Month: April 2022

After 8 weeks, I’ve lost 21.6 lbs and am down to 220.4 – I lost nothing this week.

I’m not surprised I lost nothing because I gained a pound the day after Easter. This year for Easter at my mom’s, we had Popeyes Chicken. I had 5 chicken tenders and some mashed potatoes, which I calculated at around 800 calories, and I made sure to work the rest of the day out to stay under 1,500.

Didn’t matter.

It likely was more calories than published, so I gained a pound the next day and spent the rest of the week losing that pound.

Oh, well.

After seven weeks, I’ve lost 21.6 lbs and am down to 220.4 – I lost 1.0 lbs this week.

Anyone who has eaten with me knows that I am a fast eater. One summer day, the office I worked at on Michigan Avenue walked to Su Casa Mexican Restaurant for lunch. For me, that means 3 beef enchiladas with no beans & extra rice (mmmmm….enchilaaaadaaaas!). So, everyone at the table orders and 5-10 minutes later, the servers come with the food. I was seated across from the office VP, who was having a conversation with a sales person. When my food was set in front of me, I immediately began cutting the enchiladas into pieces. Then, I went to work scooping enchiladas and alternately, rice down my gullet. I cleared the plate in less than 5 minutes, right at the time the VP was about to start eating. She look across at my plate incredulously, perhaps thinking she waited longer than she thought to eat, but when she saw that everyone else was just starting, she realized I was a freak.

So, I do not have a history of eating slow to enjoy and savor my food, just eating MORE to enjoy my food. Studies say that when you start eating, there’s a clock in your body that regulates how fast you feel “full”. the slower you eat, the quicker you feel full so the less you eat. Fast eaters can gain weight easier because they eat to “over-full”. I liken it to drinking table wine at a wedding reception. If you drink too fast, you don’t start feeling the effects until the 3rd or 4th glass, and by then you may have over-indulged.

Anyway, eating slow was never my thing. it is now – it HAS TO be now.

When the portions are small, eating fast is not helpful. I am finding myself trying to savor every bite as I eat at a slow pace. It really does help.

That said, next time I do go out for enchiladas, I know the Kobayashi in me will come out again!

After six weeks, I’ve lost 20.6 lbs and am down to 221.4 – but I gained 0.4 lbs this week.

Well, last week I was wondering when I’d plateau, and it looks like the answer is, now. To be fair, I am slightly cheating more each day to the point where it apparently matters, so I’d better roll that back. This week I did make a couple of great discoveries at my favorite fast food places that can fit my plan:

A King Turkey Sub (no mayo) from Mr. Submarine has 698 calories. I’ve been a fan of Mr. Sub since high school, and when I lived in Old Irving, I would go to the Six Corners location often. Now that I’m in Niles, the closest location is still the one at Six Corners, so it ends up being a special trip. Previously, I would order and eat a King Turkey with no problem. Now that I’m on Nutrisystem, I decided to by a King Turkey, but eat half for lunch on Saturday and half on Sunday. 349 calories is very easy to absorb in a 1,500 calorie a day plan.

A Half Pound Roast Beef Sandwich from Arby’s has 610 calories. 610 is significant, but not too bad to absorb for Dinner, and I definitely feel full after eating it.

After five weeks, I’ve lost 21.0 lbs and am down to 221.0 – I lost 4.4 lbs this week.

This is hilarious. Five weeks in and I’m already 6 lbs from my original target goal of 215 lbs. I’m expecting to plateau at some point, so we will see. My wife and mother-in-law say that the weight loss is noticeable, saying I’ve lost the 2nd chin and have a slimmer belly. Okay, I’ll take their word for it.

If all goes well, I’m probably going to shoot for 200 lbs as my new goal – why not?