Trending down

Okay this is going up later than i thought it would but today seems to be full of constant interruptions but I should be getting this one written the same time as the Saturday one so that shouldn't continue.

As of right now I've been on my "diet" for almost a month and I've only gotten two weigh ins and so far things are looking quite positive

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As this graph shows I've lost 2 pounds and am down to 239.2. the problem being that I know full well that statistically that 2 pounds doesn't mean that much and it's possible that i haven't really lost any real weight. It could just be fluids and likely is as I've tried to cut out a lot of processed (ie salty) foods.

Frankly i would be surprised if I had lost more than that as right now I've only made minor changes to make things more manageable.

The first thing I've done is tried to cut back on my portion sizes. Most of the time I don't need seconds and if I am feeling still a little peckish I'll only take seconds of veggies. Oddly though a strange thing seems to be happening that when I eat less I feel more satisfied with the food I did eat. It seems so much of our modern world is built on excess and I've found that a lot of times I can over eat without even realizing it. I'm not starving myself by no means but listening to my body more about when I'm full and not assuming I have to finish everything on my plate because it's there even if I'll make myself sick doing so.

The second thing I've started doing is grazing more. In the past I know I've just had two big meals and that's it. I'm making a point to have breakfast even if it's just a yogurt or a few almonds and two to three sensible snacks a day. Little bags of popcorn, granola bars, nuts, fruit and if I want to really treat myself a small bowl of animal crackers as they have no where near the sugar or fat as other cookies and can be quite filling.

When it comes to drink it's something I haven't had too much trouble with. I don't like water but i do like crystal light and other sugar free drink mixes and I'm not a huge fan of sodas of any kind or alcoholic drinks so it's not much to cut those out but for as a rare treat.

One thing I have been having trouble with is exercise as I leave a very stationary life and something like a gym membership is simply out of my budget right now. I have been doing simple things to try to move a bit more. when I get a drink I only get a tiny amount then I have to get up and get more sooner or later. I also worked up quite a sweat dealing with the water leakage from the AC and that has motivated me to try to get my home organized. I have so much crud around the house that I don't need and never use just collecting dust and i do need to go through it all and get ready for a garage sale.

Well just to finish this on another recipe I have another simple one for a good snack that will make you feel like you're totally cheating. Hehe.

Chocolate Mouse (It's like a Moose only lighter)

- 2 boxes of sugar free chocolate pudding mix I tend to use the Jello kind but store brands work too they need to be sugar free though and i find you can't really taste that big a difference.
- 4 cups 1% milk (or 2% if you don't like 1% I don't taste a big difference between the two but don't use whole or skim milk. one has too much fat, the other is white water masquerading as milk)
- 1 tub of cool whip (light or sugar free)

Mix together the pudding mix and milk either with a hand mixer on low or a whisk. It will take 1-2 minutes for everything to be blended and lump free. A fork or spoon could be used too but it's more likely that you will have lumps. (or you could make in a big container with and air tight lid and shake the daylights out of it to get it mixed good. Fun job for the kids to do as long as you know it won't leak)
Stir in the cool whip with a spoon or the whisk but be a little gentle with it.
Spoon into individual serving cups or a nice serving bowl (if you didn't make it in the serving bowl) and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour but preferably overnight.
Perfect for family or Church gatherings and any pot luck particularly if there are diabetics in the group. it makes quite a bit so if you want you can half the recipe and then use the other half a tub of cool whip to put on top of the cups.