Jul 21 2008
Slim-Fast After 14 or 15 weeks
I’ve lost count of weeks, so I apologize. I haven’t really updated lately for a few reasons:
- I’ve only just come off my plateau from last month. I’ve lost a few pounds the past couple of days.
- Michael has had asthma problems related to dairy consumption and was working on a vegan meal-replacement muffin with a bit more calories than slim-fast. He had to buy some commercial bakery ingredients in pretty large quantities. I thought the muffins were good, but they also take time to bake and the moisture content of them leads to some issues with keeping them good for longer periods of time. He had not really experimented with freezing them. In any case, his experiments have been delayed for a number of time-management reasons and I think he’s just rethinking his formula a bit. When he has a bit more time, I’ve a feeling he’ll return to his chemistry experiments in the kitchen. The kitchen is his laboratory.
- While we were on vacation, we did not stick to slim-fast. I usually had a shake for breakfast just because it was easy, but other than that, we pigged out like mad. We’ve only just gotten back into the swing of the diet again.
- We’ve largely ignored the exercise component and are trying to find a way to work that into our schedules. There is only so much progress you can make with weight if you choose not to exercise. We’re both fully conscious of this.
In the meantime, to help with time constraints, we’ve started buying pre-packaged foods for lunch. Easy-mac, frozen low-cal meals, tuna and cracker lunches. Anything around 200 calories or so that we can prepare at work in microwaves. These are mostly for those days we wake up late or have no leftovers we can pack for lunch. I also invested in some Archer Farms no-sugar-added applesauce cups. They’re 45 calories a pop, and while getting prepackaged is expensive, it saves loads of time in the morning. I wish I could eat raw apples, but again, birch sensitivity. Raw apples make my throat close. It’s easier for Michael to take a fruit because he can grab an apple, a plum, a peach and call it a snack. The only fruits I can eat raw are berries and citrus.
I’m still fatter than Homer Simpson’s low weight in the episode where Marge paints Mr. Burns, so we’ve got lots of work ahead of us. Constructing a work-out schedule has been my challenge for the past couple months and I have failed miserably.
taking a class once or twice a week might help you out with the exercise schedule. Does your county have inexpensive classes you or M might be interested in (like the swimming class I take, or a dance class, or yoga, or whatever)? I find that it is a lot easier to stick to my schedule as long as I plan for it and schedule around it. Other times it’s a matter of just making myself go (”self, I know you are tired, just go for 30 minutes”), once I’m at the gym (or whatever), it’s easy. But then I don’t normally have problems with actually working exercise into my schedule, so this may not help you at all.
i just got back on track after two/three months of health problems and last week vacation (which i made quite the last hurrah). so i am very much with you in spirit.