Hamster's Treadmill

Share your daily McDougall menus and/or keep a journal describing your personal progress.

Moderators: JeffN, f1jim, carolve, Heather McDougall

Re: Hamster's Treadmill

Postby simoncat » Mon Aug 15, 2011 8:48 pm

Hi, Hamster. It sounds like you are a real ""athlete". I say this because when my doctor took my blood pressure a while back, he asked me if I was an athlete because my bp reading was so good. I stopped for a moment and then laughed and said, "I guess so" as I try to run and walk frequently. So, compared to a lot of people (maybe the majority these days), we are athletes. I still laugh when I think about being called an athlete, as I can't help but think of a big strapping football player or "Tarzan" or someone like that.

Anyway, I was wondering if you had read "Eat to Live" by Dr. Joel Furhman. His diet is close to Dr. McDougall's and I kind of do both. Dr. Furhman allows 1 oz of nuts a day which is about a handful. (You can even make fake cheeses out of nuts that aren't too bad). I think you would like his book and you might just check it out of your library. Some people have compared both Dr.'s on this site and you could look at that too. I am not sure how this would affect your cholesterol though and Dr. F. doesn't allow wheat or snacking in between meals. However, I too am experimenting to see what works. Before I really started this diet, I had really high cholesterol and I have to have it checked again soon. Thus, I'll see if the nuts are hurting me. I am having it checked in October, so I'll let you know. I hope this helps.

Have a good holiday!
[url=http://www.TickerFactory.com/weight-loss/whvr8sU/]
Image
[/url]
User avatar
simoncat
 
Posts: 413
Joined: Thu Mar 03, 2011 11:17 pm

Re: Hamster's Treadmill

Postby Hamster » Wed Aug 17, 2011 5:55 pm

Gentle Reader,

Yesterday was a holiday here and basically I felt tired and lacking in energy so I ended-up having a really lazy day.

Activities
Walking – 5 kms

Food
Breakfast – Mushrooms on toast
Lunch – Sweet potatoes, potatoes & onion in salsa
Snack – Rice cakes & peanut butter
Dinner – Potato, brown rice, lentil & onion curry
Evening – glass of red wine.

I’ve given some thought on how I can reduce my consumption of nuts. The answer was obvious – popcorn. It’s easy, cheap and can be readily stored. Popcorn is still high calorie but it’s lower in calories than nuts. By making this simple change I should be able to reduce my daily calorie intake by something like 250 per day or 1,250 per week. Now all I have to do is to buy a popcorn maker.

Today is pretty much going to be a normal day. I rode the bike to the railway station and will be doing my normal walks.

Essentially life is good.
Maximum weight 128.5 kg
Minimum weight 83.0 kg
Weight after falling off the wagon 95.9 kg
Current weight 92.8 kg (and falling)

When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. ~H.G. Wells
User avatar
Hamster
 
Posts: 215
Joined: Sun Aug 16, 2009 2:07 pm
Location: Redcliffe, Queensland, Australia

Re: Hamster's Treadmill

Postby Hamster » Fri Aug 19, 2011 11:57 pm

Gentle Reader,

This morning I made up a BIG batch of muesli. It contains:
375 gms of mixed dried fruit
375 gms of dried figs
500 gms of psyllium husks
500 gms of bran
750 gms of quick oats
1,500 gms of rolled oats
500 gms of oat bran

That will provide breakfast for quite awhile.

Also I made my first batch of popcorn. By my figuring substituting popcorn for nuts I'll reduce my calorie intake by around 250 calories per day. Not too bad for a minor dietary change.
Maximum weight 128.5 kg
Minimum weight 83.0 kg
Weight after falling off the wagon 95.9 kg
Current weight 92.8 kg (and falling)

When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. ~H.G. Wells
User avatar
Hamster
 
Posts: 215
Joined: Sun Aug 16, 2009 2:07 pm
Location: Redcliffe, Queensland, Australia

Re: Hamster's Treadmill

Postby Hamster » Sun Aug 21, 2011 4:38 pm

Gentle Reader,

This morning I rode the 15 kms to the railway station as usual. It was cold and raining and consequently I arrived unable to feel my fingers and I still cannot feel my toes. Even the hot shower upon arriving at work didn’t fully warm me up.

My shoes are sitting on top of my locker stuffed full of newspaper. That I have discovered is the best way to dry them out. After a couple of hours the newspaper is soaking wet and the shoes will be almost dry.

I didn’t get to do any exercise over the weekend. Saturday was spent shopping and the weather on Sunday was awful.

This morning I’ll be having muesli and diluted fruit juice and for lunch I have some potatoes in salsa.
Maximum weight 128.5 kg
Minimum weight 83.0 kg
Weight after falling off the wagon 95.9 kg
Current weight 92.8 kg (and falling)

When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. ~H.G. Wells
User avatar
Hamster
 
Posts: 215
Joined: Sun Aug 16, 2009 2:07 pm
Location: Redcliffe, Queensland, Australia

Re: Hamster's Treadmill

Postby Hamster » Mon Aug 22, 2011 5:29 pm

Gentle Reader,

Activities
Morning – 15 kms bicycle
Lunch – 5 kms walk
Evening – 4 kms walk & 15 kms bicycle

Food
Breakfast – muesli & diluted apple juice
Lunch – potato & sweet potato in salsa
Snack – popcorn, nuts & dried fruit
Dinner – potato & sweet potato in salsa, & glass of red wine
Snack – rice cakes & peanut butter

The popcorn seems to be a good lower calorie alternative to nuts. I suspect that they were a major reason why I was having difficulty in loosing weight. At almost 600 calories per 100 gms it wouldn’t be hard to begin gaining weight even with the rest of the diet being ok and with a good level of activity.

Another good move was buying a smaller glass and then buying a better quality red. I fail to see how 200 ml will do any harm and it kind of finishes off a meal.

My ride home last night was ok, sort of an occasional light drizzle and cold :( . The good part was that I has a strong tailwind for virtually the whole ride. If this wasn’t my fastest ride ever it would certainly be one of the top ones :-D .

Today I have had to drive in so no bike riding but at least I’ll get my walks in so not too bad I guess. Mrs Hamster and the young Hamster both needed to come into the city and that means no riding for me :crybaby: .

I’ve been keeping track of my daily activities since the 7th of June 2010 and since then I’ve done a total of 10,537 kms either as walking or riding which means I’ve averaged 23.8 kms per day. What I am feeling rather pleased with is that for August I’ve done 712 kms so far which gives me a daily average of 31 kms per day. At first it was a case of ride one day miss a day type of thing. It has not been easy but deciding to ride every single day possible was a really good decision :-) .
Maximum weight 128.5 kg
Minimum weight 83.0 kg
Weight after falling off the wagon 95.9 kg
Current weight 92.8 kg (and falling)

When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. ~H.G. Wells
User avatar
Hamster
 
Posts: 215
Joined: Sun Aug 16, 2009 2:07 pm
Location: Redcliffe, Queensland, Australia

Re: Hamster's Treadmill

Postby Hamster » Tue Aug 23, 2011 5:32 pm

Gentle Reader,

Activities
Lunch – walk 5 kms
Evening – walk 4 kms

Food
Breakfast – 2 ryvita biscuits & salsa
Snack – popcorn
Lunch – potato & sweet potato in salsa
Snack – nuts & dried fruit
Dinner – potato & sweet potato in salsa
- potato curry (I was still hungry)
Evening – rice cake & peanut butter
- red wine

I rode the bike to the station this morning, and it was a lovely morning. There were a few rain clouds on the horizon but where I was the sky was blue. The birds were out in full force so they must be thinking that spring is on its way. I have to admit that they are probably right, the mornings are getting much lighter. A few weeks ago it was pitch black when I left but now it’s quite light and I even turned my headlight off about half way through the ride.

I’m planning to cut back on the nuts, the reason is obvious from the following which is the number of calories per 100 gms
Chocolate – 531
Nuts – 583
Popcorn – 345
Dried fruit – 279
Dried dates – 290
Dried ginger – 316
It’s a scary thought but in terms of the number of calories I’d be better off eating chocolate than I would be in eating nuts. I know that this is not a fair comparison because nuts contain a number of really good thing that are absent from chocolate.

Any suggestions on lower calorie snacks would be greatly appreciated and also a lower calorie alternative to peanut butter.
Maximum weight 128.5 kg
Minimum weight 83.0 kg
Weight after falling off the wagon 95.9 kg
Current weight 92.8 kg (and falling)

When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. ~H.G. Wells
User avatar
Hamster
 
Posts: 215
Joined: Sun Aug 16, 2009 2:07 pm
Location: Redcliffe, Queensland, Australia

Re: Hamster's Treadmill

Postby Hamster » Wed Aug 24, 2011 11:21 pm

Gentle Reader,

Activities
Morning – 15 kms bicycle
Lunch – 5 kms walk
Evening – 4 kms walk & 15 kms bicycle

Food
Breakfast – muesli & diluted apple juice
Lunch – baked potato
Snack – popcorn, nuts & dried fruit
Dinner – vegetable chilli & brown rice, & glass of red wine
Snack – rice cakes & peanut butter

No certain as to the reason but this morning’s ride seemed particularly difficult, probably a combination of reasons. There was a modest headwind plus I was feeling tired so combined this had the effect of making it feel like I was riding through treacle :( . Tonight we go shopping so I won’t be doing the evening walk.

I’ll have a good hard look in the supermarket to see if I can find a good alternative to peanut butter. At the moment nothing springs to mind, but there must be something that is low-salt and low-calorie and also tastes good. I suspect that much of the attraction of peanut butter lies in its high oil content. I’m working my way through my remaining store of nuts when they gone I not planning on replacing them.

My bicycle thread now has over 1,300 views – I’m feeling pretty pleased with that :-D . There are a lot of topics yet to cover and I hope that people are getting something out of it.
Maximum weight 128.5 kg
Minimum weight 83.0 kg
Weight after falling off the wagon 95.9 kg
Current weight 92.8 kg (and falling)

When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. ~H.G. Wells
User avatar
Hamster
 
Posts: 215
Joined: Sun Aug 16, 2009 2:07 pm
Location: Redcliffe, Queensland, Australia

Re: Hamster's Treadmill

Postby Hamster » Thu Aug 25, 2011 9:41 pm

Gentle Reader,

Activities
Morning – 15 kms bicycle
Lunch – 5 kms walk
Evening – 15 kms bicycle

Food
Breakfast – muesli & diluted apple juice
Lunch – baked potato
Snack – nuts & dried fruit
Dinner – vegetable curry & green lentils, & glass of red wine
Snack – rice cake & peanut butter
- rice cake & baby vegemite
- rice cake & lemon butter


My ride home last night was uneventful and at a reasonable pace. I now suspect that my slow ride yesterday morning was just the result of the headwind. My ride this morning was delightful, much lighter than other mornings with a big orb of the sun coming up over Moreton Island.

My search for a good alternative to peanut butter continues. At the moment baby vegemite (vegemite for babies) is the best I’ve found. I rather like vegemite but the normal type has a huge salt content but the baby vegemite has half the salt so whilst not good it’s ok.
Maximum weight 128.5 kg
Minimum weight 83.0 kg
Weight after falling off the wagon 95.9 kg
Current weight 92.8 kg (and falling)

When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. ~H.G. Wells
User avatar
Hamster
 
Posts: 215
Joined: Sun Aug 16, 2009 2:07 pm
Location: Redcliffe, Queensland, Australia

Re: Hamster's Treadmill

Postby Hamster » Sun Aug 28, 2011 5:20 pm

Gentle Reader,

Not a great deal to report. My diet over the weekend was vegetarian but not vegan. I also suspect pretty strongly that the calories were also excessive. Oh well no point in getting all worked-up over what is now history.

Some good news, late last week I took my resting pulse for the first time in I don’t know how long. It was 72 which for a male of my age is average. All my life my pulse has been way above average and fitness has been well below average. After several years of loosing weight and increasing my level of activity to be average is a big achievement.

Yesterday I went for a fairly easy 77 km (48 mile) ride, nothing spectacular just an easy no rush type of ride. I actually enjoyed it and even the 3 km stretch over the bridge directly into a headwind. In a strange sort of way it was relaxing to go down onto the drop bars and just grind away seeing the end of the bridge slowly getting closer.

Not a great deal else to say. The working week has started off in its usual manner, muesli for breakfast and some baked pumpkin & potatoes for lunch.
Maximum weight 128.5 kg
Minimum weight 83.0 kg
Weight after falling off the wagon 95.9 kg
Current weight 92.8 kg (and falling)

When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. ~H.G. Wells
User avatar
Hamster
 
Posts: 215
Joined: Sun Aug 16, 2009 2:07 pm
Location: Redcliffe, Queensland, Australia

Re: Hamster's Treadmill

Postby Hamster » Mon Aug 29, 2011 6:55 pm

Activities
Morning – 15 kms bicycle
Lunch – 5 kms walk
Evening – 15 kms bicycle

Food
Breakfast – muesli & diluted apple juice
Lunch – baked potato & baked pumpkin
Snack – popcorn, nuts & dried fruit
Snack – McDonald’s soft serve cone
Dinner – vegetable curry & brown rice
Snack – rice cakes & peanut butter, liquorice allsorts

I felt tired all of yesterday and consequently didn’t do my normal walk to the station at Bowen Hills. There’s a McDonalds at Central Station and well I weakened and had one of their soft serve cones. For my fifty cents I got 150 calories, 4.6 gms total fat, 2.9 gms saturated fat, 3.9 gms protein, 22.9 gms total carbohydrates including 17 gms of sugar.

http://mcdonalds.com.au/our-food/menu/# ... serve-cone

There is zero fibre, zero vitamins and zero minerals just sugar, fat and some protein. Talk about empty calories. I’ve got some Ryvita biscuits and salsa at work and they would make a good afternoon snack and much better than anything from McDonalds. We live and sometimes learn.

Today I’m feeling much less tired than I was yesterday. It’s amazing what a good night’s sleep achieves. Tonight I’m planning to do my normal evening walk so won’t be tempted with Mcdonalds plus being less tired my defences will be better.

Moving right along onto a different topic, August should be my second month this year when I have travelled more than 1,000 kms either by walking or on the bike. Currently, I’ve done 976 kms so with one extra day I should crack the magic 1,000 kms. The trick is not to do really long rides but by being consistent in doing something on a regular basis.
Maximum weight 128.5 kg
Minimum weight 83.0 kg
Weight after falling off the wagon 95.9 kg
Current weight 92.8 kg (and falling)

When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. ~H.G. Wells
User avatar
Hamster
 
Posts: 215
Joined: Sun Aug 16, 2009 2:07 pm
Location: Redcliffe, Queensland, Australia

Re: Hamster's Treadmill

Postby Hamster » Tue Aug 30, 2011 4:48 pm

Gentle Reader,

Activities
Morning – 15 kms bicycle
Lunch – 5 kms walk
Evening – 4 kms walk & 15 kms bicycle

Food
Breakfast – muesli & diluted apple juice
Lunch – baked sweet potato & pumpkin
Snack – popcorn, nuts & dried fruit
Dinner – sweet potato & vegetable curry
Snack – rice cakes & peanut butter & liquorice allsorts

I think that I’m slowly making progress with the diet. Still not perfect and still some backsliding but overall I think that there is progress :) .

The ride to the station yesterday morning was lovely but the ride home was wet. A little unpleasant, but being wet occasionally is a small price to pay for the health benefits of regular exercise :-D .

The flashes of lightening were rather spectacular. At one point I cross a small creek over a bridge with overhanging foliage, normally at night it’s pitch black at this point but last night just as I was about to cross the bridge there was a huge flash of lightening. It was as bright as daylight :-D .
Maximum weight 128.5 kg
Minimum weight 83.0 kg
Weight after falling off the wagon 95.9 kg
Current weight 92.8 kg (and falling)

When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. ~H.G. Wells
User avatar
Hamster
 
Posts: 215
Joined: Sun Aug 16, 2009 2:07 pm
Location: Redcliffe, Queensland, Australia

Re: Hamster's Treadmill

Postby Hamster » Wed Aug 31, 2011 6:16 pm

Gentle Reader,

Activities
Morning – 15 kms bicycle
Lunch – 5 kms walk
Evening – 4 kms walk & 15 kms bicycle

Food
Breakfast – muesli & diluted apple juice
Lunch – baked sweet potato & pumpkin & potato
Snack – popcorn, nuts & dried fruit
Dinner – sweet potato & lentils & chilli
Snack – rice cakes & peanut butter

Last month I managed through walking and cycling to travel 1,015 kms which was 165 kms further than my target :-D . I’m feeling really please with that as it now puts me almost on track to complete 10,000 kms for 2011. I think that this might be the first New Years resolution that I actually kept/achieved :-D . The trick, if there one is not to do really long rides/walks but rather just be consistent with regular shorter rides/walks.

Another thing I’ve noticed is that now that I’m only rarely using the car for commuting my fuel consumption has really plummeted. A tank of fuel can now last over a month. Even though the bike costs money to maintain I have to be well ahead plus I don’t have to join a gym or buy any other exercise equipment. So even without the health benefits I have to be financially well ahead.
Maximum weight 128.5 kg
Minimum weight 83.0 kg
Weight after falling off the wagon 95.9 kg
Current weight 92.8 kg (and falling)

When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. ~H.G. Wells
User avatar
Hamster
 
Posts: 215
Joined: Sun Aug 16, 2009 2:07 pm
Location: Redcliffe, Queensland, Australia

Postby Ege Bamyasi » Wed Aug 31, 2011 11:07 pm

.
Last edited by Ege Bamyasi on Thu Aug 02, 2012 2:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Ege Bamyasi
 
Posts: 903
Joined: Mon Jun 15, 2009 9:03 pm

Re: Hamster's Treadmill

Postby Hamster » Thu Sep 01, 2011 5:29 pm

Ege Bamyasi wrote:You're doing awesome, Hamster. You have to be feeling good with all that exercise!


Hi Kirk,

Thank you for the compliment.

Actually the answer to your question is yes and also no. It’s no only because I live in my body 24/7 and the changes since 2007 when I first started trying to improve my health have been so slow that each day is pretty much identical to the previous day.

In reality I have been incredibly lucky. My diabetes & high blood pressure were both caught early enough for none of the serious complications to have kicked in (except for some mild kidney deterioration). The sleep apena and depression simply disappeared with the weight loss and increased activity. At one point I was on 6 medications a day, now it’s 1 ½ a day (1 daily for blood pressure and 1 for cholesterol every second day).

The trick, if there is one is to start small and then to slowly increase the duration. There is really (IMO) no need to try to increase the intensity as that will increase all by itself. Increasing (no matter how slowly) the distance travelled or the time spent being active is what is important and not where one starts. Another belief of mine is that a little done often is better than a lot done seldom, in other words we need to do something everyday.
Maximum weight 128.5 kg
Minimum weight 83.0 kg
Weight after falling off the wagon 95.9 kg
Current weight 92.8 kg (and falling)

When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. ~H.G. Wells
User avatar
Hamster
 
Posts: 215
Joined: Sun Aug 16, 2009 2:07 pm
Location: Redcliffe, Queensland, Australia

Re: Hamster's Treadmill

Postby Hamster » Thu Sep 01, 2011 6:01 pm

Gentle Reader,

Activities
Morning – 15 kms bicycle
Lunch – 5 kms walk
Evening – 6 kms walk & 13 kms bicycle

Food
Breakfast – muesli & diluted apple juice
Lunch – baked sweet potato & pumpkin & potato
Snack – dried fruit & nuts
Dinner – vegetable curry, sweet potato & brown rice
Snack – rice cakes & peanut butter

Really not much to report. The bike suffered a minor mechanical mishap about 2 kms from home on last night :-( . I think that I’ve got it fixed :) but will have to check over the weekend.

No bike riding today as I had to bring Mrs Hamster into the city. As I type this she’s off spending MY money :crybaby: .

I’ll think that I’ll keep this journal entry short as there is a post I’d like to write for my cycling thread.
Maximum weight 128.5 kg
Minimum weight 83.0 kg
Weight after falling off the wagon 95.9 kg
Current weight 92.8 kg (and falling)

When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. ~H.G. Wells
User avatar
Hamster
 
Posts: 215
Joined: Sun Aug 16, 2009 2:07 pm
Location: Redcliffe, Queensland, Australia

PreviousNext

Return to My Daily Menus & Journals

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 9 guests



Welcome!

Sign up to receive our regular articles, recipes, and news about upcoming events.