David Diet

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David's Diet Blog

(September through December 2004)



Monday, December 27, 2004

At least I didn't hit the 140 reached during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Of course, there was one less day to cheat on My David Diet, which may have been my salvation. The bottom line is this: when the food is available, most people will partake of same. The only way I have found to resist temptation is to have very few items in the kitchen pantry which can become a source of desire. And because I use Ghirardelli Double Dark Chocolate Morsels as my reward, I can usually maintain control. Yes, there is Orville Redenbacher Movie Theater Butter Microwave Popcorn on the shelf, but I haven't touched it in just about half a year. Avoiding movie rentals helps! There's also a box of Nabisco Honey Graham Crackers (great when dipped in milk which takes me right back to Kindergarten) and a half box of Zwieback toast (fabulous with hot Nestle's Quik chocolate milk mix or Jif smooth peanut butter) but in those rare "moments," I've been able to regain control with a handfull of raisins or a half dozen Nabisco Premium Saltine crackers. Dieting can be tough, but the results are worth it. So, back to the treadmill to atone for my sins!

Monday, December 20, 2004

I made it down another pound ahead of the Christmas holidays by using the higher speeds on the treadmill as indicate in last week's entry. The goal was to increase the calorie burn to the point where it offsets breakfast (which I eat near Noon). But on Friday of this past week, I did the entire session at 3.4 MPH, because my heart rate was too rapid at 3.5 MPH. On other days, 3.6 MPH does not create any strain. One has to "listen" to one's biorhthyms. I've cut down on the lettuce in my dinner to 11oz from 16oz, because I don't need the extra 5oz of greens to feel full. The "old wives" tale was that this was one's stomach "shrinking." I think it's just a matter of becoming accustomed to living on less food, which is good and bad. The good is that it helps you lose weight, but the bad is that it means one's body is adjusting to fewer calories. Therefore, the exercise is particularly important to keep the burn rate high. One thing I am NOT going to do on December 25th is "pig out" the way I did on Thanksgiving Day. It takes too much work to lose the pounds, so I'm going to try and keep myself in the upper 130s, so I can move more effectively to reduce the weight after the New Year begins toward my ultimate goal in the area of 132. Happy Holidays!

Monday, December 13, 2004

I got rid of one more pound by increasing my treadmill speed to 3.4 miles an hour out of the gate and then boosting it to 3.6 miles an hour for the second half of my one hour routine. I was able to do this because my fitness level continues to increase, which reduces my heart rate. Therefore, I remain in the "safe zone" of approximately 140 beats per minute at the faster speed. I've noticed my knees feel great, which means the muscles supporting my knees are much stronger and have eliminated previous minor joint pain apparently caused by lack of conditioning. My appetite has diminished and it's now no big deal to eat my first meal at Noon and my second one near 6:30PM, with Ice Breakers sugar free chewing gum as my only other indulgence. A weight of 135 to 136 appears definitely within reach before Christmas.

Monday, December 6, 2004

I got rid of two pounds with a lot of sweat, in the form of treadmill starting at 3.0 miles per hour and accelerating in stages during the first fifteen minutes to 3.4 miles per hour. However, by today, I was ready for 3.4 MPH within the first five minutes because my fitness level continues to increase. Another reason? It's cold outside (15 degrees above zero overnight) and that means the upstairs is cool at 58 degrees, so I want to work up a sweat to get warm. The reason for keeping the upstairs cool at night is to help me burn off more calories while I sleep, an effect I noticed about a month ago during a pre-winter cold snap. I still have the blankets piled on and wear socks to keep my toes warm, but I notice that my weight drops more easily if I'm saving money on my energy bill at the same time. (One reason: 30% of human heat reportedly leaves the body through the head, which is why wearing a hat outside in winter has been good advice since your grandmother told you to put one on. It also occurred to me this past week that it's also the reason why you see a "night cap" in the old children's book pictures recounting "It Was the Night Before Christmas"..."with me in my cap"...because Olde Tyme houses didn't have heat overnight after the fire went out in the hearth.) My goal remains 132, but being realistic, I'm probably going to get back down to 136 before Christmas (or maybe 135) but after another round of pigging out on holiday meals and New Year's, I'll have to spend most of January making my "resolution" come true.

Monday, November 29, 2004

Whoops! Too much Thanksgiving turkey and stuffing and potatoes and yams and butter-soaked brussel sprouts with walnuts and corn bread (yum!), pumpkin pie with whipped cream, Boston creme pie, ziti, bacon & cheese omelets, coffee with cream, cookies and a banana split. Oh, I was SO bad! But it was fun, and now I'm four pounds heavier than at this time a week ago, so it's back to the David Diet again so I can be naughty in about 25 days from now--all over again! *Big Grin*

Monday, November 22, 2004

I was trying to get down from 136 before Turkey Day, but that wasn't in the cards during the past week. As you will notice if you look back in this log, there are points where one becomes "stuck" because the body isn't going to go along with the game plan until it's ready, and then suddenly will shift into a lower weight range by a couple of pounds. Of course, this depends how much you weighed in the first place, and as I move closer toward the government's definition of minimum safe weight (MSW) defined elsewhere at this website, the difference of one or two pounds is a greater percentage move than if I were considerably heavier. The other development this week is that I dropped the one egg a day (six eggs a week) from my diet after receiving the results of my latest annual cholesterol test. While my HDL (good) cholesterol remained excellent, my LDL (bad) cholesterol rose, and that's never a good thing. So, I replaced the egg with 8 ounces of V8 Low Sodium Vegetable Juice. Specifically, that's replacing a 70 calorie (215mg cholesterol) egg with a 50 calorie (no cholesterol) juice drink with tomatoes, carrots and green vegetables (including spinach). I had been eating the egg to boost my protein level, but that protein turned out to be more than sufficient from the meat in the salad every night and the milk in my cereal every morning. So, to clarify what I am doing at present, here's the rundown, noting that I concentrate my meals into the Noon to 7PM area and spend up to 9 hours a night in bed for reasons explained in more detail below:

Morning Routine

Breakfast at Noon Snack at 3PM Dinner at 6:30PM

The key is to be in bed by 10PM and read or meditate until you fall asleep. A new and very large Columbia University study using 10,000 people (as reported on November 16th by the Associated Press) shows the longer you sleep (7 to 9 hours instead of the national average of just above 6 hours) the better it is for your overhaul health and your weight. People who sleep less have more weight problems as a general rule, based on the survey. The idea is that your brain chemicals get shifted around and you become more hungry when you are awake longer, and this may also be due to the fact you are wandering in the kitchen at 2AM instead of dreaming. Be aware that studies have shown turkey causes people to become sleepy more easily, so it is a great food, in addition to high protein and low fat levels when you make it yourself without additives. The other trick I use is staying very busy. The time goes by, I have a hunger pang and forget about it. Soon, it's time for dinner! Also, since I have been on my modified David Diet for three months, my desire for food has become reduced (as my fitness level has dramatically increased to the point where my resting heart rate is often in the lower 50 beats per minute area) and I don't have as many cravings anymore. My craving fighter is my sugarless chewing gum, followed by plain carrots and celery, perhaps a handfull of raisins in an emergency and of course the Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate chips which are my reward at the end of each day.

I am NOT going to be following My diet on Thanksgiving Day. I am going to enjoy myself, as a reward for getting my weight significantly under 140 pounds. Now that I know I can do it, I know that if I "cheat" a bit with mashed potatoes, gravy, butter soaked walnuts in my brussel sprouts or some other tasty dish, I can lose the weight again as long as I remain vigilant. Have a good holiday!

Monday, November 15, 2004

It's "turkey time" thanks to the upcoming Thanksgiving Day holiday in the USA, and that means turkeys as low as 49 cents a pound. I just cooked up a 12 pounder today using the Reynolds Turkey Size plastic bag and it only took 2.5 hours at 350F to turn out a bird with an internal temperature of over 200F, well above the 180F safety level. I've now got enough meat to last a week with my salads, and will make a concerted effort to get down another pound or two before the "real" Turkey Day festivities.

Monday, November 8, 2004

If you wonder how I avoid getting a serious case of the munchies between meals, the answer is chewing gum. More specifically, it is Ice Breakers Cool Mint gum manufactured by Hershey (the chocolate company) and available at Wal-Mart and many supermarkets and drug stores. The Cool Mint variety is manufactured with a special gum base which appears to be unique in that it does not get hard after extended chewing. It remains soft for hours, so that if you forget to swap to a new stick, it won't cause as much stress on your jaw as other varieties. There are five calories per stick, which help to reduce a bit of craving, but it's the fact you are chewing which probably has the dual pacification of moving your mouth (as if eating) while at the same time reducing stress. It's a lot healthier than smoking.

Saturday, November 6, 2004

Dropped two pounds between yesterday and today, thanks to the wonders of my largely roughage diet, which cleans out all the unused excess and makes the pounds fall off--literally. I have lost another half inch in the waist. I've also increased the speed on the treadmill to 3.2 miles an hour again because my fitness level continues to increase and I have to maintain the pulse rate at 140 while exercising. It had been dropping toward 130 at 3.0 miles an hour. In recent weeks, I have been purchasing 5 to 7 pound Perdue "Oven Stuffer" fresh whole chickens which I broil in a Reynolds large baking bag to retain the moisture. I am trying to better control the exact nature of the poultry, rather than relying on deli sliced poultry, not to mention the price is right at anywhere from 99 cents to $1.49 per pound. I found the store branded whole chickens too small and too bland, and do not wish to baste them with butter or anything else before placing in the bag in the oven. With Thanksgiving coming up, I am going to use the Reynolds turkey-sized bags to cook a ten pound turkey at only 48 cents per pound for a week or two. Turkey actually has less fat and more protein than chicken. Unfortunately, it's often more expensive, even in frozen "legless" form near the 8 pound level. But it provides a good and still low cost alternative to keep the diet interesting.

Monday, November 1, 2004

No change this past week, but that's fine because it is important to consolidate the reduction and make sure it is "real," meaning it doesn't bounce back to the upside. If I do not drop by next Monday, I will increase the exercise component to burn additional calories, unless the temperature declines again and I'm burning more energy to stay warm at night!

Monday, October 25, 2004

I actually reached 138 pounds on Saturday morning, popped back up to 139 on Sunday and then came back down this morning. You will notice the weight has declined and held at the present level despite a cutback in the amount of time spent on the treadmill. I backed off the 100 minute pace based on the theory the recent decline in the outside temperature to the freezing level on a regular overnight basis has contributed to my weight loss. Specifically, the inside temperature is only being held at 60 degrees Fahrenheit due to the fact the thermostat is set to that mark. Since the unheated temperature during the warm part of the year is closer to 70F, what is apparently happening is that I am burning more calories while sleeping to maintain standard body temperature. Therefore, less exercise is required to continue on a downward weight slope, all other things being the same, such as diet. This is another way of saying it may be easier to lose weight during the winter in cool or cold weather climates, provided the inside temperature is held near the 60F level overnight. But it's purely speculation on my part.

My downside target? I've decided to get down to 132 pounds, which would constitute a twenty pound decline from the starting point of 152 pounds two months ago, although my summer peak had been closer to 160. (That was a function of falling in love with my home baked oatmeal-raisin cookies!) Once I hit 132, the key will be to maintain that weight over an extended period through a combination of exercise and diet. But first, I've got another seven pounds to lose to reach "slim and trim" condition. One last comment: this has not been one of those "lose pounds quick" diets, which means that once lost, the weight will stay off.

Wednesday, October 20, 2004

Just a quick update that my digital scale shows me at 139 as of this morning after exercise, down two pounds from yesterday, which was down a pound from Monday. I did both weight measurements twice and waist is down a quarter inch to 34.00 under "relaxed" conditions, which means I cannot make it any bigger by exhibiting bad posture, etc.

Monday, October 18, 2004

Due to some travel during the week, I was unable to keep to my diet and exercise with the perfection necessary to make further progress, proving that real life can interfere (sometimes). My goal is 140 by the end of this week.

Monday, October 11, 2004

Making mild progress at 3.2 miles per hour (up from 3.0 miles per hour) to keep the heart rate up, with weight shifting away from waist and into leg and buttock muscles. Still split shifting the exercise with 60 minutes in the morning before breakfast and 40 minutes late afternoon before dinner.

Monday, October 4, 2004

I took the exercise up to almost five miles, using a "split shift" schedule during the first part of the week doing 60 minutes in the morning and 40 minutes after dinner. But by midweek, I was doing the entire 100 minutes in a row. Unfortunately, I had plans over the Saturday/Sunday period so I had to take a break from the exercise and the diet. The Saturday meal was a Polish Sausage with a bun and mustard and water after a hard boiled egg for breakfast. Sunday was two pancakes cooked as previously described with coffee and apple juice followed by a 6oz of steak with one baked potato and broccoli for dinner with a glass of tea. The result was no change in weight from a week earlier. During this week, I will exercise starting Tuesday at the same pace as the previous week through Sunday to get my six days of exercise, with my standard diet through Friday, with some slight modification on Saturday/Sunday likely due to social commitments.

Monday, September 27, 2004

I spent the week moving sideways. The good news is that I didn't gain, which means the eight pounds lost so far is "real," but the problem with increasing one's fitness level is that the body adjusts. With a resting pulse rate of around 57 beats per minute, I'm not burning as many calories by doing nothing, compared to the past, when my pulse rate was closer to 65 beats per minute. This is most likely a function of an improved ejection fraction, which means that each time my heart beats, it is pushing more blood out of my strengthened heart muscle, so it doesn't have to pump as frequently to move the same volume of blood through my circulatory system. Furthermore, I can see the muscles developing in my legs from all the walking, so I am gaining mass even while my abdomen is getting smaller. I do not feel comfortable reducing my food intake, because I have a pleasant feeling of eating enough food, and don't want to go into "starvation" mode. Therefore, the only solution will be to increase the exercise in order to burn more calories. Starting today, I am going to do two sessions of one hour each on the treadmill, with one in the early morning and one before bed and see if my weight has changed one week from now.

I have kept to my diet but did have my usual fish dinner on Saturday night with rice, and my lowfat pancake breakfast on Sunday morning. I only had a sweets craving twice this week (not the same thing as a chocolate craving) and satisfied it with a handfull of raisins in each instance.

My exercise routine was roughly the same as described last week, with the difference being that I started at elevation eight and was at elevation ten for 45 minutes, which had the effect of increasing my calorie count slightly.

Monday, September 20, 2004

I achieved my "end of week" goal in the previous update of 145 pounds and did it one better, thanks to a lot of hard work in the form of exercise. However, I took Sunday off and had a homemade pancake breakfast (one-half cup reduced fat Bisquick, one-half cup of half-percent milk, eight frozen strawberries, four ounces non-dairy whipped topping and virgin olive oil for cooking the pancakes, plus two cups of coffee with 1oz of light cream each and my trademark 8oz of prune juice, 4oz of orange juice with bits and 4oz of grapefruit juice. Then, I went out and spent a solid two hours mowing the lawn and pulling up weeds to get rid of the calories. It worked. I did not use the treadmill on Sunday, as one is supposed to take a break one day a week. I noticed that each day I did the treadmill, my fitness level increased by one elevation point. So, on Thursday, it took an elevation of 6 to get me to a full sweat (140 beats per minute pulse rate) and on Friday it took an elevation of 7 to accomplish the same thing and on Saturday, an elevation of 8. By today (Monday), I had to go to a 10, which is the highest elevation (slope) on my treadmill. That got me to a sustained 143, which is 85% of my maximum heart rate and the highest which is permitted for safe exercise according to a former cardiologist of mine. Some physicians say 75% is the maximum, and you should follow your own medical doctor's recommendations. The formula is 220 minus your age times the safe percentage. In my case, that was 220-52=168 times .85 which is 142.8 beats per minute. It took me about five weeks to hit this level after I had been extensively tested with multiple Bruce exercise stress tests, EKGs, echocardiograms, nuclear still and motion picture heart diagnosis, etc. over the years, not to mention a more than twenty year history of daily year-round two mile jogs. I also take an 82mg Aspirin daily. In other words, you must be certain of your condition with a comprehensive medical checkup before you contemplate doing anything close to what I am doing.

Dinner on Sunday was 12oz Atlantic Salmon (microwaved) with butter on top and mayonnaise on the side with a bowl of white rice with two more pats of real butter (1/2 cup slow cooked for half an hour in 1-1/4 cups of water). This was chased down with 2oz port wine and 10oz of cranberry juice. I try to have a "treat" for meals on Sunday due to my other six days of the week which are more regimented.

Here is the exact exercise method I am using. I start with fifteen standing curls with 3kg (6.6lbs) dumbells in each hand. I then do 15 pushups with knees down. I then get on the treadmill, start it at 3.0 mph at an elevation of 6 and do that for five minutes. Then to elevation 7 for five minutes, then to elevation 8 for five minutes, then to elevation 9 for five minutes and then if I feel good in the joints and good in the heart rate (near 130bpm), I take it up to elevation 10 for thirty-five minutes, checking my pulse rate every five minutes to make sure I am not exceeding the 143 maximum for my age and fitness condition. In the meantime, I daydream, which is another word for meditation. I have to be careful when I check my pulse using the built in gauge on the treadmill, because I have a demonstrated ability to perform biofeedback tricks. On the hospital treadmill machine, I was able to suppress both my heart rate and blood pressure at will, which had the nurses screaming. So, I sometimes have to look away from the numbers to get a true reading. At five minutes to go, and with a soaked shirt and sweat wanting to get past my eyebrows into my eyes, which means I am actually doing something useful to lose weight, I back off to 9, and then a minute later to 8, then a minute later to 7 and then a minute later to 6 and then at 1.5 minutes, I take the speed down to 2.5mph, and then at 1.0 minutes to 2.0mph and that gets me to about 130bpm when the machine stops. I keep moving around doing things in the house for another fifteen minutes before taking the obligatory shower.

If you have the television on during your exercise routine, be careful NOT to look at the television set. That's because as you raise the elevation, your head should be tilted lower. By the time I get to elevation ten, I am looking at my feet. If I were looking up, I would rupture a disk in my neck. How do I know this? Because it happened to me from watching a television set in a gym while on a treadmill four years ago. Don't make the same mistake.

Below is my diet for the week. I did the big cookout for it on Sunday night. I have 8oz of salmon already cooked for tonight, 8oz of halibut cooked for tomorrow and another 8oz of microwaved halibut for the following night (no fat in the cooking process and it tastes just fine), and 12oz of lean center-cut pork (broiled with crispy edges) for both Thursday and Friday at 6oz each night. It's easier to cook when you know you are going to have a "real" meal on Sunday night. I did make one change. I have added "lunch," in the form of a hard boiled egg. It is amazing how well it holds me until dinner time!

Breakfast

Lunch Dinner

Wednesday, September 15, 2004

Elevation now at 5 on a scale of 10 and rising as needed to maintain pulse rate in range from 120 to 130 beats per minute to promote energy expenditure. Waist trimming slightly with weight steady due to sludge buildup which has yet to be purged. Weight return to recent 145 low prior to cruise expected by end of week with further downside progress from that point forward. Only change in menu below will be alternate use of broiled skinless chicken and lean pork as the meat element in the dinner through the weekend. The hard boiled egg is present to maintain protein level with minimal additional calories. Cholesterol from food to be largely offset by drop in weight, which should slow cholesterol conversion from fat. High level of fitness through daily exercise should help to prevent clogged arteries. While this has worked for me in the past, you should check with your medical doctor before utilizing this diet or exercise routine. Next update on Monday, September 20th, unless further developments warrant an earlier posting.

Breakfast

Dinner

Tuesday, September 14, 2004

Fitness is rapidly returning and I had to progressively raise the elevation to 5 (halfway to maximum of 10) to get the heart rate up. Weight remained the same but should begin to decline as the bran and other roughage kick in and the treadmill activity overcomes the rise in fitness.

Breakfast

Dinner

Monday, September 13, 2004

Great cruise, great food, gained two pounds but my waist swelled up a bit. Ate everything I desired, including ice cream with chocolate cake for dessert after dinner, hot and cold appetizers plus cold/hot soup and the main course. Breakfast included prune juice, half grapefruit, crouton, toast, two eggs in various configurations (including Eggs Benedict, omelets, over-medium), four strips of bacon, two cups of coffee with half 'n' half cream. Full multi-course lunch also consumed daily. Did quite a bit of walking during sight seeing trips and sweat off a ton of moisture in the hot and humid conditions of the Yucatan with temperature hovering near 100 degrees with very high humidity. But also read an entire book and took naps, and I did not venture near the shipboard treadmills. Because I am no longer in a rush to lose weight, I am going to use a more relaxed diet routine to take off the pounds more slowly. The goal will be to burn off most of the breakfast calories via exercise and to limit myself to two meals per day. The laxative effect of the Raisin Bran and evening salad should prove highly beneficial.

Breakfast

Dinner
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