Years ago, I did a Buckets cartoon where Larry looks at his dinner plate and says, “What’s this? Is this all?” and Sarah says, “You said you wanted to eat better and lose weight.” Larry replies, “That was YESTERDAY!”
As much as Larry is me (but then, so is nearly everyone else in my comic strips) I don’t want to be like that any more.
I did about as well with my food intake yesterday as I did the day before, but I sure would like to start backsliding already. Gonna be a long road to change my habits.
I liked the idea posted earlier about writing down everything I eat. Some things just aren’t worth the bother to eat if you have to go through the extra bother of writing them down. That’s the kind of thing that appeals to my sense of absurdity.
Hang in there Greg. One way to relearn to eat is end up diabetic and you are on ‘learning how to eat’ so you have to test before and after you eat. You want a snack, is it worth stabbing yourself twice? (at the start I was having to test four ‘sets’ a day. It dropped as I learned to eat and control the blood sugar… and I actually learned to keep it down with just diet-type II this is possible, type I, not)
Hang in there Greg. After a month of relearning to eat, you’ll do well. I’m just over half on losing 65#. Readjusting carbs and doublechecking about no added sugar/no hidden sugar,does a lot. 🙂
Now then, I agree, Mr. Biner got rightfully zinged there. And true, not all doctors studied medicine… heh.
BTW, thanks for the encouraging words the other day! I am try with herbal appetite suppressants. But, the problem right now is that the World Cup is on and the last games end at 1:30 AM, my time! The snacking…!
*trying* – not *try*! Bad from an old English teacher!
sorry for your pain honestly.
kinda happy I don’t follow any kind of sport events in a way as my weight goes already up and down crazylol
One of my favorite lines with “Got a headache, try aspirin” was from the movie Sneakers. Fun flick, lots of brainiacs. Plus shooting. No shooting of Tictacs, though.
oh! this is VERY CLOSE TO A 3 GRADE BURN THERE!
I like him a lot more than the anesthesiologist!
For me, changing eating habits was more a matter of “give it time” – which is actually only about a month…
“Forced” myself to drink water instead of soda for about a month. Now it’s my go-to drink and soda is a treat a couple times a YEAR – really.
“Forced” myself to have the salad instead of the fries for about a month. Now my meal isn’t complete without it and fries are a treat a couple times a YEAR – really.
“Forced” myself to quit eating pretty much anything fried in favor of the same thing cooked– well, pretty much any other way. Now when I eat fried foods, a couple bites is enough – really.
Here’s an idea to get you started: You love fries? You love potato chips? I know, who doesn’t?! So, go to a place called a “grocery store” (I know, seems weird at first) and get the little bitty bite-sized potatoes. Tiny little yellow/gold things, if not roundish ones get what they call “fingerlings”. Wash a handful of ’em, and the water clinging to them is enough. Give ’em a stab with a fork. Put ’em in a bowl and nukey-wave ’em for a few minutes. Try half power for about 8 minutes – ruin a few if you have to, to figure out your mickey-wave’s sweet spot. It don’t take long. Okay, when they stab easy with the fork again they’re done. Drizzle ’em with LIGHT olive oil and salt and pepper and toss ’em around to coat ’em good. Use more salt at first if it helps, you’ll start backing off eventually – really. (I like a bit more pepper.) Try that for a snack instead of chips for about a month…
I have more suggestions if you like. Cheers amigo!
Excellent idea with the fingerling potatoes. We usually bake ’em instead of nuking, but I needed the reminder to go get some more.
I occasionally force myself off diet mountain dew. Six weeks is about my limit. By that point, I’m cranky and miserable and sad and some other word that I can’t think of. I start off with one a day, and then just abuse the hell out of some diet mountain dew. I don’t know what it is about my biology that it’s picked diet mountain dew to be horrifyingly addicted to, but there it is. I’m due for another ‘quit’, but I’ll have to keep it in mind for weeks before I’ll finally commit.
As Mike said, replacing your usual stuff by healthier alternatives is something to try. I would add that, given what you said, you really should find something you really like to make sure you don’t see the replacement as a punishment, but something you stick to because you actually enjoy it.
So when you decide to finally cut off the Dew, buy a selection of healthier drinks and find out what would be a suitable replacement for you.
Seeing how there is caffeine in Mountain Dew, it might be the reason why you get cranky when you cut it off. There are loads of varieties of tea (which contains a variable quantity of caffeine depending of the kind of tea), and they can be prepared however you like, so it might help with that. Or, if you have weird tastes like me, cold unsweetened coffee.
In any case, I’ll maintain that the best way to keep dieting is when it doesn’t feel like a chore/punishment/something to get done with as soon as possible. Which means taking the time to find what works.
What helped me the most was a straight up psychological trick. You need to mix it with other things to help with the actual hunger, but it’s intended to address the “I really feel like backsliding today” urges.
Don’t tell yourself that you’re going to eat right from now on. Tell yourself that you’re going to eat right today. Or that you’re going to eat right right now. And just keep doing it.
If you REALLY want to lose weight, DRAW IT!! Of course, we are going to get filler strips of bags O chips..
That’s a good idea. So far, I’m writing a day-by-day journal where I remind myself what I’m up to… or down to, as the case may be.
As some who was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in my 40’s, it was a wake up call. In my case, it’s genetics, not so much weight. The key for me to start eating right was actually very simple. I used an app called myfitnesspal and tracked all of my meal intake, focusing on more fiber and protein and less processed carbs. By tracking with the app what I was eating through the day, it gave me a picture of where I needed to make changes. I also started moving my body around and using a closed fist for portion control on my plate
Walking everyday offset my calorie intake.
Good luck, stay positive and don’t beat yourself
Wow! I certainly didn’t expect a full page about my character! (even though I’m not a doctor yet) Thank you Greg!
My pleasure. There are a bunch of Reader Guest Appearances coming and a few past, and I make no promises about how well I portray you (either in personality or in physical appearance) Gus, ya just fit into a spot where I needed ya, so ya got yourself a good speaking part. I’m not saying that’ll do ya a blind bit of good, but you got it anyhow. As for everyone else- keep an eye open. Last time a couple of people missed their own appearances. We’ll say it’s because I didn’t draw them or write them well enough for them to agree that it was, in fact, them. This time… well, it’ll happen again. You’ll see. Or maybe you won’t. get it?
I don’t always carry aspirin on me, that’s all. Thanks again!
Tic-tac.
“You think too much!” If you’ve ever had that one flung at you, you can bet that you were dealing with someone who doesn’t think enough — if at all.
That said, I know it is possible to overthink things, as one who has long been prone to it. Still, I’d rather err in that direction than the other (and I’ve fallen prey to the latter, too).
I like Dr. Augustus already.
One nice thing about MyFitnessPal (and writing food down) is that you start mindfully eating. Also, it really meshed with my competitive spirit — let’s see if I can outdo my friends with eating below my calorie allowance (including those “won” by exercising). The exercise calorie count is also included, and it’s wonderful to see just how many calories you’re burining.
Mike is absolutely right about giving it time. I used to be addicted to Diet Coke with a slice of lime. Loved it. I haven’t had one in at least 6-7 years now. My son had me taste his Coke the other day to see if he had accidentally been given a Diet coke — I nearly gagged (it was diet). Now if I want something special I’ll get unsweet iced tea (wtih no sweeteners — those things are nasty) or sparkling water with a slice of lemon.
Above all — hydrate hydrate hydrate. Drink lots of water. I still start my day with coffee, but it’s water the rest of the time.
Hang in there! Your struggle will help inspire mine (and I’m sure a few others’).
I went from 260 to about 195 (back to 210 because bad knees don’t help with exercise) by doing light exercise and slowly cutting back on what I ate, and making simple substitutions. I never did anything dramatic, just simple, subtle, and sustained.
Gradually cutting down serving sizes was a big step. For example, instead of just reaching into the bag of chips, I’d pour some into a bowl. And as weeks passed, I’d pour a little less into the bowl. Not a dramatic change, nothing that would leave me wanting more when I was done, but in the end I was eating far less than before. And I applied that the much of what I ate.
Substitutions worked great, too. Instead of drinking 3, 4 cans of soda on a hot day, I’d replace a couple of them with Snapples. Less sugar, just as sweet, and better for me than Dr Pepper. From there, start to swap out the regular Snapple for diet. Still just as yummy, but zero sugar. Now I drink more Diet Snapple than any other flavored drink. And of course, more water than Snapple.
That’s how I did it. The little things meant more than any big effort, and it payed off.
I will assume that “Mathmatics” is how it is being pronounced and that everyone knows that the name of the field is Mathematics. (As the wife of a mathematician, I take these details seriously.)
Welcome, Augustin!
I don’t know if it’ll help, but if there’s any raw vegetables you like, they can make great chip replacement. Like I love radishes, they’re filling, got a little kick and keep you going. I can get a bag or two and eat them for a week.
I completely replaced soda after a kidney stone. It sucks, but I went cold turkey, I bought huge water bottles, kept them filled, brought them with me, and only drunk from them.