I'll go ahead and make my apologies for no update on days 2 and 3, but I'm hoping the 'traumatic' part is past. I was going through calorie and caffeine withdrawal and felt tired and crappy! But I woke early this morning feeling better for now, so here's the scoop!
First week's hardest, right? Well, in most ways. Actually, I think sometimes the nice thing about week one is that you're motivated. It can be easy to slip 'off the wagon' as your enthusiasm dwindles, but that's a conversation for later!
About My Coffee:
Yes, I discovered that I'm pretty much wrong about getting to have 'anything' I want. Sure, theoretically I could make a very small cup of my coffee...hmm, a thought! But I'd probably still be going through the withdrawals. Up until my month began, I'd make a 4 cup pot of coffee and have 2 or 3 big mugs of coffee out of it --probably 6 cups or more with the soymilk...and just sip on that through the day as I go about my way. Actually that sounds like a huge amount, doesn't it? I had thought it wasn't too bad, as I used to make a big pot of coffee before I got the small coffee maker!
I was good with that when I was clueless as to the calorie content of the honey. I'd calculated that my soymilk was about 200 cal, so, with honey, maybe 350? In fact, I've used that number generally when I've be watching calories. I knew that my soy mocha at Starbucks was about 350, and this was not the chocolatey confection of that!
However, with my cute little scale that tares my coffee cup, I added my normal amount of honey and actually calculated the astronomical calorie content. Unless my calculations were wrong (as my little girl very discerningly suggested!), my 2 mugs of coffee per day give me a whopping 1000 calories alone!
So, given that it's hard enough to keep calories in check without that extra 1000 calories, I'm going to say farewell to coffee for now. In fact, the way I see it, it needs to be a fairly permanent goodbye...except maybe that occasional Starbucks indulgence on a mopey day, or a celebratory day, or a day that ends in -y. Just kidding! :)
Yes, I'm bummed. The soymilk provided protein and calcium, the local honey fights allergies to pollens, coffee reduces gallstones and has many nutritive properties. While I don't exactly term coffee a 'health food', it's a far cry from sodas. So, I didn't think my coffee was so bad...especially since I'd drastically underestimated the calorie content.
I went through a bit of a crisis with it, actually. In desperation, I ran to the stores twice and tried three variations with different sweeteners yesterday and hated them all--even adding a modest portion of honey for flavor. I then thought, 'I could learn to like it black', but, while I'm sure that's true, I don't like it black now and since I don't really regard it as a health food, that seems rather pointless.
I do really like black teas, green teas, and herbal teas unsweetened, so it's back to those!
Regarding Food Measuring Devices:
I highly, highly recommend the scale and measuring cups. I've always been a fan of estimating. Estimating is great once you truly do have a good idea of how much stuff you're adding, but, initially, it's best to measure.
Also, look up those calorie amounts if possible. I am dismayed by the way fats and sweets add on calories. Rather dense, right? But it's true! Lowfat and minimal sweeteners from now on...
I love the scale. It tares, so you don't have to have all sorts of extra containers. Throw that bowl or cup or whatever on there, and tare it to zero, then add your stuff and measure!
Progress:
So, calorie counts are pretty much on track. Only one 'gold star' day, but, given my headache, hunger, and the fact that I am eschewing a ton of stuff that I normally would have consumed without much thought, they're all a slimming success. The scale agrees :). In fact, Day 2 saw 6 lbs lighter (equals score of 6) than Day 0 at one point. Those fluctuations are annoying, but it's nice that all measurements have been in the right direction! The score was 6 on Day 2 and only 0.5 on Day 3 (so 5.5 lbs more than Day 2!), but that's normal fluctuation for me and not consistent measurements with regards to time and clothing. The goal is to consistently be at a score of around 10 by the end of the month (that's pounds lighter than initial weight).
I will submit my gratitude that I kept exercise as an independent factor. It was nice to get my star yesterday with no exercise...but I did miss my stamp. So, even though I'll work for the 'stamp of approval' for exercising in the future, it didn't affect my motivation to stick with the calorie levels at all. No star demotion or anything like that! I'm planning to finally get to know my Wii Fit game a little better, and of course I'll mostly elliptical.
What I ate:
Day 2 was an eat-out day, which made it especially challenging. I had that 1 mug of morning coffee, where I measured the honey and was astounded. I took a friend out for lunch and had a small salad and veggie plate. I love that veggie plate, but the featured item was oozing with olive oil, so I only ate half of it (and am very proud indeed!). Dinner was miso soup and veggie sushi for our take-out Asian night.
Day 3 was most satisfying, as I made a big pot of lentil soup with very little oil. I hadn't realized how much better it tastes with a bit more oil in the cooking, but that's alright! I ate that most of the day, actually, with maybe 500 cal from a few other sources. Good day and not hungry at the end!
Oh, but beware the calorie content even of the beans and such. I calculated that the 2 cups of dried lentils used to make the soup equalled about 1580 cal alone. The veggies do have a few cals, but not bad. I did eat much of the pot, but there's a big bowl of leftovers for the next day or two, thank goodness. It's nice to consume something that feels hearty!
Plans:
I'm going to reintroduce myself to the miso soup home-style. I've had miso in the fridge, but I've really gotten away from it. I actually find that the veggie broths, instead of filling me up, seem to whet my appetite! I'm hoping it's a different experience with the miso soup.
Alright, that's it for now! How delightful not to have a headache this morning!
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