2D's Bikini Dreams Plan

  

I treat my 7-9 inch plate (remember?) as though I am dressing it in bikini , a constant reminder of my goal. The bottom of the bikini( the bottom half of the plate) is made of fruits and veggies; one triangle of the top is grains, pasta, breads, etc, and one triangle of the top is protein. The purpose is two fold: every bite I take reminds me of the goal, (because a bikini is staring me in the face!) and it offers a ready made measure for portions.

Hello, Cakehole Control !

    I am in charge of my cakehole. I realized this was important a long time ago but it seems I rocked along for quite some time  perfectly happy not being in control, which was my undoing. My scale screamed at me that  I was out of control; that I felt hopeless; that my fat was making me a miserable person; that my lack of control over my own oral intake was going to kill me. Yes, my scale said all of that, in 3 digits: 210. I weighed more than two of the contestants on the first Biggest Loser!! I'm actually lying a little bit ; my top weight was 213, after my first trip to Mexico in April, 2008. As I look back on the photo, I realize that I was likely even larger than the scale revealed two weeks after my return. I had become ill as we were leaving Mexico as a result of my lack of.....yes, self control. I drank entirely too many margaritas and beers which resulted in failure to apply sunscreen, and I ended up with a horrible collection of fever blisters which made it difficult for me to eat. It was a difficult lesson to learn, that excess alcohol and sun don't mix.It was a full two weeks before I had the courage, or energy to stand on the scale and face my fatness.
  Since that time, I have become more aware of the effects of food drink on my body and spirit. I have by no means given up all the fun things in life. I have given up  excess. I have become aware that hangovers don't occur only with alcohol; they occur with food  too. A huge slice of chocolate cake with ice cream is just as likely to cause me to feel bad later as a few huge ass beers.
  

Since 2008, my weight has been up and down, (never back to 213!) as have my moods and my degree of self management also been up and down. I have waxed and waned in my efforts to be healthy although the desire is always there. I have binged on food on bad days, and on good days. But I have also seen a change creeping over me over the past year or two: commitment to non-surgical fat removal.


I don't know about you, but isn't life better without the hangover? Have you ever noticed a food hangover? Have you ever noticed an alcohol hangover results in overindulgence in food which results in a food hangover? I have, and I am so glad to be done with that. Saying goodbye to excess has been very good for me. Saying hello to Cakehole Control has been a lifesaver.

By the way, I DID make it to 191 on Friday. So happy I only have one more pound to goal!

Small Plates

  I have come to love small plates.  In the eighties the diameter of a dinner plate was only 10 inches and I managed to gain a lot of weight. Today's dinner plate is 12 inches. Imagine the possibilities!!
I use an 7-8 inch plate when possible. I find that an 8 inch plate is plenty large for a meal. I also love paper plates because it helps me avoid a prolonged kitchen clean up which can trigger snacking, and the ugly habit of "cleaning" other peoples' plates, usually  by scraping all the left-over food into my mouth. Once the left-overs are in the trash, they are off-limits although I vaguely recall a time when nothing was off limits, including partially eaten chicken drummies left by my kids. One of my favorite left-overs by others is dressing and mashed potatoes after a holiday meal. Sick, huh? Table to trash is the best way to go when breaking bad habits, and when dealing with the "just one more bite won't hurt" syndrome. It will hurt, especially when one becomes two becomes three, etc.

    I  like themed paper plates, or party plates. They make the meal more enjoyable for me, especially if they remind me of my goal: enjoying  the beach in a decent swimsuit. These cute plates are available at any party store, and online. The matching cups are great , too, for snacks. A seven ounce plastic or paper cup is perfect for cereal. One of these punch sized cups of cheerios and skim milk is only a  partial serving of the cereal or the milk, and is very satisfying.

   There are , of course occasions when a small paper plate is not appropriate, or available. In these cases, I have to have to prepare myself for a full size plate.  Preparing does not include meditation, prayer, or medication (I have tried each of those). Preparation for this trial is simply saying to myself (and listening!), and to others around me, "These plates are huge! Are they making them bigger these days? What do they think we are? Fat slobs? No one can each this much!" This sets my 12 inch plate up for scrutiny by all in attendance. Who wants to be a health-hypocrite? Not me.

So next time you are out and about, stop by a party supply store and stock up on party plates. If you buy them in the off-season, you can get really good deals and have enough to last until your goal is met, and you set a new goal.

One last suggestion: If you need an extra boost of willpower, a little extra incentive, pick up one of these at the party store and wear it while you eat, preferably in front of a mirror:

Listening to Me

My current weight issues have followed me over the past thirty years with ups and downs of the scales every few years. I have become a weight loss expert. I know exactly how to shop, cook, eat, dine out, and behave, in general, as though I am a very healthy person with a normal weight. I am able to advise others very well in these areas also. Unfortunately, I have not been in the habit of listening..... to me.
Did I just say that? I think so. I guess it's a new beginning!
I can only attest to what has worked in the past for me, what didn't work, and what is working now. I can only give a perspective. The habits I am clinging to, the foods I eat, and the philosophy I am developing work for me but not for everyone. Each person with weight problems has to develop his or her own philosophy of healthy eating and exercise, find their own healthy balance in life.
I suppose my blog is the method I have chosen to say "death to the double standard". I am now practicing what I preach. I am listening to me.
Enough of the silly stuff. On to the fun!

It's all about the cake hole

    I am an eater. I was raised in a restaurant family therefore I was totally into grease. Lard was my friend. I remember eating a paper  cup full of graham cracker meal from a barrel when I was about six. I licked  doughnut icing off  whatever surface it fell on when my dad was making the best doughnuts ever. I had the fortune of being raised alongside a soft serve ice cream machine. This environment must have had an effect on my mother because I recall seeing cans of "Sego" and "Metracal" in the fridge when I was looking for a stick of butter to spread on my bread which I then topped with sugar.
  Now, believe it or not, I was never a huge person, in spite of my exposure to trans fats before they were discovered. I was overweight as a child but not crippling  huge. I really slimmed down in my teenage years and college just by being entirely too busy to eat, and when I did eat, it was most unhealthy. Breakfast for me, in my senior year in high school consisted of a carton of Borden's Dutch Chocolate Milk, a bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos, and a Honey Bun. Oh God, I'm so hungry.
   After high school and college came marriage and children and numerous "diets", or "nutrition mishaps" as I prefer to call them now. The Grapefruit Diet was interesting. It involved eating grapefruit four times a day; three of those in the place of a meal, the fourth as a snack. I made it a full day on that one. I tried the hard boiled egg and banana diet; a hard boiled egg for three meals and a banana for a snack. Really? I lasted a day on that one also.  I tried an assortment of meal substitutes including fiber cookies. Several nurses eating fiber cookies on one shift can clog even the best of industrial toilets. I lasted a week or so on that one, but lost zero pounds. The cookies were good though. I tried a diet pill one time. I ate a lot faster that day, and even stayed up all night eating.
  Eventually I lost the baby weight from child number 1. On her first birthday,  I stepped on the scale and discovered I was finally at my pre-pregnancy weight. I immediately hopped off the scale and threw up my breakfast. Another bun was in the oven. Right away, within five minutes, I began eating for two again. It was such a relief!

I hope this blog takes off faster than my weight loss

 I'm  finally taking off the baby weight. My youngest  child is 30.  So, I've been a little lazy lately. I wish I had started this blog when I first embarked on this new life but I really thought I would not be successful so I figured, why burn the calories typing. I could be eating instead.
I hope my words will  be helpful to some, and  amusing to others; mostly, I hope it keeps me in line, because , at this point, I am successful.
I have now lost seventeen pounds. I only have one more to go! I started , at my peak, at 210. I am now at 193. I want to weigh 192 . By Friday. Today is Tuesday. I have one more pound to go. When Friday comes, and I reach 191, I will only have one more pound to go.
Now some folks will tell you to take it five pounds at a time; some suggest two. That's just not going to work for me. I have to take it one pound at a time. It's only 3500 calories. I used to pack that away for breakfast at the local greasy spoon.
I arrived at "I Dream of Bikinis" due to a series of vacations in the Riviera Maya, on the Caribbean side of the Yucatan peninsula. I want to retire there but have come to the conclusion a fat person has no business living that close to the equator. For one thing, it's way too hot when you carry your own
insulation. Secondly, I swim pretty well, so I don't need to be my own inflated personal flotation device. Lastly, sunscreen can be quite costly for a fat person; there's a lot of exposed flesh to cover, even in an old lady swimsuit. (By the way, I have bought the last one of those I'll ever have.)
I am returning to my favorite spot in September : Akumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico, my future home. I will not be the slightest bit overweight this time. Just watch me.