I started dieting on May 15, 2020. Welcome to my weight loss journey. This is day 54. I skipped ahead in the Beck Diet by Dr. Judith S. Beck and am now on day 20.

————— MY FOOD MEMO FOR WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 2020 —————

My Daily Food Diary – Day (54) 20

Current Weigh In: As of Saturday, July 4, I weighed in at 250 pounds – the same weight since finding out I was misreading my scale. I usually weigh myself only on Saturdays, but this morning I couldn’t resist getting on the scale. To my surprise, my weight was 246! I’ve lost 4 pounds since beginning the Beck diet. My next weigh in is Saturday, July 11th.

AM Notes

• Take morning meds.
• Take daily vitamins. I take a Nutrilite Women’s Pack everyday.
• Post daily devotional.
• Write the Word of The Week.
• Manage Courses.
• Get creative.

THURSDAY FOOD & DRINKS

Thursday Overnight Snack

• None – 0 calories
• Overnight Snack Calories = 0

Thursday Breakfast at 8:30 am

• 1/4 L of Water (8.45 fl oz) – 0 calories
• 1/4 Bottle of Powerade Zero Fruit Punch (7 fl oz) – 0 calories
• 2 Pkgs. of Oatmeal with Raisins, Dates, and Almonds – 280 calories
• Total Breakfast Calories = 280

Thursday Morning Break / Snack at 11:30 am

• 1/4 Bottle of Powerade Zero Fruit Punch (7 fl oz) – 0 calories
• 12 Cheddar Stax Chips – 140 calories
• 2 Sticks of Sugar Free Extra Watermelon Gum – 10 calories
• Total Breakfast Calories = 150

Thursday Lunch at 1:30 pm

• 1/4 Bottle of Powerade Zero Fruit Punch (7 fl oz) – 0 calories
• 1 Banana – 102 calories
• Total Lunch Calories = 102

Thursday Afternoon Break / Snack at 3:30 pm

• 1/2 Bottle of Sparkling Black Raspberry Frost Water (8.45 fl oz) – 2.5 calories
• 1 Pink Lemonade Popsicle – 60 calories
• 12 Cheddar Stax Chips – 140 calories
• 1/2 Piece of Naan unleavened bread – 190 calories
• 2 Snack Sticks of Sharp Cheddar Cheese – 160 calories
• Total Lunch Calories = 552.5

Thursday Dinner at 6:00 pm

• None – 0 calories
• Total Dinner Calories = 0

I took a nap and slept through dinner at 6:00 pm and the dinner break at 8:00 pm.

Thursday Dinner Break / Snack at 11:00 pm

• 1/4 L of Water (8.45 fl oz) – 0 calories
• 1/2 Bottle of Sparkling Black Raspberry Frost Water (8.45 fl oz) – 2.5 calories
• 8 oz of Almond Milk – 80 calories
• 1 Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Croissant – 410 calories
• 7 Yogurt Covered Pretzels – 147.78 calories
• Total After Dinner Break calories = 640.28

Total Calories Consumed: 0 + 280 + 150 + 102 + 552.5 + 0 + 640.28 = 1,724.78 calories as of 11:16 pm. 1,724.78 – 1,500 = 224.78 calories over my 1,500 calorie limit as of 11:16 pm.

PM Notes

• Take night meds.

——————— END ———————

Best of Mental Health and Wellness,

Goodnight.

——————— END ———————

Follow my weight loss journey from the beginning on Facebook. Read My Weight-Loss Journey Day 53. View my weight-loss journey in pictures on Google Photos. Hungry? Check out my cookbook for some awesome recipes!

I started dieting on May 15, 2020. Welcome to my journey. This is day 53 of my weight loss journey. I skipped ahead to day 16 of the Beck Diet by Dr. Judith S. Beck and am now on day 19.

————— MY FOOD MEMO FOR WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 2020 —————

My Daily Food Diary – Day (53) 19

Current Weigh In: As of Saturday, July 4, I weighed in at 250 pounds. I am at the same weight since finding out I was misreading my scale. My next weigh in is Saturday, July 11th.

AM Notes

• Take morning meds.
• Take daily vitamins. I take a Nutrilite Women’s Pack everyday.
• Post daily devotional.
• Write the Word of The Week.
• Manage Courses.
• Get creative.
• Note today’s work schedule: 1:30 pm – 5:40 pm

WEDNESDAY FOOD & DRINKS

Wednesday Overnight Snack

• None – 0 calories
• Overnight Snack Calories = 0

Wednesday Breakfast at 7:30 am

• None – 0 calories
• Total Breakfast Calories = 0

I slept through breakfast.

Wednesday Morning Break / Snack at 9:30 am

• None – 0 calories
• Total Breakfast Calories = 0

I slept through morning break.

Wednesday Lunch at 11:30 am

• 2 Strips of Bacon – 86 calories
• 1 Pillsbury Grands! Flaky Layers Original Biscuit – 170 calories
• 1 Scrambled Egg – 91 calories
• Total Lunch Calories = 347

Wednesday Afternoon Break / Snack at 1:30 pm

• 1/4 Bottle of Black Cherry Sparkling Water (16.9 fl oz) – 0 calories
• 1 Oatmeal Raisin Cookie – 200 calories
• Total Lunch Calories = 200

Wednesday Afternoon Break / Snack 2 at 3:30 pm

• 1/4 Bottle of Black Cherry Sparkling Water (16.9 fl oz) – 0 calories
• 1 Stick of Sugar Free Watermelon Gum – 5 calories
• 1 Pkg. of Peanut M&Ms – 250 calories
• Total Lunch Calories = 255

Wednesday Dinner at 6:00 pm

• 1 Glass of Pink Lemonade (8 fl oz) – 110 calories
• 1 1/2  Slices of Pepperoni Pizza from Pizza Hut – 465 calories
• 1 Breaded Bone-Out, Honey Barbeque Wing from Pizza Hut – 100 calories
• Total Dinner Calories = 675

Wednesday Dinner Break / Snack at 8:00 pm

• None – 0 calories
• Total After Dinner Break calories = 0

Total Calories Consumed: 0 + 0 + 0 + 347 + 200 + 255 + 675 + 0 = 1,477 calories as of 9:56 pm. 1,500 – 1,477 = 23 calories remain as of 9:56 pm.

PM Notes

• Take night meds.

——————— END ———————

Best of Mental Health and Wellness,

Goodnight.

——————— END ———————

Follow my weight loss journey from the beginning on Facebook. Read My Weight-Loss Journey Day 49. View my weight-loss journey in pictures on Google Photos. Hungry? Check out my cookbook for some awesome recipes!

I started dieting on May 15, 2020. Welcome to my journey. This is day 50 of my weight loss journey. I skipped ahead to day 16 of the Beck Diet by Dr. Judith S. Beck.

————— MY FOOD MEMO FOR TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2020 —————

My Daily Food Diary – Day (52) 18

Current Weigh In: As of Saturday, July 4, I weighed in at 250 pounds. I am at the same weight since finding out I was misreading my scale. My next weigh in is Saturday, July 11th.

AM Notes

• Take morning meds.
• Take daily vitamins. I take a Nutrilite Women’s Pack everyday.
• Post daily devotional.
• Write the Word of The Week.
• Manage Courses.
• Get creative.
• Note today’s work schedule: 8:45 am – 1:40 pm

TUESDAY FOOD & DRINKS

Tuesday Overnight Snack

• None – 0 calories
• Overnight Snack Calories = 0

Tuesday Breakfast at 9:30 am

• 1 Banana – 102 calories
• Total Breakfast Calories = 102

Tuesday Morning Break / Snack at 11:29 am

• 1/4 L of Water (8.45 fl oz) – 0 calories
• Total Morning Break Calories = 0

Tuesday Lunch at 2:30 pm

• 1/4 Bottle of Black Cherry Sparkling Water (16.9 fl oz) – 0 calories
• 1 Chicken Bacon Salad from SubWay – 270 calories
• 1 Oatmeal Raisin Cookie – 200 calories
• Total Lunch Calories = 470

Tuesday Afternoon Break / Snack at 4:30 pm

• 1 Ice Cream Cone – 250 calories
• Total Afternoon Break Calories = 250

Tuesday Dinner at 6:30 pm

• 1/4 Bottle of Black Cherry Sparkling Water (16.9 fl oz) – 0 calories
• 3 Breaded Bone-Out, Honey Barbeque Wings from Pizza Hut – 300 calories
• 1 Slice of Pepperoni Pizza from Pizza Hut – 310 calories
• Total Dinner Calories = 610

Tuesday Dinner Break / Snack

• 1 Pink Lemonade Popsicle – 60 calories
• Total After Dinner Break calories = 60

Total Calories Consumed: 0 + 102 + 0 + 470 + 250 + 610 + 60 = 1,492 calories as of 9:30 pm. 1,500 – 1,492 = 8 calories remain as of 6:40 pm. Boo-Yah! Under 1,500!

——————— END ———————

Best of Mental Health and Wellness,

Goodnight.

——————— END ———————

Follow my weight loss journey from the beginning on Facebook. Read My Weight-Loss Journey Day 49. View my weight-loss journey in pictures on Google Photos. Hungry? Check out my cookbook for some awesome recipes!

I started dieting on May 15, 2020. Welcome to my journey. This is day 50 of my weight loss journey. I skipped ahead to day 16 of the Beck Diet by Dr. Judith S. Beck.

————— MY FOOD MEMO FOR SUNDAY, JULY 6, 2020 —————

My Daily Food Diary – Day (51) 17

Current Weigh In: As of Saturday, June 6 (Day 21) of my weight-loss journey, I weighed in at 250 pounds. I am at the same weight since finding out I was misreading my scale. My next weigh in is Saturday, July 11th.

AM Notes

• Take morning meds.
• Take daily vitamins. I take a Nutrilite Women’s Pack everyday.
• Post daily devotional.
• Write the Word of The Week.
• Manage Courses.
• Get creative.
• Note today’s work schedule: 9:45 am to 3:10 pm

MONDAY FOOD & DRINKS

Monday Overnight Snack

• None – 0 calories
• Overnight Snack Calories = 0

Monday Breakfast at 9:30 am

• None – 0 calories
• Total Breakfast Calories = 0
  I slept through breakfast since today was my day off due to a Dr. appointment.

Monday Morning Break / Snack

• None – 0 calories
• Total Morning Break Calories = 0

Monday Lunch at 12:30 pm

• 1 Ice Cream Cone – 250 calories
• Total Lunch Calories = 250

Monday Afternoon Break / Snack at 3:30 pm

• 1/4 L of Water (8.45 fl oz) – 0 calories
• 4 Chocolate Chip Cookies – 410 calories
• 1 Glass of Almond Milk – 160 calories
• 1 Bag of Corn Chips – 1,280 calories
• Total Afternoon Break Calories = 1,850
  Chips are my weakness. I struggle to just eat a few, then I’ll be watching a movie, and before I know it I’ve eaten the whole bag. That’s just what happened here.

Monday Dinner

• 1 Pear – 102 calories
• 1 Pkg. of Ramen Noodles – 370 calories
• Total Dinner Calories = 472

Sunday Dinner Break / Snack

• None – 0 calories
• Total After Dinner Break calories = 0

Total Calories Consumed: 0 + 0 + 0 + 250 + 1,850 + 472 + 0 = 2,572 calories as of 9:30 pm. 2,572 – 1,500 = 1,072 calories over my goal limit of 1,500.

——————— END ———————

Coming Back From Crazy

I like to watch documentaries on true life stories of mental illness and how one works toward mental health. Today on Showtime, I came across the story of Metta Sandiford-Artest (Ronald William Artest, Jr.), who last played in the NBA in 2016-17.

The former All-Star was born November 13, 1979 in a rough neck of the woods where he was raised, the Queensbridge projects in Long Island City, Queens, New York. As an adopted New Yorker (I lived there when I went through my first “mid-life” crisis that led to a divorce), I was pulled into Artest’s story of anger management, medication, and talk therapy. 

From Wikipedia

Sandiford-Artest played college basketball for the St. John’s Red Storm. He played for six teams in the NBA and gained a reputation as one of the league’s premier defenders. He won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2004, when he was also named an NBA All-Star and earned All-NBA honors. He won an NBA championship in 2010 as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Sandiford-Artest was a participant in several controversial on-court incidents, most notably the Malice at the Palace, and is known for his sometimes eccentric and outspoken behavior.

In April 2010, it was announced that Artest would help develop and produce his own reality show titled, They Call Me Crazy. Artest changed his name to Metta World Peace on September 16, during the offseason of 2011. His publicist, Courtney Barnes, said that World Peace chose Metta as his first name because it is a traditional Buddhist word that means loving kindness and friendliness towards all.

I remember having an identity crises in my 30’s as well. (I am three years older than Metta.) I changed my name several times on paper, but never permanently. In New York I was known as Renee A Harlem (which translates directly in French to “Reborn at Harlem”).

Despite his early career disciplinary problems (not uncommon for those coping with mental illness before they learn what it is and how to manage their symptoms), Metta has become involved in advocacy relating to mental health issues (now managed by medication and therapy). When Metta shared the championship with the Lakers, he thanked his therapist.

I had a phone appointment with my therapist today. I can truly say that talk therapy is a blessing in my life as is my therapist. Mental health is still highly stigmatized. Talking about is a huge weight off the shoulders.

In December of 2010, Artest announced that he would donate some or all of his salary for the 2011–12 NBA season toward mental health awareness charities. He auctioned off his 2009–10 championship ring and donated the proceeds to various mental health charities nationwide.

In 2016, Metta told Sports Illustrated, “Some people don’t understand mental health is broad. You have to ask questions. Are you depressed? Are you schizophrenic? Do you have anxiety? Are you bipolar? Those are the different things that come under the banner of mental health.”

In 2019, Showtime acquired Quiet Storm: The Ron Artest Story, by filmmaker Johnny Sweet: a documentary about the controversial NBA star Metta World Peace, now a mental health advocate. In the video below, Metta says that he even resisted telling his story in the beginning because there were so many “dark” moments that he did not want to remember. After doing the documentary, it was received with rave reviews.

I hope to also be an inspiration for those coping with mental illness.

Best of Mental Health and Wellness,

Goodnight.

——————— END ———————

Follow my weight loss journey from the beginning on Facebook. Read My Weight-Loss Journey Day 49. View my weight-loss journey in pictures on Google Photos. Hungry? Check out my cookbook for some awesome recipes!

I started dieting on May 15, 2020. Welcome to my journey. This is day 50 of my weight loss journey. I skipped ahead to day 16 of the Beck Diet by Dr. Judith S. Beck.

————— MY FOOD MEMO FOR SUNDAY, JULY 5, 2020 —————

My Daily Food Diary – Day (50) 16

Current Weigh In: As of Saturday, June 6 (Day 21) of my weight-loss journey, I weighed in at 250 pounds. I am at the same weight since finding out I was misreading my scale. My next weigh in is Saturday, July 11th.

AM Notes

• Take morning meds.
• Take daily vitamins. I take a Nutrilite Women’s Pack everyday.
• Post daily devotional.
• Write the Word of The Week.
• Manage Courses.
• Get creative.
• Note today’s work schedule: 9:45 am to 3:10 pm

SATURDAY FOOD & DRINKS

Sunday Overnight Snack

• None – 0 calories
• Overnight Snack Calories = 0

Sunday Breakfast at 9:30 am

• 1/4 L of Water (8.45 fl oz) – 0 calories
• 1 Pkg of Instant Oatmeal with Raisins, Dates, and Walnuts – 180 calories
• 1 Banana – 102 calories
• Total Breakfast Calories = 282

Sunday Morning Break / Snack

• 1/4 L of Water (8.45 fl oz) – 0 calories
• 2 Sticks of Sugarfree Gum – 10 calories
• Total Morning Break Calories = 10

There were Krispy Kreme Doughnuts in the breakroom this morning. I thought a lot about them, but I didn’t eat one! This is the first time I’ve skipped a free snack at work. Yea Me! 

Sunday Lunch at 11:30 pm

• 1/2 L of Water (8.45 fl oz) – 0 calories
• 1/4 Bottle of Sparkling ICE, Black Raspberry (4.25 fl oz) – 1.25 calories
• 1 1/2 Slices of Banana Nut Bread – 270 calories
• Total Lunch Calories = 271.25

Sunday Afternoon Break / Snack at 3:30 pm

• 1/4 L of Water (8.45 fl oz) – 0 calories
• 1 Bacon Cheddar Bratwurst – 310 calories
  This was leftover from yesterday’s grilling. I also had half a dish of candied yams leftover, but threw them away instead of eating them for another 400+ calories.
• 1 Hawaiian Sweet Hot Dog Bun – 130 calories
• 1 Stick of String Cheese – 80 calories
• 2 cups of cherries – 194 calories
• 3 Cream Filled Cookies – 150 calories
• Total Afternoon Break Calories = 864
  I got carried away. I could have eaten the yams and did better than this total.

Sunday Dinner

• 2 Croissants With Butter – 660 calories
  That’s the last of the croissants in my house, so I won’t have the problem of wanting to eat them tomorrow.
• Total Dinner Calories = 660

Sunday Dinner Break / Snack

• None – 0 calories
• Total After Dinner Break calories = 0

Total Calories Consumed: 0 + 282 + 10 + 271.25 + 864 + 660 + 0 = 2,087.25 calories as of 7:35 pm. 2,087.25 – 1,500 = 587.75 calories over my goal limit.

Perhaps I should be, but I am not disappointed that I passed my calorie limit. By goaling myself for less than 2,000, I managed to stay around that daily limit, which is recommended by most food sources. It’s not a dieting limit, it’s a maintenance limit, which means I won’t lose weight, but at least I won’t gain any. 

——————— END ———————

Back to the Beck Diet, Chapter 7, Week 3 – Go: Start Your Diet

• Day 20: Get Back On Track. Yesterday I splurged and went way over my 1,500 calorie limit. Today, I resisted doughnuts in the breakroom at work. I would say I am back on track.
• Day 21: Get Ready to Weigh In. Record your weight each week on the same day. I already do this once every Saturday.

A little insight

If overeating is a habit, one day in old habits makes it easier to slip up the next time. Yesterday I blew off my diet for the 4th of July. Today, I didn’t review my weight loss reminder cards before eating, which allowed me to lose control at the afternoon break / snack time (although I refrained from snacking at work). After work, I tend to overeat because I don’t have as much to distract my attention from food cravings. In comparison, I did reign in my calories from yesterday, going down 887.75 points.

Dieting takes discipline. By the looks of today’s food journal, it would seem that I am failing at this diet thing. However, I am glad for the accountability of recording what I eat. It is supposed to be a deterrent from eating what you shouldn’t since you’ll have to report everything you ate. I don’t feel embarrassed about what I ate because I know how much progress I have made. Yes, it might seem like I’ve failed, but I can see the big picture…

I have cut almost 900 calories from my typical workday just by chewing sugarfree gum instead of snacking and binging. By going to sleep earlier, I have trimmed my overnight calories from over 400 to zero. I have changed my typical breakfast of sugary cereals to oatmeal and gone from nearly 500 to less than 200 calories in the early morning.

Part of the Beck diet is celebrating your progress so that you do not become too discouraged when you have a setback  so that you can be motivated enough to keep pressing forward with your diet program.

I can notice and am glad for the progress I have made. Rather than shoot myself down for eating more than I planned today, I choose to realize that before I started dieting, I would have easily eaten well over 4,000 calories today. In retrospect, I have basically cut my daily calorie intake in half over the past month and a half. That’s quite an accomplishment for someone trying to lose weight with a food addiction.

I will take my kudos as they come. That’s called motivation.

Best of Mental Health and Wellness,

Goodnight.

——————— END ———————

Follow my weight loss journey from the beginning on Facebook. Read My Weight-Loss Journey Day 49. View my weight-loss journey in pictures on Google Photos. Hungry? Check out my cookbook for some awesome recipes!

I started dieting on May 15, 2020. Welcome to my journey. So far, I had maintained the same weight (250) for two months. Then I found the Beck Diet. I have lost 2 pounds since beginning to read 2 books by Dr. Judith S. Beck about her diet plan.

The other day, I decided to start counting calories again since my backup diet costs too much for my journey right now. Although I went to the grocery store to get ingredients for meals on the African Heritage Diet, many of the items could not be found. I decided to return to my original diet plan, recording what I eat and drink every day.

Back to the Beck Diet, Chapter 7, Week 3 – Go: Start Your Diet

• Day 15: Monitor Your Eating explains the benefits of writing down what you eat. It helps you stay accountable to your diet plan.
• Day 16: Prevent Unplanned Eating.
• Day 17: End Overeating.
• Day 18: Change Your Definition of Full.
• Day 19: Stop Fooling Yourself. Don’t underestimate your portions – weigh or measure the food you are eating for accurate calorie counts.

Now this is fitting, Day 20 is “Get Back On Track.” Since I already know that I am likely to go over my calorie limit tonight with it being Independence Day and my family is cooking out, I will save Day 20 for tomorrow. This is part of the Beck Diet – to plan when you will splurge and not have it be a spur-of-the-moment thing that you will feel guilty about. When your splurge is planned, then you can plan to get back on track as soon as possible.

————— MY FOOD MEMO FOR SATURDAY, JULY 4, 2020 —————

Happy Independence Day!

My Daily Food Diary – Day (49) 15

Current Weigh In: As of Saturday, June 6 (Day 21) of my weight-loss journey, I weighed in at 250 pounds. That means I am at the same weight since finding out I was misreading my scale. My next weigh in is Saturday, July 11th.

AM Notes

• Take morning meds.
• Take daily vitamins. I take a Nutrilite Women’s Pack everyday.
• Post daily devotional.
• Write the Word of The Week.
• Manage Courses.
• Get creative.
• Note today’s work schedule: I am not scheduled to work today, so I will have a minimum of exercise.

SATURDAY FOOD & DRINKS

Saturday Overnight Snack

• 1/4 L of Water (8.45 fl oz) – 0 calories
• Overnight Snack Calories = 0

Even though I woke up around 4:30 am and was hungry, I drank water and did my daily devotional, then went back to sleep.

Saturday Breakfast at 8:30 am

I had planned to eat oatmeal, but opted for a croissant instead (Beck calls it unplanned eating when you eat what was not previously on your menu). Since I did not have to work, I went back to sleep.

• 1 Croissant – 330 calories
• 1/4 Bottle of BODYARMOR Fruit Punch (7 fl oz) – 52.50 calories
• Total Breakfast Calories = 382.50

Saturday Morning Break / Snack

• None – 0 calories
• Total Morning Break Calories = 0

Saturday Lunch at 11:30 pm

• 1/4 Bottle of BODYARMOR Fruit Punch (7 fl oz) – 52.50 calories
• 3 Rice Rolls – 120 calories
• Total Lunch Calories = 172.50

Saturday Afternoon Break / Snack

• None – 0 calories
• Total Afternoon Break Calories = 0

Saturday Dinner

• 1 Bacon Cheddar Bratwurst – 310 calories
• 1 Hawaiian Sweet Hot Dog Bun – 130 calories
• 1 Serving of Candied Yams – 420 calories
• 3/4 Pint of Cookies N’ Cream Ice Cream – 1,100 calories
• 9 Cream Filled Cookies – 450 calories
• Total Dinner Calories = 2,410 calories

Saturday Dinner Break / Snack

• None – 0 calories
• Total After Dinner Break calories = 0

Total Calories Consumed: 0 + 382.50 + 0 + 172.50 + 0 + 2,410 + 0 = 2,965 calories as of 4:00 pm

PM Notes

• Take night meds.
• Record weight at bedtime.
• Record today’s weight-loss / gain.
• Note tomorrow’s work schedule: not scheduled.
• Set alarm for tomorrow morning.

Best of Mental Health and Wellness,

Goodnight.

——————— END ———————

Follow my weight loss journey from the beginning on Facebook. Read My Weight-Loss Journey Day 48. View my weight-loss journey in pictures on Google Photos. Hungry? Check out my cookbook for some awesome recipes!