Good Nutrition at Dairy Queen?

Can you eat a reasonably healthy meal at a place like this? 

As part of the revitalization of Jekyll Island, we now have a spanking new gas station, Flash Foods (convenience store) and a Dairy Queen.

We haven't had a fast-food restaurant on the island in, well, never.  And we haven't had a place to get breakfast and a cup of coffee since one of the live oaks fell over and crushed the Waffle House, which was later torn down and never replaced.  So I predict that this place will do well, as there is no other place on the island for old people to get breakfast and a cup 'o Joe, and no place for workmen to get a quick inexpensive meal.

But is it healthy food?  Like anything else, you have to be proactive and do your research.  Helpfully, they had nutrition guides available at the opening, although the breakfast nutrition guide was not available.

Can you eat a largely healthy and calorie-appropriate meal here?  Yes.  Can you gorge yourself on over 1000 to 1500 calories?  Yes, also.  Like anything else, it depends on the choices you make.

Breakfast:


For breakfast, you can opt for the fairly reasonable ham biscuit sandwich, at 460 calories (480 if you want bacon instead), which, with a cup of coffee (essentially zero calories) is not an egregious amount of food to eat, albeit one with little fiber and probably 70% or more of your daily cholesterol requirement.  Disturbingly, most of their breakfast items contain a lot of saturated fat and trans-fats, the latter of which which I thought had been outlawed in most places.

Oddly enough, the lowest calorie item on the breakfast menu is the pancake platter with ham, at 380 calories and no trans-fats.  Of course, if you slather this with HCFS "syrup" or margarine, you may end up with more calories.  I am not sure why the pancakes have no trans-fats while the biscuits do, other than they are likely using margarine in the biscuits (ugh!).

On the other hand, you can really screw the pooch and order the "Country Platter with Sausage", for an astounding 1360 calories, which is more than half your daily requirement.  And yes, that is way too much food for one person for one meal, PERIOD.

And needless to say, washing all that down with a soft drink (for breakfast?  bleech!  But people do it!) will add 160-320 calories, depending in the serving size.


Lunch/Dinner:

OK, well breakfast there isn't exactly health food - but at least you can keep the calorie count within reason, if you order selectively.

The original hamburger is a modest 350 calories, while the 1/4 pound grillburger is a fairly reasonable 490.   The worst offender is the "Chicken Strip Basket with Country Gravy" at an astounding 1410 calories, which is nearly your daily caloric intake requirement.  The "Veggie Quesadilla Basket" may sound healthy and all (hey, it has "veggies" - right?) but has 1030 calories - far too much for one meal.

The side salad is a modest 50 calories (with or without dressing is unclear - use little in any event) so you could construct a buger-and-salad meal for less than 500 calories which might leave room for dessert.

The "local menu" has some items that are even lighter fare - a barbecue beef sandwich, for example, for 270 calories or a shredded chicken sandwich for 290.  Note also that their "Grilled Chicken Wrap" comes in at an astoundingly low 200 calories while the "Flamethrower" Chicken Wrap comes in at 300.  For some reason the "Flamethrower Chicken Sandwich" tops an astounding 860 calories.

And of course, it goes without saying that you could really screw up even the best choices by adding a regular fries (310) or large fries (500) and adding a non-diet soda (160-320) and turn that 200-calorie choice into a 1000 calorie nightmare in short order.

If you can chose a lower calorie sandwich and a side salad, as opposed to the "Flamethrower" and large fries, you can eat sort of reasonably there.

But you do have to choose.  And note again that I am not advocating this as health food, only pointing out that there are healthier choices on the menu - and ones with less calories.  And in any event, restaurants should never be used as kitchens!  If you are eating in restaurants - particularly fast-food places - several times a week, you need to get your diet and finances in order, as it is an expensive proposition in terms of money and health.


Dessert:

Of course, Dairy Queen is famous for ice cream, in particular, its shake-like "Blizzards" which are a calorie nightmare.  A large "Cookie Dough Blizzard" packs a staggering 1300 calories and sounds utterly disgusting (a clue to all you fat chicks:  Cookie Dough is NOT A FOOD).  The "Turtle Pecan" is even worse at 1480, but the booby prize appears to go to the Oreo Cookie Jar Blizzard that tops 1550 calories, and apparently contains an entire cookie jar of Oreos.

Dairy Queen does have a separate nutrition guide for "treats".  Very little is really edible in terms of a reasonable calorie count.  Again, in a 2000-calorie a day diet, you can't expect to have a 500+ calorie sugary treat, and have room left over for three reasonable meals.  In addition, eating a lot of sugar all at once is sure to make you peak and then plunge, in terms of blood sugar level.

A small cone is 230 calories, which I suppose if it is a once-in-a-while deal is not too bad (but every day, would be problematic).  For some reason, the "novelties" have astoundingly low calories.  The "DQ Fudge Bar" is a gluten-free, no-sugar-added treat that clocks in at an amazing 50 calories.  Whether it tastes good, or has that metallic aspertame taste, is a matter of debate.  I am not a big fan of chemical solutions to dietary problems - abstinence is a better option in most cases.  These fudge bars are not available in all locations.




Sample Menus:


Based in the nutritional information provided, we can put together a 2000-calorie "menu" for three meals.  I am not suggesting eating three meals a day here, but only showing that at least from a calorie perspective, it can be done.

Breakfast:
Ham and Egg Biscuit: 460 calories
Coffee:  0 calories

Lunch:
1/4 pound grillburger:  490 calories
Side Salad: 50 calories
Diet Soda or Unsweetened Tea: 0 calories

Dinner:
Flamethrower Chicken Wrap: 300 Calories
Side Salad: 50 Calories
Diet Soda or Unsweetened Tea: 0 Calories

Desssert:
Small ice cream cone: 230 Calories


Total: 1580 Calories

This is less than the 2000-calorie per day USDA guidelines, and thus leaves a 420 calorie margin for a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack, as well as some wiggle room in menu selection.

On the other hand, you could do this:

Breakfast:
Country Platter with Sausage: 1360 calores
Large Coke: 320 Calories

Lunch:
Flamethrower Chicken Sandwich:  860 calories
Large Fries: 500 calories

Large Coke: 320 Calories

Dinner:
Chicken Strip Basket with Country Gravy: 1410 Calories
Large Fries: 500 Calories
Large Coke: 320 Calories

Desssert:
Large Cookie Dough Blizzard: 1300 Calories

Total: 6890 Calories

This is, of course, a staggering amount of calories, and it illustrates how the "Supersize Me" guy could gain weight so quickly, simply by intentionally picking the worst menu item choices possible.  An excess of 4890 calories a day will put on over a pound of body weight per day (where 3100 calories equals about one pound of body fat).

So it is all about choices - you can make really, really bad choices or fairly reasonable ones.  Neither are "good" or "excellent" choices, of course, but at least one is not staggeringly horrible.


Conclusion:

So.... can you eat a reasonably healthy meal at Dairy Queen?  The short answer is:  If you choose wisely, you can at least curtail your calorie intake to a reasonable level.  The fat content, cholesterol, and most disturbingly, trans-fat content, are likely to be too high.  But if you eat at a place like this only occasionally (as opposed to using it as a kitchen) it won't kill you.




February 9, 2011, 238.4 lbs.   

Note again, during the week, I lose weight.  Managing the weekend is the key!

February 13, 2011, 239.8 lbs.
February 14, 2011, 239.8 lbs

Restaurant Meals - Part Deux

Planning meals is important, particularly when visiting Restaurants.

I have written before about Restaurant Meals and what a nightmare they can be, from a dietary perspective.

It is not just that most American restaurants serve 1000 or more calories per meal (usually by loading up on cheap carbs, in the form of bread, rice, or potatoes, compounded by sugary drinks) but that it is hard to portion control your meal and restrain yourself from over-eating in the company of friends.

As I noted in an earlier posting, the best way to do this, is to PLAN AHEAD when eating out.

The worst case scenario is to meet friends at a bar "for drinks" (on an empty stomach, no less!) and then "decide where to eat".  The problem with this approach is multi-fold.

First, by drinking on an empty stomach, you end up getting drunk and thus losing what little self-control you have.  It also adds an additional 100-200 calories to your meal before you even start.  Once you drink like that, you need to eat, and eat soon, so you make bad food choices.

Second, not knowing in advance where you are going to eat is problematic, in that you cannot think about what to order and figure out calorie content in advance.

As I noted in my last posting on this subject, the best case scenario is to figure out in advance what you are going to eat and then do a calorie count in advance - and stick to that plan.  And many restaurants have menus online you can look at - with larger chains even providing nutritional information.

A royal pain-in-the-ass?  You bet, but if you are serious about weight management, you have to do this.

Now, you might ask, "Gee, how do some folks stay so thin and never have to go through hassles like this?" and the answer is literally right in front of you.  Next time you are out to dinner with a thin person, watch how they eat.  Chances are, they don't have that dinner roll, or if they do, they don't have that second one that you grabbed.  And instead of HFCS Coke, they drank iced tea (unsweetened) and chances are, too, they left food on the plate.

We made a lot of progress last year in our weight loss - going from 265 down to 222, but then "lost it" and have plateaued at about 240 for the last several months.  We make some progress - a few pounds here and there, starting to touch the 230 mark, and then lose it again.

The common denominator is eating out - controlling calorie intake is easier at home (although we make mistakes here as well).  But restaurant meals end up being a 1000 or 1500 calorie nightmare, if not more.  And such a calorie overdose can literally add on weight overnight.

Again, 100 calories a day, 3100 calories a month, one pound a month, 12 pounds a year, 120 pounds a decade.  It is not hard to get fat.  You don't have to "gorge" on food to gain weight.  All it takes is that small calorie surplus every day, or every week.

So eating "right" all week long and then running a 700 calorie surplus on the weekend ends up negating everything you are working for.

Our next restaurant experience will be different, because we will plan it that way!

Note:  The restaurant above is of course, the famous restaurant where the gang from "Seinfeld" ate.  Jerry always had the egg-white omelet, which is very low in cholesterol and fairly low in calories, depending on what ingredients it has.

The Great American Hamburger

The Great American Hamburger can be a calorie and diet nightmare.

We went to a hamburger joint last night.  It wasn't bad, but eating a lot of meat late at night can cause you to wake up at 4:00 in the morning, as your bowels try to deal with this all.  It is like doing aerobics in bed.  When you are young, you may sleep right through this.  After age 40, you may start to wonder why you wake up at night.  After age 50, you pretty much figure it out.

Hamburgers in America are ubiquitous.  Are they bad for you?  Well, they aren't health food, that's for sure.  Each component of the meal has its good and bad points.  Unfortunately, they don't offset each other.  And unfortunately, hamburgers tend to be accompanied by fries, which really makes things worse, from a carbohydrate and fiber standpoint.

Your typical "quarter-pound" of ground beef  (about 110 grams) is about 270 calories or so.  This may not seem like a lot, in a 2000-calorie per day diet, but of course, that is just the beef part.  And that part is a bit high in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol, having anywhere from 25% to 30% of your daily requirement.

And it goes without saying that all of this gets a lot worse if you "supersize" to the 1/3-pound, 1/2 pound, or even 3/4 pound sandwiches now available (again, any food with "pounder" on the label should be avoided).

The bun is where it gets tricky, as traditional 4" buns from the supermarket have about 110 calories each.  But as America has "super-sized" to the 1/4-pound patty, buns have gotten larger too, and the variety has increased as well.   Larger or over sized buns, Kaiser rolls, ciabatta bread, and other bun options often double this amount, meaning a typical "burger" with bun can come in at 490 calories.

Condiments are generally not too much of a problem - lettuce and pickle, mustard and the like have little or no calories.  Of course, cheese and bacon end up adding a lot of fat and cholesterol, and a few more calories as well.

If all you eat is the burger, you aren't doing too badly.  But of course, most burgers come with a "side" and few of us are tempted to say "salad for me!" which would be the healthiest choice, in terms of calories (if you don't slather it with dressing) and fiber content.  Most folks opt for the fries, and here is where things can go wrong in a hurry.

A "medium" order of McDonald's fries, for example, is about 380 calories.  But many "burger joints" pile the plate with far more than that - 500 calories worth, if not more.  So suddenly, your 490 calorie burger (which sounds like a reasonable, if not fiber-rich, meal) is up to 1000 calories or more, which is more than 50% of your daily dietary requirement, and sure to put you "over the top" calorie-wise, when added to your breakfast and lunch items.

And of course, all of this needs to be washed down with something, and since we were at a place called "BrewBurger" a couple of pitchers of beer seemed like a fine idea to me.  Some folks prefer soda pop, which is even worse.  Either way, you are looking at 100-200 calories per glass (depending on glass size) and easily can add another 500 to 1000 calories to such a meal - blowing out your daily requirement for the day.

A special note on "sliders":  These have become popular due to chains like Krystal's and White Castle.  They are tiny hamburgers on tiny buns, usually eaten several at a time as a meal.  The problem with these is that while they are small, it is tempting to consume more of them, and as a result eat more.  Plus, the bun-to-burger ratio is arguably higher.  I opted for "three slider" meal of 3 ounces each, which was actually more than a single half-pound hamburger.  Probably looking at 800 to 1000 calories just in the burgers.  Ouch.

So, how could we have salvaged this meal?  Several ways.

1.  Order a burger with a side salad and one beer or glass of wine - that's a start anyway.  If you can drink water (what's the fun in that?) you cut way back on calories.

2.  Share the sliders - at 3 oz. each, they would make a good sharing meal, and you could take one home, if you wanted to.

3.  Not eat the bun - as one of our friends did, and as Adkins fiends tend to do.  This cuts your calories, but turns it into an all-protein meal.

The point is, you do have choices, even in a restaurant that promotes high-calorie meals.  And last night, I didn't make the right choices!


February 5, 2011, 240.6 lbs.
February 6, 2011  239.8 lbs.
February 8, 2011  239.2 lbs.

See a pattern here?  I lose weight during the week, then on the weekends, we go out to eat with friends, and I gain it all back.  Self-discipline in restaurants is important!

Dieting on a Cruise?

Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas

So we went on a cruise for four days, three nights, on the Monarch of the Seas.  And it was pretty good.  And what was surprising was that the food was pretty responsible.

After reading books and hearing stories about people gorging themselves while on cruises (ordering 2-3 entrees at a time, eating 4-6 times per day at buffets, etc.) I expected this to be a diet nightmare, with over-sized portions of really bad food (high starches, fried foods, high fructose corn syrup laden crap, etc.).

And while some of that existed, for the most part, the food presented was healthy and nutritious and in proper portions.  Of course, it took some doing on the part of the customer to select foods that were good for you.

To begin with, we eschewed a "soda plan" because we don't drink soda pop anymore.  If you can do one thing to improve your health and at least slow your weight gain, give up soft drinks entirely.  A High fructose Corn Syrup laden soft drink is easily 100-400 calories depending on container size, which is a huge portion of a daily diet of 2000 calories.

And speaking of 2000 calories, our headwaiter confirmed my suspicion that they do hire dietitians to design the menus and that they are designed around a 2000-calorie-a-day plan, as per USDA guidelines.  Good for them.

Dinner is the only meal that is portion controlled (breakfast and lunch are buffet style) so I'll start with that.  The menu presents a number of entrees, appetizers, soups, and salads, as well as desserts - about 4-5 choices for each category (starters, entrees, desserts).  In addition, they nightly had a "healthy choice" menu.  Menu items that were deemed healthier choices were also mentioned.  They also had two vegetarian items on the menu every night - including an Indian item.

Several reviewers on epinions complained of no vegetarian items, which clearly is no longer the case.

The portion sizes were appropriate - not too small or too large.  The headwaiter noted that they were designed around an 800-calorie meal plan, about right for a dinner in a 2000-calorie daily diet.  While some Americans would no doubt feel that the portions are "too small" (no giant mounds of rice or pasta were served), I thought they were responsible and just right.  We left the dining room feeling satiated, not stuffed, and that made the experience more enjoyable.

For breakfast, we ordered room service.  Room service breakfast choices were cold items only - pastry plate, cereal, fruit, juices, coffee, and the like.  The service was fine and the items were satisfactory.  We probably went over our diet here, though, eating 800 calories or more, particularly when accompanied by champagne and orange juice.

Lunch is a nightmare of buffet lines and people swarming around the food.  We ate there sparingly, but others indulged themselves.  We had a hamburger and some plantains, probably too much starch.  They also have a pizza bar, which served OK pizza.  The problem with any buffet is portion control.  But one way to accomplish this is to get a small amount of food and retreat to a table.  By the time you are done eating, the idea of elbowing your way into that mass of humanity at the feeding trough seems repugnant, and you don't go back for seconds.

My only complaint was that there were really no healthy snacks between meals - they subscribe to the American three-meals-a-day plan, which means that by the time mealtime rolls around, you are starving and may tend to over-eat.  Plus, if you want a drink, there is rarely food to have with it.

A cocktail is better with a small hors d'ouvres with it.  And a glass of wine tastes better with a cheese tray.  And a beer goes better with a pretzel.   The way they have the ship set up, you can't have food with your drink, except at dinner, so you end up drinking on an empty stomach which is never a good idea at sea.

But overall, it was not the calorie nightmare I thought it would be.  Of course, the food was not as spicy as I would have liked it.  But as a grown-up, I realize that my tastes are not the same as mainstream America (thank God) and that they have to create a menu that caters to the tastes of the masses.  So while many items were flavorful, few were "hot".  However, in their defense, I discovered (too late) on the end of one of the buffet lines, a stack of hot sauce bottles - all untouched, of course.  Things are there, but you have to seek them out!

There are plenty of opportunities for exercise on the ship.  If you avoid elevators (we used one once, it was a Norovirus breeding cell) and use stairs, you can burn more calories.  And there is a jogging/walking path around the perimeter of the ship.  And of course, they do have a spa and gym so you can work out - few did, of course.

I was having a mild diverticulitis attack when we boarded, but it subsided by the second day.  Otherwise, I would have walked more.

But overall, it was not the sedentary, calorie-laden nightmare I thought it would be.  We may go on another cruise this fall.

February 2, 2011, 240 lbs.
February 3, 2010, 240 lbs.

Going on a Cruise...

We are going on a cruise.  What a weight-gain nightmare!

I have not updated this blog lately for a number of lame excuses.  First, I had another diverticulitis attack, which of course, is motivation to lose weight.  Second, we have had holidays and house guests, so have been busy.  But mostly, it was just laziness.

The main thing we learned last year was that if you write down everything you eat, every day, and calculate your calorie intake and your exercise, you will lose weight over time.  It is as simple as that.  Once you are aware of what you are eating, you will lose weight.

But if you just eat food all day long, grazing style, you will not lose weight, or in fact, gain it.

We have plateaued at about 240 lbs, which is easily 10 pounds higher than where we should be, 18 pounds higher than last Summer's low, and maybe 30 pounds higher than a healthy body weight.  We obviously have more work to do!

But now, we are going on a cruise.  All-you-can-eat buffets, food at every turn, and lots of drinking and sedentary inactivity.  Ouch.  We will have to make a conscious effort to eat an appropriate amount, walk around the ship as much as possible, and keep drinking to a minimum.

From a long-term view, our lifestyle has changed dramatically from that just a decade ago.  We have not had any soda pop in ages - and are avoiding HFCS drinks and foods like the plague.  Gone for good are chips and snacks and cakes - for the most part.

Our routine (and it is a routine) is fairly regular - and egg sandwich in the morning (500 calories or less), a mid morning snack of about 100 calories, a lunch of maybe 600-700 calories, a mid-afternoon snack of 100 calories, and then a dinner of 600-700 calories.  This,when done properly, provides about a 2000 calorie diet.  We also try to walk every day, with a goal of 10,000 paces (about 3 miles) but end up doing about 8,000 on average.

This is far and away a better lifestyle than we had in the past - getting little or no exercise and eating well over 2000 calories a day.  But there is slight creep in the diet, and that is what is putting us off track.

Company comes over and we serve a large dinner with cake for dessert.  Oh, well, you can afford a 1500 calorie meal once in a while, right?  Well, not exactly.  And then a 500 calorie egg sandwich adds in some hash browns (150 calories) and a glass of orange juice (100 calories) and becomes a 750 calorie breakfast.

A mid-morning snack morphs from 100 calories to 150.  It's just a little bit, right?

But as I learned, 100 calories a day is all that you need to gain a pound a month, 12 pounds a year, 120 pounds a decade.  And at the rate we are going, we are back on track to fall into that trap.

So, it is a new year, and we have to make a new resolution to eat less and stay fit.

And rule #1 I need to learn is to leave food on the plate.

January 24, 2011  240.6 lbs.
January 25, 2011  238 lbs.
January 26, 2011  238 lbs.
January 27, 2011  238.6 lbs.

Hydration

Do you need to drink 6-8 glasses of water a day?   The key is to stay hydrated.

For many years, the recommendation has been floating around that you should drink six to eight 12-ounce glasses of water a day.  For many people, this is a lot of water!  More recently, some doctors are saying that this amount may be excessive, which of course, sends the wrong message to people that no water is necessary at all (it is like the "one glass of wine a day is good for you" message that allows alcoholics to justify drinking several bottles).

It is a classic example, I'm afraid, of the media baiting you, by putting up a story about drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day - for the shock value - and then putting up another story "debunking" the first story, as people like to hear that all that "good health advice is a bunch of hooey" and moreover that "scientists really don't know nothin' anyway".

The media sucks, let's face it - they create stories largely for sensationalism value, to get you to watch, and really don't care whether they are sending the wrong messages or normative cues.  One secret to a happier life is to turn away from the TeeVee and the saturation media that dominates our society.

Do you need to drink all this water, or not?  Yes and no.  The key is to stay hydrated and avoid dehydration, which can affect your health and your moods.  And yes, some doctors believe that drinking more water can help you lose weight.  As this link notes:

Finally, it is very difficult for the body to differentiate hunger from thirst. If you don't drink enough water throughout the day, you may mistake thirst for hunger and eat more than you really need, which can also impair weight loss. So staying well hydrated is important, particularly if you are trying to lose weight. And don't forget to eat lots of water-based foods like soups, vegetables and low-fat dairy, which are equally important for weight loss, as they lower the calorie density of meals. That can help you reduce calories without reducing portions.

This is what I was getting at with my Hydrating with Food entry.  Oftentimes we think we are hungry when in fact, we are thirsty - and much of our water intake does come from food, not from water.

For me, I am still on the "drink lots of water" side of things, as most Doctors seem to be saying this.  Also, I think most Americans tend to be dehydrated and don't drink enough water.  In addition, two of my long-term conditions - Gout and Diverticulitis - are aggravated by dehydration.  When I drink water, I feel better - it is as simple as that.  Other conditions - such a painful kidney stones - can be aggravated by dehydration.

And once you start to notice how water affects your sense of well-being, you can tell when you are dehydrated.  The symptoms are not hard to see:

1. Your mouth is dry and your breath starts to get really bad.
2. You get dizzy, tired, or otherwise feel lightheaded
3. You are hungry, even though you have already eaten
4. Increased sensitivity to heat or cold.
5. Headaches, particularly migranes
6. You get irritable and impatient

As your body uses up water - through urination, sweating, and even breathing, your blood thickens and your blood pressure goes up.  As a result, you start to feel odd.

And you can dehydrate in conditions that would seem ideal for hydration. For example, the idiotic link above, which claims that "you don't need to drink all that water" talks with a morning show hostess (always the height of intellectual prowess) and notes that in the 60-degree studio "she doesn't sweat much" and therefore is not dehydrated.  But au contraire, a heavily air conditioned studio is also a very dry studio (air conditioners act as dehumidifiers) and as a result, you can dehydrate fairly rapidly through breathing alone.

During our cold weather snap, I noticed this effect as we drove into town.  All the symptoms of dehydration seemed to be occurring, even though we had drank a large glass of water earlier in the day.  The near-zero percent humidity meant that every breath out was expelling humid air, and every breath in was taking in dry air - a net loss in hydration over time.

Taking water with you is always a good idea.  Buying water at convenience stores is horribly expensive and even one bottle a day can end up costing you more than $365 a year, which is a lot of money.  We always take at least two quarts with us when we leave the house, as well as a small package of snack crackers to prevent low-blood sugar situations.

Also, keep track of where good drinking fountains are located in your regular routes of travel.  Forget all the nonsense (baiting again) you've read about how tap water has bacteria in it (everything has bacteria in it!  So long as it is not e coli, you are all set) or how drinking fountains are "unsanitary".  You will die of a stroke, heart attack, or kidney disease long before the drinking fountain will kill you.  The bottled water industry wants you to believe that tap water is bad - but in many cases, all they are selling you is the same tap water - often with higher bacteria counts! 


How does hydration affect finances as well as your personal health?  Dehydration is a good tool for salesmen to use to close a deal.  This is one reason why many salesmen want to drag out a closing for an hour or more.  If you can keep a prospect trapped in the car, boat, or RV showroom for hours at a time - with little in the way of hydration - they will finally break and sign almost any kind of odious deal, just to get out of there and get a drink of water.  Throw in a little low blood sugar, due to lack of food, and voila!  You've been leased a new car!


Note that many fad diets rely on dehydration to show sudden and sharp weight loss.  Water weights eight pounds per gallon, and thus, you can show a dramatic "weight loss" by dehydrating through diuretics and by limiting water intake.  But it is not a healthy practice, nor is it real weight gain, any more than squeezing out a sponge is.  It makes about as much sense as cutting off your arm to lose weight.  Yes, you can lose weight that way, but it misses the point.

Don't fall into the dehydration trap!  It is bad for your all of your internal organs, including your brain.  And if you want to lose weight, staying hydrated is important.

December 31, 2010  238.4 lbs (!!)  Company again!
January 1, 2010  239.2 lbs
January 2, 2010 241.0 lbs.
January 3, 2010 239.2 lbs.
January 4, 2010 236.3 lbs.  11,012 on pedometer (good walk!)  Holidays over!
January 5, 2010 237.2 lbs.  9039 on Pedometer
January 6, 2010 236.4 lbs.  8318 on Pedometer
January 7, 2010 238.6 lbs.
January 8, 2010 238.6 lbs.
January 9, 2010 236.8 lbs.
January 10, 2010 240 lbs (asked for seconds on enchiladas for dinner!)  Walked 11,000 paces, though.
January 11, 2010 238.4 lbs.  Moving furniture again
January 12, 2010 240 lbs.  Had seconds on dinner.  Bad idea.
January 16, 2010  241.2 lbs.


Disclaimer: Before going on any diet or exercise program, consult your Doctor for advice specific to your condition and needs. The entries in this blog reflect my own personal philosophies about weight loss, diet, eating habits, and exercise and reflect my experiences in losing weight. They are not intended as instructions on health, exercise, or medicine for others. The author assumes no responsibility in any way for misuse of the materials provided herein.

Time for Plan B

Time for Plan B!

We are stalling in our weight loss program, mostly through complacency.  Last year, when we ballooned to 265 pounds (ouch!) and our health deteriorated, the impetus to lose weight was greater.

Then a lot of things happened all at once.  We went on a two-week car trip, which makes counting calories and exercising harder, then we had a lot of company, which meant more drinking, partying, and lack of exercise.  Then we decided to sell our house in NY, which meant a month of 12 hour workdays, trying to pack and sort and sell - and although a lot of exercise, required a lot of carbs to get us through the day.

So from a low of 222, we shot up to 242 - a 20 lb gain after a 40 pound loss (the recoil effect).  Since then, we've managed to bring it below 240, but not by much.  Why is this?

1.  Portion Control:  I have not been as good about portioning myself with food.  Our breakfasts are OK, but we tend to overeat a little at lunch and a LOT at Dinner - not every night, just some nights, and that is all it takes to not lose weight.  We are staying at a stable weight, which is good, but in order to lose, you have to have that calorie deficit.  Mr. Brain wants otherwise, of course.

2.  Exercise:  We have been doing an average of 6000 paces a day - 8000 some days, only 2000 on others.  When we were losing weight, we were doing 10,000 to 12,000 paces a day.  The severe cold weather has not helped.  Also, unpacking all the boxes from NY has taken up a lot of exercise time.

3.  Alcohol:  When I stopped drinking alcohol due to a diverticulitis attack, my weight dropped dramatically and linearly almost immediately.  Even the smallest drink contains about 100 calories.  If you have one glass of wine a day, you are adding 100 calories - mostly empty calories - to your diet.  Have two or three - well, that's a lot of calories!  Again, all it takes is a 100 calorie surplus in your diet (5% excess!) to gain a pound a month, 12 pounds a decade.  Alcohol is fun and all, but it leads to weight gain, usually in the gut.

New Year's is a time for resolutions, of course.  But resolutions are easily broken, and then feed the cycle of shame/overeating/self-loathing that many overweight people, particularly women, feed into.  Nevertheless, as we move forward into the New Year, our resolutions will be portion control, less alcohol, more exercise!


December 31, 2010




Disclaimer: Before going on any diet or exercise program, consult your Doctor for advice specific to your condition and needs. The entries in this blog reflect my own personal philosophies about weight loss, diet, eating habits, and exercise and reflect my experiences in losing weight. They are not intended as instructions on health, exercise, or medicine for others. The author assumes no responsibility in any way for misuse of the materials provided herein.