Day 30 - A New Week

For the weekend, I visited my family, and like many others, find that going home often involves reverting to old habits. The house was stocked with chips and other temptations of old and I allowed myself to indulge, but not the the same degree as before. When I weighed in, I found I may have added back a pound, but that's hardly a major setback. 

And so, with a new week ahead, a new commitment to a healthy diet.

Breakfast - Fruit, coffee, milk

Lunch  - 350 cal frozen dinner

Dinner - 1 can Progresso soup, large salad, 2 handfuls plain almonds.

Not hungry after dinner :-)

Day 26 - Getting blogged down

So despite my lack of posting this week, I have still managed to stay very mindful of what I put in my mouth, and continue to lose weight, a total of 12 pounds so far. The biggest differences are portion size and choice of snacks. I have avoided seconds of entrees at dinner, but have allowed myself additional portions of veg if unsatisfied. These have been mostly steamed, so very low cal, and I do love 'em. Snacks have been mostly unsalted nuts (the salt encourages overeating I have found), fresh fruit, salads, etc, instead of cookies, dinner leftovers, chips, etc. From my weight loss I must be consuming at least 1500 cal a day less than before, which says more about what I was eating then, than how much I am eating now. 

I truly did not believe I was capable of this kind of discipline about my diet, as I have been using food as a comforter, especially when my schedule has not allowed other recreation.  So the blog has helped my awareness greatly, and I need to keep it up, for the sake of maintaining the new changes.

Hopefully I will eventually get some comments on the blog, if only to let me know someone else is reading, to keep me on track. That sounds like begging I know, but it does feel a bit like sending messages in a bottle! 

Will be going out of town and off line for the weekend, so thats my excuse for the next few days, but will put up a decent post on Sunday.

Day 24 - Staying On Track

So the weekend off, without blogging definitely put me off track, and I find it amazing how easily I can lose momentum. So I am blogging yesterday today, and plan to be more diligent, at least until I reach my weight goal of sub 200.

Reflecting on positives, I have consistent eaten breakfast over the past 3 weeks and I believe that has made a substantial difference in how good I feel during the day. Lunches have all been relatively low-cal, in the 300-400 range, and I have not succumbed to the burger run. I have also avoided entirely sodas and sweet drinks, and get my morning caffeine from 1-2 cups of coffee with skim milk. (Coffee or colas in the PM mess up my sleep as I get older, so those are a no-no.)

The biggest improvement has been avoidance of high calorie, after dinner snacks, when I am reading, on the computer or watching TV late at night. These I believe are one of the chief sources of my weight gain, as I tend to eat pretty healthy food during the day.

I have limited these snacks to salads with very light dressing, unsalted nuts (1-2 handfuls max) & fresh fruit. TV watching is the worst though, as I feel pangs of hunger almost immediately after turning it on, just like one of Pavlov's dogs. The clear answer would be to severely limit TV consumption, but sometimes I like everyone else just need to zone out for a while.

Breakfast - Whole grain cereal with skim milk, coffee

Lunch - Marie Callenders frozen dinner - 400 cal

Dinner - Mixed green salad with goat cheese, peaches, blueberries, balsamic vinegarette + leftover chicken salad (made with apples & cilantro)

Day 23 - Perfect is the Enemy of Good

So over the weekend of traveling and family duties, I decided to not worry about the blog, and was not so very strict about the diet, snacking with healthy food when hungry and eating a bit more after dinner.

I was resigned to gaining back a pound or two on Monday, but in fact lost 2 more more pounds!

Granted, I did a lot of manual labor (for me) and was generally busy, so I burned more than I do during the week.

Very pleased so far.

I think the lesson learned is taking a break from strict dieting may not be a step back, as long as things remain in moderation.

Day 19 - On the road again

Nothing to write about. Did pretty well scrounging healthy food on the road.

Breakfast - Bowl Swiss Muesli with 100 cal Craisin pack, with skim milk, coffee

Lunch  - Marie Callenders Penne Chicken Modesto - 400cal (excellent)

Dinner on the road - Wendys Grilled Chicken, no mayo, Huge salad at Ruby Tuesdays 

Day 18 - The Munchies

Tonight was a struggle. I was very hungry after arriving home at 7:30 and couldn't wait to eat dinner. I had a large portion of leftover chicken curry on rice, but 30 minutes later I was still having strong cravings. 

While cleaning my daughter's room I came across some chocolate she had stashed away (for how long who knows) and I couldn't resist having a few pieces. 

Still hungry I ate a couple ounces of goat's cheese (was on sale at supermarket) on about 6 small slices of a baguette type loaf of bread. 

Still hungry I decided to do what I had done on earlier nights and fixed a large green salad with a couple tablespoons of the Thai dressing I "invented" and that finally did it. My guess is that I consumed 500 cal over what I had hoped for today, but at least the snacks (minus the chocolate) were healthy. In the past I have been know to demolish a bag of chips, half a container of ice cream or whatever else I could get my hands on with little prep. 

Perhaps next time I will try to fill up on something like the salad before I get into trouble. Diets are not supposed to be perfect, with no forays into "pleasure foods", and I am not berating myself about it. But clearly, I need to have a plan in place for next time, and make a mental note to keep salad greens, fresh fruit or the equivalent in the fridge always.

Breakfast - Swiss Mueli, skim milk, coffee

Lunch  - Moosewood Cafe pasta with pesto - 370 cal

4PM snack - Amy's Organic Spinach burrito - 310 cal

Dinner - 1 bowl Chicken Curry & rice

After dinner Munchies - 4 small pieces of chocolate, 6 small slices baguette with goat cheese, large green salad with Thai dressing

day 17 - No Waste = Mo' Waist

 Having grown of as the child of someone who grew up during the Depression, I was often admonished about not wasting food (or anything else for that matter). I really took this to heart and have been in the habit of cleaning off the kids plates, even when its bad fast food, telling myself not to let food go to waste. No waste = More waist, for me at least.

After dinner tonight I had a little revelation. I had cooked more pasta than I intended, thinking my son might be hungry, which he was not. We therefore had at least 1 large serving left after dinner. 

My instinct has been to save it for a late night snack, or eat it while doing the dishes, but tonight I decided to just discard it and cook a lot less next time to prevent having leftovers. I did however eat the rest of the steamed broccoli and cauliflower, at least 50 guilt-free calories!

New Rule

So my new rule is to let uneaten food go to waste, especially when it is something like a half-eaten Happy Meal! Or if there is enough for a decent meal later, then wrap it properly and refrigerate it immediately, to reduce the temptation.

Breakfast - Banana, yogurt, coffee

Lunch - Large green salad with vinegarette, bowl veggie soup with 2 slices whole grain bread

Pre dinner snack - 3 small slices of baguette with goat cheese

Dinner - Seared salmon steak (4 oz) with dill, brocolli & cauliflower, egg noodles

Day 16 - Hectic workday, nothing special diet

On Sunday I made the mistake of not going to the grocery to plan some good meals for the week. One of the things that made the last 2 weeks easy was having lots of easy to prepare, healthy food available. I need to remember that. 

Breakfast was the usual cereal with nuts and berries - I feel like the guy in the old Grape Nuts commercial, or a bear. Still, I have eaten breakfast every day for the last 2 weeks, and that is surely a record.

Lunch was a scarfed down organic tamale - healthy enough but eaten too fast between tasks to enjoy it.

Dinner was likewise on the move. I ran through the hospital cafeteria on the way home to take my son to T-ball. I had hoped to find several nice veggies to make a healthy dinner, but all they had was sauteed zucchini, so I got a triple portion. My thin wife is not on a diet so I grabbed her a chicken sandwich and fries. 

The zucchini alone was not satisfying enough, so I ate about a quarter of her sandwich and fries, which weren't so good as to make me want to clean the plate. 

Overall, not a bad day, but with more planning would have been more satisfying, dietwise.

I did hop on the scales this morning hoping to see sub 230, but I was the same 232 that I was on Thursday or Friday. A little discouraging, as I was losing so fast in the beginning, but that is the trap of dieting - easy initial weight loss with a plateau. Need to ramp up the exercise, but its 11PM and all I have done is toss the baseball around with my son for 15 min - his limit. Not exactly what the doctor ordered. 

Will do some stretching before bed, just to feel like I have done something. Plan to do better tomorrow. (famous last words...)

Day 15 - "So Doc, what about exercise?"

I decided in the beginning of this experiment, that 1 major life change at a time was enough. I didn't feel I could cope with sore muscles on top of being a bit hungry. Now, 2 weeks into it, I am pretty settled into my diet routine, and not suffering from any significant cravings. 

Therefore, today I am going to start Phase 2 of my weight loss plan, increasing my daily exercise. This should be pretty easy to do since recently I have been getting almost nil.

I started last night with some upper body exercises with a couple 20 pound dumbells that I have had for years. I simply did some curls, military presses, triceps extensions and pullovers while watching a movie, enough to feel it this AM.

Being that its a Sunday, I decided to put my workout to practical use, and mowed the yard with an old fashioned push mower. We have 2 of these, an Agri-Fab Silent Reel (pictured) and a Sunlawn. Both of these are modern mowers, much easier to use than anything your parents or grandparents may have owned, an make the job a snap, if the grass isn't too long.  All of the good ones are a bit pricey, but keep in mind, they always start, don't require gas, and will last decades if cared for. I found the Agri-Fab on ebay, like new, for about $70 shipped. 

To cut the entire yard takes me about an hour with this mower, compared with 45 min with the powered walk behind one. A good basic workout, cheaper than a gym membership and makes my wife very happy. Plus you can do it at 6AM on Sunday morning if so inclined and no one will complain!

Addendum - I did a little research and pushing a reel mower as above burns about 2.5 cal per pound body weight, so over 500 cal per hour for someone like me. This is about the same as walking 4 miles per hour. Additionally, I used a pedometer, which showed about 2500 steps.

Just thought you might like to know.

Breakfast - cereal with fruit & nuts, skim milk.

Morning snack - banana

Lunch - fruit & nuts (not enough)

Dinner - large bowl pasta (4 oz dry) with fresh spinach and tomato sauce, nutmeg & parmesan added

Exercise - mowed yard with self powered mower - 1 hour

Day 14 - Same Salad, New Day! / New rule

Once again, I listened to my own advice and had a good breakfast before scooting out the door this AM. There is no doubt that it makes a difference in the day, and my hunger level. The paradoxical added benefit is that showing the body calories early in the day, ramps up the old metabolism, and helps to lose weight. All of my patients who weight 300+ basically eat 1 meal per day in the evening, and I was slowly getting there myself.

I was out on a little day trip with some friends who wanted to stop at a Dairy Queen for lunch, my first fast food in 2 weeks. DQ did have a nice turkey sandwich on the menu though, which I ordered without mayo, and a couple large glasses of water, and that did the trick. I can't say I really wanted the fries etc, especially after the progress I have made in the last 2 weeks.

As I write I am wearing a pair of jeans that I was about to donate to Goodwill, since I never thought I would fit in them again. Just 2 weeks!

For dinner, I made another big Thai-ish salad, similar to the one I had last night that was so wonderful.

Since I used the last cucumber & red bell pepper last night, I substituted broccoli (lightly steamed and chilled) and carrot strips (use a peeler), which I added to the spinach, asparagus (also lightly steamed and chilled), chopped nuts , cilantro and my new favorite dressing. (for those not following along diligently, this is simply 2 parts bottled Thai peanut sauce, 1 part rice vinegar, or a little less white vinegar, and honey or sugar to cut the vinegar's edge a bit. It's color is a not so appealing brown, but wow. In the end I like the first night's pepper and cucumber combo better, but both were satisfying.

I wanted to also mention the benefit of steaming some veggies for a salad. There are many raw vegetables which benefit not only in color and tenderness by cooking gently, but also in terms of nutrient availability. By that I mean that some vitamins and nutrients are poorly absorbed from when eaten raw, but are released by cooking. Steaming instead of boiling prevents these from being leached away into the cooking water. Some plants even contain enzymes which inhibit absorption of some nutrients, but these are mostly inactivated by heat. (Spinach is one which provides more iron and antioxidants in the cooked form - for more read this and this) Nonetheless, any veggies are better than none, I like a raw spinach salad.

Addendum to diet rule -  "Don't eat in front of TV, it causes overeating."

Unless it is a giant low cal, high fiber salad, or other fresh fruits or veggies, in which case eating in front of the TV might help non veggie lovers to consume a bit more. 

Just watch out for high fat additions such as dip or dressing.

Breakfast  - cereal with nuts and berries (redundant but who cares)

Snack - handful nuts, H20

Lunch  - Dairy Queen turkey sandwich, no mayo

Snack - Sweet and Salty granola bar

Dinner - small bowl leftover pasta with tomato sauce, huge bowl of Thai salad #2

Day 13 - Awesome Thai Salad

Dinner started as a struggle to find something my 5 year old would eat. His older sibs are omnivores, and eat most anything put in front of them, especially veggies, but this one is trying my patience. After nearly coming to a stalemate, he agreed that pasta with "red sauce" would be OK.

Not wanting to cook something separate for the adults, I started the pasta and began to explore the fridge for salad options. I started with  a 1/2 bag of baby spinach, to which I added thin sliced cucumbers (cut on a cheap japanese mandoline/slicer - get one, it makes this sort of thing a snap and the results look great), red bell peppers cut in strips, diced cashews, cilantro leaves, and fresh baby asparagus, which I popped in the pasta water for about a minute, then rinsed in cold water. For dressing a combined a couple spoonfuls of bottled Thai Peanut sauce, the kind used for marinade or satay dipping sauce, with a spoonful of rice vinegar (milder than most other types) and a sprinkle of sugar. This was used to lightly dress the salad, which ended up tasting awesome I definitely recommend trying this dressing with similar ingredients, including bean sprouts, peanuts, shredded cabbage, thai basil, etc.

I ended up eating a small bowl of the pasta, and 3 large bowls of the salad.

I also weighed the cashews and craisins I have been munching on, and it turns out a handful of each comes in at 1 oz. That is about 150 cal for the cashews and 130 cal for the craisins, together 280 cal, which is a hearty snack, but one can see how mindless munching could blow a diet pretty quickly.

One final note - Today I tried on an old leather jacket of mine which has been too tight to wear and it fit! (although a little snugly)  Since it does not give a bit when zipped up, it  really lets me know if I have lost some of the jiggly yellow stuff. 

Breakfast - 1 bowl whole grain cereal with handful each cashews and craisins + skim milk.

Lunch - 1 bag of beef jerky (about 250 cal), grabbed while running errands

Dinner - 1 bowl pasta with tomato sauce, 3 bowls Thai salad.

Day 12 - Rush, rush, rush - Top 100 Diet Tips

Although I had a fairly light schedule today, I had to squeeze in time to eat. Breakfast was grabbed on the way out the door, lunch was between surgeries and dinner was between work and T-ball. Fortunately I had some healthy stuff ready to go, so I didn't end up eating crap as usual. This is one of the pitfalls for many busy adults - eating bad food because there is not enough time to make something better, or no decent options when out. 

The key, according to those who know about this sort of thing, is to be prepared. Just having a big can of nuts on the counter, some nice fresh & dried fruit, and some good leftovers in the fridge has made my week MUCH easier. This also allows one to nip hunger in the bud, before it becomes a raging monster, hell bent on a large bag of Doritos.

So far I have eaten 11 breakfasts in a row (likely a record for me as an adult), really cut down on the after dinner snacking, while eating more throughout the day, to prevent being starving in the evenings.

For more tips compiled by people who know a lot more than I do, check out Top 100 Diet Tips

Thats all I have for today.

Breakfast - Banana, nuts, dried fruit, coffee, running out the door.

Lunch - Big serving of sauteed italian veggies (zucchini, bell peppers, squash, etc), baked cauliflower - a la High Point Regional Hospital cafeteria, squeezed in between cases

Dinner  - bowl of pasta salad, running out the door.

Day 11 - Birthday Cake!

So today happened to be my birthday. I decided when I woke up that I was not going to be Crazy Diet Person and refuse cake, or whatever else my family might offer me. I think what is important about proper eating, is not to deny oneself special treats, but not to make them an everyday event. Not being one who craves sweets, I can't say that I was especially looking forward to having birthday cake, but if a 20 oz Porterhouse had been plopped on my plate, I would have put a hurting on it and not felt the slightest bit guilty. As it turned out, I had a healthy dinner and 2 half slices of cake (we had 2 kinds), and enjoyed it.

Moderation is the key, and so far I have felt very successful with that, while eating some pretty great food. 

Breakfast - large bowl of whole grain cereal with cashews and craisins, skim milk, coffee

Late lunch - 1 bowl pasta salad

Snack - Cashews & Craisins, again (can you tell I like this combo?)

Dinner - (Made by my wife) Awesome Curried Chicken & Rice Salad 

(Chopped up chicken (room temp), cooked rice (room temp), grapes cut in half, chopped pecans, diced celery, sweet pickle relish, mayo, curry powder, salt/pepper to taste - amazingly simple and everyone loves it. The pickle relish and curry powder are mandatory.)

1/2 piece cheese cake, 1/2 piece carrot cake, with a candle on top

Day 10 - Mindfulness & Diet Control

According to the all singing, all dancing Wikipedia, the Buddhist concept of mindfulness is 'a mental state, characterized by calm awareness of one's body functions, feelings, content of consciousness, or consciousness itself'.

 In writing this blog I have realized that although I have put a great deal of thought into my cooking in the past, I have never been very mindful in terms of how much I have eaten, or how much junk I consume in addition to those carefully planned meals. There are so many taste temptations surrounding us, from the plate of cookies some kind soul brought to work, to the half eaten bag of chips one's child left on the couch. Not to mention the pot of deliciousness on the stove, when more is prepared than can be reasonably consumed at a meal.

I am really appreciating the value of the food log, recommended by dietitians, as not just a tool for the clinician to analyze a clients intake, but to help the dieter to THINK about what he or she eats, followed hopefully by the why.

In addition, I have been able to look back on this last week and really reflect on how I felt in the first few days, when my body was physically fighting the reduction in calories, and  how I was able to deal with that temporary discomfort. (Boy do we in the USA hate discomfort!)

This reminds me of another Buddhist teaching, the Four Noble Truths, which deal with suffering as an integral part of life and spiritual growth. I will not even begin to elaborate on this concept as I am all but ignorant in this realm, but do believe there is some value in examining this further. (Funny though that the Buddha is often depicted as being pretty obese!)

That's all I have for today, but am grateful for being able to share my little adventure in getting control over my weight.

Breakfast - Cashews/Craisins, coffee w skim milk

Mid morning frozen spinach ricotta stuffed shells 300 cal

Lunch  - rice w/ green beens, lg serving est 250 cal (hospital cafeteria)

5 PM snack on the run - 4 handfuls of cashews mixed with Craisins - Redundant but great combo.

9PM Dinner (finally) - Delicious bowtie pasta salad with ham, blue cheese, rosemary and pecans, made by my darling wife. 1 small bowl only (I could have eaten 5)

Article on obese physicians from Medscape

I found this article on Medscape while trying to see if my blog pops up on Google Search. Thought others might find interesting, as it reflects what I am trying to do.

Is that white-coat feeling a little tight? Many physicians are overweight or obese for the same reasons our patients are.^[1] Many of us do not eat right and get enough exercise.^[2] We work long hours, making it seemingly impossible to squeeze regular exercise into our busy daily routines. We eat on the run and unhealthy food (often served in our own hospitals) is commonplace.

Physicians rally against obesity, and yet, we are not doing all we can. Sadly, those of us who fail to embrace lifestyle recommendations in our personal and professional lives promote a public perception that lifestyle change is ineffective or unrealistic.^[3] Despite dramatically increasing obesity rates, we have failed to improve our dismal obesity counseling rates.^[4] The physicians who fail to recognize and treat obesity are often the ones who personally fail to heed lifestyle recommendations,^[5] and these doctors may sometimes lose credibility with their own patients.^[6]

I know we can do much better. First, we must recognize that the human body needs at least an hour of exercise daily for optimum health, and every able-bodied physician should strive to achieve this. Second, we should eat at least 5 servings of vegetables and fruits daily, and third, those of us with excess body fat should literally count our daily caloric intake and aim for about 12 calories per pound of ideal body weight.^[7]

If we can commit to these goals, both as individuals and as a medical community, imagine the example we would set! As individuals we will feel better and stronger, and as a medical community we'll serve as better role models for our patients. To succeed in healing others, we must also heal ourselves.

That's my opinion. I'm Dr. Michael Dansinger, Obesity Researcher at Tufts-New England Medical Center.

Day 9 - Learning from mistakes

Dinner was not planned, as was like one of those cooking challenges to make a meal out of a fairly random group of ingredients. I would have gotten a C-, but I learned something, and that is valuable. Apparently, common button mushrooms and tuna are not a match made in heaven, but mushrooms, spinach and goats cheese are. A more terrestrial meat like chicken or beef would have improved things. I also learned that even covered by, a lasagna REALLY needs sauce on top to prevent the top noodles from becoming something slightly tougher than shoe leather.  On the plus side, I was NOT tempted to have seconds, so maybe I am onto something - healthy but unappetizing meals!

Breakfast  - 1 slice whole grain bread with goats cheese, 1 cup coffee skim milk

Lunch - 1 bowl rice with chicken curry, kiwi fruit

Afternoon snack - 1 cup yogurt with strawberries and kiwi fruit plus chopped cashews and Craisins (dried cranberries, great crunchy/chewy addition)

Dinner - Tuna/spinach/mushroom lasagna experiment  - next time use beef or chicken, needs more sauce to prevent top pasta from drying out

Late night snack - low fat plain yogurt, honey, strawberries, cashews craisins - super snack, unsure how many calories but less than a bowl ice cream for sure

Day 8 - Grazing + Chicken Curry dinner - 235 lbs

Weekends are always weird for me food-wise, since I do not have to adhere to a strict schedule. In the past, I would often skip breakfast, and even forget my coffee, sometimes getting a caffeine withdrawal headache! (I admit it - I'm an addict)

Today was no exception, but the knowing I was going to write about it, kept me in the game. I ate a light breakfastof goat cheese on whole grain bread and a banana before heading to the hospital, but lunch was mostly nuts and dried fruit, which I nibbled while during chores around the house. Not surprisingly, I was extra hungry before dinner. Diet error #16 - don't skip meals.

Chicken curry - shortcut style

Boneless chicken thighs had been on sale, so I had a big pack in the fridge which I decided to turn into a chicken curry. Normally I try to be a purist & cook exactly as directed by my guru Madhur Jaffrey (though she doesn't know I'm her disciple - I highly recommend her book Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking, my copy of which is dogeared and curry stained), measuring all freshly ground and toasted spices myself, but today I punted. Thanks to a jar of Patak's curry paste I spied on a back shelf, the prep time was reduced considerably, but the taste was only passable, IMO.

I did take the time to slowly fry a mix of finely diced onions, ginger and garlic, which is the essential base to many curries. The commercial curry paste, some plain yogurt, the chicken and a can of tomatoes were added and the lot simmered for a couple hours. Serviceable result, but not as "bright" tasting as the scratch version.

I served this with cardamon scented basmati rice (just toss a few cardamom pods in the rice cooker - nice), some basic raita (yogurt with diced cucumber, cumin, and mint leaves - I leave out cayenne in deference to my bride) and a pseudo-Indian cabbage dish I came up with. This was simply chopped cabbage steamed with about 1/2 inch water in the pot, and seasoned with  a teaspoon of mustard seeds and a pinch of asafetida which I fried in canola oil, and poured over the cabbage. Pretty mild, but a decent accompaniment. Would appreciate any ideas for unusual cabbage dishes, as I love the stuff, and would like to jazz it up sometimes.

I used little plates for dinner, which helped to moderate my serving size, but I still had a pretty hearty sized portion. Still, given the high veg content, low fat yogurt, etc, not too decadent.

No post dinner excursions to the kitchen either, so I have to say a very good week for me. Let's see if I can keep it up. 

Day 7 - 4th of July/Birthday Party/ Goat cheese

Today is a very special day - my wife's birthday. Everyone else always seems celebrating something as well, lots of hoopla and fireworks. Perhaps I should read the paper more often.

Therefore, dinner was a few of her favorites  - ribs, asparagus and the salad are high up on her list. Although barbecued ribs are not exactly low cal/low fat, I did well by only eating a few, instead of my usual rack! Meanwhile, I filled up on the salad & fresh veggies, so all in all, very satisfying while not being diet breaking.

We did discuss that my sense of proportion and serving size is definitely a bit of a problem, as I served her a "little salad" which she could not finish. I need to get out of the Supersize mentality. Will try using smaller plates, which has often been suggested by dieticians. 

We had birthday cake, but not having a very sweet tooth, it was easy for me to pass on, in favor of finshing my wife's salad. 

Rergarding Goat Cheese aka Chevre -  this is an often overlooked cheese here in the US, but has an amazing tangy taste that works especially well with fruit, in my opinion. It has fewer calories, less fat and more protein than similar cheese made from cow's milk, and is more easily digested. 9 times out of 10 it is OK for folks who are lactose intolerant! It also provides more calcium and fewer carbohydrates than cream cheese. 

A bit pricey, but a little goes a long way in terms of flavor, and that is perfect for someone trying to cut down! Quality over quantity...

Finally, on the hospital scale this AM I weighed 236 lbs, which doubtfully represents 4 pounds of weight loss, but is a good sign nonetheless. My goal is 1 pound per week, which only requires a 500cal/day reduction.

Breakfast - coffee with skim milk, bran muffin, banana

Lunch - Sardines (love 'em) with mustard/dill sauce on whole grain rye with spinach, kiwi fruit.

Snack  - banana, yogurt 80 cal

Dinner  - Strawberry, chevre (goats cheese), cashew & spinach salad with balsamic vinegarette, barbecued ribs, corn on cob, steamed baby asparagus.

Day 6 - "Just the facts, ma'am"

I am busy on call, so not enough time for a lengthy post, so just the facts, ma'am. I do notice already that I am less and less hungry after dinner as well a before breakfast. A good sign.

Breakfast (6 in a row)

Large cup coffee with skim milk

Bowl leftover stir fry with rice, about 1 1/2 cups

Lunch - Grateful Bread Baking Co. 'Luigi' Sandwich - Ham, Pesto, Cheese on Sunflower bread - highly recommended!

Late afternoon, remainder of stirfry, about 1 cup

Dinner Leftover Italian Pot roast (6 oz meat)/ 1 cup polenta 

Large Spinach/mushroom/parmesan/chopped egg salad (see photo)

Day 5 - The Daily Plate/Eat Smart bagged veggies

I found a great web site today called The Daily Plate which makes looking up nutrition info on foods super easy. Here's what I had to eat today.

7AM -  Apple (on the way to a delivery) - 55 cal

10AM  Amy's Spinach Tofu wrap  (between patients) 310cal

2PM    Moroccan Stew - (between patients) 170 cal

3 cups coffee with skim milk, 75 cal

5PM   Grilled tuna sandwich with spinach, on whole grain bread - 400 cal

7PM   Stir fried boneless chicken thighs with broccoli, snap peas, carrots on sticky rice - 400cal

Total 1410 cal

Obviously , my calories were mostly at the end of the day, which is one reason I had to make the tuna sandwich before dinner - I was fairly hungry when I got home. Clearly it would have been better to eat a "beefier" lunch, but today was one of those days when lunch was missed in favor of work. A diet no-no. I'll have to make sure I have some cashews or similar high protein snacks, for the next crazy day.

All in all not bad, and I am not famished as I write at 9:30 PM. Actually I was surprised at the 1410 calories, since I felt like I ate a lot at dinner, but it was 70% green veggies, which don't add many calories but are filling a full of nutrients. 

One last note, though I am usually a chop it yourself kind of guy, I opted tonight to use a bag of Eat Smart Vegetable Stir Fry from the fresh produce section, which had broccoli florets, snap peas, shredded broccoli, carrots and red cabbage. The packaging uses the new BreatheWay technology that keeps the contents from getting soggy and rotten, and I have to say works beautifully. The broccoli and peas were super crisp, much better than the one I usually get under the sprayers in the fresh produce aisle. As if they came right out of the garden.  

I tossed the whole bag into a very hot Chinese wok after the chicken, canola oil, garlic & ginger, and a dash of soy. The cooking process took about 60 seconds, but then I have a pretty powerful stove which scares my wife. Your mileage may vary. 

Note - While Chinese restaurants usually use peanut oil for its high smoking point, canola may be a better compromise for health and high temperature. Extra virgin olive oil smokes at too low temp and is waste of money for this purpose, since the delicate flavor you pay for is lost in the fire. Grapeseed oil is also an option, with a neutral flavor and med high smoke point.

The label on the veggies says they can be microwaved in the bag by piercing the bag with a fork and 'waving them for 3-4 minutes. These can then be added to precooked meat chunks (think leftover steak, chicken breast or pork chop) with a dash of soy sauce from one of the little packets that most of us have in a drawer somewhere, for a great low fat, high nutrient/fiber meal. No excuses not to eat something fresh and green and hot, even at work! 

Just a suggestion. 

Day 4 - Late night cravings

Around 8 PM, after getting home from work, I had a big bowl of canned Progresso soup, to which I sauteed some chopped peppers, onions and garlic for flavor and to add some veg. High sodium but low calorie dinner.

At 11PM, I was not yet ready for bed and decided to watch Nova on Tivo. Shortly after starting the show I started feeling very hungry. Since I had such a light dinner, I decided to fix a snack, which turned out to be a big shredded broccoli salad (store bought broccoli coleslaw mix in a bag) to which I added olive oil and vinegar, salt and pepper. (I did consider using ranch dressing until I checked out the label which showed 200 cal per 2 tbs serving, and passed.)

Very  filling and took about 20 minutes to eat due to high fiber content. 

Admittedly though, I went against the advice I pass along to patients, to avoid eating while watching TV. Research shows this causes overeating, and the recommendation is to eat only in the kitchen/dining room, and to not bring the king sized bag of chips in to the den, for what will likely be a 2000 calorie snack.

At 11:45, I couldn't watch deep sea squid anymore and crashed, only to be called an 30 minutes later by the hospital for orders  - welcome to my world. Still, another good day diet-wise.

Day 4 - Boring leftovers/yummy Moosewood Moroccan Stew

Success again - I made it to breakfast without snacking after dinner, but I had to drink a few large glasses of water to put something in my growling stomach.

I made sure to eat breakfast again this AM, but nothing special, just a bowl of bran ceral, skim milk and coffee (gotta have my coffee). That makes 4/4.

For lunch I ate a few small slices of leftover London Broil (very lean cut, great taste - more on this later), some rice and spinach, all from the fridge and into the microwave.

Moosewood Moroccan Stew

I picked up a pile of these on 2 for 1 sale at the grocery, and they make great mid afternoon snacks. VERY tasty, loaded with veggies and only 170 calories. (Click on image for details) From the much touted Moosewood Restaurant, one of the granddaddy vegetarian joints in the country, and associated with the fantastic cookbook of the same name. Highly recommended if the price is right.

So far so good today.