Week 11: Rachel hits a plateau
This week it happened: I didn’t lose any weight. Before I even stepped on the scale, I just knew.
It's not that I fell off the diet — it’s that I got sloppy. My mom came to visit and we were eating out a lot. It’s not that I was ordering the wrong things — it was that I was eating too much of them.
Like one night I had three helpings of Moo Shu vegetable and a big veggie based soup. And then another night when my chicken turned out to be more heavily sauced then described on the menu, I shrugged and cleaned my plate.
Then I slipped on my eating schedule. Suddenly I was back to my old habit of grazing.
“You’re all over the place,” my dietitian Rebecca Baer said when I showed her my food journal on Tuesday. “What’s going on here?”
I was starting to relapse. And relapsing is not an option. I am not going back to where I was on June first when I walked into Rebecca Baer’s office a bloated, sad mess. I am not stopping until I look cute in a romper — until I fit into this size 6 dress in my closet that has been hanging there for three years, tags on.
“Help,” I said. And that’s exactly what she did.
WHAT I LEARNED THIS WEEK:
To stay in control of portion sizes when you eat out, Rebecca recommends ordering an appetizer and either a side salad or a steamed vegetable. (I know it sounds depressing, but you'll be surprised at how satisfied you'll feel.)
On F-Factor you’re allowed nuts. But if you’re like me, it’s hard to eat the serving size. I have my friends at work keep my nuts for me so I can’t keep reaching into my desk for more.
Craving chocolate? Rebecca got me on this (for a once in a while treat): PB2 + Splenda packet + unsweetened cocoa powder (Hershey’s makes one) = tastes like Nutella!
So, here's my diet rehab plan:
Breakfast: (eat before work)
- 0% Greek Yogurt + Fruit (or 1% Cottage Cheese + Fruit)
- 1/4 cup of GG Sprinkles
- Coffee
When I get to work:
- Two GG crackers plus one wedge Laughing Cow Cheese
Lunch:
- Salad with protein (good stuff to put in salad: egg whites, artichokes, asparagus, edamame, beets, cucumbers, carrots, a protein, Parmesan cheese, hearts of palm, broccoli). A 3-ounce serving of chicken breast is the size of the palm of your hand and thickness of a deck of cards. For lunch I can have 3 to 6 ounces of protein.
Snack:
- Yogurt with fruit OR a string cheese with apple
Snack right before dinner:
- Four GG crackers with protein
Dinner:
- 3 to 4 ounces of protein
- Vegetable
Dessert:
- Tofutti fudge pop or 10 Calorie Jell-O with Cool Whip Free or a Chocolite
-Rachel
Rachel’s Week 11 Stats:
What do you do when the number on the scale won't budge?
This week it happened: I didn’t lose any weight. Before I even stepped on the scale, I just knew. It's not that I fell off the diet — it’s that I got sloppy. My mom came to visit and we were eating out a lot. It’s not that I was ordering the wrong things — it was that I was eating too much of them.
Today at the Skinny in the City office, Tanya Zuckerbrot told a me story about hiking in Aspen. At first I was like oh, no, here we go with the mountain/weight loss metaphor, I think I'll just zone out and look at her pretty outfit. But then it actually got good.
J is nothing like any guy I have ever dated. He uses the stove. And on our seventh date when we hiked to the top of Bear Mountain, he wore climbing shorts over long underwear. Everyone else was in jeans. J doesn't care that I talk to my mother 10 times a day or that first thing in the morning I look like I'm coming off a drug bender. When we do stuff in the kitchen, I never have to ask him to help with the clean up. He just does. And J doesn't mind when I get mad over little things and sniff, “Maybe we’re just not right for each other!” He rolls his eyes, pats my hand and says, "OK, Rachel." He doesn't take the bait.
I'm down 20 pounds! I lost weight while I was in Israel on vacation! Here’s how.......
Confession: I can't bring myself to walk around naked in front of my boyfriend. Nearly a year into our relationship, I have not once shed the shower towel....
This summer I am watching Huge on ABC Family. It's set around a weight-loss camp and features actors with real weight problems — no fats suits à la Gwyneth Paltrow. Having been heavy my whole life, I relate to this show like no other.
14 pounds — in ONE month! Everybody keeps asking, “You must be cooking a lot, right?” And the answer is no! I live in New York City. My kitchen is the size of a belly button. I work crazy hours at a weekly celebrity magazine, and when I get home, the last thing I want to do is whip up a meal.
Last weekend I rented a beach house in Fire Island with a lot of friends. What I was worried about was the bathroom situation. I wasn’t worried about going off my diet.
It's working! I am down TEN pounds & I'm back in my favorite green dress! My bra isn't digging into my shoulders anymore. My face is thinning out. A stranger complimented me on my skin, which has never happened. Ever! I don't dread getting dressed in the morning like I did a few weeks ago.
I used to eat like a 10-year-old boy. That’s what my best friend Bienstock told me today. "You snacked on crap all day," Bienstock said. "And you never exercised."
Rachel's Tweets: @ssmrachel
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