147.8 Do You Brush Your Tongue?

Do you brush your tongue with your toothbrush at least once a day?  I find that the cleaner my tongue is, the better my food tastes when I do eat.  A clean tongue helps keep breath fresh, too, not to mention it just looks better, whenever you show your tongue to people, which let's hope is not often, but still.

I have a strong gag reflex, and so brushing my tongue is a bit challenging.  I wait until I am done brushing my teeth, so that there is a bunch of suds from the toothpaste still there, but the toothpaste is no longer solid.  I brush my tongue quickly but firmly, starting as far back as I can go without choking, putting the toothbrush straight in, and not trying to brush sideways.

After I brush my tongue, I further clean it by sliding my front teeth along it from as far back as they will go, and pushing the toothpaste suds out into the sink.  The suds are always an off color, meaning they include debris which I have just cleaned off my tongue.

Your tongue should always look pink like mine does in this photo.  A dirty tongue will look white, especially in the middle and toward the back. This whiteness is food debris and bacteria that feed on the food debris.  This is really disgusting when you think about it, and also when you smell it.



This video is about brushing a pierced tongue, but it was the best video I could find on brushing any tongue. You do not need a special toothbrush to do a good job. She brushes her teeth until :55 on the video, when she brushes her tongue.

I maintained my weight perfectly yesterday, much to my pleasant surprise!  I had peanut butter toast right before bed, which is never a good idea.  At 147.8 pounds, I am firmly within my weight-loss goal of 145 pounds to 149.9 pounds.  For exercise, I walked the dogs 1.3 miles in our neighborhood park and did some vacuuming and laundry, which means going down and up the basement stairs.  Here is what I ate yesterday:

Small bowl of Special K and organic soy milk
1/4 cup peanut M&Ms
2 maple bars at church fellowship
El Monterey Beef burrito with salsa
Hamburger patty with 2 tablespoons BBQ sauce and steamed broccoli
1/4 cup peanut M&Ms
2 slices of wheat toast with 2 tablespoons chunky peanut butter

148.4 Another Zero Weight Gain Day

Another day of perfect weight maintenance! Keeping the weight off is getting more intuitive for me. I am getting a feel for how full my stomach should be, how much I should put on my plate, and how much leeway to give myself when someone shows up with treats or dessert.

I found a summer top that goes with these unusual jeans. I was thrilled to find it! My Spiderman lunchbox now sits up there where the birthday cards are in the photo.

For exercise yesterday I walked the dogs a mile in the park. Here is what I ate:

Small bowl of Special K and organic soy milk
Maple bar at church fellowship
El Monterey bean and cheese burrito with salsa
Leftover baked chicken, red bell pepper, carrots and onions
Silced Gala apple candied with 2 tablespoons of chunky peanut butter and 36 dark chocolate chips
Two handfuls of corn tortilla chips
One scoop of Breyer's mint chip ice cream

152.6 Starbucks Interview Outfit

This is what I am wearing to Starbucks this morning to interview a new client for my freelance writing business. These pants are paper thin linen, so I have long johns on underneath. They are size 10 and downright baggy, except in the waist. I'll order a skinny version of whatever Starbucks drink I get.

We walked the dogs two miles in the park yesterday. I also walked round and round the school halls during the regular teacher's preparation period.

Here is what I ate yesterday and was able to maintain my weight exactly, no gain and no loss:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and vanilla soy milk
Raw carrot sticks with 2 tablespoons Parmesan spinach dip
3 Peanut butter cookies
Slice of lemon meringue pie after school with other teachers
Plus 4 mini vanilla cupcakes with chocolate icing
Salmon patty and microwaved frozen stir fry vegetable mix

I wore this same outfit to school yesterday. I was cold after sitting still for a whole class period. I had to keep getting up and walking around just to get warm. This is an Angora sweater and I do have on long johns under the slacks. I was inside, so it surprises me that I got cold. I wore a parka over this while I was outside.

I am sure I get cold just because I am not used to being skinny. I am used to having a thick coat of fat on all the time. Fat is insulation that apparently works really well. I guess I will just have to bundle up more until it really is spring and the weather gets warmer.

152.6 My New Sweaters Fit!

Here I am in one of the women's size medium preppy argyle sweaters I bought last November. They fit! I am so happy! I will be wearing this outfit to teach high school freshmen science on Tuesday.

Yesterday started out as a diet day, but:

1) The Costco samples smelled way too good, and

2) I get cold easily now. I am thinking maybe I will hold on to these extra 7 pounds until the weather warms up a little. I am really cold and shivering whenever we go outside. My hands stay cold even inside my gloves. My body has not yet adjusted to being this thin, in the cold weather.

Here is what I ate yesterday and was able to maintain my weight perfectly at 152.6:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and vanilla soy milk

Scrambled eggs with garlic salt, fried red pepper and fried mushrooms -- no fat nor oil used in preparation

Costco samples: boneless skinless chicken breast marinaded in Korean spices and fried in Pam, chicken veggie patty, popcorn pepper shrimp fried in spicy sauce with stir fry veggies, raspberry scone

Sliced cucumber with balsamic vinegar, ham steak

I tried to tell myself those Costco samples had been my dinner, but I was really hungry after being outside in the cold. That is part of why I think holding on to these extra 7 pounds might be a good idea until spring when it starts getting warmer.

Spring is close. The birds are already singing in the trees outside our back door, whenever I let the dogs out to do their business.

161.4 Diet Day 13 of 14

I gained .2 pounds back yesterday and I weigh 161.4 again. I am shocked that I actually gained weight back! I walked my dog a mile and then I walked all over the VA Medical Center, Walmart and Costco. Here is what I ate:

3/4 cup Special K, 3/4 cup soy milk

Leftover baked chicken and carrots

Costco Sample Cheats:

1 lobster ravioli

1 bite-sized empanada

1/2 a mozarella stick

2 cups steamed broccoli and cauliflower, 1/4 cup grated cheese

That one Pasta Prima lobster ravioli is probably what did me in. It was as big as the palm of my hand and had cheese in it as well as lobster. I fully expected it to stall my weight loss for the day (but it was so good!), but I am shocked that I actually gained weight. We bought a package of the lobster ravioli. We plan on having it for dinner Sunday night.

I will be on keep trim eating, so I will only be trying to maintain my weight, not lose, but I better only have one ravioli and the rest vegetables!

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161.4 Diet Day 11 of 14

I lost 1.2 pounds yesterday! That is more like it! I now weigh 161.4. I walked twice yesterday, one mile in the morning and one mile in the afternoon. It looks like walking twice a day is more effective than walking two miles in the afternoon, so on days I don't teach that is how I will walk now.


This picture is my 1989 graduation from UC Berkeley. I was not weighing myself at the time, but I was a size 8.



Unfortunately, in my twenties I controlled my weight largely by smoking instead of eating. I really am learning for the first time how much I can eat and maintain my weight without gaining, let alone lose weight.



I quit smoking in 1995, a year after I got married. Like losing weight, quitting smoking was relatively easy to do once I made up my mind to do it. However, I substituted eating for smoking back then, and that is when the weight started to pile on.



Weight started to pile on me even faster in 1998 when I left teaching and got a desk job at Farmers Insurance. I was on salary and forced to work 70 to 80 hours per week, just to keep my job. I had no time for a personal life, let alone exercise. Eating was my comfort, sitting at my desk all that time. Losing that job in 2007 was devastating at the time, but now I am glad I woke up from that desk job trance. I only regret it took me until 2011 to realize I needed to lose the extra 100 pounds that had piled on while I did that desk job.



I walked two miles yesterday. Here is what I ate and still lost 1.2 pounds:



3/4 cup Special K, 3/4 cup strawberries, 3/4 cup soy milk

1/4 cup ham, 1 cup steamed broccoli and cauliflower

3/4 cup baked chicken, 1 cup baked onions and carrots