"Simple, Sound and Sensible Living" Journal

[kirstykay]

This is my intention: To journal here for one year with this aim:

"What we really need are heroes who have decades of simple, sound and sensible living. Not extremes of exercise or eating.

I would be more interested in someone posting every day for a year how they are following the basics of this lifestyle and the MWL program and doing it very simply, easily, inexpensively, without any expensive or complicated gadgets, products, foods, super foods, fancy exercise equipment, exercise clothing, or even recipes, etc, etc while living an everyday ordinary simple life." ~Jeff Novick

I accept your challenge, Jeff Novick..."Simple, Easy, Inexpensive...while living an everyday ordinary simple life." I begin tomorrow.

[JeffN]

Let me know if I can be if any help

In Health
Jeff

[kirstykay]

Thank you, Jeff! I will.

[kirstykay]

Day 1/365

I'm excited to be starting this journal. I am not at the beginning of my journey. But, in the name of keeping things simple, I won't go into lots of detail about that. Let me just say that I have been looking for a "quick" solution to lose the 60 pounds that I gained back after losing 100 pounds on a WFPBLF diet. After more than two years of this nonsense, I am ready to be the tortoise, and stop trying to be the hare. It doesn't work. (duh! didn't I learn this in kindergarten?) So, when I saw Jeff's recent newsletter with the above quote in it, a light bulb went off and I decided -- this is it! I don't care how long it takes. I'm not going to water fast, intermittent fast, juice fast or potato fast or Mary's mini my way to success. I'm not going to kill myself at the gym anymore. I surrender.

Here is my Simple, Sound, Sensible plan:
1. Follow MWL, as written.
2. Eat real food, not complicated recipes.
3. Eat only when I'm physically hungry, stop when satisfied not stuffed.
4. Log my daily food and exercise in this journal along with my thoughts and emotions about the process.
5. Do some simple movement everyday.
6. Don't spend any more money on weight loss gadgets, food plans, exercise equipment, programs, gurus, etc...
(I have an elliptical machine in my basement and a year's worth of gym membership paid for previously that I will use at will.)
7. Don't have a weight loss goal or time frame, rather honor my commitment to the process and carry it out for an entire year, no excuses.
8. Track my weight and measurements once a month and not more often. (I'll weigh and measure myself tomorrow.)
9. Do something everyday that brings me joy and peace.
10. Love myself and others well.


This morning began with the worst hotel breakfast choices I've ever seen. I always assume there will be packets of plain oatmeal when I'm at a hotel, but they only had the flavored kind. The limited fresh fruit they had saved me. I need to be better prepared next time. But, being that this was my first day, I was intent on honoring my commitment. A couple bananas and an apple with some hot tea seemed to fit the bill of simple, sound and sensible breakfast. The 4 hour drive home from taking our son back to school was uneventful. I drank water and slept in the car (my husband was driving).

I had Cathy Fischer's Beefless Stew waiting in the fridge when we got home and I made garlic mashed potatoes to go with it...voila-dinner. Filling, satisfying, delicious...Simple!

Day One -- DONE!

[geo]

Great atitude! Keep it simple, because in the end, it is simple! Congrats on your new journey.

[sirdle]

Cathy Fisher's beefless stew is one of my favourites!

Wishing you joy and peace!

Cheers,

[kirstykay]

Trying to remember how to post a picture. This is test

This is a picture of my dinner tonight: beefless stew with garlic mashed potatoes.

Okay. It posted, but it's HUGE! Anyone know how I make it smaller?

[kirstykay]

Thanks for the encouragement Geo and Sirdle. I appreciate the support. This road is more enjoyable when walking alongside others.

[kirstykay]

Day 2/365 (1-16-17)
Starting Weight 218.4

My A1c in November was 9.8 (highest EVER!). My fasting glucose was 146. I was shocked by this because I had reversed my diabetes several years ago and was no longer tracking my numbers. Of course, I wasn't eating right or exercising pretty much at all. I guess I was in denial. I only went to the doctor because we moved out of state and had to get established with a new practice. Of course my new doctor wanted me to go back on metformin and start tracking my sugars again, but I never filled the prescription or got the blood sugar monitor because I know this diet works and I am determined to do this the right way. I am glad I went because this quickly became about more than losing the 60 pounds I've re-gained. It is about my health and my future and that is way more motivating than just weight loss. I have another appointment 8 weeks from now to recheck my numbers. I expect them to be much improved. I would love for them to be normal. It will be a lot easier to tell my new doctor that I didn't go on the medication he prescribed if my numbers are normal and I've lost some weight. I expect that will be the case. The doctor who originally diagnosed me told me that curing diabetes is like curing a cat allergy...get rid of the cat! Well, he was right. I am getting rid of the "cat" ...the sugar, fat, flour and vegan junk food that got me back here. It's easy to be hard on myself but that is unproductive. It's onward and upward from here and I will use this as the wake up call that it is. I've done it before and I know I can do it again!

Food today was good. I'm not eating until hungry because that's a part of this plan being sensible...it doesn't make sense to eat when I'm not hungry, despite the fact that I have done this my whole life. I am making this important change. I've noticed there are many times I wish I could eat, I want to eat, but when I check in with my physical signals I know I am not hungry. I'm not obsessing over this, just noticing.

First meal came at 11:30 today. I really wanted a bowl of Quaker Oat Squares, so I had it with organic plain soymilk and a sliced banana. It was very satisfying and kept me full for a long time. (I guess I'm not really sure if this is okay on MWL...need to check.)
3:00 - 1 lb. frozen green beans, cooked (obviously) and served over garlic mashed potatoes. Again, very satisfying and filling.
6:30 - Enchilada Corn and Bean Chili cooked in my Instant Pot - DELISH!!! I could live on this stuff! Served over Spanish Rice and topped with Salsa.
8:00 - Green tea and the rest of the bag of Quaker Oat Squares, dry as a snack while watching T.V.

Also did 45 minutes on my elliptical, moderate intensity (I broke a sweat, but wasn't too out of breath) it felt good. I wanted to stop at 30 minutes, but pushed myself to complete 45 because I didn't get much other movement during the day-need to work on my NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis)

All-in-All it was a very good day.

[anne57]

...

[kirstykay]

Thanks, Anne! I appreciate the support!

[SweetPea]

Nice to see you posting again, Kirsty! I like your approach and wish you the best as well.

[kirstykay]

Thanks, SweetPea! Nice of you to stop by! I hope you're doing well! Thanks for the encouragement. I am enjoying this approach. I feel so much calmer and less of frantic about the weight loss. It's a nice change.


Day 3/365
1/17/2017

Moving right along. Did 30 minutes on my elliptical and ate this:


(Still trying to figure out how to make the pictures smaller.)

The soup is a vegetable-only soup. I'm working on eating only when I'm hungry, so I didn't eat this until 1pm. About 2 hours later I ate the rice pudding (delicious) which held me over til dinner when I ate the Enchilada Chili topped with rice and salsa. Over all a very successful day. Also had two cups of green tea. Not really missing the coffee which surprises me, but I'm glad. In the past I have been unwilling to give it up.


Day 4/365
1/18/2016

Got full very easily today. My daughter is going through some really difficult things at work, so I spent about 2 hours on Skype with her this morning (she lives in Taiwan). Got me off to a rough start today. It's so hard not being able to "fix" what's wrong with her situation, but at least I am here to listen and help her process and remind her of the truth. Still...this too shall pass.

So, only about 15 minutes on my elliptical today. I know I need to move more. Tomorrow I'm going to a class at the gym called "Lite Fit" it's low-impact and I think it will be just the thing to get me back in the groove. I'm writing it now to hold myself accountable to actually go!

I ate the soup from yesterday for my first meal again today, and again it was afternoon before I ate. Followed that by a banana. I was really craving oatmeal, so I made 1.5 cups (dry) mixed with 1 chopped apple and some cinnamon cooked in water and topped with about 1 TBS pure maple syrup. It wasn't as sweet as I used to make, but that's what I was going for...and very satisfying. I ate that around 4:00 and it kept me full all evening. I'm drinking my green tea now and feeling very cozy and satisfied. If I get truly hungry later I may make some air popped popcorn.

My rings are feeling looser, which must mean I'm less bloated. Progress.

[sirdle]

Still trying to figure out how to make the pictures smaller.

The only way I know how to do it is with some sort of image processing software. Windows used to have a piece of software called 'Paint'.

But Gimp is free software that can do the same thing. It works on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Cheers,

[kirstykay]

thanks!