 4 days starting tomorrow morning; need to pack some healthy snacks, digital scale, some lumped crab meat in plastic container, and commit to eating healthfully with no sugar, no flour; today begins my second month; size 44's fitting nicely. started with a tight 46. Determined not to weigh for awhile; small regular cheats on my Bright Line eating program--usually fruit and nuts in the evening. Some popcorn last night--that was bad.

^^Popcorn is good for you. It is one of my main go to snacks. I have gotten so I really like it with no butter on it. I air pop it and grate some parmesan cheese on it.

mskatz1

I will get weighed at the doctor's office tomorrow; have not weighed myself in two weeks, but waist line is going down. Still avoiding bread, pasta, pizza, ice cream, cookies, diet soda and other foods containing sugar and white flour---small cheats on nuts (some pistachio nuts; some pine nuts--both high in fat content); low calorie intake today and 1 hour on the elliptical at a slow rate. Feeling better. Five weeks tomorrow of my fundamental lifestyle change in eating.

AnnPT77

mskatz1 wrote: »

I will get weighed at the doctor's office tomorrow; have not weighed myself in two weeks, but waist line is going down. Still avoiding bread, pasta, pizza, ice cream, cookies, diet soda and other foods containing sugar and white flour---small cheats on nuts (some pistachio nuts; some pine nuts--both high in fat content); low calorie intake today and 1 hour on the elliptical at a slow rate. Feeling better. Five weeks tomorrow of my fundamental lifestyle change in eating.

Generally, nuts are very healthy, with a higher percentage of their fats being a healthful type. Your body needs at least some fat to function, and the more of that that is the healthful type, the better. As long as they fit in your calorie goal, eat the nuts!

It is not good or healthy to eliminate all fat from your diet. You need fat for lots of reasons, among them that you need fat in order for your body to absorb certain vitamins from your fruits & veggies.

I try to get at least 0.35-0.4 grams of fat per pound of a healthy goal weight every day, as much as possible from healthy types, and to include some in every meal.

Unless one has an unusual medical condition, it's OK to get more fat than that, as long as it doesn't make you exceed your calorie goal, or make it impossible (calorie-wise) to get other essential nutrition.

mskatz1

weighed at doctor's office--234.6---down 5.5 in two weeks; I was a little disappointed as my scale without breakfast and without clothes (with light gym clothes at doctor's office but no shoes) was 235 two weeks ago. She indicated I am down 25 lbs. from my recent high weight--down 15+ from when I started changed approach to eating--5 weeks ago.

AnnPT77

mskatz1 wrote: »

weighed at doctor's office--234.6---down 5.5 in two weeks; I was a little disappointed as my scale without breakfast and without clothes (with light gym clothes at doctor's office but no shoes) was 235 two weeks ago. She indicated I am down 25 lbs. from my recent high weight--down 15+ from when I started changed approach to eating--5 weeks ago.

Don't fret too much - weight fluctuates, especially when different scales, times of day, and clothing are involved. As long as the trend over a longer term is downward, the right things are happening. Besides, 15 pounds in 5 weeks is very rapid loss!

mskatz1

weighed in at 233.7 on my scale without clothes; fitting into size 42 waist tightly and size 44 comfortably; started at tight 46--exercising up from 30 minutes to 40-60 minutes. Onwards.

mskatz1

weighed in yesterday at 230.2; violated my no sugar, no white flour commitment with some candy on Halloween and yesterday, some bubble gum at night (with sugar) and some spaghetti yesterday; have increased exercise in past week to 45-60 minutes on eliptical and now doing some minimal weight lifting; pants fitting better. Long, long way to go. Still eating oatmeal with some almond milk and some blackberries or raspberries for breakfast along with either an omelet or some other protein. Trying not to weigh very often.

gail2451

Congratulations, you are making fabulous progress. Apart from cutting out white flour/bread are you also cutting out brown bread, potatoes and rice? I am in my sixties and have started cutting out all bad carbs. I also have oatmeal with almond milk fir breakfast although I believe cream us good as it has a higher fat content. Would appreciate to hear from you.