Good morning Lila!

I hope you are enjoying your tea.

Gotta run, but I will cone back here today. Check in!

Hello SubC, sorry I abandoned you. I had a uti that was painful and other drama going on. I got down to a new low weight but then ate myself back up several pounds. Tonight I am really overdoing it. If I had chips I would be eating them. I had some Raisin bran, juice, some fresh fruit. I really want some potatoes. I don't know why I am so hungry.

I will start fresh in the morning with some tea or coffee. I feel best if I don't eat anything else until 11 or 12. Then something fruit/veggies, maybe some beans or hummus or wheat toast. Or oatmeal, yummy.

I hope you come and post too. Let me know how your eating is going! I really miss having a garden. What do you have growing now?

Ok, last night I finally made a good decision.
Actually, Dh made it for me.

We have developed a habit of staying up until ten or later. He watches videos and I surf online and we both snack.

Last night, he came in from the shop at 9:30 and I had just finished as much clean up as I had energy for. I said "I can't decide wether to go to bed or have a snack." And he said "let's go to bed." So we did. And I got 8 hours of sleep!

I don't like to go to bed without him because I can't fall asleep unless I am completely exhausted (I have rarely in my life slept in a room where I can't hear someone else breathing, and I think my subconscious relies on that for security). And he doesn't like it when I go to bed and leave him alone in the great room.

But I think this needs to be a new habit. Even if I bring a book or the iPad to bed and let him watch videos in bed (which he likes and I hate usually because I'm trying to sleep) I need to remove myself from the snacking zone - and try to get to sleep earlier!

So tonight's goal - in bed at 9:30.

Good morning Lila,
What's for breakfast?

Drink your water!

Good morning everyone else too.

I have so much healthy food pouring into the house right now, it should be easy to make better decisions.

Also I am home all day and there is lots of work to do outside.

I think I might be toning up a little, but my weight is not really moving.

Congrats CM! That is great and yes, encouraging!

I find I am eating a lot more for comfort lately. I've regained 3 lbs and my ankles are swollen and my legs hurt. I am sitting here eating cookies. I know the sugar makes the pain worse, but I feel like I "need" the comfort.

It's a vicious cycle. I eat junky, sugary stuff so then I hurt and feel tired and sluggish. I have no energy when I eat heavy foods.

I know what helps.
- eating plant based NOT junk
- staying off sugar or at least reduced sugar
- taking a walk every day for exercise
- drinking water

If I do those things, my energy and mood improve and I get more done. I will aim to do that tomorrow.

Progress update and in case it is encouraging for anyone else:

I'm down about 9 lbs. give or take from the scary high I had reached with my lax habits during Covid and the stressful times (and there are new stresses but I'm going to be vigilant this time around; stress is enough, weight gain makes it feel worse).

The encouraging part is that I haven't done much that strenuous, just stopped doing the excessive eating and that in itself was enough to get the ball rolling. So if you're wrestling with "Do I have to do big hard scary and tedious things?" the answer is no. Start very small and doable, just sneak in the back door with it.

We must find you another form of comfort Lila!
(And me as well)
Dh took me out for dinner last night on my way home from camp. Loaded veggie burger and fries. My weight is creeping up again.

Today was not a good eating day. Eating for comfort. But I will be accountable.

B: egg and cheese croissant from BK, plus value hash browns. An iced sugar free soy latte.

L: half a banana. half a little snack bag of chips. About 3/4 of a small thin crust frozen cheese pizza.

Not good for me!!!!!!

I feel like having a nice cold smoothie so maybe I will make one and that's it for today.

I walked for 30 minutes.

post 2-

ok, instead of pasta for dinner, I had a few green olives and a bowl of fresh cherries. I'll drink lots of water and figure that is a better end to my day than pasta.

hi SubC,

I was down another half pound this morning, but I feel like I ate wayyy too much and unhealthy today.

B: coffee with soy creamer, Starbucks pink drink, impossible breakfast sandwich
L: half a thin crust frozen pizza. M&Ms - I rarely eat candy bars
S: little bag of chips.

Pretty junky type food, but I was sad today and that was my comfort. I think I will have pasta for dinner but I don't know.

Good job Lila!

I hope your tea helps. I am struggling with trying to remember to take my iron again.

Dh made dinner again tonight. He made a boxed rice and beans meal that is spicy and salty. We had a pepper in the fridge that would gave green a nice addition..

Anyway, I came in when it was almost done, so I just treated it like taco filling and had it with a lot of lettuce (but no taco shell) Dh thought that was weird but did not get offended. I also drank a ton of water. My weight will probably be up again tomorrow.

I weighed this morning and am down a pound this week, so that s all the regained weight gone. -14 from my highest. Happy about that, and need to keep going.

My eating is difficult! I keep wanting junk. I am trying. I have mostly stopped fast food. I am eating vegetarian plus fish and an occasional egg, avoiding dairy.

Today was not great, but I had:
B: coffee/unsweetened oat creamer, 1 egg, 1 whole wheat toast with vegan butter, some cherries.
L: baked vegetable empanadas (from frozen) and iced coffee, no sugar.
Then I got some massive cravings. Ate about 3 spoons of vegan ice cream and one hard candy. I really want more but I will drink water and eat fruit if I am struggling.
I am having my son's family over for dinner and making sloppy joes. I will attempt a vegan joe for myself made from those fake meat crumbles. And some roasted brussel sprouts.

I should take a walk. I have no energy. Maybe I will brew myself a cup of this herbal tea stuff that is supposed to give you energy, called Rasa.

Well, after two days of working hard in the garden, planning my meals around what I am growing, and drinking gallons of water, the scale moved down a tiny tick. Still not back to where I was in May, but I'll take any progress.

Somehow I have accidentally taken back cooking dinner. This will need to stop next week when I am working at camp.

The key tie ins with the hoarding here for me are "grow it, pick it, eat it, preserve it, feed it to the chickens, or give it away - keep it moving and don't put so much energy on the production side that you get buried in over abundance", and "don't stockpile processed food at the grocery store no matter how good a deal it is."

I think it's getting off the ground. After we got the big repair done it was easier to settle into a routine, and let go of the stress eating. I'm just being super chill about it, seeing if the weight will start to come off a little bit on its own, and it seems to be starting to.

Then soon I can kick it up a few notches with exercising and little focused eating changes. I don't use the D word. Too many years of that have soured me on it, to the point where it messes with my head.

I am curious, though, about possibly trying a bit of intermittent fasting. Being a picky eater with sensory issues around a lot of foods especially vegetables, IF may be more user friendly for me. And I've seen that people trying to lose SSRI antidepressant weight have had good results with it. I still am on a quarter of the dose, and one of these days hopefully will be ready to get off that and be done. It's just a placebo effect by now anyway, I would be willing to bet. Like a final leap of faith to be completely off it. So ironic to have this need to cling to it when I never liked the stuff anyway. I'll wrestle with it and eventually find my way.

Well, only 3 of tge pounds were water.

I am currently down about 14% of the weight I wanted to lose, after 6.5 months. But I yo-yo.

My current goal is to eat as much of what my garden is producing as possible. Right now that is leafy greens, garlic scapes, beets, and radishes. Peas and onions soon. Also I have stored things.

hi SubC,

Sugar and salt both retain water, so a lot of that is water. Drink more water to flush it out! I know the feeling of UGH from the scale, though. I regianed a few, stalled out, and am losing again. But only 13 pounds down from March now, so I still have one regained pound to lose.

This morning I made my homemade spiced Chai with oat milk. My fridge is in a state of disaster because the produce that was in there when I was out of town for medical appointments is in various stages. My goal this morning is to pull it all out, compost what can't be saved, use/eat/freeze anything that is still ok but needs used now. I should clean the fridge but I am not sure if I will get that far.

It is almost 11 and I am getting hungry. Will make a healthy choice.

So Lila, how are you doing?

I made the mistake of getting on the scale after all the sugar at mil's house. I gained 7 lbs. 😮 I am hoping that some of that is the salt that is also in her food and it will come off quickly.

I would ask how a person can gain 7 lbs in 5 days, but the answer is - trying to fill up on food that is full of empty calories. (And salt. I hope)

After a long break, Dh and I are planning to do yoga again this morning before he goes to work.

Hi Lila,

The hot cereal Bean likes is Bob's 10 grain. He also likes rolled oats. I do not. I put fruit in his and maple syrup in mine. I should put fruit in mine too, but I really LIKE maple syrup.

My day always starts with black coffee. Breakfast is carbs or carbs with egg. The rest of the day is highly variable. Dh makes dinner. Dinner last night was yummy but not healthy.

Today I am eating plain slices of the bread Bean and I made yesterday.

I have a thought for road that I will put here because it is a little off track from the other thread - Road, you said the stairs discourage you from putting things away - the stairs at school are a big part of my exercise routine. Maybe if you think of the stairs as exercise, you can set a certain number of times to carry something up or down and your exercise routine will help your environment. So instead of "I don't want to put this away because I have to go upstairs" it would be "I planned to go upstairs x times - what can I take with me to put away?"

Monday intake:

B: homemade chai tea made with whole spices and oat milk
L: iced green tea with frozen kiwi and pineapple (which I then ate), cold bean salad with chopped zucchini, black beans, corn, green pepper and avocado, eaten with 6 corn chips.
Sn: half of a 100% whole wheat English muffin with a little vegan butter, one half slice of vegan cheese, and strawberries
D: frozen dinner (not ideal but hey, it's a process) - Vegan pad thai

I am staying under 1200 calories a day.
8 cups water
walked 25 minutes

back again. SubC, what hot cereal do you make? I have been making Oat Bran cereal, but I bought some quinoa to try yesterday. I have not tried it yet.

I thought I would share my general diet here. I am interested to hear what everyone else is doing too, if you have a plan.

I have lists of foods not to eat from the doctors (mainly meat and junk and fatty stuff). I have lists of things to include as well, mainly fruits, veggies, beans and legumes, olive oil, and fish.

Breakfast is usually just decaf coffee with plant milk, and/or tea. I try to wait until 10 or 11 to eat food most days. I feel better.

Lunch or very late breakfast: I choose from oatmeal/hot cereal with fruits and nuts/seeds, or whole grain toast with one egg, or some kind of salad/mix of legumes and veggies. And fruit, and green tea or matcha.

Snack is low cal something... rice cake or fruit/veg.

Dinner is either veggies, salad, and legumes or fish. Sometimes a vegan pre-made meal like the spring rolls or a vegan lasagna or sandwich.

I am learning to cook/prepare more vegan meals so things will get more variety.

Working up to walking an hour a day.

SubC, good choices! I have a possible help for the tortillas. When I have time, I buy tortillas from the local Mexican restaurant or the Mexican bakery/store. They sell them freshly made for about $3.50/dozen! They have flour or corn. Getting them there, they are soo delicious plus support local folks. And when I happen to get a nice warm one just made, oh my! So amazing. You just have to ask if they make their own tortillas. Bean would love them!

So far this morning I've had a cup of ginger tea and some homemade chai tea (decaf). I have had 3 c water. I made a walking date with a friend who wanted to get together so we will walk outside if it stops raining and inside if it doesn't.

Will report in later. I am down 14 pounds from March.

My exercise yesterday was moving feed bags, pushing Bean around the grocery store, lifting tractor implements, and fighting (verbally) with dh (that got my heart rate up).

I made pretty good food choices. I had a great salad for lunch. Bean and I shared a little homemade ice cream after dinner.

This morning I'm going to make hot cereal for breakfast because it's easy and Bean likes it. Exercise will hopefully be carrying Bean/pulling him in the wagon and planting sunflower seeds (squats). Lunch will include more lettuce. Probably a tortilla wrap - Store tortillas are not the best choice, but Bean loves them.

It's a process SubC, making small good choices over time yields results! Something homemade is better than fast food or prepackaged.

Today I was sooo tired. Since I walked the last 2 days, I took today off from walking and took a naproxen since everything is sore. I did go out and pick up stray branches and pulled a few weeds.

Food for today:
B: decaf with unsweetened oat milk and a teaspoon of sugar
L: half a whole wheat English muffin, toasted, with half a slice of vegan cheese melted on one side, and a tiny sliver of vegan "butter" on the other side. (I bought these today to try and they are good!). One kiwi, iced green tea, 4 reduced fat triscuits and the other half slice of vegan cheese. And 4 oz poached halibut mashed with light mayo, dill relish, mustard, and seasoning. It was a filling lunch.
D: shared a small mango with son, plus 2 veggie spring rolls cooked in the air fryer and the sauce that came with them.
Snack: Quaker chocolate rice cake, yummy. And one lifesaver.

about 8 c water today. Feel good, but very tired so I am planning to go to bed around 8:30.

After bouncing around, I am three whole pounds less than where I started this thread. 🙄

I have dropped my alcohol consumption to sips of Dh beer.

I think I would have to spend a week in isolation to detox and become human again if I had to give up chocolate and caffeine.

There are lettuce and spinach in my garden. One of my goals is to eat them this week. I am trying to eat whole fresh or home canned/frozen foods with simple ingredients.

So, my breakfast was not "diet food" but it was filling and made from scratch. (Some of that scratch was unbleached white flour and butter)

I am going to try to look for places in my life where I can choose move over sit and healthy food over less healthy.

So right now, I'm going to go do some physical work in the barn.

Hey Tatoulia and SubC, let's hear how you are doing!

Tatoulia, I was not able to reign it in, consistently, until it came down to fixing my health. I have a choice to make: the food I want, with a shortened life span, or healthy food that I can learn to like, and the chance at a longer life. No guarantees.

Please read my last posts and share any thoughts. I am trying to eat according to 3 doctors' recommendations but I also would love feedback, as I am not quite there yet.

Today's food was:
Br: decaf coffee with unsweetened oat milk
L: one egg over easy, 1/2 whole wheat English muffin with 1 tsp butter, strawberries, a kiwi. A cup of matcha tea with unsweetened oat milk and a little sugar free vanilla syrup.
Snacks: Smoothie made from red cabbage, whole cranberries, mixed frozen berries, 1 medjool date, chia seeds. Also 5 corn chips dipped in queso. I will eliminate this soon but right now it is helping me not lose my mind and binge on junk.
Dinner: winter squash mashed with 1 oz cheese. Baby carrots.

I have 189 calories left to stay under 1200. I will have herbal tea and a rice cake (45 cal) and that's it. I was just under 1200 yesterday.

10 c water and 20 min walk today.

I wrote my update earlier today. Here is my food.

Yesterday:
BR: decaf coffee with unsweetened oat milk
L: flax crackers, hummus, strawberries, carrot, unsweet iced tea
Sn: smoothie of raw cauliflower, bok choy, cranberries, pineapple, mango, banana, flax seeds.
D: 4 oz poached halibut, steamed broccoli, low fat tartar sauce
Sn: 5 corn chips dipped in queso
herbal tea, ginger cookie my friend made

10 cups water
walked 20 minutes

Will update for today later.

Time for a big update.

I lost some weight due to treatments and medical stuff and am down about 14 pounds from before my diagnosis, late March. Now I have three different diets from three different doctors to follow. One is for cancer, one is for reflux (causing major esophagus issues), and one is for fatty liver disease.

Combined, my plan loos like this:
1200 calories/day, reduced fat
no red meat, pork, beef, lamb, dark poultry meat
Mediterranean Diet (fish, beans, legumes, vegetables, fruit, whole grains, olive oil)
low acid - no tomatoes, onions, citrus fruits, chocolate, caffeine, carbonated drinks, or alcohol. He did say if I wanted an orange or something like some tomato, to have it as a small part of a meal only occasionally and never on an empty stomach.
Brisk walk/cardio at least 1 hour/day
96 oz+ water/day

Yesterday was my first day counting calories and I was right under 1200. I went out an bought new walking shoes (much needed for comfort) and walked for 20 minutes which was a real stretch for me.

Looking forward to hearing from anyone who wants to work on this together!

I'm afraid to weigh myself. But I had a small victory tonight. I was going to buy myself a pint of ice cream, looked at the calories (1100 for the pint) and told myself, that's an entire day's worth of food. Small victory.

Sweets are my problem. I love them so much. Lila, how are you doing? I seem to recall you have a penchant for fast food. Are you able to balance some of that out?

Hi Lila,

I am feeling really discouraged.

I gained five pounds last week because we were busy and stressed and I had a lot of restaurant food (pizza, burritos) and alcohol and dessert.

I talked with Dh and he has been really great. Yesterday he was rushed, but stopped at a grocery and put together a really take out box of healthy food bar choices for dinner, and then did not open a bottle of wine to go with.

But I am also not making time to exercise.

Well forget a diet plan, I have dropped about 8 pounds in a week. Turns out I have the c word. They did surgery and got it out, they think. But maybe that was what has been causing a lot of my health problems, who knows. Now I am on an anti-cancer diet. Basically like the Mediterranean diet. Won't know more until I see the specialist. But I know being overweight is a risk factor so I will be working on reducing that. Just eating less and mostly plants, some fish. I feel exhausted but am trying to get up and walk a bit. Anyone else still working on this? We could be accountability buddies.