This past weekend, I made a trip from my north Florida home in Tallahassee to central Florida to visit family for several days. Sunday was my travel day going south. While there are still many large areas of undeveloped land in north Florida, central Florida has experienced massive development in recent years. In that context, what happened on Sunday was remarkable.
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There are two main routes to travel from Tallahassee to central Florida. I can travel nearly all the way via interstates until just south of Ocala, or I can take a slower and more scenic alternative route. The alternative route is the one that I prefer which takes US Highway 27 / Alternate 27 to Ocala and then Interstate 75 to the Florida Turnpike and then finally I get back on US 27 South to my family.
The northern segment of this route follows through pine forests and cattle ranches until I reach the halfway point which is Chiefland. At Chiefland, I pick up Alternate 27 that runs through the beautiful horse country until I reach Ocala. Many of the Florida thoroughbred farms are in this area of Florida, as well as other horse farms. It is very picturesque seeing all the graceful thoroughbreds or Arabian horses in their immaculately maintained and beautifully fenced pastures along the way. Sunday was a gorgeous day and I passed a huge equestrian competition outside Ocala. Other than seeing the horses and riders for that competition, my trip had been very uneventful.
After passing through horse country, I reached Ocala where I picked up Interstate 75. Riding along the 26 mile segment of Interstate 75 between Ocala and the Florida Turnpike is always my least favorite part of this trip. This part of the interstate is always crowded and everyone drives well above the speed limit so I always feel on edge. The traffic was heavier than normal due to the influx of northern tourists vacationing here during spring break, so I was relieved to get on the Turnpike which seems sane compared to the interstate.
I only spend about 14 miles on the Turnpike, after which I have about 50 miles or so of what used to be my favorite part of the trip many years ago. This segment was once nearly solid with the beautiful citrus groves all the way from Minneola to Haines City. This region forms the spine of Florida and is very hilly with many small lakes interspersed among the hills. I always looked forward to seeing the groves. There is nothing so beautiful as the deep dark green of the citrus groves against the bright blue sky. But the groves are now all gone and have been replaced by development after development of cookie cutter houses. It has become nowhere or anywhere USA. A side effect of this massive amount of development has been a huge increase in traffic on US 27 which has been widened to six lanes but still is congested.
These last 50 miles which were once my favorite part of the trip have become the most maddening or frustrating part of the trip. What was once a scenic and almost pastoral trip has become stop and go with traffic light after traffic light congestion. Even though the speed limit is 55 mph, no one could ever reach that speed.
So for that last 50 miles or so, I persisted through stop light after stop light until I reached Haines City which is the last major town before I reach my destination. From Haines City to my destination is less than ten miles to where I turn off at Dundee. This area of Florida is where the lakes take over from the hills. As I headed south from Haines City, it was about one in the afternoon and there was heavy traffic on the six lanes of US 27.
I was about halfway between Haines City and Dundee, when suddenly a large cat, a very long, low cat, ran across six lanes of traffic from east to west right in front of my car and several other cars. When I say large, I am talking about five feet long with a tail equally as long as its body. It was a beautiful buff color with short ears and a very long tail. I thought that the only thing it could be was a Florida panther. The animal I saw did not have a radio tracking collar on it.
Since then, I have looked up information on the Florida panther. Everything I have read describes the animal I saw except for one thing. The cat I saw had a white tip on its tail and the pictures of the adult Florida panther show a black tip on the tail. Because of the white tip on the tail, I am guessing that perhaps the cat I saw may have been a juvenile. All I know is that I saw a magnificent and beautiful animal.
Although these panthers once roamed throughout the southeastern United States, their range is now confined to parts of Florida, mostly the southern portion of the state in and around the Everglades. Here is some more information about the endangered Florida panther. Seeing one of these cats much further north in Polk County was simply amazing.
I reported my sighting to the Florida Wildlife Alert at (888) 404 3922. The person who took my call said that they will send one of their biologists to investigate any sightings and hopefully they will be able to find and track this young panther. I feel very privileged to have been able to see one of these beautiful Florida panthers.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
News and Reflection
This morning, I got an email from my mother catching me up on the news. One of the news bits was that a cousin of mine had died, but no one knew until someone found him dead in his apartment.
My cousin was older than me, in his mid to late sixties. I never really knew him and had only met him once or twice in my life, the last of which was over forty years ago.
My cousin was the older of two children born to my mother's oldest brother. My uncle died very young from a sudden and unexpected heart failure. He was in his late thirties and he left my aunt a widow at a very young age. She later married another man and was divorced from him after it turned out that he was cheating in his business.
In the meantime, my mother's younger brother had married a woman from out west and they had three children of their own. When his wife died, my uncle contacted his brother's widow and eventually, they courted and married. I loved to joke that my cousins became siblings after that marriage.
Several years later, my uncle died. I was unable to attend the funeral, but my mother and sister did. When I saw pictures of my cousins, I remember thinking that this one cousin did not look well. In fact, he looked like someone who had lived a very hard and destructive life.
This cousin was the oldest of all my cousins. He was also my grandfather's namesake and as such, he inherited what little there was of my grandfather's estate. The numerical value was nothing, but the value of the memories were priceless and no one else in the family got anything. My mother said that she never even got a chance to get a tea cup from that house. The value of memories far outweigh the monetary value and yet my cousin never understood that.
So today, I got the news that a cousin of mine died alone. And I really do not care. He chose to be alone from the family and he ended up alone. Sad.
My cousin was older than me, in his mid to late sixties. I never really knew him and had only met him once or twice in my life, the last of which was over forty years ago.
My cousin was the older of two children born to my mother's oldest brother. My uncle died very young from a sudden and unexpected heart failure. He was in his late thirties and he left my aunt a widow at a very young age. She later married another man and was divorced from him after it turned out that he was cheating in his business.
In the meantime, my mother's younger brother had married a woman from out west and they had three children of their own. When his wife died, my uncle contacted his brother's widow and eventually, they courted and married. I loved to joke that my cousins became siblings after that marriage.
Several years later, my uncle died. I was unable to attend the funeral, but my mother and sister did. When I saw pictures of my cousins, I remember thinking that this one cousin did not look well. In fact, he looked like someone who had lived a very hard and destructive life.
This cousin was the oldest of all my cousins. He was also my grandfather's namesake and as such, he inherited what little there was of my grandfather's estate. The numerical value was nothing, but the value of the memories were priceless and no one else in the family got anything. My mother said that she never even got a chance to get a tea cup from that house. The value of memories far outweigh the monetary value and yet my cousin never understood that.
So today, I got the news that a cousin of mine died alone. And I really do not care. He chose to be alone from the family and he ended up alone. Sad.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Cabbage Soup Diet - Day 5
First to recap Day 4, also known as bananas and milk day. Day 4 was the day I most dreaded because it was limited to cabbage soup, up to six bananas, and fat free milk. That combination was worse than unappealing to me. I had mightmarish thoughts of the cabbage soup making the milk curdle in my stomach. I immediately decided to drop the milk from Day 4.
Perhaps it was due to my negative attitude toward the foods allowed on Day 4, but I struggled emotionally all day. I made it through the afternoon and then decided that it was time to make a break from the deprivation of this diet. So for dinner, I had a 4 ounce chopped sirloin patty which I pan grilled. Along with the patty, I had leftover Brussels sprouts, a one inch slice from a bagette I had in the freezer, and 3 ounces of red wine. That meal was heaven and I slept very well Thursday night.
Friday morning, I weighed myself for the first time since embarking on the Cabbage Soup Diet. I had lost six pounds according to my scales! Since my clothes were only slightly looser, I estimated that most of that weight was probably water weight. Still, even being on the Cabbage Soup Diet had its benefits, if only for three and a half days.
First the Cabbage Soup Diet did provide a positive impetus for me to continue forward to lose the ten pounds I need to get off. I will now continue with the sensible eating habits, calorie counting,and portion controls I learned through Spark People. Second, the Cabbage Soup Diet does provide for a cleansing of the system of garbage from my old eating habits by focusing on the soup, fresh fruit and fresh vegetables during the first three days. I realized that I had not been eating enough fruit, so I am going to eat fewer carbohydrates and more fresh fruit during my continued diet. Third, the cabbage soup could provide a very filling and healthy high fiber and low calorie alternative for one meal each day. Since I liked the taste of the soup, that would not a problem for me.
The negatives of the Cabbage Soup Diet were several and the degree of which would probably vary from person to person. First, the diet gave me an intense feeling of deprivation. The second day was particularly difficult because I very much missed carbohydrates, particularly bread. Of all the things I was allowed to eat on this diet, the baked potato for dinner of Day 2 was biggest treat. Second, many people do not like cabbage and dislike the soup even more. This was not a problem for me. I never grew tired of the taste of the soup. Third, the cabbage soup made me feel very gassy and bloated. The sheer volume of the fiber tore up my intestinal tract. I believe that this is something that the body might adjust to eventually. Fourth, some people feel light headed on this diet, but I was more lethargic than light headed. Even so, I was able to do three miles of brisk walking at a very good pace each time two of the days I was on it.
I want to be very clear that I do not believe that the Cabbage Soup Diet nor any other similar very restrictive type of diet has some sort of magical fat burning properties. Based upon my limited knowledge, only exercise, calorie restriction, along with the body's metabolism of protein can burn off fat. I also believe that severe calorie deprivation for extended periods of time are very dangerous and can send the body into an unhealthy starvation mode. To adequately metabolize fuel, the body needs a minimum number of calories. This diet severely restricts the calories you consume. That is probably why it is only recommened for no more than one week.
Is the weight lost on the Cabbage Soup Diet really permanent? I doubt it. In my four days on this diet, I lost six pounds. My best guesstimate is that probably only two pounds of that, at the most, were a real weight loss while the rest was probably water loss. A better gauge of real weight loss is how your clothes fit. My clothes did not fit six pounds looser, so I take the scale reading with a grain of salt and expect to see some of that go back up. The trick is to use the pleasant surprise on the scale as a positive influence to stay with a more traditional and healthier diet.
So would I recommend the Cabbage Soup Diet? Yes, but only as a starter or a cleansing diet for a few days. This has been an interesting experience, but I doubt that I would do this again. It is probably better for me to stick with more traditional and proven methods for weight loss. And in the end, it is probably better not to allow your weight to get out of hand in the first place. Hopefully, I will remember that the next time I eat a ton of junk food or sweets.
To those who have read this blog, I appreciate it very much. Thank you.
Perhaps it was due to my negative attitude toward the foods allowed on Day 4, but I struggled emotionally all day. I made it through the afternoon and then decided that it was time to make a break from the deprivation of this diet. So for dinner, I had a 4 ounce chopped sirloin patty which I pan grilled. Along with the patty, I had leftover Brussels sprouts, a one inch slice from a bagette I had in the freezer, and 3 ounces of red wine. That meal was heaven and I slept very well Thursday night.
Friday morning, I weighed myself for the first time since embarking on the Cabbage Soup Diet. I had lost six pounds according to my scales! Since my clothes were only slightly looser, I estimated that most of that weight was probably water weight. Still, even being on the Cabbage Soup Diet had its benefits, if only for three and a half days.
First the Cabbage Soup Diet did provide a positive impetus for me to continue forward to lose the ten pounds I need to get off. I will now continue with the sensible eating habits, calorie counting,and portion controls I learned through Spark People. Second, the Cabbage Soup Diet does provide for a cleansing of the system of garbage from my old eating habits by focusing on the soup, fresh fruit and fresh vegetables during the first three days. I realized that I had not been eating enough fruit, so I am going to eat fewer carbohydrates and more fresh fruit during my continued diet. Third, the cabbage soup could provide a very filling and healthy high fiber and low calorie alternative for one meal each day. Since I liked the taste of the soup, that would not a problem for me.
The negatives of the Cabbage Soup Diet were several and the degree of which would probably vary from person to person. First, the diet gave me an intense feeling of deprivation. The second day was particularly difficult because I very much missed carbohydrates, particularly bread. Of all the things I was allowed to eat on this diet, the baked potato for dinner of Day 2 was biggest treat. Second, many people do not like cabbage and dislike the soup even more. This was not a problem for me. I never grew tired of the taste of the soup. Third, the cabbage soup made me feel very gassy and bloated. The sheer volume of the fiber tore up my intestinal tract. I believe that this is something that the body might adjust to eventually. Fourth, some people feel light headed on this diet, but I was more lethargic than light headed. Even so, I was able to do three miles of brisk walking at a very good pace each time two of the days I was on it.
I want to be very clear that I do not believe that the Cabbage Soup Diet nor any other similar very restrictive type of diet has some sort of magical fat burning properties. Based upon my limited knowledge, only exercise, calorie restriction, along with the body's metabolism of protein can burn off fat. I also believe that severe calorie deprivation for extended periods of time are very dangerous and can send the body into an unhealthy starvation mode. To adequately metabolize fuel, the body needs a minimum number of calories. This diet severely restricts the calories you consume. That is probably why it is only recommened for no more than one week.
Is the weight lost on the Cabbage Soup Diet really permanent? I doubt it. In my four days on this diet, I lost six pounds. My best guesstimate is that probably only two pounds of that, at the most, were a real weight loss while the rest was probably water loss. A better gauge of real weight loss is how your clothes fit. My clothes did not fit six pounds looser, so I take the scale reading with a grain of salt and expect to see some of that go back up. The trick is to use the pleasant surprise on the scale as a positive influence to stay with a more traditional and healthier diet.
So would I recommend the Cabbage Soup Diet? Yes, but only as a starter or a cleansing diet for a few days. This has been an interesting experience, but I doubt that I would do this again. It is probably better for me to stick with more traditional and proven methods for weight loss. And in the end, it is probably better not to allow your weight to get out of hand in the first place. Hopefully, I will remember that the next time I eat a ton of junk food or sweets.
To those who have read this blog, I appreciate it very much. Thank you.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Cabbage Soup Diet - Day 4
Day 3 was combination of Days 1 and 2 minus the baked potato of the Day 2 dinner. Of course, I was also allowed all the cabbage soup I wanted to eat. For dinner last night, I fixed steamed cauliflower and Brussels sprouts along with cooked carrots. Normally, when I fix cauliflower for us to eat, I usually pour a mustard sauce over it. The sauce consists of a combination of my homemade vinegarette and brown mustard watered down with a little water. Since I could not have the vinegarette, I watered down some spicy brown mustard and poured it over the vegetables. It was great and added some flavor to this bland diet. For dessert, I had eight strawberries. All of this was washed down by herbal tea. Exciting? No, this is incredibly dull!!!
Despite the monotony of this diet and the very limited foods I have been allowed to eat, I am not particularly hungry and I still have not tired of the taste of cabbage soup. What has happened is that I dread having to fix anything to eat because I know it is going to be dull and bland. Also, I am still having a problem with bloating due to gas from the cabbage in the soup. Nevertheless, I slept fairly well last night.
I woke up this morning dreading Day 4 which allows for bananas (up to six), non-fat milk, and of course, the ever present cabbage soup. The idea of drinking milk and eating cabbage soup nauseated me so I dropped the milk from today's foods. That left bananas and ... you guessed it - cabbage soup!
Early this morning, I had to take our eldest dog into the vet to have her teeth cleaned so I grabbed a banana for breakfast. Woo Hoo (sarcasm intended)! I like bananas okay, but one per day is like the max for me, so more than that is not particularly appealing. Since my day started early and I was hungry at 11 am, I had an early lunch consisting of a bowl of cabbage soup. Then around one, I had another banana which max'ed me out on bananas. Finally around four today, I was hungry again and had a second bowl of cabbage soup. I do not think I can face another banana today. And it makes me bloat up just to think about one more bowl of cabbage soup. I am about ready to bag this crazy diet and just eat right. Perhaps that is the point of the Cabbage Soup Diet and why its originator is anonymous.
My husband is disappointed in me for not staying with this the entire five days, but I am seriously considering bidding this diet goodbye and eat some real food tonight. Tomorrow is supposed to be beef day. So I am thinking about having a small ground sirloin patty with some asparagus and a small amount of rice. It will be low calorie and more important, real food. I am still debating and will post later as to my decision.
Despite the monotony of this diet and the very limited foods I have been allowed to eat, I am not particularly hungry and I still have not tired of the taste of cabbage soup. What has happened is that I dread having to fix anything to eat because I know it is going to be dull and bland. Also, I am still having a problem with bloating due to gas from the cabbage in the soup. Nevertheless, I slept fairly well last night.
I woke up this morning dreading Day 4 which allows for bananas (up to six), non-fat milk, and of course, the ever present cabbage soup. The idea of drinking milk and eating cabbage soup nauseated me so I dropped the milk from today's foods. That left bananas and ... you guessed it - cabbage soup!
Early this morning, I had to take our eldest dog into the vet to have her teeth cleaned so I grabbed a banana for breakfast. Woo Hoo (sarcasm intended)! I like bananas okay, but one per day is like the max for me, so more than that is not particularly appealing. Since my day started early and I was hungry at 11 am, I had an early lunch consisting of a bowl of cabbage soup. Then around one, I had another banana which max'ed me out on bananas. Finally around four today, I was hungry again and had a second bowl of cabbage soup. I do not think I can face another banana today. And it makes me bloat up just to think about one more bowl of cabbage soup. I am about ready to bag this crazy diet and just eat right. Perhaps that is the point of the Cabbage Soup Diet and why its originator is anonymous.
My husband is disappointed in me for not staying with this the entire five days, but I am seriously considering bidding this diet goodbye and eat some real food tonight. Tomorrow is supposed to be beef day. So I am thinking about having a small ground sirloin patty with some asparagus and a small amount of rice. It will be low calorie and more important, real food. I am still debating and will post later as to my decision.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Cabbage Soup Diet - Day 3
What a difference a baked potato makes!
Before dinner last night, I was questioning if I would make it another day on this diet of deprivation, also known as the Cabbage Soup Diet. Surprisingly, the problem has not been the soup, which I still like, but it was the lack of carbohydrates, especially bread. That was what was killing me. Yesterday afternoon, I hit a low point emotionally. I was so down in the dumps that I was sure that I would last not another day. Then I ate dinner.
Day 2 of the Cabbage Soup Diet was vegetables all day plus the soup. For dinner, I was allowed to eat a large baked potato with butter on it. As I sat down to dinner with my husband, I stared at his leftover roast beef, potatoes au gratin, and Bussels sprouts along with his glass of red wine. My plate held a baked potato with butter, salt and pepper along with some Brussels sprouts. That baked potato was sooooooooo good, you would have thought I was eating lobster. I savored every single morsel of it along with the skin. My husband kept asking if that potato was really that good. Yes, it was awesome!
After dinner, my spirits really picked up and I told my husband that I was going to try to stay on this diet another day. Last night, with my stomach full of baked potato, I slept like a baby. I slept so well that I did not even know we had had a very strong rainstorm during the night. This morning, I felt renewed and decided to continue to do this diet one day at a time. I have not weighed myself, so I have no idea if it is doing anything yet.
Today starts Day 3. Day 3 of the Cabbage Soup Diet is a mixture of Days 1 and 2. I can eat fruit (except bananas) and all the vegetables from Day 2 except the baked potato. This morning, I started with stewed prunes and for lunch, I had cabbage soup. I am planning on eating a vegetable plate for dinner with cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and carrots. For a snack, I will eat an apple and for dessert tonight, leftover strawberries. Today should go fairly well.
Tomorrow is the day that worries me. Day 4 will consist of cabbage soup plus bananas and fat free milk. That is not appetizing to me. We shall see. Soldiering on one day at a time.
Before dinner last night, I was questioning if I would make it another day on this diet of deprivation, also known as the Cabbage Soup Diet. Surprisingly, the problem has not been the soup, which I still like, but it was the lack of carbohydrates, especially bread. That was what was killing me. Yesterday afternoon, I hit a low point emotionally. I was so down in the dumps that I was sure that I would last not another day. Then I ate dinner.
Day 2 of the Cabbage Soup Diet was vegetables all day plus the soup. For dinner, I was allowed to eat a large baked potato with butter on it. As I sat down to dinner with my husband, I stared at his leftover roast beef, potatoes au gratin, and Bussels sprouts along with his glass of red wine. My plate held a baked potato with butter, salt and pepper along with some Brussels sprouts. That baked potato was sooooooooo good, you would have thought I was eating lobster. I savored every single morsel of it along with the skin. My husband kept asking if that potato was really that good. Yes, it was awesome!
After dinner, my spirits really picked up and I told my husband that I was going to try to stay on this diet another day. Last night, with my stomach full of baked potato, I slept like a baby. I slept so well that I did not even know we had had a very strong rainstorm during the night. This morning, I felt renewed and decided to continue to do this diet one day at a time. I have not weighed myself, so I have no idea if it is doing anything yet.
Today starts Day 3. Day 3 of the Cabbage Soup Diet is a mixture of Days 1 and 2. I can eat fruit (except bananas) and all the vegetables from Day 2 except the baked potato. This morning, I started with stewed prunes and for lunch, I had cabbage soup. I am planning on eating a vegetable plate for dinner with cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and carrots. For a snack, I will eat an apple and for dessert tonight, leftover strawberries. Today should go fairly well.
Tomorrow is the day that worries me. Day 4 will consist of cabbage soup plus bananas and fat free milk. That is not appetizing to me. We shall see. Soldiering on one day at a time.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Cabbage Soup Diet - Day 2
Last night, I could not sleep. My stomach was jumping and gaseous, a side effect that the website warned about. I am hoping that feeling of gassy bloating will subside as this diet progresses.
Day 2 allows for cabbage soup plus all the vegetables I wish to eat except peas, dried beans, and corn. Tonight I get a real treat...a baked potato with butter on it. I am not joking when I say that I am really looking forward to that baked potato because I am already feeling some deprivation.
After only one day, some realities have emerged. I believe the cabbage soup diet does not possess any magical qualities that suddenly burn off a lot of fat. What it does do is fill you up with lots of low calorie fber and its attendant gas.
I have found that I am not really hungry at all. But I am feeling deprived of eating things I want to enjoy. I am eating much less on this diet than I envisioned before I began it and perhaps that is the real purpose of it.
This morning, I had a bowl of cabbage soup for breakfast. Unlike some folks, I do not mind the cabbage soup. I made mine spicy by adding the diced tomatoes that had green chilis in them instead of plain diced tomatoes. I did not even eat a snack this morning but went for a three mile brisk walk instead. For lunch, I had a big plate of cauliflower with salt and pepper on it. Cauliflower gave me something with texture to eat and I really enjoyed it.
It is interesting what I am missing after only being on this diet for one and a half days. I am not missing sugar or sweets. I am not missing wine or alcohol. I am not missing snacks. I am not missing meat. But I am missing carbs and in particular, bread. I love bread and I really miss it. There will not be one slice of bread during five days that I will be on the diet. In fact, the closest thing to bread is the baked potato that I will be allowed to have tonight.
I am using the Cabbage Soup Diet to jump start me into losing ten pounds over the next two and a half months, with April 1 being the date for my goal weight. Luckily I will only be on this for five days instead of the full seven. Then I will go back to eating more normally but with weighing measuring all my food and avoiding refined sugar.
So far, I am soldiering on.
Addendum to Day 2:
I have had problems both days in the afternoon when I felt lightheaded and somewhat lethargic. About mid afternoon, I ate a second bowl of cabbage soup but that did not seem to help much. I have already gone through half of the pot of soup I made. Right now, I am wondering if I will make even five days. I am going to try to take it one day at a time, but I am beginning to think the caloric intake may be too low for someone like me who does not need to lose a lot of weight.
Tonight is a baked potato and Brussels sprouts. I love Brussels sprouts so that is good.
Day 2 allows for cabbage soup plus all the vegetables I wish to eat except peas, dried beans, and corn. Tonight I get a real treat...a baked potato with butter on it. I am not joking when I say that I am really looking forward to that baked potato because I am already feeling some deprivation.
After only one day, some realities have emerged. I believe the cabbage soup diet does not possess any magical qualities that suddenly burn off a lot of fat. What it does do is fill you up with lots of low calorie fber and its attendant gas.
I have found that I am not really hungry at all. But I am feeling deprived of eating things I want to enjoy. I am eating much less on this diet than I envisioned before I began it and perhaps that is the real purpose of it.
This morning, I had a bowl of cabbage soup for breakfast. Unlike some folks, I do not mind the cabbage soup. I made mine spicy by adding the diced tomatoes that had green chilis in them instead of plain diced tomatoes. I did not even eat a snack this morning but went for a three mile brisk walk instead. For lunch, I had a big plate of cauliflower with salt and pepper on it. Cauliflower gave me something with texture to eat and I really enjoyed it.
It is interesting what I am missing after only being on this diet for one and a half days. I am not missing sugar or sweets. I am not missing wine or alcohol. I am not missing snacks. I am not missing meat. But I am missing carbs and in particular, bread. I love bread and I really miss it. There will not be one slice of bread during five days that I will be on the diet. In fact, the closest thing to bread is the baked potato that I will be allowed to have tonight.
I am using the Cabbage Soup Diet to jump start me into losing ten pounds over the next two and a half months, with April 1 being the date for my goal weight. Luckily I will only be on this for five days instead of the full seven. Then I will go back to eating more normally but with weighing measuring all my food and avoiding refined sugar.
So far, I am soldiering on.
Addendum to Day 2:
I have had problems both days in the afternoon when I felt lightheaded and somewhat lethargic. About mid afternoon, I ate a second bowl of cabbage soup but that did not seem to help much. I have already gone through half of the pot of soup I made. Right now, I am wondering if I will make even five days. I am going to try to take it one day at a time, but I am beginning to think the caloric intake may be too low for someone like me who does not need to lose a lot of weight.
Tonight is a baked potato and Brussels sprouts. I love Brussels sprouts so that is good.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Cabbage Soup Diet - Day 1
It is Monday, the first day of my Cabbage Soup Diet. The internet site, where I found the information and recipe, warns that one should only be on this diet for a week, not longer. Other caveats are that some people feel a little light headed on this diet and many people grow weary of eating cabbage soup every day. I am approaching this with a positive outlook. It is only five days and I should be able to do this...hopefully.
Last night I did not sleep well. I woke up in the middle of the night dreaming of deprivation. This is not a good sign. Finally, very early this morning, I fell asleep and slept very soundly until my husband came in asking why I was not yet up.
Normally, I start the day off with a cup of plain hot tea and a slice of sprouted grains toast with butter on it. But alas, there will be no toast today or any day that I am on this diet. Day one consists of at least one bowl of cabbage soup plus all the fruit I want, except for bananas. So this morning's breakfast was a bowl of cabbage soup. My husband was grossed out that I could even eat this stuff early in the morning. Heck, I was hungry and would eat almost anything. Surprisingly, it was not bad for breakfast and 8 ounces of the soup filled me up. I am thinking to myself that this diet may not be bad afterall.
For a mid morning snack, I had a half an apple. Originally, I had planned to eat a whole apple, but I was not that hungry. Lunch ended up being more cabbage soup and the other half of my apple. Wow, now I am cruising along and not feeling hungry. This is going to be a piece of cake, figuratively, not literally.
By mid afternoon, suddenly I was craving some bread and for the first time today, I was feeling hungry. I made some stewed prunes which helped fill the hole that was starting to form in my stomach. Since tomorrow will not allow fruit, I planned the rest of my fruit for today which emded up being a small amount of cantaloupe that I had in the refrigerator along with some strawberries and leftover stewed prunes.
As much as I first liked the cabbage soup, it is already starting to get old. But I will have another bowl tonight for dinner while I watch my husband eat the chicken parmesan that I will be making for him. Along with my soup and fruit, I will be drinking unsweetened herbal tea. Big comedown from the beef roast, potatoes au gratin, and red wine from last night.
Hopefully, I will not wake up dreaming of deprivation again tonight. Only four more days to go if I can stick with this. I hope it works to jump start my weight loss.
Last night I did not sleep well. I woke up in the middle of the night dreaming of deprivation. This is not a good sign. Finally, very early this morning, I fell asleep and slept very soundly until my husband came in asking why I was not yet up.
Normally, I start the day off with a cup of plain hot tea and a slice of sprouted grains toast with butter on it. But alas, there will be no toast today or any day that I am on this diet. Day one consists of at least one bowl of cabbage soup plus all the fruit I want, except for bananas. So this morning's breakfast was a bowl of cabbage soup. My husband was grossed out that I could even eat this stuff early in the morning. Heck, I was hungry and would eat almost anything. Surprisingly, it was not bad for breakfast and 8 ounces of the soup filled me up. I am thinking to myself that this diet may not be bad afterall.
For a mid morning snack, I had a half an apple. Originally, I had planned to eat a whole apple, but I was not that hungry. Lunch ended up being more cabbage soup and the other half of my apple. Wow, now I am cruising along and not feeling hungry. This is going to be a piece of cake, figuratively, not literally.
By mid afternoon, suddenly I was craving some bread and for the first time today, I was feeling hungry. I made some stewed prunes which helped fill the hole that was starting to form in my stomach. Since tomorrow will not allow fruit, I planned the rest of my fruit for today which emded up being a small amount of cantaloupe that I had in the refrigerator along with some strawberries and leftover stewed prunes.
As much as I first liked the cabbage soup, it is already starting to get old. But I will have another bowl tonight for dinner while I watch my husband eat the chicken parmesan that I will be making for him. Along with my soup and fruit, I will be drinking unsweetened herbal tea. Big comedown from the beef roast, potatoes au gratin, and red wine from last night.
Hopefully, I will not wake up dreaming of deprivation again tonight. Only four more days to go if I can stick with this. I hope it works to jump start my weight loss.
Deciding to Try the Cabbage Soup Diet
Two years ago, I reached my heaviest weight ever in my life. Most of my life I had been thin, both naturally and because I was a runner. But due to injuries, I could no longer run. That, together with age had allowed my weight to creep upwards gradually. I was miserable and the Christmas holidays were right around the corner. The prospect of adding additional weight over the holidays was very frightening so I decided to take charge of it before it got totally out of control
On the advice of a friend who had tried it, I joined a free website called www.sparkpeople.com. Spark People is a terrific site for those who are focused on long term changes for both weight loss and a healthy lifestyle. It also allows you to join various sub groups of people of similar ages and interests. They provide some excellent tools for meal planning, exercises, motivation, as well as tracking food and exercise minutes. Based upon your age, sex and amount of weight needed to lose, Spark People puts you on a recommended range of daily calories which includes not only a maximum number, but also a minimum number of calories per day.
In December 2008, I became a member of Spark People and religiously logged on every day and tracked everything I ate. Shortly after joining, I also became an active member of a sub group for those over 50 years of age who needed to lose ten pounds or less. The major focus of this group was exercise with the most popular challenge being the monthly pedometer challenge. What this challenge did was allow each participant to set a monthly goal of steps and then track them using a pedometer. Thus each person competed against themselves. I found this challenge a great way to force me to stay with my walking program which was my primary form of exercise.
I started off at 130 pounds and was only able to fit into two pairs of pants that I owned. My goal was to reach 118 pounds and fit into my favorite clothes. One of the first things I did was to eliminate sugar from my diet. This meant no sweets during the Christmas season. Some of my friends thought that was a bad idea, but it actually made staying with the program easier. From the first of December through the end of March, I stayed totally on my program. Every day, I logged in all my food, ate zero sugar, and walked at least three to five miles a minimum of five days a week. I lost sixteen pounds and became very fit. Spark People was a great way to give myself accountability and I really recommend it for anyone who wants to be on a long term weight loss and fitness program. Spark People is what you make of it, but it can be very time consuming tracking every bit of food and exercise.
Gradually, I got tired of logging everything in and fell back into some bad habits. In the last two years, I slowly had put back on a significant portion of that weight I had lost. Before it gets out of hand, I decided to try a different tact to jump start my diet. I am using the Cabbage Soup Diet www.cabbage-soup-diet.com for the first five to six days. If it works the way it is purported to do, it will be enough to get me back into eating better and healthier. Monday is my first day on the Cabbage Soup diet.
After making my decision to try the Cabbage Soup diet, on Sunday I went to the grocery store to purchase the ingredients for the soup. These included cabbage, onions, green bell pepper, two cans of diced tomatoes, carrots, and mushrooms. These ingredients were to be chopped up and mixed in large pan along with 48 ouces of water and two bullion cubes. I put all this into a crock pot and it was almost overflowing. Normally, the Cabbage Soup diet is followed for a maximum of seven days, but on the evening of Day 6, we will be attending a party, so I am planning on staying with it for five days. The soup will form the basis for my meals with certain specific foods allowed to accompany it each day.
Since I will be on a very restricted diet the next several days, I decided to enjoy a good dinner Sunday evening of roast beef, potatoes au gratin, asparagus with butter, and red wine. Monday begins my diet. Woo Hoo (sarcasm intended)!
These blog entries over the next several days are intended to document if and how the diet has worked for me on a daily basis and my impression of it.
On the advice of a friend who had tried it, I joined a free website called www.sparkpeople.com. Spark People is a terrific site for those who are focused on long term changes for both weight loss and a healthy lifestyle. It also allows you to join various sub groups of people of similar ages and interests. They provide some excellent tools for meal planning, exercises, motivation, as well as tracking food and exercise minutes. Based upon your age, sex and amount of weight needed to lose, Spark People puts you on a recommended range of daily calories which includes not only a maximum number, but also a minimum number of calories per day.
In December 2008, I became a member of Spark People and religiously logged on every day and tracked everything I ate. Shortly after joining, I also became an active member of a sub group for those over 50 years of age who needed to lose ten pounds or less. The major focus of this group was exercise with the most popular challenge being the monthly pedometer challenge. What this challenge did was allow each participant to set a monthly goal of steps and then track them using a pedometer. Thus each person competed against themselves. I found this challenge a great way to force me to stay with my walking program which was my primary form of exercise.
I started off at 130 pounds and was only able to fit into two pairs of pants that I owned. My goal was to reach 118 pounds and fit into my favorite clothes. One of the first things I did was to eliminate sugar from my diet. This meant no sweets during the Christmas season. Some of my friends thought that was a bad idea, but it actually made staying with the program easier. From the first of December through the end of March, I stayed totally on my program. Every day, I logged in all my food, ate zero sugar, and walked at least three to five miles a minimum of five days a week. I lost sixteen pounds and became very fit. Spark People was a great way to give myself accountability and I really recommend it for anyone who wants to be on a long term weight loss and fitness program. Spark People is what you make of it, but it can be very time consuming tracking every bit of food and exercise.
Gradually, I got tired of logging everything in and fell back into some bad habits. In the last two years, I slowly had put back on a significant portion of that weight I had lost. Before it gets out of hand, I decided to try a different tact to jump start my diet. I am using the Cabbage Soup Diet www.cabbage-soup-diet.com for the first five to six days. If it works the way it is purported to do, it will be enough to get me back into eating better and healthier. Monday is my first day on the Cabbage Soup diet.
After making my decision to try the Cabbage Soup diet, on Sunday I went to the grocery store to purchase the ingredients for the soup. These included cabbage, onions, green bell pepper, two cans of diced tomatoes, carrots, and mushrooms. These ingredients were to be chopped up and mixed in large pan along with 48 ouces of water and two bullion cubes. I put all this into a crock pot and it was almost overflowing. Normally, the Cabbage Soup diet is followed for a maximum of seven days, but on the evening of Day 6, we will be attending a party, so I am planning on staying with it for five days. The soup will form the basis for my meals with certain specific foods allowed to accompany it each day.
Since I will be on a very restricted diet the next several days, I decided to enjoy a good dinner Sunday evening of roast beef, potatoes au gratin, asparagus with butter, and red wine. Monday begins my diet. Woo Hoo (sarcasm intended)!
These blog entries over the next several days are intended to document if and how the diet has worked for me on a daily basis and my impression of it.
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