These stacks snacks were my diet downfall....
By Kevin Williams
I was dreading stepping on the scale as 2017 dawned. On one hand, I think one can definitely get too obsessed by the scale, on the other, I think it's helpful to have cold, hard numbers to guide whether you're going the right way or not. I really, really did well the first half of 2016. I slashed my Coke intake from maybe 15 - 20 cans a week to two. I replaced a lot of chips and pretzel type snacks with fresh fruit. I drank more water. And the scale responded with the pounds slowly coming off. But then along came baby Bea in September and the healthy eating unraveled. Walking a newborn around in the middle of the night necessitated the need for food (helps me stay awake). The Cokes slowly crept back into my diet also. Then just about the time we got Bea's sleep schedule to a more sane level, along came the holidays with its cookies, brownies, date logs, puddings, sauces, and gravies. These peanut butter stacks snacks were my downfall, man, these are good....for me they press all the right buttons: they have crunch, peanut butter, chocolate, all in one convenient multi-bite bit.
So months of awful eating....and it was time to step on the scale. Here are two years of weight check-ins including the one from the other day with some more comments below:
YEAR 2015
JANUARY 20: 233.4
JANUARY 27: 232.6
FEBRUARY 3 : 233.6
February 10: 234.00
February 17: 232.2
February 24: 230.4
March 3: 230.00
March 17: 226.3
March 24: 229
March 31: 231.4
April 7: 229.6
April 14: skipped
April 21: 231.00
April 28: 231.00
MAY 5: 233.00
May 12: 228.00
June 9: 231.4
Dec 17: 234.3
2016
Feb 17, 2016: 239.00 (at this point grew alarmed and frustrated, switched out sweet tea for water and unsweetened and axed the breakfast sandwiches and replaced with fruit)
March 9, 2016: 231.2
March 17 2016: 231.8
March 31: 228.8
April 7: 228.2
April 14: 229.00
April 28: 226.00
May 25: 225.2
MAY 19: 229.4
May 27: 224.2
SEPT 30: 228.4
JANUARY 5, 2017: 229.8
So, all things considered that isn't awful. It's only 5 pounds off my lowest and I've managed to essentially keep off 10 pounds, BUT, I think I am feeling ill health effects of all the indulging and increased Coke drinking. My blood pressure has been higher than it should and I feel flabbier. Yea, not good. So I am going to implement some of the same healthy habits that served me so well last year and see what happens.......stay tuned....
Mary Lung
Kevin, try drinking 4 to 5 glasses of green tea per day. Kroger Private Selection has a very good citrus green tea. It helps the body burn fat better. Also try Mediterranean food plan...you may have inherited the metabolic body type that corresponds best to this. My husband's grandparents were from Calabria Italy like your grandmother. This has been a godsend for him. Eat half of what you have wanted to eat, but eat smaller meals 4 or 5 times per day. It's counterintuitive but this makes the body burn more fat. If at all possible drink lemon slices in water rather than pop. Your heart and blood sugar will love you back for it, and you will see the pounds come off.
Kevin
Thanks, Mary, I think that's all good advice. I'll have to check out the tea next time I'm at Kroger! Kevin
Diane
I've been reading about the use of apple cider vinegar. Check into that and see where you can put it to good use.