Deprivation Days: The Return of the Diabolical Diet Dice

It has been a long time since I've updated this blog. The end result of the original iteration of this was me getting down to 225 pounds. That was after starving myself for days on end and being generally unhealthy about the whole thing. Plus, it in no way prepared me for being off the diet.

One failed relationship later and I was heavier than I had ever been (280 lbs). I tried multiple variations on the diet dice, calorie restrictions, workout programs...but none of it was addressing the core problem. Namely, I eat crap. Lots of crap. Cheese fries with bacon, Baconator burgers from Wendys, Double Stackers from Burger King, Loaded meat and extra cheese pizzas, hot wings with blue cheese or ranch, Reece's peanut butter cups...all are so delicious and so horrible for me.

So, it came down to knowing what kind of exercise routine works for me and abandoning that aspect of the die roll. From now on, my dice only inform my diet. I am a couple of weeks into this new program and it seems to be working for me (I am only weighing myself once a week so I can't speak to the weight loss just yet). I just feel like I am expanding my horizons.

If you want to play along at home, here is how you do it...make a list of the six foods that ruin you. For me, they are sweets, sodas, potatoes, meat, cheese and condiments (to include salad dressings used for non-salad purposes). So, each morning, I wake up and roll my dice again. You may see where this is going.
1= No sweets
2= No Soda
3= No potatoes
4= No meat
5= No cheese
6= No Condiments

Now, cutting one of these out everyday isn't going to do anything. One day without sweets is no way to lose weight. So, the second die is rolled for the number of days I will go without these foods. This creates a cumulative effect. For example, this morning, I already knew from previous days I couldn't have soda or meat today. I rolled a 1 and a 2, meaning no sweets for two days. So, today I can't eat any sweets, sodas or meat. It really has helped me get creative as to what I can eat for which meal. Since my usual breakfast is a sausage, egg and cheese biscuit (no go due to the sausage) and a chocolately pretzel Special K car (no go due to the chocolate), I got creative and had a grilled cheese sandwich (which is far fewer calories than my usual breakfast). The past few weeks I have learned to make hummus for myself and tried various vegan recipes on days I couldn't have cheese or meat. Not everything has been delicious but I have at least been branching out.

On the exercise front, I am doing a slow but steady routine. I am doing the good old Couch to 5k program on alternating days (with only a range of 2.5 to 3.5 mph so as not to kill myself). On the other days, I do a 30 minute leisure walk (2.5 mph) as well as weightlifting, modified pushups and situps. On the Couch to 5k days I also do sidebends with weights, stomach crunches and full pushups. This way I am working out my arms and legs every day.

On Sundays, I don't work out and I eat whatever the hell I want. This way, no matter how many days in a row the dice say I can't eat meat (9 days and counting, so far)...I can still look forward to my beloved chicken wings and sausage at least once a week.

If you like challenging your mind to come up with new variations on things you will actually eat and you have about 40 minutes a day to work out...I might recommend this for you.

10-7-10: Oy

It has been awhile since I updated. I went on vacation to Indiana at the end of September with two things in mind regarding my diet...1) I was not going to stick to it since I was there to relax and have fun (this diet actually takes up a lot of my mental energies) & 2) I would regain some of the weight I lost over the last cycle.

I had two days of dieting after I got back from my trip and, sure enough, I had regained five of the 20 pounds I had managed to lose so far. That put me at 255 for all keeping track at home. Considering the fact that I ate until I felt like I couldn't breathe at every single meal I had in Indiana, I think a five pound backslide is pretty decent. I was really worried it would be ten.

Well, I got back on the diet horse for a new cycle starting on 9/29/10. So far, the diabolical dice have been living up to their name. I have been saving up unlimited days for special occasions (9/30- hanging out with my cousin and 10/2- a dinner with my parents at Outback) and decided to artificially scatter them into each weekend for the rest of the month. So 10/9, 10/16 and 10/23 will be my next pig out days in this cycle. With my unlimited eating days set in stone, the dice have turned up fasting days 4 times in the first 9 days of rolling. Now, according to the rules, that means I only have one more fasting day of the 21 remaining diet cycle days but this week has been super tough.

On 10/1 and 10/3 I had fasting days on either side of my Outback face stuffing. Which was fine and helped me feel like the Outback day wasn't so damaging. However on the 1st I stayed up about 23 hours straight and on the 3rd I drove 8 hours from Greenville to Virginia Beach. Both of those efforts took a lot out of me and I was dying for some food by the end of those days. It reminded me of being an extra in my friends' movie on the first day I tried fasting. Very tough.

Now, the dice have come up fasting on the 5th and the 7th as well. While it gives me hope knowing I have the 8th and 9th with food in my future, I am pretty much assuming the last fasting day will come ASAP...probably on Sunday the 10th. The other ugly truth lurking in my future is that I have not rolled a 2 yet at all. So, I have a lot of those pesky 500 calorie days in my future to not look forward to (but they are still better than starvation days).

No one asked but for the 4th I ate 2 chicken flatbread sandwiches and some fiesta potatoes from Taco Bell. On the 6th I had what felt like a feast after all these hunger days...a sausage, egg and cheese croissant with a chocolate drizzled special K bar for breakfast; a Marie Callendar chicken flatbread sandwich for lunch and 25 BBQ chips, 49 reece's pieces and a ham, turkey and cheese sandwich on wheat with mustard, salt & pepper. Yesterday was good, but I am back to the hunger again today. Oy.

Josh

Phase 2, Day 20 the second weigh-in

It has been awhile since I posted but I wanted to update on my two weigh-ins. As I suspected, on my day 10 weigh-in, I clocked in at about 259. Not as much loss as I had hoped but some. This morning, at day 20, I weighed in at exactly 250 lbs! I am very excited. The days of starvation seem to be paying off.

I have made a couple of decisions. On the next 30 day cycle, I will keep the calorie count the same but increase my exercises (ever so slightly). However, I will be off the dice for the length of my coming vacation to Indiana. I hope to get in lots of walking and not go crazy with food but I also want to enjoy myself.

Just as an update, I have kept to my rolls. The past 15 days have gone like so:

8/26= Eat anything I want, drink soda at meals and water in between.
8/27= 1000 calories, water at meals and soda in between
8/28= Eat anything I want, drink mostly soda with a little water
8/29= 2000 calories, water and meals and soda in between
8/30= 500 calories, nothing but water
8/31= 1000 calories, nothing but soda
9/1= Fasting, mostly soda to drink
9/2= Eat anything I want, drink nothing but soda
9/3= 500 calories, water at meals and soda in beween
9/4= fasting, soda at "meals" and water in between
9/5= 2000 calories, drink mostly soda
9/6= 500 calories, water at meals and soda in between
9/7= 2000 calories, all soda
9/8= 500 calories, mostly water
Today= 2000 calories, nothing but water

As you can see, some good variety and it seems to be working. A nine pound drop between 8/30 and today is pretty good considering there was an "eat anything I want" day in there. Check back soon for more of my struggles with weight.

Josh

Phase 2 Day 5: 8/25/10

The fasting went well yesterday, I think. No permanent damage, anyway. Today, I rolled a 4 and a 5. That is 1500 calories and mostly soda to drink.

For breakfast, I had a Jimmy Dean Sausage, egg and cheese croissant (and 20 reese's pieces) to get me up to 500 calories. I drank some Coke Zero with it. I then waited until about 4pm to eat again and I had five chicken tenders from Hardee's with the creamy buffalo sauce, a medium fry and some ketchup. And a Diet Dr. Pepper. Of course, I am starving right now but at least I can look back with fondness on my meal today.

I also did my 20 pushups and 20 situps like I was supposed to so the exercise component is chugging right along as well.

Josh

Phase 2 Days 3 and 4: 8/23 to 8/24

I guess I should backtrack and explain what happened Sunday after I rolled the 500 calories. I ate a ham, turkey and cheese on wheat with mustard, salt and pepper. I had 1 pack of 100 calorie yogurt covered pretzels and 19 Pringles blazin' buffalo chips. I also drank water all day.

Praise be to the diet dice yesterday as I rolled a 6 and a 1. The 6 allowed me to eat whatever I wanted all day. The 1 kept me drinking water. So, I consumed a sausage, egg and cheese biscuit with a hashbrown from McDonalds first thing. For lunch, I snacked on a large fry with ketchup and a steak and cheese sandwich from Jack in the Box. Of course, I had to work out so, before dinner, I did my 20 situps and 20 pushups. Then I ate a 10 piece tongue torch wing meal with fries and ranch dressing from Zaxbys. Then, topped it all off with more Reese's Pieces than I can count. I was blissfully happy and probably topped out at no more than 3500 calories for the day. Then I took a 30 minute walk (partly outside, partly on the treadmill due to wild dogs roaming the streets) and I was done.

Today was not so nice to me. I rolled another 1 and a 3 for drinks. I am kind of glad to be getting the fasting days out of the way but whooo boy, is it tough after coming off that calorrific Monday. Since the catch of a 3 for beverages is water at meals and soda in between, I just drank water and then switched to soda when I wanted (all zero calories, of course). I am getting a slight headache here as I go to bed but I am happy that tomorrow I am guaranteed some food.

Josh

Phase 2 Day 2: 8/22/10

Fasting yesterday was not as hard as I thought it would be. I was an extra in a movie some friends of mine are shooting and that required sweating profusely and running back and forth across a field all night. My weigh in this morning is 258 pounds. I don't know if I will weigh myself every day but it might be good to keep track of how this diet is going.

Today, I was really hoping for a high roll since the last time I ate was Friday at 5pm. Instead I rolled double 2's. So, 500 calories of food, no exercise and mostly water to drink today. I am going to see a movie, wash some clothes and hang out with my friend, Jay, so there shouldn't be anything too strenuous in my future.

I will check in tomorrow and let you know what's up.

Josh

Phase 2 Day 1: 8/21/10

Today is the first day of my new, hardcore cycle. Befitting such a monumental achievement, I rolled a 1 on my food dice today and a 5 on my beverage dice. Let's review what this means for me...

1= No exercise, no food. Today is a fasting day but at least I don't have to work out. The crazy thing is that I went to bed hungry and woke up hungry from yesterday's 2000 calorie day. However, if I am to defeat this beast called fatness, sacrifices must be made.
5= Mostly soda with a little water as a snack. This should bloat me nicely.

Here is a pro tip, as a friend of mine might say: when you weigh yourself, make sure you actually read the numbers. I was in a bit of a funk yesterday because I thought I had lost no weight over the past 60 days of the Diabolical Diet Dice. However, it turns out I am just stupid. I have dropped 11 pounds in 60 days (down from 270 to 259). Of course, the first 10 are the easiest. From here on out, it gets hard.

In my life today, I will be an extra in a movie some friends of mine are shooting. So, yeah, that should be fun if I can stay conscious.

Josh