Eighteen Months After: Beyond the Flat Belly Diet

On the Flat Belly diet, I learned a lot about healthy fats and how truly fabulous dark chocolate can be. It taught portion control, as well. That's a lesson that I seem to have to learn again and again and again. Years ago, I started out with Weight Watchers to lose baby weight--that's when I first learned what the difference between a healthy amount of food and an unhealthy amount looks like. The difference can be surprisingly small. That little extra creeps up on a girl, then gets to be a bad, bad habit.

My weight really started to jump early last fall, about the time I started my WalMart/Sam's clothing project. (I seriously think the two issues were connected--but I'll explore that soon on a Wardrobe by Sam blog update.) The winter holidays turned into a sugar-fest and I found myself grazing on cookies, chips, and...way too much dark chocolate. I even bought a *gasp* four pound bag of Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Chips at Sam's Club to keep on my kitchen counter for handy eating. At one point I decided to make it a little more of a challenge and put them in a glass canister--but it wasn't quite enough of a challenge. I ate just as many.

From September to March, I gained--wait for it--a truly stunning ten pounds! My fat jeans needed fat jeans. My eyebrows started looking spotty (and my blond eyebrows need all the help they can get). My calves and thighs acquired cellulite dimples. Thank goodness I didn't have a book to tour. My confidence was at a very low ebb.

"No one wants to hear the skinny girl talk about how fat she is," my husband says. I quote this often because, despite my weight gain, I'm still w/in my acceptable BMI range. But I'm right on the border of overweight and my cholesterol isn't so great. Though I don't know that BMI is such a great generic guide. The Wii Fit tells my husband that a perfect weight for him would be 140 pounds! Um, that's what I weigh now. He's a big guy. I bet his bones weigh 135.

So, about three weeks ago, a good friend told me about Livestrong.com. I popped over to investigate, and I was wildly impressed. They've got amazing tracking tools and terrific advice and support groups. I gave the site my particulars and told it how much I wanted to lose, and it calculated a calorie goal for me--I set it up to help me lose 1.5 pounds per week. So far, it's working great. I love to see the graphs, and I particularly enjoy logging in my fitness activities.

But beyond the calorie goal, what I really appreciate is the way it tracks fat, carbs, sodium, sugar, etc. in all my meals. Even recipes that I put on the site. It's a total-health approach that specialized diets always miss. (You can also track yourself on specific specialized diets there, too.) It helps if you know a little something about nutrition--good fats vs. bad, what your cholesterol intake should be, why whole grains are good choices--but if you don't, they have tons of information. One other good thing is that you can forecast your meals. If you know what you're having for dinner, you can plan lunch accordingly.

Best part is that it's mostly free. Everything I want to do there is free, anyway. You can get it ad-free for $45 a year, but the pop-ups don't bother me. I do click through the ads occasionally so the advertisers keep sponsoring. It seems the right thing to do.

I seriously suggest you check it out if you're thinking of dieting. I'm pretty much on track--I've lost about 4.5 pounds since April 5. And that's including a couple big indulgence days. My screen name there is Lolly_B. I think my information is public. Hope it encourages you!

Blessings--Laura

November Update

It's the end of November, and I'm doing pretty well keeping the weight off. Total loss has been hanging around 7 pounds. Looks like the paper doesn't want to run the review until after the holidays. Who wants to diet BEFORE the holidays?!

Just in case someone does, I'll give a shorthand review and say that this is not a bad diet. It works, slowly, which is the way weight is supposed to come off so that it stays off. Working out is key. I'm sticking to three to four time a week to keep my metabolism up.

Have a great Thanksgiving--and NO DIETING this Thursday. It's against the Constitution. Or something....

:)

Final Weigh-in

Final Weigh-in--Loss of six pounds over 32 days.

The Wii clued me in to my ideal weight and I'm 2.4 pounds over at this point. Seems like I may continue for another week or two to see what happens.

Today's calories: 1550

Review soon!

Day Thirty-two, the Flat Belly Diet

I was at the grocery today and found myself picking up Flat Belly Diet foods: avocado, cashews, chocolate, frozen fruit, yogurt. My favorites caught my eye, too--Lays Sour Cream and Onion chips, Pepperidge Farm Verona cookies, Dove Ice Cream Bars--but I couldn't bring myself to even go near them. I feel like I'm doomed if I pick them up. I really have been feeling pretty good--not bloated or uncomfortable, and all the nutty oils have finally made my skin kind of glow-y. It wasn't that way at the beginning of the diet. In fact, I looked sickly, as I recall. P definitely said that I was NOT glow-y.

Didn't do too badly today given that I really felt like I was at the end of a long haul.

Weight: unchanged
Workout: 45 min treadmill, heavy abs, light upper body

Breakfast: Peanut butter and wasa cracker

Lunch: Tuna, pita, Avocado, cheese

Snack: Movies--a few cups of popcorn, Smoothie, cashews

Dinner: Homemade veggie pizza, Ice Cream w/ walnuts, carrots

Calories: 1730 (not exactly 1600, but okay by me)


I did it!

Day Thirty-one, the Flat Belly Diet

Halloween was tough. I didn't think it was actually going to be. I spent the morning doing the book fair at the kids' school. Managed to grab breakfast beforehand, so I wasn't tempted by the cookies. Came home for lunch. Have found that having to eat out is quite hard when it comes to this diet--so little control over actual calories.

Breakfast: wasa cracker and peanut butter, 105 cals dark chocolate

Lunch: 1/2 pita, Turkey, Avocado,, lettuce, laughing cow cheese; macadamia nuts

Snack: Smoothie; 105 cals chocolate

Dinner: Milky Way Bar (We were trick-or-treating and starving and I told someone I really liked their house and decorations and they gave us each one!), 1/2 cheeseburger, salad w/ pasta house dressing.

Not bad: 1700 for the day.

Workout: none

Weight: up 1.5 pounds (darn pizza) after being down 1.1 yesterday

Last day tomorrow!!!!!!

Day Thirty, the Flat Belly Diet

Again, way, way too late!!!!

Breakfast: Cream of Wheat w/ raisins, Walnuts, square of chocolate

Lunch: Panera onion soup, 1/2 orchard harvest salad w/ 1/2 TBL dressing

Snack: Banana, Macadamia nuts, chocolate chips

Dinner: One large slice cheese pizza, pear, 1 square chocolate, 20 pretzel goldfish, a few walnuts (Not a whole MUFA serving)

Yes, I'm a slacker....

Day Twenty-nine, the Flat Belly Diet

It's way, way too late for me to be even vaguely coherent about what I ate today. So here's the list: (Oh, and THREE MORE DAYS!!!!)

Breakfast: Peanut butter on Wasa cracker, Chocolate square

Lunch: 1/2 whole wheat pita, turkey, avocado, Coffee w/ h&h

Snack: Macadamia nuts, laughing cow cheese spread on Wasa wafer

Dinner: Shrimp & 100 cals of pasta, Salad, 1 teas newman balsamic vinaigrette, walnuts and chocolate covered raisins, 15 pretzel goldfish, 1 prune

Calories: 1680

Workout: Got my hair cut and blondied instead. Priorities!

Day Twenty-eight, the Flat Belly Diet

Brownies are evil.

The day started out with a challenge. Out for breakfast. Had MUFA walnuts before I left because I was getting cranky. Good start. Plus, I was down 1.5 pounds. But it made me cocky.

Breakfast: Walnuts, 1/2 scrambled egg, 2 pieces bacon, 1/2 sm grapefruit, a little melon. Decaf w/ half and half.

Lunch: Cheese stick, Macadamia nuts.

Snack: Brownie, banana, 2 chocolate squares, cashews

Dinner: Salmon & snow pea recipe w/ avocado. But then I had some brownie, 2 squares of chocolate, a fig newman.

Later: a 1/4 cup dark chocolate raisins.

I'm so doomed.

Day Twenty-seven, the Flat Belly Diet

I don't know whether it's this diet or the suddenly cold weather that's making my hair look like straw. I pick the diet.

Wasn't very hungry today and had a horrible headache for most of it, so I found myself having had only about a 1000 calories. So I ate a 1" sq brownie.

Breakfast: Cream of Wheat/Raisins, Walnuts

Lunch: Luna Bar, banana, 1 sq chocolate

Snack: Cheese Stick, Cashews

Dinner: Sushi (w/avocado), 2 sq chocolate

Later: 1" brownie

Workout: 45 min treadmill
Cals: 1120

Day Twenty-Six, the Flat Belly Diet

*sigh* I was up .4 pounds this morning, according to both the Wii Fit and my regular scale. Still no change in the body fat % department. So maybe I'm just a total moron, but--given that I'm working out four days a week and have supposedly lost around five pounds--why in the heck hasn't my body fat % budged? I find this very puzzling. Does it mean that I'm losing weight yet gaining body fat? Is every pull-down or shoulder press opening secret belly body fat reserves or am I just converting muscle to fat? Does it have anything to do with the fact that I'm getting about half of my fiber from dark chocolate because, even within 1600 calorie days, I have little self control? (Why does calorie end in "ie?" Why isn't it "calory" and "calories?" Like pony and ponies or daisy and daisies?)

Breakfast: Peanut butter (always no sugar added/natural) and whole wheat bread, chocolate

Lunch: Leftover homemade mushroom/tomato/goat cheese pizza; avocado; PNewman O cookie

Snack: Sunflower seeds, Chocolate Raisins

Dinner: Chicken, rice, Apple, Strawberries, Walnuts, 2 squares of chocolate

Okay--so not exactly a delightful Flat Belly balanced day. But I stayed @ 1600 calories. I'm wearying.....

Workout--35 min treadmill

Day Twenty-five, the Flat Belly Diet

Yes! A week! Just a week!

Spent about a thousand dollars at the grocery store today. Have I mentioned that the stuff on this diet can be a little expensive? Still I guess it's cheaper than eating out. It's hard to eat out on this diet.

Breakfast: Peanut Butter on Whole Wheat. One square of chocolate.

Lunch: Rather grim flat meat turkey, 1/2 slice of terrible American Cheese, about 50 cals of potato chips and a MUFA of cashews.

Snack: Plum, 1/2 really awful Lemon Luna Bar, a lovely serving of yummy Dark Chocolate cover raisins (Hey, they're a fruit AND a freaking MUFA!!!!)

Dinner: Homemade pizza w/ mushrooms and sliced tomatoes and goat cheese (425 cals), carrots, Walnuts, a Paul Newman O cookie, more raisins.

Was under 1600 until I remembered the Luna Bar and the cookie. So let's call it 1750. Ouch. First time so over.

Weight: up .4 from last weigh-in on Thursday.

Workout: 15 mins pilates abs

Day Twenty-four, the Flat Belly Diet

On the mend, back on the diet (mostly). Just eight more days to go. I may or may not weigh tomorrow since I haven't worked out since Wednesday. We'll see.

I've noticed that I'm not my usual psycho-self as I approach the end of my cycle. I've had very little decaf coffee, and far, far less sugar. And I really am almost never hungry. Except for right now. Now, I'm very hungry.

Went back to the book's website to check it out more fully--it said something about getting 3 mos online free, but you have to buy the book. Also, it's one of those deals where, if you sign up, you have to cancel or they keep charging your credit card. They say you can cancel anytime. I already got jammed up that way with classmates.com.

Breakfast: Whole wheat w/ pb, 2 squares chocolate

Lunch: 2 WASA wafers w/ 2 cheese wedges, 2 more squares of chocolate, small plum

Snack: Fruit smoothie and 2 tbls sunflower seeds

Dinner: shrimp w/ brown rice and ginger and garlic, stir-fried in 2 teas olive oil and 2 tea soy sauce, 1/2 cup snow peas. 2 tlbs walnuts, 1/2 chocolate cookie

total cals: 1595

Day Twenty-three, the Flat Belly Diet

Grisly stomach flu. Can't even remember what I ate, though I vaguely recall a one ounce bag of feel-better potato chips. A lost day. But I spent much of it writing in bed. I could definitely get used to that part.

Day Twenty-two, the Flat Belly Diet

Was way too tired to post this last night....

No change on the weight--again! I'm like some kind of freaky science experiment who doesn't even have those usual girly water fluctuations. I did spend the entire day wanting to stuff everything I could get my hands on into my mouth. It reminded me of the kind of scary girl on that Super Skinny Me documentary. She began binging, unable to stop stuffing herself with random food. I wasn't even really physically hungry. I wasn't even craving carbs. It's all mental. I feel deprived and a little angry.

Here is how I coped: I ate three potato chips, several random cashews, an extra couple tablespoons of chocolate chips AND 1/4 cup of mint chocolate chip lowfat ice cream that I don't even like very much.

Breakfast: Luna Nuts Over Chocolate bar, Squares of dark chocolate (yeah, I know)

Lunch: Chicken salad w/ mostly nf yogurt, avocado, grapes, dark chocolate (yep. again)

Snack: Wasa cracker and cheese, Macadamia nuts (is there a place called Macadamia?), misc above, cup of Sleepytime tea

Dinner: Scallops and salad recipe from book (recipe uses shrimp-almonds were the MUFA), Wasa cracker, awesome Irish Cheddar cheese, aforementioned ice cream

Calories: about 1700 give or take
Workout: 40 mins elliptical, abs like a madwoman, upper body

TEN DAYS TO GO!!!!!!

Day Twenty-One, the Flat Belly Diet

A weird diet day--I think it's because I wasn't home for much of it and worked out as soon as I got out of bed. Made the day VERY freaking long!

We ended up at Panera for breakfast. I also ended up there for dinner. Ate in the parking lot. Burned my tongue on soup.

The WiiFit was a pain today. My balance is still nigh-on perfect, but my weight won't budge. The last drop was 1.1 pounds around the weekend, I think. So far I count five pounds gone. But I'm using my regular scale as a reference. The Wii freaks me out. My body fat % isn't budging either. I feel like I'm in the diet Twilight Zone. (But I only have eleven more days!!!)

Breakfast: 1/2 plain bagel w/ 1/4 serving of cream cheese. Two squares of chocolate. 1/2 banana. Walnuts (at some point late in the morning.)

Lunch: Wasa wafer w/ laughing cow wedge and 2 oz salmon. Macadamia nuts.

Snack: Cheese stick. 1/4 c sunflower seeds. Pear.

Dinner: Cup Panera lf chicken noodle (the book recommends veggie veggie, but, ew.) 1 oz whole grain baguette.

Went mad when I got home from driving volleyball and soccer kids around in the dark, not being able to figure out how to turn the heat on in my car. Ate 1/2 Golden Oreo with chocolate cream and threw the rest in the garbage because this diet has ruined my taste for hydrogenated sugary stuff, dammit. Settled on a 2 tbls light sour cream and a serving of 43 pretzel goldfish. I know I should've eaten a MUFA, but I'm out of chocolate and feel like I may grow testicles if I have to eat any more nuts!

Calories: 1462

Day Twenty, the Flat Belly Diet

I like round numbers. And I can easily subtract 20 from 32 to get only TWELVE MORE DAYS on this diet!

No weight change, but I had perfect balance on the WiiFit, which was something--although it still nagged me.

Breakfast: I thought I better finish off that box of Kashi (gag) Puffs, but then I looked at the nutrition info and saw that it only had one gram of fiber. I'm way too old to feel like I have to eat shredded cardboard just because I bought it. There's more fiber in dark chocolate.

So I opted for a banana, walnuts, cottage cheese and chocolate!

Lunch: 3 pieces leftover homemade pizza, avocado, plum

Snack: Strawberry/Cherry smoothie, macadamia nuts

Dinner: two soft corn taco shells, 2 oz chicken, homemade salsa w/ avocado, 1/2 Tbl sour cream, 1/4 cup fat free refried beans

Instead of the gym, did major housecleaning all day at a great rate of speed.

Day Nineteen, the Flat Belly Diet

As I write this there's some awful BBC program on called Super Skinny Me. Two Brit celebrity journalists decide to take five weeks to get down to a size zero. It's horrifying to see how these women warp themselves, slipping into bizarre, punishing behavior to mold their bodies.

It makes me see that this particulary diet is borderline sensible--and 1600 calories a day seems wildly extravagant.

I ate them all today. No workout.

Breakfast: PB and Whole wheat, pear.

Lunch: Cheese, smoked salmon, bread--Misc nuts and a cracker and a square of chocolate.

Snack: Cottage cheese, 1/4 cups chocolate chips

Dinner: Chili (111 cals), 1 oz pasta (110), cheese (55); walnuts, 3 prunes.

3 goldfish pretels

Total 1600

As of today I've lost 4.5 pounds. Hardly world-shaking, but respectable. This is in the middle of my monthly cycle, though. We'll see what happens in the next ten days....

Day Eighteen, the Flat Belly Diet

Now I know why I don't do well on diets. I think I just get bored easily. I can't seem to shake the notion that I could just eat 1600 calories of reasonably healthy food and work out five days a week and I would eventually lose weight. Have been taking brief walks or having some kind of activity after eating and have been averaging four days or so of exercise. blahblahblah....

Had some fun today at Makanda's Vulturefest--I'll do a regular blog on that sometime after Octoberguest! at Notes from the Handbasket. Ate a few nibbles of the boy's Funnel Cake and counted it as 100 calories. Came home and watched an amazing Euro horror film called The Abandoned and had lf popcorn and 1/4 cup chocolate chips for my MUFA. Small treats.

Breakfast: Walnuts 92, Peanut Butter and Whole Wheat, Coffee w/ half and half

Lunch: Walnuts, Applesauce, Moza cheese stick, Large Banana

Snack: Popcorn, chocolate chips

Dinner: 3 pieces leftover homemade pizza w/ goat cheese and mushrooms, Edamame, Square of dark chocolate

Weight: didn't want to know!

Day Seventeen, the Flat Belly Diet

Felt horrible this morning! The bloat came back immediately after I fell off the wagon. I felt a little better after the gym--I had to drag myself there. It was also hard to get back on that darn wagon. I felt in danger of backsliding all day....

Breakfast: Cream of Wheat and raisins. Walnuts. One square of chocolate.

Lunch: Whole wheat spread w/ cheese. 1/2 avocado. Pear.

Snack: Smoothie, walnuts, Dove square

Dinner: Made pizza w/ mushrooms and goat cheese for 370 cals. Went mad and had a square of chocolate AND a golden oreo! Can you tell I was craving carbs?!

Total cals: 1660
Weight: +.4

Day Sixteen, the Flat Belly Diet

Weight: no change
Workout: none

Breakfast started with--gasp!--a Pop Tart. It was all downhill from there. You just don't want to know. (And it ended with Alka-Seltzer.)

*sigh*