Creeping downward again

Just a pound this week, but a pound gone trumps staying the same and is way better than a pound gained! Total loss stands at 46.5. Progress pix in 3.5, goal weight in 18.5.

LoseIt automatically lowers the daily calorie target when you post a loss. I'm now down to 1110 calories/day, which is pretty low. I can adjust that number, but I've never bothered to because honestly? I end up eating at about that level anyway. The food I'm eating is nutritious and as whole as possible (i.e., not processed), and I'm generally not hungry unless it's appropriate (for example, first thing in the morning).

Eating along the paleo guidelines has done something to both my physical and mental appetite, in a very good way.

You know how the women's magazines and better-health websites all recommend only eating when you're hungry? How many times have you read this advice:

Before you eat ANYTHING, ask yourself if you're really hungry. If you are, eat. If not, distract yourself. Go for a walk. Read a book. Take a bubble bath!

Yeah, right.

I was an occasional eater. I would eat on any occasion. (I also was an occasional drinker, back in the day. Glad those days are over!) The most frequent occasion for my forays into the pantry was boredom. If I wasn't doing something that completely captured my attention and focus, I was looking for something to eat. And that something had better be way more than just distracting.

Most of the time I was too uncomfortable to go for a walk, and at my former weight a walk lasted only  long enough to justify a snacky reward when it was finished. And seriously? I can both read and bathe with a bowl or bag of something-or-other by my side.

From January to March I was staying within LoseIt's calorie guidelines, but many of those calories came from processed foods, and I was hungry much of the time. Also? I was grumpy and frustrated and not losing weight. Unless you think seven pounds in three months is a good rate of loss.

Making the decision to eat only what's on the paleo food list was a good first step. I still found myself  rooting around for food when I wasn't really hungry, but not much harm can be done by a banana or a handful of strawberries.

And as with many other things in life, one small success begets another. In my case, as the pounds began to disappear, my resolve strengthened. Also in my case, a couple nagging pains vanished, as did my allergy to metal, further reinforcing my commitment to stick with the plan.

The two months in which I've lost the least amount of weight – July and August – were the two months in which I ate sugar early in the month. Birthday cake July 6, s'mores August 2. I might have had smaller losses those two months anyway, but facts are facts: Sugar isn't good for me. (Nor are artificial sweeteners.)

The past couple weeks of finding old clothes that fit again has been the proverbial icing on the cake. I'm looking forward to the day when these new-again jeans are too big. I only have a couple smaller pairs "in stock," but one pair was my absolute favorite, favorite, favorite, and I wore them all the time.

I found a photo of myself wearing them yesterday.

Aren't we cute?

Size 9, Arizona brand (which was a JC Penney label back then), and they were actually kind of loose on me. The photo is at least 16 years old, possibly older than that. Light-blue denim isn't currently very fashionable, but believe me, when I can once again slip them on and zip them up, I will wear them as often as I can.

That picture is a great incentive for me to stick with the program and finish this project once and for all. As if I needed another incentive!

Insights from a trip to the grocery

When I travel for a few days, I usually leave the refrigerator fairly empty, as my husband doesn't won't okay, can't cook (job security for me) and I don't want to come home to spoiled food.  The confluence of my return home and my decision to follow a South Beach plan meant I needed to stock up.

It's not like I didn't shop while I was at my daughter's. Heh. And never mind that I brought oat groats, wheat berries and brown rice home with me. Until I watched my daughter eat over the weekend, the idea of South Beach never crossed my mind. The grains are hidden in the pantry for now, but will be useful in a couple of weeks.

I went to Tiny Kroger yesterday without a list. I knew I needed vegetables and cheese, and thought I would have a look at other products that might work for me.

As both of you know, I enjoy cooking. I'd rather cook from scratch than open jars or cans (with the exception of mushrooms – canned mushrooms are so convenient).

So why was I in the pasta aisle, reading nutrition labels on jars of Alfredo sauce? It's like a low-carb worm has taken over my brain. Once I got past the produce bins, everything I picked up had a bar code. That's generally not how I shop, cook or eat.

I took a moment to reset my attitude and made my way to the dairy department as quickly as I could.

I want this South Beach experiment to support my desire to cook fresh, whole foods as much as possible. When I looked at my receipt, I think I did okay. The bulk of my purchases were vegetables. I also bought low-fat sausage and pepperoni, vegetable juice, mayonnaise (which I could make myself, and probably will from now on), cheeses, sour cream and yogurt for my husband. (I prefer plain, which is quite easy and so cheap to make, while he likes the slimy flavored low-fat sugar-free kind. No offense if that's what you like, too! Heh.)

There are plenty of recipes out there for tasty SB meals, and it looks like there's a lot of chopping and prepping and cooking-from-scratch involved. We had this cauliflower dish (I subbed fresh mushrooms for the olives) last night and it was beyond delicious. And I don't even like cauliflower.

So I think I'm on the right track, at least as far as meal prep goes. I know that a lot of people complain about the amount of cooking there is when you start a plan like this, but I think it's just what I need. And I'm very fortunate to not be working full-time, to only be cooking for two, to have a well-stocked freezer and to think that cooking is a creative hobby, not a loathesome chore.

As for reduced-fat Alfredo sauce, every label – even Newman's Own – had a long list of unpronounceable ingredients. When the time comes, I'll be making my own. Or going without. It's not like Alfredo sauce is a regular part of my menu rotation.

I hope the blog doesn't get boring or uninteresting (if it even was interesting to start with). I'll try not to make it all-South-Beach-all-the-time. But as I begin the program, it's inevitable that I'll be nattering on about it. Let me know if you get bored.