What I ate today

In retrospect, I did something really smart with this, not entirely meaning to. I focused on how and what to eat for weeks before I shifted into thinking about calorie limits. That's made the calorie limits much easier to abide by.

I tried Lose It! once before, early this year, without that kind of preparation: Just downloaded the app and started calorie counting: But I didn't change what I was eating. Sodas, cookies, cheesesteaks at lunch were bumping me up against the calorie limit by early afternoon; I became angry and obsessed with the limit.

If you're eating one or two salads a day, like I am now, and have cut way back on the pastas, breads, sodas, and certain sweets—well, staying under the cap is easier. And that makes me less frantic about the existence of the cap. So trying (and kind of failing) Vegan Before 6 at least put me on the right road: Some plant food is better than others.

I'm bound to have setbacks. But my first taste of success has made me feel empowered. I can lose this weight. I am not merely a victim of my own bad choices; I can make a better life by making better choices going forward. And I can do it, especially, with your continued support. Thanks for the encouragement, folks.

Daily Report for June 4, 2013

Daily Log
Breakfast		579
Veggie Egg And Cheese On Whole Grain Toast, Saxbys	1 Serving	290
No nutrient data for: Fat, Carbs, Protein
Latte, Large, Iced, Saxbys	1 Serving	289
No nutrient data for: Fat, Carbs, Protein
Lunch		530
Chicken, Grilled, Taco Salad Add On, Qdoba	2 Each	380
Dressing, Fat-Free Plicate Ranch, Qdoba	1 Each	45
Lettuce, Taco Salad Add On, Qdoba	1 Each	15
Salsa, Corn & Black Bean, Taco Salad Add On, Qdoba	1 Each	80
Salsa, Pico De Gallo, Taco Salad Add On, Qdoba	1 Each	10
Dinner		277
Lettuce, Romaine, Hearts, Fresh	3 Cups	22
Tomatoes, Fresh, Med	1 Each	22
Dressing, Balsamic Vinaigrette, Newman's Own	2 Tablespoons	90
Chicken Breast, Skinless, Cooked	1 Each	142
Snacks		560
Cheese, String	1 Serving	80
Banana, Small, 6" to 6 7/8" Long	1 Each	90
2% Greek Yogurt, Fage	1 Serving	140
Banana, Small, 6" to 6 7/8" Long	1 Each	90
Sausage, Patty, Original, Vgtrn, Morningstar Farms	2 Each	160
Exercise		98
Walking	15 min	59
Walking	10 min	39

Nutrients
Fat	48g	22%
Carbohydrates	269g	53%
Protein	125g	25%

Summary
Food Calories	1,945
Exercise Calories	98
Net Calories	1,847
+/- Calories	-763
Weight	-

What I ate today

Some good news: I weighed for the first time in nearly a month. 274 pounds. That's still a fat man. But it's five pounds lighter than my last weigh-in at the doctor on May 6. And it's a full seven pounds lighter than the 281 pounds I weighed on May 4, the day I committed myself to this.

Some bad news: I don't think I ate very well today, possibly because of the small sense of victory I had. You can see the log for yourself. As for me: If that "snacks" section in the log has multiple pieces of fruit in it, I'm going to guess I had a good day. If not, probably not.

Some good news: I'm still below my daily calorie limit. (And the limit has declined about 100 calories a day, thanks to the weight I've lost. The nice thing about this approach: It's gliding me in for the landing, rather than dropping me out the door. Sustainability, for me, is the key to this whole thing.)

And some better news: I had a couple of bad, cheating days during that first month. I realize now that if I can surround those single bad days with three, four, five good days at a stretch, I'm probably going to come out ahead—and not to despair and give up because of the one bad day.

I honestly wasn't sure if I possessed the capacity to do this. I'm pretty sure, even now, I can't do this by myself: The accountability and support I've been given by my friends, family, and readers has been a huge help. Thanks.

Daily Report for June 3, 2013

Daily Log
Breakfast		656
Egg, Scrambled, Large	2 Each	204
Coffee, Brewed	8 Fluid ounces	2
Sausage, Patty, Original, Vgtrn, Morningstar Farms	2 Each	160
Veggie Egg And Cheese On Whole Grain Toast, Saxbys	1 Serving	290
No nutrient data for: Fat, Carbs, Protein
Lunch		268
Spinach, Baby, Fresh	2 Cups	14
Tomatoes, Fresh, Med	1 Each	22
Chicken Breast, Skinless, Cooked	1 Each	142
Dressing, Balsamic Vinaigrette, Newman's Own	2 Tablespoons	90
Dinner		579
Rice, Brown, Medium Grain, Cooked	2 Cups	437
Chicken Breast, Skinless, Cooked	1 Each	142
Sauce, Siracha, Hot Chili, Dynasty	3 Tablespoons	0
No nutrient data for: Carbs
Snacks		745
Banana, Medium, 7" - 7 7/8" Long	1 Each	105
Bfast Sandwich, Sausage Egg & Cheese, Croissant, Dunkin Donuts	1 Each	640
Exercise		214
Walking	10 min	39
Walking	15 min	59
Walking	15 min	59
Walking	15 min	58

Nutrients
Fat	82g	38%
Carbohydrates	177g	37%
Protein	122g	25%

Summary
Food Calories	2,248
Exercise Calories	214
Net Calories	2,033
+/- Calories	-577
Weight	274

What I ate today: June 2

Daily Report for June 2, 2013

Daily Log
Breakfast		607
Sandwich, Sausage, Egg & Cheese, on English Muffin, Starbucks	1 Each	500
Banana, Medium, 7" - 7 7/8" Long	1 Each	105
Coffee, Brewed	8 Fluid ounces	2
Lunch		268
Spinach, Baby, Fresh	2 Cups	14
Tomatoes, Fresh, Med	1 Each	22
Chicken Breast, Skinless, Cooked	1 Each	142
Dressing, Balsamic Vinaigrette, Newman's Own	2 Tablespoons	90
Dinner		816
Pizza, Cheese,	3 Slices	816
Snacks		400
Banana, Medium, 7" - 7 7/8" Long	1 Each	105
Banana, Medium, 7" - 7 7/8" Long	1 Each	105
Greek Yogurt Honey, Fage	1 Serving	190
Exercise		290
Walking	15 min	62
Walking	10 min	41
Walking	15 min	62
Walking	30 min	124

Nutrients
Fat	74g	31%
Carbohydrates	262g	49%
Protein	101g	19%

Summary
Food Calories	2,091
Exercise Calories	290
Net Calories	1,801
+/- Calories	-915

Couple of notes:

• I'm going to the doctor tomorrow. There will be a weigh-in, obviously, along with consultation about whether I've chosen the right approach to this thing. There may be some other related news.

• I've heard several people suggest that my daily calorie budget is too high. The program I'm working with—like Weight Watchers—starts your calorie budget based on your current weight and tries to glide you down: When I've lost 20 pounds (knock on wood) I won't have as high a budget. As it is, I'm coming in well below my limit--especially on days where I make salad my default meal. I took some steps today to ensure that'll be the case throughout the week.

• Some people will gasp to see three slices of pizza at dinner. What I can say: The pizza was prepared by a vegetarian friend who makes her own dough from whole wheat flower, and who barely uses sauce. Not wanting to bother her for a precise ingredients list, I've used the program's default calories for fast-good cheese pizza. I'm betting a true accounting would be fewer calories than what's listed.

• I forgot that one reason I moved to the city was to be a walker. So tonight, I walked from my house at 23rd to a friend's house on Sixth Street for dinner. It would've been about a half-hour, except I stopped twice to chat with people I met along the way. That, it seems to me, is probably also a part of health.

What I ate

Daily Report for June 1, 2013

Daily Log
Breakfast		240
Sausage, Patty, Original, Vgtrn, Morningstar Farms	3 Each	240
Lunch		921
Pasta, Spiral, Cooked	2 Cups	423
Fish, Canned Tuna, In Water	1 Ounce	36
Pickle Relish, Sweet	1 Tablespoon	20
Salad Dressing, Real Mayonnaise	1 Tablespoon	97
Eggs, Deviled	2 Each	224
Cucumber, Sliced	10 Slices	8
Eggs, Deviled	1 Each	112
Dinner		322
Spinach, Baby, Fresh	2 Cups	14
Squash, Zucchini, w/ Skin, Slices, Cooked	1 Cup	27
Peppers, Bell, Yellow, Sweet, Large, 3.7in	¼ Each	13
Chicken Breast, Skinless, Cooked	1 Each	142
Sauce, Pesto	¼ Ounce	37
Dressing, Balsamic Vinaigrette, Newman's Own	2 Tablespoons	90
Snacks		1,075
Iced Coffee, Small, With Milk, Dunkin Donuts	1 Each	30
Banana, Medium, 7" - 7 7/8" Long	1 Each	105
Peach, Medium	1 Each	58
Banana, Medium, 7" - 7 7/8" Long	1 Each	105
Banana, Medium, 7" - 7 7/8" Long	1 Each	105
Pizza, Cheese, 14", Fast Food	1 Slice	272
Popcorn, White, Oil Popped	4 Cups	220
Yuenling Lager	16 Ounces	180
No nutrient data for: Fat, Carbs, Protein
Exercise		166
Walking	20 min	83
Walking	20 min	83

Nutrients
Fat	91g	34%
Carbohydrates	273g	45%
Protein	127g	21%

Summary
Food Calories	2,558
Exercise Calories	166
Net Calories	2,392
+/- Calories	-323
Weight	-

Tip: You can copy and paste the above tables directly into Excel.

This report was generated with Lose It!

Sent from my iPad

What I ate: May 31

Daily Report for May 31, 2013

Daily Log
Breakfast		445
Egg, Scrambled, Large	2 Each	204
Sausage, Patty, Original, Vgtrn, Morningstar Farms	3 Each	240
Coffee, Brewed	5 Fluid ounces	1
Lunch		340
Dressing, Fat-Free Plicate Ranch, Qdoba	1 Each	45
Chicken, Grilled, Taco Salad Add On, Qdoba	1 Each	190
Lettuce, Taco Salad Add On, Qdoba	1 Each	15
Salsa, Corn & Black Bean, Taco Salad Add On, Qdoba	1 Each	80
Salsa, Pico De Gallo, Taco Salad Add On, Qdoba	1 Each	10
Dinner		684
Lettuce, Romaine, Shredded	3 Cups	24
Chicken Breast, Skinless, Cooked	1 Each	142
Cheese, Parmesan, Grated	1 Tablespoon	22
Dressing, Caesar, Newman's Own	3 Tablespoons	225
Pizza, Cheese, 14", Fast Food	1 Slice	272
Snacks		783
Strawberry banana Smoothie, Saxbys	1 Serving	250
No nutrient data for: Protein
Pear, Large	1 Each	133
Yuenling Lager	16 Ounces	180
No nutrient data for: Fat, Carbs, Protein
Popcorn, White, Oil Popped	4 Cups	220
Exercise		186
Walking	15 min	62
Walking	10 min	41
Walking	10 min	41
Walking	10 min	41

Nutrients
Fat	86g	29%
Carbohydrates	351g	53%
Protein	124g	18%

Summary
Food Calories	2,253
Exercise Calories	186
Net Calories	2,066

Believe it or not, this is well below the number of calories my app says I need to limit myself to to lose a pound a day. That's what happens when A) you fat and B) you have salad as two of your three main meals. (That's a chicken salad, actually, for both meals.

Here's what I ate today, May 26:

Here's what I ate today, May 26:

• Tofu scramble (peppers and onions), two pieces of Morningstar Farms veggie sausage, two cups of black coffee.
• Grilled chimichanga (black beans, jasmine rice, salsa and soy cheese in a vegan wrap).
• Large iced tea and a banana.
• Chicken, onion, garic, bell pepper, tomato, asparagus, mixed with pasta.

Here's what I physically did today:

• Walked two miles, to Broad Street and back.
• Played my way through a tournament of Real Boxing. My arms, at least, should get more toned.

Thoughts.?

Here's what I ate today: May 25

• Scrambled eggs and Swiss cheese on whole grain toast
• Black coffee
• Quinoa salad
• Ribeye steak, roasted broccoli, mac n'cheese
• Fresh strawberries and ice cream.

Given that I'm trying to go "Vegan Before 6"—which allows some latitude for dinner—this doesn't look like a bad day. I don't need to do ice cream every night, clearly. And I'd like to get to vegan at breakfast soon; something I can make that satisfies my salty craving. Oatmeal doesn't quite do that.

EXERCISE: I spent a chunk of my evening playing "Real Boxing" on my iPad. It captures your motions, like Wii or Kinect, though probably not quite as efficiently. I went 1-4 in my evening boxing career. But I worked up a hell of a sweat doing it. We'll see how my arms feel Sunday to see if this can become an everyday thing right away.