The Diet That I Try To Stick To...
I eat breakfast no matter what, 6 days a week I eat a bowl of cereal with Splenda and 2% milk and 2 slices of whole wheat toast (yes buttered) and a cup of coffee with splenda. When I feel like it I skip the toast and sometimes have an apple.
Drink a large glass of water.
For lunch 6 days a week I will have a sandwich either on whole wheat or white, 2 thin slices of lean ham or turkey one slice of Kraft American cheese, no condiment, a slice of tomato, and letuce if I want, along with approximately 6 small baby carrots, a small dinner salad with fat free dressing, I use French or Italian, Emily uses fat free Ranch. Depending on whether or not I had an apple with breakfast I might have one with lunch or half of a banana. Diet Mt. Dew (I drink it constantly most of the day and with all meals)
I may substitute the whole meal for a large salad made with half a can of tuna, a hard boiled egg, half of a diced medium tomato, mushrooms, grated cheddar cheese (about a quarter cup) imitation bacon bits, and 2 Tbl spoons of fat free dressing
Drink a large glass of water.
If I just have to have an afternoon snack, I eat one of the following: an apple, a banana, half a sandwich, 6 to 10 saltine crackers with peanut butter spread real lightly on them, a can of sardines, 2 ounces of cheddar cheese (anything high protein helps with the diabetes) 2 or 3 graham crackers. I try to stick to low fat, low sugar, high protein, and under 300 calories the closer to 200 the better.
For dinner again 6 days a week I try and eat between 6:00 and 7:00 PM, no later than 8:00 PM. I will have a sensible meal with 6 to 8 ounces of lean meat (chicken, pork chop, smoked sausage, steak, or fish) half a cup of some type of vegetable (corn, green beans, carrots, peas or spinach) and half a cup of most anything else (mac and cheese, stuffing, potatoes, or pasta with some type of a light sauce) and a dinner roll. I may also have a couple of Tbl spoons of a low fat gravy or sauce on my meat or potatoes.
Depending on what I had for lunch I may substitute this meal for a large salad like I described earlier. I also may switch sometimes and have lunch for dinner and vise-a versa.
AND ON THE SEVENTH DAY… I eat what ever the Hell I want such as: Bacon, Sausage, Fried Chicken, Ramen Noodles (I can’t help it, I like them) Pizza or Chinese take out, anything as long as I don’t get too carried away and I try and keep my blood sugar from going off of the scale too much.
Here are the basic rules recapped:
1. Diet drinks only
2. Two large glasses of water each day (at least)
3. Eat breakfast everyday
4. Buy everything, Low fat, No Fat, Fat Free, 98% Less Fat, Reduced Fat, Extra Lean, and read all labels, most of what you read on the front is a marketing tool. Remember when reading a nutrition label that the first thing listed is what is in it the most, such as with bread, if the first words are not “whole grain” then it’s not whole grain bread.
5. Never eat more than a whole cup of any one thing (other than a salad) variety is the key. Even things that are considered bad for you, carbohydrates, starches, sugars, and fats, are alright in small and balanced amounts.
6. Do not eat after 8:00 PM (eating meals around the same time everyday helps)
7. Most Important Of All, If you cheat and get off of your diet, it’s ok, just get back on it. Most people think if you blow it once, what’s the use and just toss the whole thing out the window. Everyone cheats, just don’t give up all together.
8 Plan to treat yourself one day a week, it gives you something to look forward to, just don’t go overboard.
9. Remember that if you look at it like your stomach holds a quart of food, that a quart of good food will fill it up the same as a quart of bad food.
10. Also remember, “Food is not Love” (I know that’s stupid, but I heard it on an episode of “Friends” and I just had to include it)
As heavy as I am now this diet works well for me, the more I lose the less affective this diet will become and I will have to adjust it. Cutting out the amount of carbs and starches, and the portions of some things. And I will have to throw in some exercises soon I’m sure, but it’s a good start and to be honest I probably cheat more than once a week and I’m still seeing results, I take my meds everyday along with my Lasix (water pill) so keeping the water weight down helps also. I have a long way to go and Emily has been a big help, she knows me well enough to know how to encourage without pushing and when to back off when I might be a little cranky, she also takes it well when I try and help her as well. Anyway there you have it, I’m sure that I left a bunch out but you get the general idea of things, eat healthier and don’t give up. Peace and take care.
posted by Chuck at
8:02 AM
14 Comments:
You just don't know how good it is to see you doing this! About that exercise -- If you just don't feel like doing it (and Lord knows I don't half the time and in fact all the time), here's a suggestion: Walk. Just start walking each week and stick with it. My dad started doing that about 25 years ago when he didn't want to after a near fatal heart attack. He changed his diet, quit smoking, (things he didn't want to do, really, but things he knew he had to do if he wanted to stick around). He never went back to his old ways (smoking and not watching what he eats). He never quit walking, either, and he got up to 6 miles a day every single day, rain or shine. Two years ago he got a staph infection from a routine cardiac cath. They gave him no hope of recovery and two weeks to live. I'll never forget it - it was about that 7th day he was home (hospice was here) and he said (in such a weak voice) "I want to go for a walk". We all knew how much walking meant to him, and so -- what are you going to tell someone who's dying who wants to go for one last walk? No? :) Frail, grayish in color, but determined as hell to walk, we gathered up his 02 tubing and the 02 tank, and we walked outside (his favorite place). He never quit walking. He would walk pulling that damn 02 tank in his PJ's. He recovered. He's now 84, and he went back to work, too. He sticks to that diet you just talked about, and yes he cheats.
Keep it up chuck! When you do the things you are doing for yourself and for your daughter, the rewards are life! You are doing so good. Don't you dare stop!
Hugs, and thanks for letting me share that story.
thank you so much Chuck! i will print it out and follow it best i can. I actually sounds very sensible. I have been yoyo dieting most of my life. And i have been on far stricter diets. But it is true, if i cheat once then i just give up and throw it out the window. I have never enjoyed dieting. I prefer hard core exercicse, because i rather ran a mile and still eat my full fat italian food!!!! Hehe
Thank you really. And good going with yours, i am really impressed. And it is great that Emily is joining in. Support is also key, it is not easy doing it alone.... so easy to give in to temptation! hehehe.
btw, i had to google Splenda! no idea what it was. We only get Hermesetas here. :) yeah, i never have sugar on coffee or tea. They say sweetners are not that healthy, but out of the 2 evils, i don't know which one is worse!
JT - thanks lady, your always most welcome to share anything you like, i'm glad your dad turned it around. thanks for the e-mails too.
nyasha - glad you liked it, being able to run or exercize hard and still eat would be a dream come true, but i just don't have what it takes, maybe someday i'll change and get hooked on exercize and then i'll create the "All Italian Diet" wouldn't that be great, i'll get to work on that as soon as i profect the "All Bacon Diet"
if i don't have Splenda i'll sometimes use Equal but like you said they may not be safe either. take care.
I seem to be following in Nyashas footfalls all day! Good sounding meal plan...I will try it. And for the record, I drink at least 4 large glasses of water (with a slice of lemon!) a day... Bread is my downfall...with butter, toasted, warm, fresh from the oven...with a cup of coffee, well SEE, there I am back in Hell!
I ate SIX big greasy sausages last night. I know it will kill me, but some times I can't help it.
Yo Chuck!
I check your blog every day -- heck, sometimes I check it three times a day and nothing new. My gardening schedule got all screwed up because to got two evenings of rain and I've been working in my yard, pruning trees, shaping shrubs, mowing the grass and I didn't check your blog! So that's when you decide to get all informative on me!
I'm so impressed! Fifty-four lbs! I know I haven't lost that may lbs, but I'm still trying. Three cheers for Emily for setting a good example for her Dad!!!!!
I'm so proud of you guys I could just bust!
AZCG
PS. Why don't you get some hand weights and while you watch TV you can sit there and build some upper body strength. Nothing turn me on like a pair of strong arms! :)
jersey - that's my downfall too, bread, toast, rolls, biscuits, and buns. we grew up poor and with 7 of us there was only so much to go around so if you were hungry you made up for it with bread and potatoes. everyone in my family is thick except for one of my little brothers and he can eat more than any of us. take care now.
azcg - i'm sure glad you got some rain, we've been trying to get some here but it never rains for more than three minutes.
i'm glad you keep checking on me, i just don't write as much as i used to, maybe that will change now that ems back in school, don't ever give up on me.
i used to be a horse in the upper body area, lifted weights and was pretty fair at arm wrestling but ever since i started going down hill my strength has gone south, em could beat me arm wrestling and i have to take a break sometimes while i'm eating a sandwich, i think i will get some weights and start working out some. thanks and i'll talk to you soon.
i started with a gentle 5 minute walk. i can now do an hour. i built it up slowly over time. i keep the carbs down as it's good for the blood sugars. just had a nice chicken salad for lunch [with hummus and hot chili sauce]. i don't sweat it when i blow it. got no use for guilt. brekkie was a banana. the doc was pleased with me today. my three month blood sugar average was 6.3 which is normal. knowing i am not alone really helps. as you know, it pisses me off sometimes.
shane - sometimes i let it make me crazy too, i guess that's why my doc pushed the happy pill on me 6.3 is great my friend, i'm still up around 9.5 or so, it was up to the mid 12's at one time, so it's coming down some, it would do better if i could move around more, keep letting me know how you're doing. take care.
I have lost 21 kilos over the last 12 months and I did that just by cutting out sugar and bread. Now the worrying thing is that the experts say that sweeteners are harmful. What are we to do? I am much more active than I used to be. I have joined a gym and excercise at least 3 days a week. I however can't eat the 3 balanced meals a day and only eat at night. That is preventing me from shedding the last 5 kilos and it is heartbreaking when you see the scale isn't coming down. I will try your diet for a bit. It looks interesting and I will have to adapt here and there to suit what is available here in SA. Chin up and buckle down is what a friend told me. Whenever I feel like cheating, I hear her voice and then I don't cheat. Best of luck to you and keep up the good work!!!! The walking suggestion is very good. You can set your own pace.
frank - ya gotta live and ya gotta enjoy something every now and then, getting your kids squared away for school in canada has to be pretty stressful, you deserve a little vise now and again, take care and don't go nuts.
buddess - well hello lady, 21 kilos is great, the scale that i used in the hospital was metric so i got used to figuring kilos to pounds so that's 46 pounds, that's pretty good, everyone says it's the last few to lose that's the hardest, but i've got a long way before i worry about that. take care and keep up the good work.
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