Buns Again

[bunsofaluminum]

Congrats on your bedroom and kitchen finds! This sounds so exciting. Thanks for sharing with us.

Good luck on going all potato for a while. I've been thinking about doing the same thing, but not ready yet. I wanted to recommend the microwave for your potatoes. I usually turn my nose up at actually cooking in the microwave. I've really just used it for reheating. I discovered how easy and quick cooking potatoes can be! And, they are very tasty. I put the potatoes in a quart size Pyrex dish with about 2 tbsp. water and cover. Anywhere from 10 - 14 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes works.

Hi Moonlight,

Yeah, I've nuked many a tater in my day. When I first started this journey nine years ago, I ate cold nuked potatoes out of hand almost every day. I have also cooked them overnight in the crockpot (which I plan on doing plenty of once I start this little experiment) but this morning, when truly nothing sounded good and I didn't want to bring any of the food I actually DO have in the fridge, I filled up my medium large saucepan with small yellow potatoes and water, and less than 20 minutes later I had five or six pounds of hand-sized, cooked, yellow potatoes and brought a passel with me to work for lunch today.

This is the plan. For the month of September, I am going to eat potatoes only. It already feels like a relief, for the simple reason of not having to figure out what's for food. Grocery shopping suddenly became EMINENTLY simple! I might make one exception, and that is the sliced cucumber I've been having for my snack between brekkie and lunch every day. I'll leave the saltines off but I love the freshness of the cukes, and they're really inexpensive at 2/.99c...I've been buying them six at a time all summer long and loving them. They're a yummy snack that I haven't gotten tired of. I'll have to think about that.

[bunsofaluminum]

argh I got the raging munchies yesterday and ate a huge amount of tortilla chips...and the scale was down a pound this morning.

[bunsofaluminum]

Oh for PETE'S SAKE!

Got my period? Holy cow!

I went for well over 12 months without, then had a humdinger in ... June was it? and now again two months later. Geez Louise, uterus KNOCK IT OFF



but that explains the out of control eating yesterday.

[Idgie]

That explains the unexplained loss. I lose right before my period, even if I eat all day long.

[bunsofaluminum]

False alarm...for whatever reason, I had spotting yesterday morning, and then nothing at all the rest of the day. Minor cramping. pfft.

menoPAUSE, body. PAUSE you get it?

I went right off the rails yesterday, eating a veggie burger and fries for lunch. Quite a bit of fat. But according to myfitnesspal, my total fat intake for the entire day was 17% which was much less than I thought it was going to be.

Now I want to talk about myfitnesspal. It's a handy tool for recording my calories, and it gives me a breakdown of my macros at the end of the day, plus I can see which meal was the highest in calories. And periodically it gives me little tips "This food is high in Vitamin A" or "your daily sodium goal is **** and this food has ****" or (my fave) "You have reached your fiber limit for the day!" But yesterday after posting the broccoli I ate with dinner, the little alert about my sugar intake. ??? As far as I recall, I didn't enter foods high in sugar ... and I switched the broccoli entry thinking maybe I'd entered some brand name with a sauce on it or something...still got the sugar alert with plain, produce aisle broccoli. Hmmm.

But one thing I have never seen on myfitnesspal is a PROTEIN alert. My stats come out between 10% and 20% fat, a little over 10% protein, and upwards of 75% carbs. I've gotten alerts about many things, but never anything about low protein. Isn't that interesting. I wonder if it would give me heck if my protein went really high? Not going to find out, mind you...ooh, I could just enter false data. See what happens if my entire day is meat and eggs!

finishing up the foods that I've got prepared in my fridge, and getting ready for The Great Potato Month!

[bunsofaluminum]

Boy have I ever gone into "pre-diet" mode. Because I'm starting a potato only regimen tomorrow, I'm going bats today...and yesterday I guess. What day was it that I ate fries? "ooh, I'm going to be severely restricting on Such and Such, so today I'm gonna go berserk."



yeah I know. And this is the first time I've ever done anything like this...go on a "diet" and then go nuts the day or so before. Pfft.

well whatever. I'm buying a couple 10 lb bags of red or yellow taters today. (Plain russets are too dry...though I might make air fryer fries or chips with russets.) And starting tomorrow, potato-ville.

Now I need to think what "berserk" means.

Yesterday for brekkie I had peanut butter toast with banana. Lunch was sushi from Kroger (It had that spicy mayo sauce and some fried red onion). Dinner oy! Pizza Hut. I picked off the meat but left the cheese THAT was berserk. First cheese I've eaten in ages.

Wednesday I had the veggie burger and fries for lunch. Then ate potatoes and broccoli for dinner. A banana for breakfast. And one day earlier this week, I ate a LOT of tostitos "hint of lime" (and then strange spotty bleeding that wasn't my period) and lost a dang pound. which has stayed off for petesakes.

I have some low fat veggie soup with me for lunch, and grapes. But I want something so junky. Like Cheetos. Or Reese's. Or chocolate covered cinnamon bears now I'm starting to gross myself out. I mean, I wanted those greasy fries, and ate them, and felt yucky for several hours. Why would I do this to myself on purpose? And...why am I now craving junky food so hard? Could it be related to the addiction I've been coddling lately? Fully entered the Pleasure Trap?

Anyway, it's gonna be fun explaining my potato diet to Wylie

[bunsofaluminum]

I think I may have figured out where this stress eating is coming from...my hyper-controlling, over-shoulder-into-the-cubicle-peering, IM-"reminder"-sending BOSS is off her meds or something.

Currently she's into creating this "adherence report" list. I work for an insurance company, as broker support. This means I deal with contracts, commissions, payee information, expiring licenses, etc. I also take calls, helping brokers with various things. So the boss has got it into her head that she needs to monitor the percentage of time per shift that we are on calls. The industry standard is 85% and none of us, not ONE team member, has EVER gone below 85%. My average is like 94%. But she creates a report for each person on the team, then pores over EVERY detail to see where we are off calls. For instance, "health break" (aka going to the bathroom) ... she went over one report with me where I had taken a really long health break... 18 minutes or something.

Well we ALL know I wasn't sitting on the dang toilet for that long...maybe I stopped in the break room to refresh my tea water and got visiting? Who knows. Then there was the morning when I had three "health breaks" in a half hour. I flat out informed her that my IBS kicked in that day and I had diarrhea. She wants to know the deets? Well I got DEETS for ya, honey. And then she stands and complains about ALL THIS WORK it takes to do these adherence lists. I asked her "Do you send the reports up to corporate?" "oh, no. That report doesn't go to corporate. We have others that they're interested in." IOW, the boss has CREATED THIS WORK for herself. She's doing something VOLUNTARILY that demands intricate detail, literally hours of work (mind you, she does one of these buggers for each of 12 different people) and then GRIPES about it. I've gotten to where I put myself in "project" rather than "health break"...let's see if she can figure that out.

There are the mandated 15 minute breaks. I must confess, a couple of months ago I took one that lasted 23 minutes...fell asleep LOL but I've pulled that around quite nicely. However, she still highlights anything over 15. Ooh, 17.32 minutes! Bad llama! Bad llama!

And today, an IM about one of my responsibilities. "Please take care of all the ______ in the broker inbox." WTF I do it EVERY DAY, several times a day! Have you ever known me NOT to do my job? Have I ever neglected ANY of my responsibilities? So I'm really frustrated with her right now. And she's such a child. Anxious? I'mma eat an entire 1 lb bag of caramel M&M's. Feeling down? Here goes all the candy corns. Oh, giggle. I've gained 13 pounds this month.

this is the same woman who said "no, I don't want you using your time to do data input. We have temps coming in to do that" so none of us did. And guess what...all the data was NOT inputted by the target date. AND she got on us about it. "When the system was supposed to go live, we weren't finished inputting the data! It didn't get DONE!" Like, getting on our case about slacking. This was at a team meeting and I piped up. She had no reply. Probably didn't remember saying it, but she also never communicates to the team via email (where we can keep track)...

yeah, this is just exactly where my stress is coming from. It felt good to write it out, and maybe I can get onto the Great September Potato Hack without all the emotional whatever.

PS the soup was nasty. Tasted like tin can and salt.

[Idgie]

Ohmigod, you've inherited my worst boss. I worked for her for 4.5 months, and she was like that! Micromanaged how I put labels on my folders, ferpetesake. My sympathies. If it helps at all, lately with my hateful co-workers who keep bringing in chocolates and trying to get me to eat them, I stay on my diet out of spite to them, and it works. One of them has taken to calling me "Skinny" in a snide way, and it just makes me laugh. I mean, I've lost 35 pounds after starting at 330. I'm in no way skinny, but I get a certain sick satisfaction out of losing weight because it pisses her off.

[bunsofaluminum]

Ohmigod, you've inherited my worst boss. I worked for her for 4.5 months, and she was like that! Micromanaged how I put labels on my folders, ferpetesake. My sympathies. If it helps at all, lately with my hateful co-workers who keep bringing in chocolates and trying to get me to eat them, I stay on my diet out of spite to them, and it works. One of them has taken to calling me "Skinny" in a snide way, and it just makes me laugh. I mean, I've lost 35 pounds after starting at 330. I'm in no way skinny, but I get a certain sick satisfaction out of losing weight because it pisses her off.

Oh yeah, my boss would fuss us about label application as well, if label application was part of our job. It's tough, because she really is a friendly, funny person. Sort of goofy and dorky, and would be SO much fun to hang out with. But she could have used more leadership training, I guess. Somehow, really good leaders garner loyalty, through trust in their team combined with self-confidence...now I KNOW my boss is very low on self-confidence, but she displays her lack of trust in our work with all her fussing and overseeing.

As for fat people at work...I weigh 239 lbs and half the team is there with me, or bigger. There are snacks and treats everywhere grrrr, but I'm with you, Idgie. Not gonna indulge You keep on losing and piss her off!

[Idgie]

As they say, We got this!

[VegSeekingFit]

I think I may have figured out where this stress eating is coming from...my hyper-controlling, over-shoulder-into-the-cubicle-peering, IM-"reminder"-sending BOSS is off her meds or something.

Yikes, Buns!! Sorry that you have to deal with the micro-managing boss from Hell... Have had a couple in my life - so get where you're coming from. (Although this no value added work and review of bathroom breaks is unbelievable!! WTH?? )
No fun. Hang in there!!!

[bunsofaluminum]

I think I may have figured out where this stress eating is coming from...my hyper-controlling, over-shoulder-into-the-cubicle-peering, IM-"reminder"-sending BOSS is off her meds or something.

Yikes, Buns!! Sorry that you have to deal with the micro-managing boss from Hell... Have had a couple in my life - so get where you're coming from. (Although this no value added work and review of bathroom breaks is unbelievable!! WTH?? )
No fun. Hang in there!!!

thanks VSF What I'll do is keep my head down and get my work done. and nod politely when she comes by to discuss my adherence report with me SMH.

Now, for the potato report.

1) I didn't start on Saturday, Sept 1, as planned. Mostly because my heart just wasn't in it, and partly because we were out and about SO MUCH. But I did make a plain baked potato the base for my salad at Sizzler. Also, there was candy in the house...actually pretty good stuff. *shrug*

1a) I did eat potatoes every day, but not ONLY potatoes.

2) it is harvest season, and though we didn't plant much, we DID plant tomatoes, and they are coming ripe and I'm GOING to eat fresh garden tomatoes. Lots of them.

So, we have a change of plan. I'm going to make potatoes the vast majority of my eating for the month of September. However, if something suitable, such as fresh vegetables, presents itself, I'll allow myself some. I'm thinking it will morph into all potatoes before the end of the month.

And, I might use ketchup and mustard, salt and pepper, salsa? maybe.

But yeah...potatoes are going to be my only starch, and I'm going to keep it VERY simple.

It was kinda strange in the grocery store, buying potatoes on Friday. My mind was raging, talking me out of trying this. I totally didn't want to do it, even as I was putting 5lb bags of yellow, and red, and some sweet, potatoes in my cart. I can't remember what my mind thought I should get, because I really didn't get much else. Wylie needed something and I got that for him...

well anyway, now it's settling into a work week and I can act normal again Potato Power!

[bunsofaluminum]

Ugh forgot to mention falling off my mom's back porch!

We're getting her basement ready for us to move in. She's getting up in years, though still extremely healthy, and Wylie needed more room. He's been suffering in the tiny cramped apartment we live in. At my mom's there is a yard and he loves doing garden-ish stuff. And her basement, the main room is almost as many square feet as our entire apartment. And we'll also have a bedroom and bathroom, and we'll share her kitchen. That's going to be the hard part.

Anyway, there are 11 steps to the basement, and yesterday I was up and down them a dozen or more times, as we moved some old books and stuff out, up to her spare room. Which was fine. I thought my knee might give me grief, but it was just fine and I was tickled. Well, Wylie had posted his vintage Art Deco bedroom set on Facebook and someone had come by, and I was stepping outside to listen in (Wylie had it all set up on the front lawn, thinking maybe someone looking for yard sales would stop and offer him money for it, then he just posted it for free on FB)...so I was feeling strong and fit, after carrying all those books up all those stairs, and my foot missed the porch step...I hit the edge, not the full step, and DOWN I went. Landed on my knee, and caught myself with my hands. It's just a single step, about 2" so it isn't like I fell down the stairs or anything. Still...*sigh* I need to get body busy, get some strength and balance back.

I was quite worried about the knee, but it doesn't even hurt a little bit today, but my wrist is back to painful. The ankle, just a little bit. It was much more a slow reflex thing, than a twisted ankle. But I went down hard. On cement. On the bum knee. Not so much as a bruise on that knee. But this wrist...I hurt it in January and it took a LONG time to be pain free...now here it is again hurting. Jeez, Louise.

[bunsofaluminum]

so, I totally did it yesterday. Potatoes for every meal, and I did have fresh garden tomatoes, and a cucumber, and made gravy for over my mashed potatoes for dinner last night. Etc. Little things like that, so it isn't 100% ONLY potatoes, but they made up more than 75% of every meal. Maybe it's like a Mary's Mini. Anyway:

1) from breakfast to lunch I was not hungry at all. Forgot all about my little cucumber snack at 10:30. Potatoes held me better by far than oatmeal.
2) everything tasted good
3) everything was super easy to prepare. The mashed taters and gravy were the most complex thing I did all day.
4) calorie intake: 1,039
5) Macros intake was 11% protein and 89% carbohydrate zero fat!
6) with that high a PERCENTAGE of carbs, you'd think my total GRAMS of carbs would be off the chart, but I was only 16g over the recommended 221g of carbs.
7) looking at the recommended fat grams on myfitnesspal...59
8 ) I thought potatoes had some fat in them, naturally? but maybe that's more in the grains, since they're seeds.

and "if every day were like today, in 5 weeks I'd weigh 223.5 lbs"

What I expect to happen:
1) I'll probably lose weight. I was fully satiated ALL DAY LONG, hungry right before meals, filled up nicely at every meal and came in at a little over 1,000 calories .

2) I also expect to be a bit "slower" as to digestion. Potatoes do slow me down, but since I tend toward the "fast and loose" thanks to IBS, I don't think it'll be a problem. We'll see. Hope I don't get constipated. Ugh. But my fiber intake was right on target, according to myfitnesspal.

3) once I get through the different things that I'm adding to my potatoes (tomatoes, spinach, etc) I think I'll be ready to go 100% potato. Again, we'll see. Weekends are going to be different. Wylie might want to go out to eat, etc. but I already know how simple grocery shopping will be. When I went into the store this morning to get more potatoes wasn't it JUST simple to cruise past everything else and pick up a 10# of russets. (and cucumbers, while they're cheap and SO DELICIOUS)

4) I think my mind will turn, and I will be much more "in the game" which is good. I've been trying pretty hard to bring around my behavior WITHOUT "being there" mentally. Wouldn't it be great if my head were on straight...once you get your mind in, your behavior is easy.

A thought that occurred...there have been a few people who have taken up the potato only diet, for two weeks, for 30 days, for a year, for three months, etc. They've made headlines, such as the president of the potato commission a couple of years ago. Potatoes only AND over the Thanksgiving season. (He formed a turkey shaped pile of mashed potatoes for his T'giving feast ) People are doing this, and keeping track of their numbers: blood sugars, lipids, etc and watching all of it improve AND making headlines. So my thought was Are people watching? Will they begin to see the value of a high carb regimen?

wouldn't it be something if high carb, whole food, low fat eating became a fad? I remember when the price of eggs soared, in the 90's when everyone was doing the Atkins diet. In our current society, animal protein is the center of every meal. I watched a cooking show last night where octopus was the main ingredient and one of the judges said "Octopus is one of my favorite proteins" and all I could think about was the superior intelligence of the octopus, and how humans are THE apex predator. We'll eat ANYTHING. ew. But wouldn't it be so cool if EVERYONE said "What's for dinner tonight? Shall we have rice?" and plan the meal around THAT.

Anyway, now I'm on day two of my potato...thing...and had sweet potato (the yellow kind, not the orange kind) on spinach with gravy. Sliced garden tomatoes on the side. Lunch is the same as last night's dinner. I bought a 10lb bag of russets, so I'll do something with my air fryer for dinner. Fries, or possibly chips. Or both. Mmm, air fryer fries with gravy since I made a lot of gravy last night. Poutine! yum!

[bunsofaluminum]

Buns: The Potato Journal


I was right about my poop slowing down, but this morning made up for it.

Yesterday, accdg to myfitnesspal, I had about 500 more calories than Tuesday. That's because I overate for dinner. Air fryer chips to start (two potatoes) and then air fryer fries (four potatoes) and stuffed my stomach quite full. Wasn't much hungry this morning though.

Cravings are a thing. I wanted beans BADLY yesterday and almost put some on my potatoes, then didn't. But boy I wanted me some BEANS! Still do.

I don't know if this is related, but my sleep was off last night. Stayed up until 11:00, then I was still awake when the clock chimed 12. Woke up cold some time later and Wylie put an extra blanket over me, then woke up at 3:20 to use the bathroom and I was still awake for the four o'clock chime. Then zonked until time to get up, which was nice.

My joints are feeling good. I had a tiny nudge way in the back of my mind about nightshades, and potatoes are said to have inflammatory yadda yadda, but everything feels fine.

Not weighing. Possibly after two weeks, maybe after one.