Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Life Gets in the Way

It's been 3 weeks since my last post, and I apologize for that. There are two factors in this:

1. Part-time job (3 or 4 days a week)

2. A degenerative spine condition and arthritis.

The diagnosis for #2 came two weeks ago today. I've been going to chiropractic therapy on days I don't work. The good news is that for the first time since the end of March, I am not in constant pain. Notice I didn't say I was pain-free, because I'm not. But the amount and severity of pain is much improved and more manageable.

My condition makes me more prone to fatigue, and even exhaustion. On the days I work, I can't do much of anything else because I'm too tired. On the days I don't work, simple household duties leave me tired and in pain.

I will resume posting about my weight loss plan by the middle of June, maybe sooner. I have an article to finish for The Saponifier magazine, as well as preparations for the Alabama Soap & Candle Association's annual meeting. Then there's just trying to keep up with the daily stuff.

So look for a new post sometime in the next 3 - 4 weeks!

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

My Weight Loss Plan, Part 1

In Eating Healthy to Lose Weight, I talked about how my cooking has changed over the past 16 months. The initial goal was not to lose weight, but to add variety to our meals. I was stuck in a rut of preparing the same meals over and over. So I started learning more about cooking.

The change was slow. I had to re-learn the way I thought about meal planning and cooking. I had to learn some new techniques and methods, both for preparation and cooking. I watched food shows, did internet research, and read food blogs (my favorites are listed in the right hand column).

Come summer, some things started clicking into place, and I had an “AHA!!” moment, or epiphany, if you prefer. Part of our weight problem stemmed from my (pre-change) style of cooking and a dependence on ready-to-eat and prepared foods and “ingredients”. These foods are higher in fat, sodium and/or sugar, and usually contain a number of ingredients (the artificial ones included to add color and/or flavor) that we don’t need.

Once I realized this, I started thinking about changes in my cooking to address the issue. At that point, the goal started to shift toward weight loss, but my primary focus was to change what foods and ingredients I used, and how I prepared them. I then developed a “plan”, which looked like this:

  • Little to no "prepared" ingredients (i.e. Cream of Mushroom Soup)
  • Little to no "prepared", ready-to-eat or heat-&-eat meals (i.e. frozen lasagna)
  • Absolutely no box dinners or sides (i.e. Hamburger Helper or Rice-A-Roni)
  • More whole grains, fruits & veggies
  • Reduce use of fats in cooking as much as possible without sacrificing too much flavor or otherwise affecting the cook
  • Experiment with international and ethnic cuisines
  • Experiment with different cooking methods and techniques
  • Add flavor with:
    • herbs and spices
    • judicious use of condiments (i.e. Hoisin Sauce, Soy Sauce)
    • judicious use of flavored oils (i.e. Sesame when making a stir fry)
    • use of flavor ingredients (onions, garlic, citrus, etc)

My plan was not to count calories but rather being more aware of what goes into the food I prepare (and eat). I was looking to make healthier calorie choices and not worry so much about numbers. I knew we would start losing weight, albeit slowly. From last summer through mid-March of this year, I followed this plan.

In mid-March, after discussing Weight Watchers with Michael, I joined. I started reading all the information on the WW site about the Momentum plan, filling foods, etc. I scanned through a lot of recipes to get a feel for what to cook and how to prepare it. I also purchased the two food companion books that give you the point values of different foods as well as serving size.

Counting points instead of calories aside, I can’t say that the Momentum plan is much different from what I was already doing. Having read through the WW site, many of the recipes on said site, plus having purchased one of the WW recipe collection magazines, I realized that I was already doing a lot of what the plan was all about … less fat and high calorie foods, and more fiber and filling foods, as well as cooking methods that don’t add unnecessary fat and calories.

Portion control is probably the area my new way of cooking has been weakest in. Part of it is habit from feeding a hungry teenage athlete. The larger part of it though is from not thinking about how much food I’m putting on a plate. I’ve gotten a lot better with that thanks to the Momentum plan.

It has worked for us. Whether you follow the Momentum plan, or something along the lines of what I initially planned out, becoming more aware of what is in the food you eat, which foods you eat, and how much food you’re eating, is a key to weight loss.

Past articles in this series:

1. Eating Healthy to Lose Weight

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Eating Healthy to Lose Weight

Off and on during the course of adult life, I’ve tried to lose weight. I’d go on a diet, stick to it for awhile, eventually ending up feeling deprived and frustrated, which ended the attempt. The primary focus of every diet I attempted was counting calories. I found it too involved and complicated, requiring everything to be precisely weighed or measured. While I loved to cook, having to go through all the extra time and effort negated the pleasure of cooking.

Like many Americans seduced by the advertising on television, I fell into the trap of ready-to-eat and prepared meals and ingredients, such as Hamburger Helper and using cream of whatever soup as a basis for casseroles and more. I did some ‘from scratch’ cooking, but not a lot. I guess you could say my cooking style became a cross between Betty Crocker and Sandra Lee.

As a result, our waistlines grew, and neither of us was happy about it. And we were also getting bored with the dozen or two ‘staple’ recipes I depended on.

Over the past 16 months, or thereabouts, I’ve been changing how and what I cook, and therefore what we eat. Initially, the idea was to add variety to our meals. I started watching Food Network shows as well as Top Chef, Hell’s Kitchen, and Kitchen Nightmares. I did internet research into ingredients, recipes, cuisines, and cooking methods. While I have been cooking for many years, I’ll be the first to admit that my knowledge of ingredients, as well as some methods and techniques, is lacking.

But as I learned and experimented, things started to change. I was cooking more ‘from scratch’ and the food was not only tasting better, but also becoming healthier. Since the initial goal was not to lose weight, the pounds were slow to come off, but we were eating healthier and I was learning more about cooking. I created a wish list of kitchen tools and equipment, and added a few of them to my kitchen. I also created a wish list of cookbooks, of which I’ve gotten two (more about them in future postings).

Earlier this year, several of Michael’s co-workers joined Weight Watchers, and he told me about how they liked it and how they were losing weight. So I decided to check it out, and joined in mid-March, opting for the online version rather than meetings.

We have lost both pounds and inches, although Michael’s loss has been a bit more dramatic than mine. While I would like for my losses to be more than they have been, I am not unhappy with what I have lost. Since the beginning of March, I’ve lost one clothing size, and a pair of pants I bought at that time requires a belt to prevent them from embarrassing me in public.

I’m still learning about ingredients, methods and techniques, as well as things like flavor pairings. I’m still experimenting with new recipes. And I’m still “tweaking” our weight loss plan. I still have quite a bit of excess weight to lose, but I am confident that I will lose it.

Coming Next: My Weight Loss Plan