1 September 2023

Calories 1610

2 Burger King Impossible Whopper (no mayo, extra burger patty)
GV SF Lemonade
1/3 head of iceberg lettuce, mustard

NOTES: While I’m no longer counting calories, the first is my “cheat day.” I wanted to make sure I recorded that. While I have decided not to overeat on these cheat days, I did decide to allow myself something I enjoy, but which I do not allow myself to eat the rest of the month. That may change in the future, but for now, it does give me something to look forward to and a day when I can enjoy something I don’t normally get to enjoy. Once it starts to impede my progress, I may have to stop doing that.

Unlike previous times when I’ve had Burger King, today it kept me full all day. Near the end of the day I had some lettuce with mustard, but I was still satiated. Previously, I would have had another full meal later in the same day.

2 September 2023

banana
GV SF Lemonade
hash brown potatoes, Prozis Hot Ketchup, MorningStar Farms Incogmeato Chicken Waffle, 2 MorningStar Farms Incogmeato Blueberry Sausage & Pancake on a Stick, Just Egg Scrambled Egg Patty
3 medium russet potatoes, 2 small sweet potatoes, green beans, Walden Farms Amazin Mayo, brown mustard

NOTES: Okay, okay. It looks like I’m just eating junk food. I need to outline the weekly plan I made with Justin, but on Saturdays our plan is variable. We could have just about anything. We opted for a breakfast-style dinner. While it includes higher fat items, it’s not part of our usual plan either. It is a coincidence that it happened the day after my “cheat day.” The breakfast meal was about 920 calories, so it’s not as bad as it could have been.

3 September 2023

black grapes
GV SF Lemonade
Soup: tomato sauce, onions, carrots, spinach, mushrooms, ras el hanout, garlic, black pepper, jalapeño
Mexican Rice Bowl, small russet potato

NOTES: This soup was one of my favorites. I kept the sodium low, but I didn’t really notice much. The garlic, black pepper, and jalapeño added just enough to make that not matter. The Mexican Rice Bowl is one I made last week, so it had the same issues with the chipotles. The addition of a potato helped a lot. The flavor was much better this time.

4 September 2023

Caribbean Rice Bowl, medium russet potato, jalapeño pepper, serrano pepper, Spring mix salad
GV SF Lemonade
grapes (black & green)
bean & rice burritos

NOTES: The rice bowl was very good, but the addition of that jalapeño and serrano made it into an experience. I think one of each was too much for one meal. I need to chop them up and just use a few slices of each in my meals. It was fun though.

5 September 2023

Caribbean Rice Bowl, medium russet potato
GV SF Lemonade
grapes (black & green)
leftover Moroccan soup, Teriyaki Bowl
sweet potato

NOTES: I felt hungry all day, so I ended up eating a lot.

6 September 2023

Soup: tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, carrots, mushrooms, seasoning blend, Daring Cajun chick’n peices, jalapeños, garlic, black pepper, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, onion flakes
GV SF Lemonade

NOTES: Low Calorie Diet Day 1. On the 6th through 10th each month, I do a calorie restriction diet of some sort. I started by doing a fasting mimicking diet, but I’ve modified it a bit. Since I’m trying to reduce oil use to as little as possible, and since the traditional fasting mimicking diet includes a bit of oil, I am doing daily soups of around the same calorie count. Day 1 is supposed to be 1000 calories, and the rest of the days are 800. It made me feel great last month.

7 September 2023

Soup: onions, mushrooms, UnMeat chicken, garlic, turmeric, Italian seasoning, black pepper, serrano pepper, red pepper flakes; spinach added later & water filled back to fill slow cooker
Salad: spring greens, corn, Walden Farms Sweet Onion Dressing
GV SF Lemonade

NOTES: Low Calorie Diet Day 2. Today’s soup was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. It was so good. That was before I added spinach, but after adding that it was still pretty great.

I actually went for a brief walk. That amazes me. I walked for about 1000 feet and did not become winded, only started to breathe heavily near the end of the walk. My house and the other on the property are only 300 feet from one another and for several years now that walk causes me to be in a lot of pain, short of breath, and need to take several breaks. I didn’t need any of those things today.

8 September 2023

Soup: 1/3 of yesterday’s soup, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, carrots, kidney beans, garlic, black pepper, Italian seasoning
GV SF Lemonade

NOTES: Low Calorie Diet Day 3. Still feeling good on the calorie restriction. I might try doing alternate day fasting next month and see if I can push myself towards maybe doing a 3 or 5 day fast each month instead of doing these calorie restrictions. I find that on these 5 days, I think about food all day because I’m trying to monitor what I’m eating and making sure I’m checking calories and fat in everything. It can be a little overwhelming. Maybe having days when I don’t need to be thinking about food at all would be better.

I’ve been working more on reducing salt. I think it is going pretty well, but some things that have salt included are just going to be hard to switch from. Mustard is one of the hardest. There was a mustard that has no salt, but it has increased in price dramatically, probably because they saw what a market there was for it. It’s something I’ll keep chipping away at, but it just means staying focused on reduced sodium or no sodium in as many foods as possible. That way, at least all I’m getting is the sodium from the mustard or the canned mushrooms, or whatever.

9 September 2023

Soup: tomato sauce, black beans, onions, turmeric, paprika, Italian seasoning, black pepper, serrano peper
broccoli, UnMeat Chili
GV SF Lemonade

NOTES: Low Calorie Diet Day 4. The day started okay with a soup I really enjoyed, but after getting a bowl I left it on high and since it had beans in it, it burned a little. I tried fixing it, but I couldn’t get it to taste good again. So, I tossed it and intended to make another later in the day, but never got to that, but I just had some chili and broccoli for dinner. I don’t think it interrupted the five day plan. I think my calories for the day were even lower than normal.

10 September 2023

Soup: crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, mushrooms, onions, carrots, jalapeños, onion soup mix, paprika, Italian seasoning, turmeric, celery seed, crushed red pepper, black pepper, garlic
GV SF Lemonade

NOTES: Low Calorie Diet Day 5. We’ve come to the end of the monthly restrictive diet. I’m going to attempt alternate day fasting in October, fasting on odd days and eating on even days. I’m interested to see which one feels better.

11 September 2023

Brussels sprouts, fat free refried beans, nutritional yeast, Frontier Co-op Mexican Fiesta Seasoning, spring mix salad
GV SF Lemonade
Pasta: Ready Pasta Macaroni, Gardein Ground Be’f, spicy hummus, Roma tomato

NOTES: Fantastic Day! I’m down 41 pounds since I started on 6 August 2023. I felt so great when I weighed, no doubt aided by my apprehension in doing so. I had wanted to see a certain number to prove the scale wasn’t just broken and I finally believe that it is working just fine.

The pasta I used isn’t oil free, but I know that. It contains 2.5g of fat, which is unnecessary. Since I’m moving, I have allowed my propane to run out and cannot boil pasta right now. The smarter thing to do would be to not have it at all. The thing I did was find a work-around. It’s not ideal, but in the future I will be switching back to a whole wheat boxed pasta. That said, it was such a great way to reinterpret a Hamburger Helper style meal. I’m going to play around with it and see if I can make it even cleaner.

12 September 2023

broccoli, Gardein F’sh Patties, roasted Roma tomatoes, McCormick Smash Seasoning, brown mustard, red pepper flakes
jalapeño cornbread (Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix (Vegetarian), cream style corn, jalapeños)
GV SF Lemonade
Ranch Style Beans with Jalapeños, roasted mustard greens, green beans, mashed potatoes
small red potato

NOTES: I’m looking for an easy SOS-free cornbread recipe. I prefer cornbreads that are not too heavy on flour. If I want cake, I’ll make cake. I like a savory, slightly bitter cornbread. I’ll be experimenting. Jiffy is very good, but it is too high in fat, sugar, and sat. It is also far too sweet for me.

I have a lot more interest in cooking. I famously hate cooking, but I have been really interested in making my own food recently. Things really change when you aren’t in pain. I just have so much energy lately. I wonder if that will stop suddenly at some point.

I’m mildly concerned that my weight loss has been too rapid, but I don’t feel like I’m denying myself anything and I am full throughout the day. I’m not fighting a craving for snacking or stressing out about not having enough to eat. If I develop symptoms that need to be addressed, I’ll be more careful to make sure I’m getting enough to eat. Right now, I feel just fine. My mind has been generally great. I feel like the universe is more in order than it had been. Apparently, treating oneself well is a good thing. Who knew!?

13 September 2023

homemade tortilla chips
GV SF Lemonade
1 small red potato, 1 gigantic red potato, chili beans, black pepper
jalapeño cornbread, Ranch Style Beans, roasted mustard greens, mashed potatoes, green beans, roasted Roma tomatoes, roasted grapes, McCormick Tabitha Brown Like Smoky Like Sweet Seasoning, onion powder, Italian seasoning, Vegan Honey Mustard 3-2-1 sauce (3 parts balsamic vinegar, 2 parts yellow mustard, 1 part sugar free vegan honey)

NOTES: Okay, roasted grapes might be my new favorite thing. They add such great flavor and aren’t quite as sweet as fresh. They also allow me to store my grapes in the freezer, which suits me better because I can’t eat grapes fast enough to justify buying them. Half the bag always goes bad. I roasted them at 415º for 20 minutes. My air fryer timer maxes out at 20 minutes, but they would have been even better at 30 or 40 minutes.

I finally made the 3-2-1 sauce I’ve been intending to make for months. It was really great. I made this one for my roommate, but I’ll make a spicy one in the next few days. Some heat would make it even better. It also goes a long way. It’s very flavorful.

14 September 2023

Giant Salad: iceberg lettuce, Roma tomatoes, yellow onion, green bell pepper, cremini mushrooms, cucumber, spicy hummus, Spicy 3-2-1 Sauce (2 parts balsamic vinegar, 2 parts jalapeño red wine vinegar, 2 parts Southwestern Spicy mustard, 1 part Trees Knees Spicy Maple Syrup)
GV SF Lemonade
jalapeño cornbread, Ranch Style Beans, roasted mustard greens, mashed potatoes, green beans, roasted Roma tomatoes, roasted grapes, McCormick Tabitha Brown Like Smoky Like Sweet Seasoning, onion powder, Italian seasoning

NOTES: Food was excellent today. Unfortunately, I felt off today. I had a bit of a headache and slept most of the day. Not every day can be my peppiest I suppose.

Batch cooking makes things so much easier, as long as it doesn’t get too complicated. This week’s meals are simple enough.

15 September 2023

penne, Gardein Ground Be’f, stewed tomatoes
Salad: iceberg lettuce, yellow onion, kidney beans, Spicy 3-2-1 Sauce
GV SF Lemonade
jalapeño cornbread, Ranch Style Beans, roasted mustard greens, mashed potatoes, green beans, roasted Roma tomatoes, roasted grapes, McCormick Tabitha Brown Like Smoky Like Sweet Seasoning, onion powder, Italian seasoning

16 September 2023

Smoky Rice: jasmine rice, black rice, onion powder, garlic powder, McCormick Tabitha Brown Like Smoky Like Sweet Seasoning, steamed onions, steamed peppers (Anaheim & Green Bell)
GV SF Lemonade
Smoky Rice, grilled yellow squash, Corn & Beans (yellow corn, black beans, pinto beans, white hominy)

NOTES: Did some batch cooking today. I hope the meals are good. I just ate some of the leftover ingredients for my meal today. I made stuffed collard greens, which I kept referring to as collard green enchiladas, using the Smoky Rice, UnMeat Chick’n & some red enchilada sauce. The meals also had some of the Corn & Beans, roasted squash & peppers, steamed onions & peppers, and sweet potatoes (for Justin–we only had one can).

I am not feeling as positive this week. I think I’ve actually started getting into a bit of a cycle with my weigh-ins. I become anxious before my weigh-in, but I feel euphoric after. I’d like to say I don’t really care, but that’s not true. That said, if I’ve gained weight I also wouldn’t be surprised. I have no concrete reason to believe that I have, but I’m concerned. I want to be able to do more physical activity. It’s pretty monumental that I can stand up in the kitchen and cook for hours without being in pain. It’s still hard to take that as a victory when I still can’t walk too far without getting tired. I am still carrying too much weight I suppose. I will get there. I just need to have a little more faith in myself and in the process.

17 September 2023

corn tortillas, beans, corn
GV SF Lemonade
3 medium russet potatoes, vegan mayo
steamed cauliflower, Walden Farms Sweet & Tangy Chicken Dip’N Sauce, Southwestern mustard

NOTES: Allergies! I was so sleepy all day and didn’t have much of an appetite. I ate something at least.

18 September 2023

4 small potatoes, enchilada sauce, Southwestern mustard
GV SF Lemonade
corn tortillas, Walden Farms Sweet & Tangy Chicken Dip’N Sauce, Southwestern mustard
salad: iceberg lettuce, cucumber, green bell peppers, unMeat Chicken-style Chunks, pepperoncinis, kidney beans, Brussels sprouts, Napa cabbage, kohlrabi, broccoli, carrots, kale, Southwestern mustard
Stuffed collard green (collard green leaf, Smoky Rice, Gardein Ground Be’f), grilled squash (yellow & zucchini, grilled pepper (Anaheim & Bell), steamed onions, steamed bell peppers, Corn & Beans, 2 small russet potatoes

NOTES: I weighed-in this morning 373 lbs. That’s a loss of 47 lbs since I started this plan. As usual, I spent the two days prior dreading stepping on the scale. I’m worried that it will stop showing progress at some point, but I need to get over my anxiety with that. I’m doing the thing.

I had some veggies I needed to use up in the fridge, so I made a couple of good sized salads for myself and Justin. They were very good. I also finally tried one of the meals I prepped. It was pretty darn good, but I do think the stuffed collard green needed to be softened a little bit. I might pull them out of the remaining meals and steam them for a while. It was tasty though, just required a little work to take a bite out of the thing!

19 September 2023

corn tortillas, refried beans
GV SF Lemonade
Impossible burger

NOTES: Today has been such a peaceful day. I’ve really felt centered. We had a nice cool morning, followed by a rainy afternoon. I did some cleaning, but did not want to do any cooking today, so Justin went and got us burgers. One of the things I love about the way that we are eating is how I feel from day to day, and how eating a fast food burger doesn’t seem to upset my stomach the way it used to. I would rather have the occasional bit of fast food than have chips in the house. And in reality, I’d rather reduce the times we even get that. It sort of felt like part of a pattern we have been in. Rainy weather calls for eating out, but I can work on that for the future. That is not to say I’m feeling guilty either. I think we’ll both be fine. We keep an eye on what we eat and today was just dominated by the burger.

20 September 2023

Brussels sprouts, macaroni, unMeat chicken-style chunks, Walden Farms Sweet & Tangy Chicken Dip’N Sauce, Southwestern mustard
GV SF Lemonade
Stōk Extra Bold Cold Brew Coffee, Elmhurst Maple Walnut Barista Edition Milk, salted caramel syrup
Stuffed collard green (collard green leaf, Smoky Rice, Gardein Ground Be’f), grilled squash (yellow & zucchini, grilled pepper (Anaheim & Bell), steamed onions, steamed bell peppers, Corn & Beans
4 small russet potatoes, salsa, collard greens

NOTES: What a fantastic day! I did 3 miles on the bike, which is so much more than I’ve been able to do lately. I felt great all day, but I also woke up really early and could not sleep until very late. Once again, a great burst of energy that I had trouble controlling. It seems to be getting easier.

Part of what felt so great was the reintroduction of caffeine after 33 days of having none. A lot of people talk about the myriad reasons to avoid caffeine, and for the most part I do tend to agree with them. I spent 25 years having a great deal of caffeine daily, so I wanted to give myself a bit of a reset. While I can see the reasons to avoid it, I also wanted my consumption to be a choice and not a compulsion. So, I gave myself enough time that I was no longer craving caffeine on a daily basis and my energy levels were normal. I wasn’t feeling sluggish. There are always going to be areas where one can do better in their diet. Some people will choose to occasionally consume alcohol or have some cake. For me, I’ve made the choice to not stress out over caffeine. I cannot stress out over everything; that would drive me crazy.

21 September 2023

corn tortillas, refried beans
GV SF Lemonade
Stuffed collard green (collard green leaf, Smoky Rice, Gardein Ground Be’f), grilled squash (yellow & zucchini, grilled pepper (Anaheim & Bell), steamed onions, steamed bell peppers, Corn & Beans
Soup: tomato sauce, carrots, mushrooms, bell peppers, seasoning blend, Serrano peppers, red pepper flakes, cayenne peppers, onion powder, garlic powder, celery seed, Italian seasoning, sweet potatoes, whole wheat penne, msg

NOTES: It’s warm today, but I was feeling like soup. I’ve had a richer than normal week, so something a little lower in calorie density felt like the right move.

22 September 2023

steamed kale, pineapple chunks, unMeat Chicken Style Chunks, chili beans
GV SF Lemonade
Stuffed collard green (collard green leaf, Smoky Rice, Gardein Ground Be’f), grilled squash (yellow & zucchini, grilled pepper (Anaheim & Bell), steamed onions, steamed bell peppers, Corn & Beans
Starbucks Medium Roast Cold Brew Coffee, Elmhurst Maple Walnut Barista Edition Milk, salted caramel syrup
2 medium russet potatoes, Head Country Sugar Free Barbecue Sauce

NOTES: Chef AJ was right, pineapple makes kale so much better.

23 September 2023

1 medium russet potato, 2 small red potatoes, steamed cauliflower, Head Country Sugar Free Barbecue Sauce
GV SF Lemonade
Starbucks Medium Roast Cold Brew Coffee, Elmhurst Maple Walnut Barista Edition Milk, salted caramel syrup
1 medium russet potato, 2 small red potatoes, collard greens, potlikker
1 medium russet potato, 2 small red potatoes, Brussels sprouts, red beans, unMeat Chicken Style Chunks, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper

NOTES: I’ve already started worrying about my Monday weigh-in. I don’t like dreading it, especially when I’ve been losing weight. I guess I just don’t trust it to last still. I’m so worried about whether or not I will be able to get down to a healthy weight that I just assume I won’t. I hope that changes in my brain at some point.

24 September 2023

red beans, steamed cauliflower, Head Country Sugar Free Barbecue Sauce
GV SF Lemonade
Starbucks Medium Roast Cold Brew Coffee, Elmhurst Maple Walnut Barista Edition Milk, salted caramel syrup
romaine salad mix, Roma tomatoes, kidney beans, steamed broccoli, kidney beans, pineapple, spicy 3-2-1 dressing, Walden Farms Pear & White Balsamic Vinaigrette

NOTES: I’ve been working on reducing food costs as much as possible, so I looked at how we could do that within the patterns of eating both Justin and I are currently using. I have gotten into a similar habit to my parents where I buy far too much food, but there aren’t a ton of people eating that food. I like the variety, but that has some disadvantages. I’m going to work on some sort of meal guide that should help. Neither of us is good at following a meal plan, but maybe having a variety of dishes with overlapping ingredients will allow us to get some control over that. Even if we didn’t make the thing we absolutely wanted on a given day, we would at least have the items on hand for something we tend to enjoy.

25 September 2023

romaine salad mix, kidney beans, green beans, steamed cauliflower, Head Country Sugar Free Barbecue Sauce, Walden Farms Thousand Island Dressing
GV SF Lemonade
Starbucks Medium Roast Cold Brew Coffee, Elmhurst Maple Walnut Barista Edition Milk, salted caramel syrup
Reign Inferno Jalapeño Strawberry Energy Drink
2 grilled ears of corn, roasted Anaheim pepper, steamed broccoli, stewed tomatoes, kidney beans, romaine salad mix, Walden Farms Thousand Island Dressing, brown mustard

NOTES: I slept really well, but I woke up feeling terrible. The pollen from weeds is high right now and I think I’m just dealing with that. I even overdid the caffeine in an attempt to compensate, but it didn’t do as much as I had hoped.

I’m enjoying my morning coffee routine, but I want to start easing off of the milk. Plant milk is fine, and I have been using it because I had it on hand, but it is expensive and I would rather try not using it. We’ll see. I eventually want to get back to hot coffee as well. In the chaos of moving and packing, I don’t want to inconvenience of having the coffeemaker out. I can just pack it up until I have a place to live. Cold brew is good as well.

Corn on the cob is so good. I forget about that, but it’s also cheap.

26 September 2023

Soup: tomato sauce, mushrooms, Hatch green chiles, 2 Serrano peppers, onions, unMeat Roast Beef Style Chunks, collard green potlikker, McCormick Tasty Zesty Basil, Thyme + Lemon Zest Seasoning Mix (sugar, basil, thyme, turmeric, salt, garlic, onion, etc), onion powder, garlic powder, mushroom seasoning, white pepper, paprika, crushed red pepper, kidney beans, Smoky Rice
GV SF Lemonade
Reign Inferno Jalapeño Strawberry Energy Drink

27 September 2023

steamed green beans, Just Egg Patty, Gardein F’sh Patty, unMeat Roast Beef Style Chunks, cayenne pepper, black pepper, onion powder, NuSalt
Soup: tomato sauce, mushrooms, Hatch green chiles, 2 Serrano peppers, onions, unMeat Roast Beef Style Chunks, collard green potlikker, McCormick Tasty Zesty Basil, Thyme + Lemon Zest Seasoning Mix (sugar, basil, thyme, turmeric, salt, garlic, onion, etc), onion powder, garlic powder, mushroom seasoning, white pepper, paprika, crushed red pepper, kidney beans
GV SF Lemonade
Reign Inferno Jalapeño Strawberry Energy Drink

28 September 2023

steamed Brussels sprouts, unMeal chili, stewed tomatoes, Smoky Rice
GV SF Lemonade
Reign Inferno Jalapeño Strawberry Energy Drink
steamed cauliflower, Roma tomatoes, yellow corn, unMeat Chicken Style Chunks
4 medium russet potato, Bush’s Sweet Heat Baked Beans

29 September 2023

steamed broccoli, Italian cut green beans, Bush’s Sweet Heat Baked Beans
GV SF Lemonade
mashed potatoes, sweet peas, unMeat Chicken Style Chunks
rice cakes, mustard, Walden Farms Thousand Island Dressing
Diet Coke
dill pickles

30 September 2023

HTeaO Unsweetened Peach Cobbler Iced Tea
GV SF Lemonade
Diet Coke
Roasted Seaweed
great northern beans, steamed cauliflower, collard greens, mustard, cayenne pepper

NOTES: I haven’t been feeling well for a few days with sinus issues, so my cravings have been unusual. While I’m generally off of Diet Coke, I got a couple and they were fine. I prefer my lemonade normally, but it tasted off to me. Today I wasn’t very hungry at all, but when I finally did eat I felt sick to my stomach. I need to remember that I don’t have to eat when I don’t feel hungry. Today it felt like an obligation, and that isn’t a good reason to eat.