Lovely Diets

Day: 1
Mood: Stressed

Breakfast: 2 eggs, 1 slice multi-grain toast w/butter, ice coffee w/cream and Splenda
**I forgot to ask the woman who made my breakfast not to butter my bread, but there really wasn't much, and I'll forgoe it in the future.

Lunch: Salad: Romaine lettuce, raw spinach (a Sonoma power food!), red bell peppers, chicken, feta crumbles, olive oil (more power food!) and champagne vinegar; water & unsweetened iced tea.

Dinner: Salad: Romaine lettuce, raw spinach, red bell pepper, chicken, feta crumbles, sun flower seeds, olive oil, vinegar; water & unsweetened iced tea.

Snack(s): 11 almonds, 1 SweetTart**, water
** I didn't really realize I was eating the SweetTart until I swallowed it. I was sitting in our main office and absent mindedly raided the secretary's candy stash out of boredom. I'm not really beating myself up about it, but I'll have to make sure I'm more aware when I'm eating, etc.

Exercise: 1 hour BodyJam class at Golds, more water

As the day finishes, I'm proud of my first day of revamping my nutrition. The salads were super yummy; I figured I should go with what works in the cafeteria until I get sick of it and have to create something else-- I just adjusted the percentages of my plate to the Sonoma guidelines.

This evening I went to the grocery store to buy almonds and whole grain cereal. As I don't really like Kashi (at all--- the box lays proud claim to the "fiber twigs" inside, an ingrediant I can't get behind) I settled on Whole Grain Shredded Wheat. I also stocked up on H20 as I'm not a fan of the local water, and really don't drink much else.

I'm going to bed with a wicked headache, which might be related to a bunch of things including my rather stress-filled day and my body's resistance to the sugar/simple carb detox.

Good Things About Day One:
- Salads (yum!)
- I don't appear to be allergic to almonds

Bad Things About Day One:
- Headache
- The accidental SweetTart
- Stress

Day: 5
Mood: I'm so incredibly happy today, that the diet is just getting slurped up in the happiness!
Weight: 24-1/2 lbs.

First off, I would like to welcome my friend Katharine to Lovely Diets. All the books, websites, experts, etc. say that dieting is easier with a friend.

Okay, so I didn't lose any weight yesterday. And I know why. I was ravenous last night. There was no reason for it...I just wanted to eat EVERYTHING. So, even after having a nice and tasty dinner, I still felt the need to eat a lot of snacks (almonds and a bowl of mushroom soup). Afterall, I'm not about to let myself go hungry.

I'm in for a very challenging weekend. Tonight, I am having a lite dinner at my parents' house...this generally consists of cheese and fruit, neither of which I should be having right now. Then this weekend, I am away on business. I'll be in convention centers all day on both Saturday and Sunday, and that means greasy, fried foods. So, I've packed an entire bag of food to take on this trip. I want to stay strong.

I did a lot of prep work so I could take food with me. This meant over an hour in my kitchen, chopping and mixing things. A healthy diet takes a long time...but I'm starting to think that it probably should. With all the time I spend thinking about food and eating food, it makes sense that I should take some time actually making the food.

I'll also be away from the scale until Sunday night or Monday morning. Unlike Katharine, whose nondependence on the scale I admire, I am an obsessive weigher. Unless I'm in a hurry, I weight myself just about every time I go into my bathroom (though I take on 'official' number per day). Most diets suggest only weighing yourself once a week, so you don't obsess over it. That's good advice, but the only way I'm following it is if someone keeps my scale locked up for the rest of the week.

Today's Tantalizing Tidbits:

Breakfast: 1 cup of Kashi GoLean cereal with 1 cup of Skim Milk.

My friend Kashi will also be traveling on business with me this weekend.

Lunch: Red Peppers, Tomatoes, Black Beans over Spinach.

I sort of made yesterday's omelette into a salad but without the garlic (because I have to stop eating so much garlic or no one will ever kiss me again!). It was delicious. I also added some mint into my iced tea which was tasty and refreshing in this beautiful weather we're having.

Dinner: TBA

I asked my Dad to pick up some things to go with the usual fare of cheese and grapes and wine, so tonight I'll probably be having: red peppers (I can't get enough of them!), a slice of whole grain bread with olive oil, a slice of parmesan cheese...and some other veggies and protein.

This Weekend:
- I brought cereal for breakfast.
- I brought Almonds and Red Peppers for snack.
- I made up two servings of Chicken Tabloueth (I know this is not the right word, I made it up) from the Book for lunch.
- Dinner will be out, and on my boss, so I'll probably have a salad and some meat. Hopefully this will keep me on the right track!

Good Things About Day Five:
- Red Peppers
- Sunshine
- Planning Ahead
- Enjoying all the chopping and mincing that went on in my kitchen this morning.

Bad Things About Day Five:
- I didn't like my ravenous need for food last night. But that was last night. I have only good things to say about today!


Quote:
If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.
~ J.R.R. Tolkein

Day: Day before day 1
Mood: Somewhat skeptical, but excited none the less
Weight: See below

Some background:
A college friend/roommate of that mckim girl, I am not a fad dieter. Rather, I don't really like the concept of the "diet." It implies an immediate and temporary fix and, if there is anything I do know about weight/body image it's that changes have to have staying power.

Do I have weight to lose? Yes. Am I going to tell you how much? No. Why not? Because I don't weigh myself. The scale and I have never gotten along because we've never agreed. If I feel like I've lost a few pounds, it'll say the opposite. When I feel like my body is attacking me, it will tell me I'm down 10lbs. We're never on the same page. So I've adapted by going off of how I feel/look. Rather than concentrate on a number, I look at clothing sizes, how my clothes fit, how much energy I have, distances I can run/walk/travel. So I'll let you know when I'm down a pant size... or when my shirts are too big.. or when I add another mile to my morning routine.

Speaking of, over the past 3.5 months I've become someone who goes to the gym 4-5 mornings a week. I never thought that'd be me. I've had memberships to two different gyms over the past 4 years, and access to the College's gym. I just didn't go. My monthly fee was a bit like paying a "fat tax." Something I could point to when I started beating myself up over not working out or gaining weight. Like saying, "Hey, at least I have some level of commitment, so it's okay if I want an extra cookie. I'll just start going to the gym tomorrow," but knowing full well that I wouldn't go, and that the "extra" cookie would continue to tempt me at the next meal. Then, this past December, a friend and I made a committment to one another that we would go 3 days a week. She picked me up at 7am and then we would do 25 minutes of cardio and a bit of strength training. Now I drive myself at 6:45am to get in a few more minutes before work. And I miss it when I don't go. And sometimes, if there's a dance class at night, I end up going twice in one day. And I do push-ups when I'm stressed. CRAZY!

So now, having seen the difference exercise has made in my physique/energy level/life I am ready to take the next step. And that's to make another committment- this time to myself. It's time to figure out a nutrition plan that works. Rather than a restrictive diet, I wanted to find something that could last a lifetime... or at least for the remainder of my 20's (I'm well aware that my body chemistry will change over time and that adjustments will need to be made, but I figure developing good eating habits will help in the long run). A plan that would let me continue to work on my cooking techniques, help me find one or two signature dishes, and introduce me to new flavors while still focusing on keeping me healthy. I believe that I've found that with the Sonoma Diet.

Why I chose the Sonoma Diet:
- "After the first ten days, this diet encourages wine and allows the occasional chocolate. These are my staples of existence." And COFFEE!!!
- "The Sonoma Diet encourages a balanced diet, with all the food groups: a.k.a. thinking healthy about food." Yup
- Last fall I decided that, given the oppurtunity/budget, I would like to eat "within my food shed." I want to make an effort to eat whole foods that are grown/produced within 100 sq. miles of where I live. I haven't been successful, but the Sonoma Diet's emphasis on non-processed, fresh foods seems like a step in the right direction.
- I am a bit of a foodie-- and the Sonoma Diet doesn't ask me to start eating cardboard/rice cakes/prepackaged foods.
- I am suspicious that margerine & non-calorie sweeteners may be worse for us than the originals they've replaced. The Sonoma Diet agrees.
- I don't like the concept of dieting-- in this culture it's pretty much set up to fail. I'd rather concentrate on learning when, what and how much to eat. The Sonoma Diet agrees.
- I work in higher education and generally eat in a cafeteria. It seems that the Sonoma Diet is amenable to this set up.

My sketicism:
- The Sonoma Diet book endorses specific brand name foods. While I appreciate the effort on the part of the author to make my shopping trips a bit easier, I fear companies may have bought their way into the publication. I'm very tired of being worked over by corporate marketing stratagies.
- I drink skim milk (non-fat milk) at most meals. This is because I read a nutrition magazine while child-sitting one afternoon which stated that a general rule for drinking liquids was the following: water when you're thirsty, milk at meals, non-caloric drinks at other times. This seemed rather simple, and my nails have never been nicer. The Sonoma Diet only allows you one cup of milk at breakfast in the first 10 days because you are weaning yourself off of sugar. I'm not sure this is the best idea ever (not giving up sugar, but giving up the milk).
- I work in higher education and generally eat in a cafeteria. To be successful, I will have to start bringing my own whole grains to GLAR (our dining hall).

Purpose of this blog:
To bring support and humor to other would-be-dieters/life-style changers. To record my experiences and hold myself accountable (particularly during "Wave 1). To improve my general health/well-being.

Day: 4
Mood: I feel even...if that makes sense. I'm getting used to the diet. Everything's starting to even out.
Weight: 24-1/2 lbs.

Yesterday I went to the grocery store- again! Once I am done Phase One, I am switching to a lot of frozen foods, because all of this fresh stuff is going to bankrupt me. I dropped another $80. Part of this is my own fault, outside of the diet...because I felt the need to get two boxes of expensive tea and a fairly expensive dish of sundried tomatoes. Mmmm. And I needed cat food (which is not on the diet). And a lot of the stuff I am getting (red wine vinegar and dried marjoram, for instance) is stuff I'm buying now but won't have to buy later.

One of the teas I purchased is Ginger and it's supposed to be a digestive. I thought my body had gotten used to the excessive fiber yesterday, but it hadn't. The ginger tea is supposed to help- so say the New Age types who made the box. There are Yoga instructions on the box. That's all I'm going to write about that fun topic.

I've found that sundried tomatoes make an excellent snack. They don't quite fit into the diet- tomatoes are encouraged, but they do include some glucose. However, it isn't like I'm popping them in all day. I'm having a few, as a snack. I ate about six yesterday and still lost weight. So I've decided they're alright.

I do find myself drinking more diet soda, because I feel the need for something sweet. Pre-diet, I had a soda or two a week (unless hungover...Coke was originially created as a hangover remedy).

Yesterday, I went to the gym and burnt over 200 calories. Stripper class was postponed until tonight.

Today I took my diet on the road and had lunch with a friend at Moe's. It felt very nice to have someone else cook for me! I ate a little bit more than I should have and my meal was perhaps slightly protein heavy but besides that I was in the diet parameters.

Today's Meals of Happiness and Joy:

Breakfast: One egg, overeasy, black beans, tomatoes, red peppers, 1/2 of a whole grain bagel.

I made up a variation of The Spanish Eggs featured in the Book. I sauteed the veggies and beans together with olive oil, garlic and chili powder. I cooked the egg in that lovely mess and it was absolutely delicious. Having gobs of veggies with breakfast is fun and tasty. Plus, I've discovered the truth behind a hunch I've had lately: I love red peppers!

Lunch: Shredded lettuce with grilled chicken, black beans and olives. Small amount of spicy salsa.

This is Moe's Close Talker salad without all the fun stuff, like the fried shell, cheddar cheese, sour cream and their excellent Southwest dressing. Yeah, I had none of that. But it was still very tasty, and I washed it all down with two refreshing glasses of Minute Maid Light Lemonade (five calories per serving).

Dinner: 1/2 a whole grain bagel, Blue Cheese Steak Salad.

I'm going to use the extra steak from last night (which was delicious) over a spinach salad with blue cheese in it. There may be slightly more to the recipe. It's in the Book. And probably a side of mushroom soup, because that's a vegetable and I really need to eat it up, since I still have four servings left.

Snack: This will probably be sundried tomatoes or roasted almonds.

Good Things About Day Four:
- Being down almost six pounds.
- Sundried tomatoes.
- Going out to lunch.

Bad Things About Day Four:
- Realizing I do not get any kind of pizza until Wave Two.
- Yesterday's large grocery bill.
- Thinking about how tough it is going to be to stay on the diet when I'm on my business trip this weekend.


Quote:
No diet will remove all the fat from your body because the brain is entirely fat. Without a brain, you might look good, but all you could do is run for public office.
~ George Bernard Shaw

Day: 3
Mood: Except for the fact that I really want to go out and have someone else make me food...Good.
Weight: 26-1/2 lbs.

Ah, 1/2 a pound. That is much better.

So, the diet continues to chug along. Today I plan on adding exercise back into my life. I like to chill on the working out at the beginning of any diet, until my body adjusts and stops being cranky and tired. Today is that day. I am hoping I have enough time for a quick run at the gym after work, before stripper class (don't knock it until you've tried it- best abs work out EVER!).

Last night I tried on my mythical skinny pants, just to see how far I have to go. Most people have a pair of skinny pants that fit them once and may fit them again. Not me. I bought my skinny pants my sophmore year of college, after I had just lost twenty pounds on Weight Watchers. I bought them a Size 7; I was wearing a Size 10 at the time. I had faith that I would fit into them in a couple of months. I forgot about beer. I've never worn them.

My skinny pants are blue camaflouge, almost entirely unlike the ones pictured here. I love blue camaflouge, mostly because it makes me think of this man.

Alright, that was a lot on my skinny pants. The point of bringing them up was this: I have a long way to go.

Alright, now on to today's food...

Breakfast: 1 cup of Kashi GoLean cereal with 1 cup of Skim Milk.

What I've come to think of as 'the usual'. I could have an entirely different breakfast: the book suggests two eggs and whole grain toast as an alternative. But who has time to make that in the morning? Besides, I've grown very fond of my bowl o' Kashi.

Lunch:TBA

I've packed my leftover chicken breast from Monday night with a salad in a dressing I made out of balsamic vinegar, spicy mustard, and a bit of olive oil. However, I'm really hoping I can find someone to take me out to lunch...cuz I'm tired of making my own food! And also: I love going out to eat (though I do realize that taking my diet show on the road will give rise to a whole bunch of problems).

Dinner: Sauteed Steak with steamed veggies and wild rice.

The Book (let's assume that when I speak of a book, it is The Sonoma Diet) has a recipe for marinated flank steak. I don't have flank steak. I don't even know what it is. But I have some sort of steak in my freezer, which I moved to the fridge to defrost before I came into work today. I am going to marinate it before I go to stripper class, then sautee it and have it with the rice and veggies- voila!

Snack: I forgot to bring a snack to work, yet again. I see this being a problem. I should probably just keep a stock of snacks here, as the vending machine is pretty much off limits.

Good Things About Day Three:
- I've lost another half a pound.
- I'm excited to add exercise to the diet.

Bad Things About Day Two:
- No avocado.
- My roommate ordered pizza last night, which I really wanted: both last night and this morning. Will have to look into the Book's recipes for pizza.
- I will probably not find anyone to take me out to lunch.


Quote:
Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp,
or what's a heaven for?
~ Robert Browning

Day: 2
Mood: Wary...how did I lose three pounds in one day?
Weight: 27 lbs.

Okay, so I don't feel good about a diet that makes me lose three pounds on the first day.

Don't get me wrong. I'm thrilled to have lost the three pounds. But I know there will come a day (probably today) when I do not lose three pounds. After all, if I lost three pounds a day every day, I'd only have to do this diet through the first wave. And then I'd possibly spend some time in the hospital. Then there will come a week when I do not lose three pounds. And then there will be three weeks when I do not lose three pounds. And I will feel extremely discouraged.

But for now, let me indulge in a brief moment of: Woohoo! I lost three pounds!

Last night, I made the Mushroom soup and it was delicious, though I need to learn to chop thyme better. I actually had the soup as a snack while I was cooking the rest of my dinner: Easy Balsamic Chicken (a recipe from the book) mixed greens, and whole wheat pasta.

Overall, the meals yesterday were very satisfying. I was hungry between breakfast and lunch, but I always am. If I didn't get hungry, I wouldn't eat lunch. And I was hungry between lunch and dinner, but that is only because I forgot to pack a snack.

I've been drinking a lot of water and a ton of unsweetened ice tea. Probably too much iced tea. But part of that has to do with my discovery of Lipton Cold Brew bags and the fact that my inner Southern girl has just crawled out of hibernation. My inner Southern girl LOVES iced tea...especially sweet tea, but I guess she'll just have to do without the sweet.

Here are today's meals. I've only had breakfast so far, but I had to pack the other meals since I am on the go all day today. This made me about a half hour late to work. Still, I've been late to work for less important reasons than eating healthy.

Breakfast: 1 cup of Kashi GoLean cereal with 1 cup of Skim Milk.

Though every diet I've ever read encourages you to sit down and eat your meal while doing nothing else (watching TV, reading, etc.), I found it easy to eat the cereal standing in my kitchen while I packed the rest of my meals.

Lunch: Mixed Greens with chicken and avocado in balsamic vinegar.

Today I used two servings of avocado, which counts as a fat/oil, and layered the chicken and avocado on top of the greens. I'm actually getting hungry just writing about it. At some point in the near future, I will probably want to find something else to eat for lunch. If nothing else, I will get tired of balsamic vinegar. But for now, it's pretty damn good.

Snack: Broccoli.

Boring, but wholesome.

Dinner: Spicy Pasta Salad with beans, tomatoes, mozarella cheese.

When I cooked my pasta last night, I made a little extra. I knew I would need to have something cold for dinner tonight, and I didn't want to use anything very pungent to season it, since I'll be eating in class. I used Cayenne Pepper. We'll see how this goes.

Good Things About Day Two:
- I feel like the Sonoma Diet is making me balance my meals, which is what I really want to be doing.
- Avocado.

Bad Things About Day Two:
- Trying to figure out if I can go out to lunch with a friend tomorrow.
- Contemplating my next grocery bill.

Day: 1
Mood: Optimistic
Weight: 30 lbs.

Breakfast: 1 cup of Kashi GoLean cereal with 1 cup of Skim Milk.

If I'm going to eat cereal, it is generally something frosted (Frosted Flakes, Frosted Mini-wheats). This is the first time I've ever eaten Kashi anything. I enjoyed it and, though it isn't nearly as sweet as my normal breakfast cereal selection, there is a sort of wholesome sweetness about it. I also enjoyed having an entire cup of milk in my cereal- I can't remember the last time I did that, PLUS the Kashi did not get soggy. And I like knowing that with the repetition of the word 'fiber' on the box, it's not the sort of thing my roommates are likely to eat while I'm out of the house.

Lunch: Mixed Greens with Chicken, tomato, avocado, balsamic vinegar.

I was more than a little nervous about trying precooked, presliced chicken, but it was tasty. I made this salad up in the morning, using the 60-40 veggie to meat plate ratio, then poured it into a tupperware container and brought it to work. Turned out great.

Dinner: TBC

Currently, I'm planning on cooking up some Mushroom Soup, per the Sonoma Diet book's recipe, and having that with a slice of whole grain bread. Have not figured out yet if the Mushroom Soup (made with chicken broth) qualifies as a protein or a veggie. I will also probably cook up some chicken tonight, since I am constantly on the go on Tuesdays and don't have time to cook.

To be continued...


Bad Things About Day One:
- Spending $81.07 at the Grocery
- Giving my just ripened plums away to a co-worker. Later walking by co-worker's desk and smelling sweet, ripe plum.
- emailing about chocolate cake with my friend

Good Things About Day One:
- Avocado.
- Starting this blog.
- Feeling very hyped up about my diet.

Day: 1
Mood: Excited, hopeful
Weight: 30 lbs.

Some background:
I am the Queen of the Fad Diets. I started dieting in middle school and didn't stop until my senior year of college. At that time I realized that, not only had I never kept any weight off, but I also had lost all ability to think about food in a healthy way. So I gave up dieting and, in a particularly melodramatic moment, threw my scale out the window of my second story apartment.

After college, I stopped drinking beer all the time and promptly lost twenty pounds. Try as I might, I couldn't lose any more. I took up running. I ran a half marathon. I lost no additional weight. Fad diets started to look mighty tempting again.

I am 23 years old. I'm 5'2", and I wear a size 10-12. My current ideal, if-I-could-see-any-number-pop-up-on-the-scale-it-would-be-this-one weight is thirty pounds less than what I weigh. Since I've taken up running, I figure now is the best time to shoot for this magical number.

Why I chose the Sonoma Diet:
- After the first ten days, this diet encourages wine and allows the occasional chocolate. These are my staples of existence.
- The Sonoma Diet encourages a balanced diet, with all the food groups: a.k.a. thinking healthy about food.
- Simple directions.
- The Sonoma Diet is built around the idea that I will basically eat three meals a day. Which I do. I hate diets that focus on multiple mini-meals.
- Their tagline: "Trimmer waist, better health in just ten days!" <--- Who couldn't get behind that?

Purpose of this blog:
To chronicle my weight loss journey. Does the diet work? Do I love it? Do I hate it? Am I bored? Am I thinking healthier about food? Am I randomly hungry in the middle of the day? Would I kill a co-worker for a bar of chocolate and a bottle of Pinot Noir?