What A Day!

This day started off with us going to church, then after the service they had a celebration for our going away. This was a special thing for us. We were given a framed picture of the church which is over 100 years old. After that we took Stephen, and Ricky to eat. I ordered, chicken fried steak, okra, and brussels sprouts. I ate all of the okra,  and brussel sprouts, and about half of the chicken fried steak. I also had a dinner roll with my meal. Dinner tonight was left over beef brisket from Thursday evening, a long with potato salad, and cole slaw. I am staying well within my calorie budget, but it is the salt that is really hurting me at this time. I am still learning how to eat intuitively, and it is a learning process that keeps me on my toes every single day. But eating intuitively also frees me from any guilt for not eating correctly at time, and it has given me the freedom of not worrying about the ups and downs of my weight. I do worry about my blood pressure and the salt is my worse problem, and having to eat out and not being able to fix our meals here at home is the reason for the extra salt. We figure we have this next week and maybe even a little longer than that before we will be able to eat at home, and fix our meals at home. 

Tomorrow is really our last day here at this house. We close Tuesday morning then we stay with our neighbor Tuesday night, then out of here and to our new home on Wednesday. Our dogs will be staying here in the house Tuesday night, I cannot manage what they will be thinking with nothing in this house but their beds, and the birds. This move is going to be a big shock to the guys. They will be in the car all day, then we are moving to the new home and they will not have the run of the yard until we can get a fence installed, which may take up to a month. 

I just pray to God that he blesses us for this next few weeks or month. 

Foggy and cool this morning

Temperature wise this is the warmest morning we have had all week, but due to the fog and dampness it feels colder than the mornings earlier in the week. 

We went to see “The Darkest Hour," it is about the war and Winston Churchill becoming Prime Mister fo England. It goes to show that even when you are being told you are wrong but your gut tells you, you are right stick with what your gut is telling you.  I sometime feel that way when people tell me that I am not eat correctly by their standards, but I know what is working for me. I have gotten to the point I just say that works for you, you stick with it. I know what is working for me and I am going to stick with it. I have been told by even a doctor that should know better that we cannot listen to our bodies and stomach to know when and how much to eat. I have been told to stop trying to depend on myself to know what to eat and when and how much by so called trainers and diet specialist that want to sell me their plans to control my life. I say to them all I know now what is working for me. It is working even now with all of the stress that I am under getting moved, selling this home, buy the new one, and worrying about my wife that has been so sick since Christmas. I say again trust your gut it knows. 

My weight is holding at 189 even with all the extra salt lately, and the stress and eating foods that I am not that use to. What is making it work is that I am only eating to not be hungry or full. But I was feeling stuffed yesterday at the movies due to eating popcorn, but popcorn is only a filler, when it has low salt and now butter on it. Dinner last night was cabbage soup that my wife made and we found in the freezer. She makes it will very little to now salt. And cabbage soup is a great diuretic.

I am looking forward to the move because I feel that God is pushing and leading me to something that He wants me to do. I am sure he will show me soon enough but you know how inpatient we humans are. 

The Church here is giving us a special celebration tomorrow after the early service. I am going to miss my friends here so very much.

It is cloudy and not so cold.

With everything packed we are having to eat out. For me I can still control how much I eat, just now how much salt I am getting. Even with the extra salt in my evening meal my weight was what it was yesterday morning. I feel that it should have been a little higher this morning. Now I know that I am not eating as many calories as I could be eating, and I am back to being fairly active, even without walking as much. 

Well dinner last night was beef brisket, potato salad, Cole slaw, creamed corn, and a couple slices of white bread. Not all that great in a lot of peoples eyes, but it is the food of God to me. It is all about what we were raised on that programs us for the way we eat. I was in my 20s before I new what fast food was. Fast food for me is something I do when there is no other choice and I need to eat something. I also remember what a country doctor told me right after I was found to have low blood sugar, he said that a snickers bar is better for me than a fast food hamburger. Go figure. 

We are waiting around the house for our closing packet for our new home. We cannot sign it until Tuesday but we can look it over. We were told we are closing the sell of this house first then we are closing the buy of the new house, you know we are going to be totally stressed out from signing so much crap by the time we are down and we have to finish backing and get rest so we can make the drive on Wednesday. 

Packing about 90% done

Today was another beautiful and sunny day. We got help from our church and also our movers to get most of out packing done. The only really messy place is our garage, and it is really a mess. 

My weight this morning was down to 188.8. My calories eaten is averaging 1900 calories. My burned calories is averaging 2400 calories which is my loseit budget. You would think I would be losing weight but I am holding in the range of 187.5 - 191, which is just fine with me. I know my doctor would like me down to 185 but my body is happy in this range and I am not going to force it down. 

We had a great time with the new pastor of the church here. The new pastor is my daughter’s age and my daughter and he was on staff at the Glenn Rose church for several years. 

Linda is doing better but very tired, and still very weak. We are both very tired after today. 

We get to see the papers for our new home tomorrow so we can look them over then we sign all of the paper work on Tuesday. 

Wow another beautiful sunny day

This could become a habit, with this beautiful weather. Yes, it is cold this morning but it will warm up to almost 65 degrees today. Linda is not sleep at night again, this always happens when she is thinking about what ever needs to be done. Yes, time is short for us to get backed and moved. We will make it, and are going to ask for some help from our church family. I believe that God may put roadblocks in front of us to make us grew, and he also proves to help us reach His goals for us. 

My weight this morning it back down to 189, I have finally wasted the extra salt out of my system, just in time to have it come back with us moving, traveling and having to eat out while we are in transition. It will be worth it, and we will get through it. I did walk yesterday afternoon, but not as far as I normally would. But due to shopping, and everything else we had to do I did get my steps in. 

My eating intuitively eating is going better than I would expect. I am still averaging about 1900 calories a day, but this week I am closer to 1850. I would like to be closer to 2000 calories a day, but I realize that without getting my walks in everyday like I was I really do not need to be eating the extra calories. Also, I was telling Linda that I could have never have managed the weight loss and doing as well as I am now without her doing the cooking. She understands how to cook for me, and what I should eat to control my blood pressure. 

Today is full of honey dos, we are having the pastor over for dinner, so I have to clean the floors. I also, need to gas up the Jeep, and get oil and gas for the generator so I can make sure it is ready for the trip. We will just it to keep the freezer cold so we do not lose our frozen foods. 

Wow another beautiful day

The sun is shining bright and it is about 60 degrees. Today has been busy. Linda seems to feel better early in the day but loses steam as the day goes along. We have managed today to get the security system ordered for the new home. We are going to stick with the same system type as we have in this house, but it will be the latest and greatest tech that is out now. We are adding a system for life alert so we have it when we may need it. 

My weight was down about 6 tenths of a pound this morning. And my calories are down too, I am still averaging just about 1900 calories a day. I would prefer it if I could eat closer to 2000 calories average, but I am finding that with not being as active I do not want to eat more. But I am also not happy with some of my choices at this time, but I know it is due to us doing what we can to get ready to move, and the fact that my wife is not feeling like cooking that much so what I cook as not as healthy as what she would be cooking. I just do not know how to cook the way she does. 

Our time here is very short and we are not getting things down we need to do as for as packing. But we are also doing things now that need to do to make sure the new house is livable when we get there. I know God will see to it we get things done. But it is just our nature to worry too much about things.

It is a beautiful sunny morning.

This is a very sunny morning, Linda is feeling better and we have so much that needs to be done. We only have about 9 days to go be for we get to undo what we are packing so we can make our new home our home. 

My weight is up, which is not a surprise seeing the stress is starting to really add up. With Linda being as sick as she has been that has been my most stress. And now finding our that my brother-in-law has some very much life treading issues. I know we all have our time limits and we all will die before we are ready. God knows what he has for each of us to do. And few of us every manage to do God’s work. I do not feel I have done His work and I ask every morning and evening for his to speak to me and lead me to do what he has for me to do.

Like I said my weight is up but I do know I can get it back down and I will. I just need to get past this move and the setting up of a now life in a new state. I will find my walking route and set my new routine. 

I have been really thinking things over

Life is so short. And always so much that I want to do. Got news while at church than my brother-in-law has his arteries to his brain almost fully clogged up. He will have more test tomorrow and all I could do when I read my sister’s message was cry. I often ask God, but I really do understand that God know all that will happen to us our whole life, and he also knows if will except his guides we will do what is right, but he knows that most if now all of us are very hardcore on doing what we think best and do not listen to what God is telling us. Even if we do everything God wants us to do he will still test us and give us hardships to make us a better person in his sight. 

I pray everyday that God will forgive my sins that I commit every minute of everyday. We are human and do what humans do we make mistakes and we sin against God and ourselves. We do not respect one or the other which is a sin against God. We think bad things even if we do not go bad things physically we still sin against God. 

Today is cloudy and warm but it feels colder than it should due to the humidity. Linda seems to be feeling better. But I have been cold all day. We cleaned out the refrigerator, and the refrigerator freezer today. We only have ten days until we leave the state I was born in and grew up in. I feel God it leading me to new adventures, and maybe finally I will learn what he has for me to do for Him. I can think of so much that I would like to do for God but without God’s approval and wishes all I would be doing is what I want. 

Weight wise this morning I am still about 189.6 which is a little heavier than I would like but I am not seeing and difference in my cloths. I am still getting to much salt so I feel I have a few pounds of water weight that I should not normally have. My eating is still good. I am still averaging about 1900 calories a day, which is below my calorie burn rate even when I do not get to be very active like most of this week. On my least active days I am still burning 2000+ calories a day. I do some days still eat wrong and too much. 

There can be no right living without right principles

This statement works if you are talking about our belief in God or your Spiritual life or even your  weight management, or even your work life. Without the right principles nothing in life can be accomplished. 

My weight is down just a little this morning, but I am not back to my normal 189 or less. Yesterday was a day of being very busy getting Linda to doctor’s test and doctor’s appointments. So I did not do my normal snacking, and dinner was leftovers from the night before. This morning was men’s breakfast at church and men’s bible study. My last for both at this church. It was a very emotional time for me. I think them all for the prayers that was said for me and Linda.  Breakfast was eggs, sausage, French toast, and hash browns. 

Linda seems to feel better but gets tired very easily.  We have defrosted the freezer and got rid of items that are too old. 

I walked the neighborhood today and said hi and bye to some of my neighbors and friends. I felt great getting out and walking.

A good friend dropped by the house, finally got to meet his wife. Steve will be coming back to help take down one of our hanging shelves. 

Linda did just like I have said she would and over did it. 

I had a salad with some ham for dinner. 

Cloudy and cool but not cold

I am worried about my weight it is holding on steady, but I have not been able to get out and walk since Sunday. I am holding my eating down the best I can. Calorie wise I am doing ok, it is  just the fact I have not been able to walk that is the issue. I am still eating less than I am burning but barely. With the cold weather I am eating food to keep me warm. And it seems to have more calories, and to set heavier on my stomach and stay longer in my system. 

Our time here keeps getting shorter and Linda is just now starting to feel a little better, but she will not rest the way she should. We both have so much on our mines that we are not sleeping that well either. It seems that our calendar is full and becoming fuller ever single day. 

I am planning to try to cut back some on my eating until I can get back to my walking. And we have asked for more help with our packing so we can move. 

I am also worried about the possible government shutdown, because it could prevent us from closing on our loads for the house seeing we have a VA loan.

Cloudy and cold

It is cloudy and cold this morning but not near as cold as yesterday morning. The clouds and the humidity makes it feel colder than it did yesterday morning.

Thinks are beginning to move really fast at this time just does not seem to be anytime to do what is needed. 

Linda seems to feel better this morning but it is really hard to tell, she just will not slow down and get the rest she needs. 

My weight is still holding at 189 even with a little too much salt and not getting my walks in. There just is not the time and the weather has really been too cold. 

Beautiful sunny day but very cold

Woke up this morning to a very bright sun shining and a temperature of 12 degrees. This is the coldest it has been in over 7 years. We will have one more really cold night then it will be 70 by the weekend. And we wonder why we get so many colds here in this area. 

Yesterday was a lazy day I read for over 8 hours getting up and standing to get my stand goal in for the day. But due to the possible ice on the walks and road I did not go out side at all. Linda is was not feeling good all day yesterday and went to bed early and has not gotten up this morning yet. 

Yesterday was eating what would warm me up so I had oatmeal for breakfast and chili for dinner. I also snacked on oranges, a banana, and I cheated by eating a creamed filled donut. I also had a couple of pieces of sourdough bread with my chili. My weight this morning was 189 the same as it has been all this month except for the one day after my eating ham for a meal with the family. I am not sure why but I feel like I over ate yesterday and I have to say my calories were up a little. I also know that when it is cold this way I do seem to eat more. 

Our time here is getting short and I do hope the long range weather is right about what it will be like when we have to pack and drive to Arkansas. I am also worried about a possible shutdown of the government that could prevent us from closing on our home up there due to us having a VA loan. 

Cold, cloudy, some ice and trying to snow

What a change from yesterday! Yesterday was sunny and ever warm up to almost 70 in the afternoon. Today it is cold in the 20s and not expected to even reach 30 degrees. It looks like it could snow and the weather is saying we will have snow flakes in the air today. 

My weight is back down this morning. It seems that the ginger that I use daily does work to help me get rid of the extra water weight. I managed a full walk yesterday and it did feel great. I have now sold my old impala and my wife has sold her quilting machine. That takes a load off of our move. 

Not to much else to report today. Except it is cold. 

A beautiful day today before the storm comes tonight, and for the next couple of days

The sun is shining and it is a beautiful winter day, temperature is great for a walk later in the day. This morning my step great daughter left to go back home with my Chevy Impala that I have had since it was new the Saturday before Mother’s day of 2007. I will miss the old girl but I know that my grand daughter needs it to finish school. I have not been driving it enough to keep it up so it is better to have it with someone that will be driving it. 

My weight was up this morning due to a couple of pieces of left over pizza that I had for lunch yesterday, and the chicken noodle soup that I had last evening. It will drop off soon. I am still logging but really not being that careful of the measurements. And I have not been careful of the measurements for about 6 months now. I am more concerned with how my stomach feels, making sure not to get hungry and have a headache or be dizzy or feel stuffed. This is working for me so far and I feel so much better than before. Sure there are times I feel like I over eat but it is not often and it is not eating as much as I use to even when I was very serious with my counting calories. I am also very happy with not worrying about what I eat, sure I care about eating correctly, but I am not worried about the times I enjoying a treat or pastry or piece, of cake or pie. I also know keep in mind what one of my doctors told me many years ago. That a snickers bar is better for me than a fast food hamburger. At the time that was a shock to me.

We have got to get serious about packing for our move, but today my wife is showing the lady that is buying her quilting machine how to use it. So I am going to get out and walk. 

Just more thoughts for today

It is a beautiful sunny day that started out very cold for this area. But it has warmed up nicely. The forecast is calling for ice and snow Tuesday and Wednesday. Sounds like we will use that as a good reason to stay inside and pack up some of the house. And keep a fire in the fireplace. 

Went shopping this morning for groceries, and found a wonderful outside swing for our new porch. I have traded in my two older Kindles and got the new Oasis 2. I traded in the Voyage which is a great Kindle but the screen is smaller than the new Oasis, I also traded in an older Pager white that I was no longer using. The Oasis 2 gives me the capacity to listen to audible books also, and it has a seven inch screen which allows me to have larger fonts and still see more text on the screen than the Voyage gives me. The issue I am finding with the Oasis is it is a lot more of a power hog and uses the battery up faster. 

It still seems that my body’s sweet spot weight is around 189 pounds. Also I am settling down with my eating to about 1900 calories on the average. I am still most days eating a large breakfast and dinner and snacking on nuts, fruits, and some veggies for lunch and snacks. With the packing, and everything else we are trying to do before we move my walking and resistance workouts are hit and miss. 

I am feeling really good about my eating now, and I do not have the feelings that I am missing out on anything that I enjoy eating or need to eat for my body. For the ones that are still stuck in the mindset of dieting all I can say if it works for you that is great, but think about this can you live with the diet you have chosen for the rest of your life? If not then your plan is already a failure. The key I have found for me is moderation, eat what you love, and learn how much you need to eat. I am finding that the stuffy feelings are a thing of the past, I am also finding that I no longer crave any for any thing. And I am also finding that my body is finding its on settling weight. 

Cold but a beautifully sunny day

It is cold this morning, at least for this area it is cold. The sun is very bright which makes the out of doors look so inviting. 

My weight this morning was back at 189 so it is looking like that is my body’s happy weight. I will say no complains from me there I am just happy to finally be somewhat at a stable weight. 

I got out and walked yesterday afternoon, and was able to get in contact with more of my neighbors to say good bye. Yesterday was cold and I did not feel good in the morning, but about lunch time I did go get more walking shoes and take the car that my step-granddaughter is getting to get it cleaned up. The stopped and got a Papa John’s spinach pizza for our evening meal.  I do not eat pizza very often but I do like it at times. 

On the intuitive eating side of things my eating is settling down now and I am down to eating on average of about 1900 calories a day, and am not getting as much walking in either. So I guess it is averaging out. Salt here lately if my biggest enemy, and causing my weight to bounce around.  I am also finding that when I eat by what my body, and stomach tell me and not by the calorie count I eat less. If I start looking at the calories I have left to eat for the day is when I want to eat more. Then I normally feel over full or stuffed. If you will listen to your body and stomach you will do better than if you live by the numbers. Our bodies do not understand numbers they understand hungry or the need for fuel. 

Just random thoughts

Over the weekend we had a family meal that included a ham, and hams are known to have a lot of salt. But I do love ham and I have since I was very little. My grandpa had a smokehouse, on the farm and he smoked meat then salt preserved it. That is the way it was down before we had the huge freezers to keep it. So I became use to salt meat and salt in my food. Today I know for me salt is my enemy as for as my blood pressure goes. There was a time my ankles, feet and hands would swell from the salt that I ate. I no longer have that issue because I try whenever possible to keep the amount of salt I eat down. With the holidays I have eaten way too much salt and I have been having issues with my blood pressure. 

Weight wise I am bouncing between about 188 and 191, this seems to be my body’s set point range.  This morning I am back down to 189, from being up to 191 earlier in the week. The amount of calories I am taking in is averaging now about 1900 to 2000 calories. Now I have to say I am not keeping measured amounts here they are just my best guess. So I could be eating more or less than this. What I am doing is logging the food I eat, and not so much the correct measurements. I am depending on my body and my stomach to tell me how much I need. This seems to be working really well for me. I do not get the full or stuffed feeling that I use to get, and I sure do not like that feeling. I no longer crave food of any type. I believe that is because I allow myself to eat what I want and feel I need to eat. 
I live by data. The last 6 months my average weight was 190.3, and the last 3 months my average weight was 189.3. So even with eating more on average and exercising less on average I have lost on average another pound this last 3 months which by the way includes the holidays.

The moving process seems to be moving along as good as it can seeing Linda is sick with walking pneumonia and really is not able to do anything even though she still tries. Our move date is still 1/31 with a pack of 1/30 and a travel say on the 31st, and unpacking in the new home on February the 1st.  

I am now selling my car to my grand daughter. She wreaked her car and needs a way to get to school and back. 

Life throws everything it can at you and you just have to except it and adjust and move on. It does help if you have faith in God and understand that He is always testing your faith and belief in Him. 

Life is about the choices we make

Every minute of everyday we make choices. We chose what we eat, we chose what we wear, and we chose where we go and at times we chose to pickup our roots and move on. That time has finally come for my wife and I. It has taken almost 11 months to get our home here sold, and now it is a big rush to get what is left to pack and to move by the end of the month. And of course my wife is sick. Life will throw what it can at you to test you. 

On the weight management side of things, my eating is kind of crazy and my activity is also hit and miss. But I am happy to say I am at least for now staying in my happy weight range. 

We have to start packing and getting rid of what we will not need. We are pack rats so it will be hard for us to make the decisions that we need to make. But I know it has to be done and we do not need all of this stuff any more. 

I will write my thoughts as I can it is going to be crazy here and at our new home until we get settled there.

Very busy

With the contracts in place for selling our home and purchasing our new smaller home we are very busy which is making eating correctly harder to do. It is also making eating every time I feel the need to eat hard. But the biggest issue is getting my walks in, oh sure, I am very active but my body is programed for my walks and it gets what I call nervous when I do not get out and walk. I know things will get back to a new normal once we get moved and settled in to the new home. My walking will be different due to being a new location, different weather, and having hills that I do not have here. Also, my food will be different due to not having easy excess to the same bulk items in our new home as I have here. 

Well, I made it through the holidays without a real weight gain that is a huge win. I normally gain in the winter and mostly due to the holidays. I also, normally lose weigh in the spring and summer. I will just have to see how things workout. 

Please do not expect me to have daily comments on here for a while, I will write as I can and as I feel I have things I need to say, mostly for my own remembering. 

My thoughts for today

First my weight is down 0.6 pounds from yesterday. Yesterday I was up 1.4 pounds from my last weigh in last 12/29/2017. That weight gain was all water weight gain from too much salt while traveling. My weight is and has been swinging about 2-3 pounds for about the last 4 months. This seems to indicate that I am within my body’s happy weight or set point. I continue to eat about 2000 calories a day, some days a little more and some days less. I still eat what I want and enjoy eating along with what I need to eat to fuel my body correctly. I cannot remember the last time that I felt stuffed or hungry. Not feeling hungry or stuffed is the key to weight management, at least for me it is.

I have been thinking back over the last month, and I can say this I was told by God three weeks before we get the contract to sell this house that we would get it, and on which day we would get it. And it happened that way. I was told as I drove to Arkansas on Friday 12/29/2017 that we would see the home we would be buying on January 1, 2018, and we did see the house that afternoon. It was the first of 5 that we were to see that day. We saw it and made up our mines that we wanted it and never saw any other homes. I am a believer in God, and I know God speaks to me, sometimes in my dreams, and other times as I am doing something like walking or driving. I do not listen to music as I walk or drive, I like to listen to my inter voice, and I listen for God to tell me what he has for me to do. I know that this is hard for a lot of people to except, but it is something I have known since I was around 7 or 8 years old. God has guided my life to the point of who I married and what jobs I have had. And to where I have lived and even the friends that I have.

Why are people so negative about Intuitive eating?

I believe we as a whole have been so brainwashed that we cannot except the concept that we do not have to be dieting. We have been so well indoctrinated that we believe that what ever we eat is a diet. I am here to say that dieting as it is understood in the country and in most of the modern world is a means to get us to buy special foods. It is to keep us looking for the next great diet plan, diet book and things to make us buy what ever they decide they want to sell us. It does not have to be that way. We seem to have created a generation of people that do not understand how to eat and enjoy what they are eating. I was raised to eat what ever was available, and that is what I have decided to allow myself to do again in my life. It is so much of a relief to be able to not have to think I am going out and cannot enjoy it due to being on some special diet. Sure we need to make good choices whenever we can, and I do my best to eat a good nutritional diet. We need to stop stressing over eating, we have to stop stressing about what we have to deprive ourselves of in our food choices. Most people I have seen deprive themselves of the very nutrition that they need most. When you do that your body will force you to binge eat.  

So before I go any farther let me say. I was born in late 1947, on a farm. I lived on that farm and ate like a farmer until I went in the Navy at age 21 in late 1968. When I turned 21 I was by all standards a skinny person. I was almost 6 feet and 167 pounds. I had a waist of 28 inches. I went in the Navy that way and 11 weeks later I was up to 215 pounds and a 33 inch waist. I felt fat and I was fat. I managed to stay about that weight and waist size until I left the Navy in the early part of 1977. My weight slowly climbed from that point on. In 1980 I was up to somewhere around 235 and I decided I was going on the Atkin’s Diet and I lost down to 163 pounds, my waist was down to 32 inches, but I was not able to stay on the Atkin’s Diet for obvious  reasons. You just cannot live on that type of diet my body was crying for food for energy so I could keep up with my activity. We have to have carbs for energy, protein for muscles, and we have to have fat for rebuilding our bodies. I started gaining my weight back because I was bingeing on the foods that I had deprived myself of so long, and I gained back more weight that I lost. This was also a time in my life that my wife and I were very busy raising family. We were body working and we had two children to keep up with, so we did what so many did we ate a lot of fast food. I was an active person, keeping up with a teenage son, going bicycle riding, camping and hiking but was over eating and still gained weight. I did not decide to try to lose again seriously until after I lost my first wife in an auto accident when I was about 54 years old. I did not eat well for a while then and I even gained more after my wifed died. I finally got to the point I could not wear my pants and decided I had to lose the weight. I did not want to go back on the Atkin’s diet so I tried the South Beach diet, I did lose some weight but then again the fact I was depriving myself of foods I loved got me to bingeing again. I stopped that diet and gave in to my old eating habits. I I finally really made my mine up to lose weight on my birthday, Thanksgiving 2010. I decided on portion control only, and by the New Year I was down 10 pounds. Yes, I lost weight over the holidays. I just stayed with portion control eating, and by March 2011 I was down a total of about 35 pounds, I started walking. It was slow going at first then I managed to get more and more distance in. July of 2011 I found loseit.com and that led me to Fitbit devices. Using loseit and Fitbit I lost down to just about 200 and just below.  Then February of 2014 I was forced to retire due to company reorganization and my hearing. I was not ready for that. I stayed busy and I kept logging my food but I still gained back about 50 pounds. I believe mostly due to not walking regularly like I was. I kept trying but could not get the weight to drop, In 2016 at one of my doctor’s appointment I asked to be referred to a dietitian. And from that visit I found that my metabolism was messed up from not eating enough. I have been working on my eating and walking again since that appointment. I have now lost down to 188 average, I eat approximately 2000 calories a day. 

I eat what I wish to eat and I still log my food and my weight. I do not sweat over a few pounds of swing in my weight. I do not try to be exact with my food amounts, for me now it is just keeping track of what I eat not so much with how much. Also I have left Fitbit behind, and I have switched to the Apple Watch and Apple Health. I credit the two of them in getting my weight down below what I was managing using Fitbit. 

For me it is about enjoying my food, and eating what I want to eat, and not depriving myself of the things I love. It is about being active and not really exercising. It is also about not stressing over what is available to eat, or worrying about what someone thinks about my food choices. And it is about learning to know when I need something to eat and knowing when to stop eating. That is getting easier as I except intuitive eating as my norm again after about 50 years of dieting. 

If you accept that you do not have to deprive yourself, and you come to love food again, and love your self again you are over half way there. I am also, finding that you do not have to follow the intuitive eating like the book says. I have created my on working plan. I weigh myself and the purist will not do that. I log my foods, and somewhat count calories the purist would scream over that. But I will say this intuitive eating was come by for people with eating disorders. I do not believe I have an eating disorder other than the love of food. 

Back home

My first weigh in of 2018 and I am up 1.4 pounds, which is no surprise seeing I was traveling and eating on the go most of the time. The higher amount of salt is my issue and not my calories. I was well below the budget loseit gives for the whole trip, and while I was active and did get my activity goals, and my staying goals met I did not get my minutes goal. And it seems that when I drive as I did yesterday I get even a lot more resting calories burned. 

As for as my eating while I was on the road, I did eat the best I could. I love my sisters cranberry cake so I had some of it. My sister still works so we had to eat when she came home in the evening so we ate late. My sister does not get up and eat breakfast so breakfast was cereal for me as I could get it. We were looking for our new home so we ate on the road a lot too, and that does mean a lot more salt. But my wife and I share our meals most of the time, seeing cafe food are such large portions. The key is learning to listen to your body and understand when you are needing to eat, and only eat the amount of food you need to feel comfortable. For me learning I did not have to eat everything on my plate has been the key for controlling my weight. And the fact that I can eat what I feel I need to eat or want to eat has stopped me from over eating. I no long have that feeling that I need to eat it all. 

We did fine our new home and we have a contract for it secured. So now the hard work starts finish packing and moving and unpacking. 

Yes I know

I know a lot of you do not believe that intuitive eating can work. But I say yes it can, if you stop with the word ‘cannot’. Anything is possible if you think positively. If you do not believe in yourself, of course, you will not be able to do it. The key I have found is to be positive that you can do it. Will it be easy no more than likely not. Will you have setbacks, yes you will. What you have to do is except who you are, make up your mind to do it and ‘Just Do It’. Life is what you make of it, it is that plan and simple.

You have to believe in yourself for anything to happen positively. You have to respect your body, your decisions, and you have for more than likely the first time in your life put yourself first. 

To begin doing intuitive eating you have to learn to love food again, you have to start out by allow yourself to eat the foods you love and have said no to for so long. You can no longer deprive yourself of the foods you love and enjoy. You have to respect your body as it is now so that you can really notice the changes that will happen as you relearn to eat without dieting. You may even gain a few pounds in the beginning, I did. You will eat more than you are use to eating, but you will slowly get use to being able to eat when, and what and the amount that you need. Slowly you will begin to eat just what you need to eat, and what you need to eat. And just maybe the way that I have done you will lose a little weight. You will also find that your weight will not fluctuate as much as it use to. You will have so much more energy and will feel so much better. You will not only need to be more active but you will want to be more active. 

Eating will become enjoyable again. You will not be negative, about yourself and giving yourself a hard time about eating. You will learn when you really need food for your body, and you will learn to stop eating before you stuff yourself. And your metabolism will improve. And you will find yourself saying yes to foods you would not allow yourself to eat before, and you will find yourself saying no to food when you do not need it. 

So how do you do this? First you have to say yes I can. Second you have to say yes to the foods you love, and third you have to start listening to your body and learn when to eat, what you really need and want to eat, and when you have eaten enough. 

If you want to know more please think about reading. 

“The Diet Fix”

“Intuitive Eating”

You can find them by googling them or by going to Amazon books and searching for them.

No, I did not write them and found them the way I just said. I had been researching and trying to find a way to lose the last of the weight ‘I thought I needed to” when I find the ‘The Diet Fix” and it changed my ideal of what was my needed goal weight, then I was so tired of diets that I researched and found ‘Intuitive Eating’. The two books have changed my thoughts on food, and my believes in what we should weigh. Also, my dietitian finally admitted to me that she is a believer in ‘Intuitive Eating’.

I am doing it you can too if you really want it. 

Just my thoughts

We have been away from home since last Friday morning, and I have been eating differently than I would at home, but I have been staying within my loseit budget even without really thinking about it. I have been enjoy new foods, eating our, my sisters wonderful cranberry cake, and even fast foods. I am also sticking with my normal snacks of nuts, trail mix, and my dark chocolate ginger. I have even had a diet coke. What am I getting at? I am making do with what I have available, when it comes to traveling and visiting with friends and family. The key is portion control and respecting my hungry and my need to fuel my body. Sure I am still logging what I eat, but I am not really that concerned with the size of my portions as my body and stomach is controlling that. I eat to never feel hungry or full. By paying attention to my body and stomach as to how full I am, I am not over eating. I am not feeling the need to eat anything that I see. I am eating to just feel my bodies needs. This is new to me with this very cold weather too, I normally eat a lot more when it is cold. In the past it seems that when it was cold my body always wanted something to eat. I am not feeling that need now. 

Intuitive eating is not about following rules and requirements of a diet, it is about eating to fuel your body, and at the same time to enjoy food and also yourself. Intuitive eating is about respecting yourself, and excepting who you are. Intuitive eating is about listening to your body and understanding its needs for fuel and nutrition. Intuitive eating is also not about a goal of weighing a certain number on a scale, it is about eating to the level that your body needs and allowing you body to reach that happy weight sweet spot called a set point. Intuitive eating is about saying NO! To diets, and the food police that are in your head and from your friends, family and any other person that thinks they know better than you and your own body. 

Damn I just realized it has taken me 7 years to figure this out. That just goes to show how deeply brainwashed we are to believe we have to diet. This is all due to the need for our food, diet, fitness, medical and government trying to make us think they know better than we do. And it has paid off for them in billions and billions of dollars. 

Now I am not saying you should eat just junk food or fast food, no you have to fuel your body, and that means meeting the nutritional needs of your body at the same time as you eat the foods you love, and never deprive yourself of the foods you love. The 80/20 rule still applies here. You need to eat good nutritional foods 80% of the time. You also need to be active. It is better to be active just doing normal things most of the time and doing other things like taking a long walk daily when possible. 

Yesterday was a good day but COLD!

We found the home we would really like. It is all on one level and they yard is flat, which is hard to find in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas. It is 1900 sq ft and really looks great, the yard is a no maintenance yard. The only issue is there is no real place of my wife’s quilting machine which she has decided it is time to give it up anyway.

Eating wise I believe everything is going good. But walking has been on the weak side. It really is cold and we have been doing what we can to find a new home and secure it. I have managed to close my move, and standing rings but not my exercise ring. My calorie count is below budget as of loseit budget and even with my reduced move goals and not getting my exercise rings closed, I am managing below my health budget too. 

If possible we will try to go home tomorrow instead of Thursday. Temperature wise it is about 10 degrees colder here than down home. But it really does not feel that bad here, compared to home. I believe it has to do with the humidity. 

It is cold outside

Woke up this morning to a  -1 one wind chill, real temperature was 10 degrees. On the good side the sun is shining. We have more houses to look at today, and still cannot get in to see some of the ones we would like to. Linda is feeling some better. The key is just bundle up with as many layers of clothes as we can. The issue for both of us is that our real winter clothes are in storage. 

This is a new year and like last year I am starting a new plan on loseit. I found this last year I do better if I am only looking at what is happen for the year I am in. Also this year will see me working even harder to make intuitive eating work for me. Yesterday I ate some of my sister’s cranberry cake, she makes it like our grandmother did. It is really good and not all that sweet tasting. Other than eating the cake I had a good day eating. 

This morning I am somewhat sore from walking yesterday. I found new muscles that I had not been working walking the flat sidewalks in Texas. I am not complaining this is what I really want and need to build myself up.