Sly Fox's Weight Loss Attempt

Good on you, Sly Fox. Don't feel bad about the cheating....I actually advocate taking a cheat meal at least once per week. Studies have shown that, when you deprive yourself of something, you end up craving it all the more; and when you finally give in and eat that thing you've been avoiding, you're much more likely to overdo it.

 

Okay, drivers... I have a question. How do you keep on track when you're both mentally and physically worn down?

I don't drive (a big truck) -- never have and probably never will -- but there's a lot of pressure with my job. I work long weekdays and it's not uncommon for me to put in hours in the evenings and during the weekend. (Although I must go into work this afternoon for a couple of hours, any work I do on Sunday is usually from home. I admit that's kinda sweet.) Both of my adult children live at home and are currently unemployed -- one has more medical conditions than Carter has little liver pills and the other has emotional issues that set him back maturationally a few years. Their problems certainly cause concern and also place a strain on our finances.

I am seriously overweight and, in the past, have successfully lost a lot of weight. What I have not been successful with is keeping it off. Last time I got down to my doctor-desired weight, my marriage went sour. The marriage was saved, but I wound up regaining every one of the 120 pounds I'd lost.

Now I'm ready to tackle this weight thing again. The days start off okay -- I'm rested and on my game, so to speak. But by mid-afternoon, the work stresses start to get to me and I have to fight myself continually to keep from snacking. Then I get home and am hit with a second round of problems from the homefront. The stresses seem so unrelenting some days -- much what I would think you folks encounter with your tight schedules, unexpected delays, equipment problems, grumpy dispatchers, uncooperative shippers/receivers, and generally less-than-desirable accommodations.

So what do you do to keep focused when you're tired, stressed, and the snack foods start talking to you? How do you tell them to "get lost"?

Share your secrets 'cause I'm so tired of being fat, and the stress factor is the hurdle I can't seem to clear.

 

Ducks, are you eating junk food purely as a coping mechanism, and not out of any real hunger? That's a problem in itself, because even if the food were healthy, you're still going to be eating too much of it, probably.

I'm not sure how you would get over the mental aspect, other than perhaps replacing the eating with some other activity. A hobby, a walk in the park, just something other than eating when you don't really want to eat in the first place.

 

That's exactly what it is -- a coping mechanism. You hit the nail on the head with the comment on healthy foods as well. The snacking I do is mostly healthy stuff -- apples, yogurt, cottage cheese, pretzels, almonds, walnuts, carrots, cherry tomatoes. But a calorie is a calorie when it comes to weight loss... and too many will result in weight gain.

Unfortunately, at work I simply have to learn to rethink as the usual mechanisms of walking, stepping away, relaxing with music, working a crossword puzzles aren't options.

I've never smoked nor done drugs, so I can't make a fair comparison. But I honestly think that overeating is a more difficult habit to kick than either smoking or drug addiction. A person has to eat, so it's not a case of saying, "I won't do it anymore." You can't teach yourself to walk away from food, but control it... which seems even more difficult.

Right now I'm thinking of reprioritizing everything in my life and moving my own needs up the scale a bit. The job has to remain near the top 'cause, frankly, we need my income. But the kids may just have to learn to cope with their problems themselves... and my husband may have to learn to either help me or get out of my way.

Thanks so much, FitTrucker. I'm trying and will continue to do so. Right now, though, I have to head into work for a few hours. I'll check in later. Sly Fox may become my inspiration.

 

No problem, Ducks. If you don't already, I'd suggest starting a food journal. Every time you eat, write down what it is that you're eating and the calories. Sometimes just the shock of seeing just how much food you're actually eating in a given week is enough to snap you out of the cycle. If you have a smart phone, the "Lose It!" app makes it really simple to keep a running tab of your meals and snacks.

Compulsive eating without a food journal is like spending money with your debit card and never checking your balance. It can be dangerous. Also, try snacking on celery. No peanut butter, no dip...just celery. It's almost impossible to eat too much celery.

 

Ducks, not all calories are the same. I urge you to pick up The 4 Hour Body by Timothy Ferriss. Within it you'll find the Slow Carb Diet. The premise behind this way of eating is that you eat a certain way for 6 days, and then eat whatever you want on day 7. When followed as outlined in the book, it works for everyone who tries it.

As for the eating to cope, you need to try and figure out something else to do in place of it. When things are crappy, and you feel like eating, even though you're not hungry, go do some other activity to take your mind away from it. Get a heavy bag, or go biking, or something when you start feeling that way. The exercise will improve your mood AND keep you from eating crappy things like apples and milk products(apples are just easy sugars, and milk products aren't really good for you, since you're not a baby cow).

 

Also add what you are feeling at the time - if its because of certain feelings (angry, bored, stressed, etc.) you can start working on those as well.

 

One thing I forgot to add that expands on the food journal idea that FitTrucker brought up. I'm going to assume you have a phone with a camera. So, every time you're going to eat something, take a pic of it. The "Flash Diet", as it is known, is even more effective than a food journal, which is already highly effective to begin with.

 

That's definitely a good book, but the diet is really quite restrictive. It's basically a paleo diet, switching fruit to legumes/beans and allowing a cheat day.

I would also say that the Flash diet is a good idea. It gives you a better perspective of how much food you're actually eating. Put your hand or something for size reference in the picture. I'd still recommend keeping track of the calories, along with the pictures, though.

 

The hospital after my angioplasty surgery gave me a "do not eat list". That is because they are high in saturated fat and/or sodium. Sodium is just as bad as it causes high blood pressure. Not to mention it makes you retain water, shortness of breath and congestive heart failure. Limit... sodium to 4000 mg max daily (2400mg preferably), you can use 1/2 tsp of salt a day. Fat to 30 grams max. Cholesterol to 300 mg. Limit your egg yolks to 3 a week.

Avoid any foods high in saturated fat, especially
Coconut, Coconut oil, Palm oil, Cream Cheese, Solid vegetable shortning, Solid Chocolate, Gravies, Fat Back, Sour Cream, Crackers and snack foods.

Avoid bacon, salted nuts, canned foods, cereals with coconut or nuts in them. Limit cereal to 1 serving a day unless low sodium (less than 50 mg). Any milk above 1% and stuff made with evaporated milk, buttermilk or condensed milk.

You can have 6 of these a day... mayo or margerine 1 tsp, salad dressing 2 tsp, low calorie mayo/margerine/salad dressing 1 Tbl, 1 tsp of cottonseed, corn, canola, safflower, olive, soybeen, sunflower, peanut and sesame oils.

Choose deserts made with skim milk and egg whites.

Avoid salt seasonings, monosodium glutamate, bouillon, tenderizers, soy sauce, worcestershire sauce and pickles. Avoid all prepackaged entree mixes.

Beverages you can use regular and decaf coffee (avoid dry creamers), koolaid, lemonade and low sodium vegetable juices. Avoid cocoa.

That's most of the critical stuff on what they gave me. Low sodium is as important as low fat.

Force yourself to excercise. It gets easier as you go along. No pain, no gain. Break a sweat.

If you haven't had already, many overweight people have thyroid problems which screws up your metabolism. Have your doctor check your TSH level. Sleep apnea is also a precursor to thyroid problems.

I had no choice to get off the road because I was medically disqualified. Though bad, it is good as things are turning around. I've lost 40 lbs since I been home mainly because of eating home cooked meals and excercise. You can't eat anything good in truck stops. Their grilled foods are the same as a frying pan loaded with bad oils. Salad bars are packaged vegetables loaded with preservatives.

Good luck with your diet. I thought I'd share the hospital stuff with you. If I was you, I'd definately talk with your doctor about your high blood pressure.