Weighed and measured today and here are the results of my first official weight loss week on the plan (last week wasn't official weight loss, as I didn't weigh myself before I started on the 5th, though that doesn't mean that I didn't lose weight last week too):
Weight: 180.4 (loss of 2 pounds - I am very happy about that, though it's a bit annoying to be 0.7 pounds away from the 170s
)
Bust: loss of 1 inch
Waist: loss of 1 inch
Hips: loss of 1.5 inches
I am very happy with those results, especially the measurements, because that shows me that my daily exercise is helping me lose inches, which is ultimately much more important than the pounds I lose. I'm trying not to get too obsessed with the number on the scale. If I start to stall out or gain, then I'll be concerned and take a good look at what I'm eating, but overall, I am very pleased and feel that I'm doing well.
Today didn't start out so cheerfully, though. My dad informed me that another one of his childhood friends died. During my dad's time in Israel, it was highly possible and even probable to grow up in the same place and go to school with the same people and there was a group of (mostly men) that my dad grew up with, went to a kibbutz with, the army, etc. and he's kept in touch with them and once a year they have a huge get-together bar-b-que where everyone comes (Israel is a very small country, so it's not like in the States where people have to fly from all over to get there).
However, in the last 5 or so years, many of his group have been discovering fatal illnesses like cancer, strokes, and heart disease, and he said this morning that one of the group made a website in memory of the people who died and there are 10 on the list already. Most have died from health issues or health-related issues (one of his best friends last year basically shot his wife, who was going through the last stages of cancer and couldn't take it anymore, and then he killed himself).
Understand that these people are my dad's age (early 70's) - they should not be dying at this age!
Needless to say, my dad gets depressed every time he hears about one. I feel for him but, on the other hand, I have to hold back my rage at his hypocrisy. I want to scream at him, "well, if you don't want to be like them, take better care of yourself, damn it!" Instead, he will sit with his friends in a restaurant, lament about the poor souls that died while shoveling down steak and french fries and already eyeing the dessert menu. I wish I were more sympathetic.
In truth, though, my dad has been making some effort lately. He's told my mom not to buy any more dairy or meat in the house so they are eating a lot more grains and beans and veggies. That doesn't mean he's a vegan - not by a long shot. He still goes out to eat often (last week he went out to eat about 4 times!) and he always orders meat when he's out (and not some low-fat chicken dish, either - always red meat and usually something very fatty, like a steak or a schnitzel) I try not to say anything because I don't want to discourage him from what he's doing at home. I think anything that he does to reduce the amount of animal products he eats will be good for him. We'll see how long it lasts...
On the other hand, my mom has slightly annoyed me. She's decided she needs to "eat dairy for the calcium" because she's afraid of osteoporosis, which my grandmother had to the extreme before she died and which my mom is already showing symptoms of in a few discs in her back. So she went out this morning and is going to buy some cheese and milk and so forth. I've tried to explain to her what little I know about calcium in dairy from reading books like the China Study and Forks Over Knives (i.e., that the protein in dairy keeps most of the calcium from absorbing properly so it doesn't do much good, etc) but she won't buy it.
Overall, I'm seeing small changes and I'm happy about that (outside of the weight and measurements this morning). For example, I have some bracelets and a ring that I regularly wear. Usually, in the mornings after I go out for my walk, my arms and hands are a little swollen (from swinging my arms in the walking, I think) and so I have to wait a little while before I can wear them. This morning, I was able to put them on without a problem right after my shower. So I think I'm making progress
.
Yesterday's menu:
Morning: oat bran with a dash of fresh squeezed tangerine juice and dried cranberries (I was going for an orange-cranberry flavor but it didn't quite turn out that way...); 2 rice cakes with honey
Mid-Morning: fat free salt free dehydrated chickpeas (this is a popular snack in Israel - wish they had them in the States!), 1 small guava (but the guava wasn't sweet, so I threw it away and had a big tangerine from our tree outside instead)
Afternoon: Mom's food: 1 pepper and 1 zucchini stuffed with vegetables and brown rice and some hummus with a small whole grain pita
Evening: veggie soup with a little whole grain rice noodles (mom's food); potato baked in the toaster oven (I'm finding that all of the spices I used to put on it was too much - just salt and pepper from now on); 2 slices whole grain pumpernickel bread with a bit of honey
herbal tea and water
Exercise: 50 minute brisk walk in the morning