Perseverance helps when on a diet

This is the last of a three-part series about dieting tips.

The diet is progressing well, with weight in a downward trend. I'm pleased, of course, but my wife, Garnet, passed along a word of caution.

"Be careful of what you tell people in your column," she said. "You are not a dietitian ya know?"

I reassured her of being careful to make sure readers know this diet is working for me and, therefore, it may work for others. My diet with DietPower allows me to keep track of every item of food and drink to pass my lips. Plus any exercise conducted.

This series about dieting has brought many inquiries my way. Don't hesitate to call me or stop me when you see me if you have questions.

The diet began on Feb. 23 and my goal is to weigh 200 pounds on Aug. 28, the first day of the 50th reunion of The Great Class of 1965.

My weight today is 215.6, down from the beginning weight of 238.2 and 224 two weeks ago, when the first column about dieting appeared. The total weight loss is 22.6 pounds. At eight weeks and four days or 60 days, this means a loss of .377 pounds a day or 2.66 pounds a week. The program has my projected weight of 176.3 if I continue with my present calorie intake.

Brown rice is still the main food of my diet, but the additives have been increased. One cup of frozen brown rice is thawed and to the plate is added two ounces of, salmon, venison, walleye, carrots, broccoli, peas, beef, pork, boiled potatoes or any other food item desired, but not at the same time.

A typical breakfast will consist of one cup of rice, plus two ounces of salmon, carrots and venison, but I can't eat it all. Lunch this day will be the leftover ice mixture with two ounces of broccoli, walleye and peas added, but I can't eat it all.

Supper is whatever Garnet wants to cook, but I've ask her to allow me to eat just my rice mixture several nights a week. Last night we had spaghetti and meatballs. I ate two cups. Tonight my supper will be the rice mixture from lunch, with some potatoes, beef and more peas added. Garnet will eat leftover spaghetti.

I have not tired of the brown rice mixture, so far and for some reason. Perhaps the added items keep the mixture fresh. This diet is labor intensive, because of the way the food is prepared.

A salmon fillet is cooked, cooled and minced, then weighted in two ounce portions, placed in a resealable bag and frozen. The venison and other meats are cooked, cooled and chopped in a food processor.

Chopping or otherwise reducing the portion size to a bunch of pieces makes the food easy to distribute throughout the one cup of rice. Instead of a two-ounce piece of walleye on top of the rice, I have walleye mixed throughout the rice. Many of the vegetables do not require reduction from their original size, such as peas, but others, such as broccoli and cauliflower are chopped.

However, if I want a three-ounce piece of T-bone steak or pork chop, it is going to be in one piece.

Eating at restaurants

Eating at a restaurant requires a bit of research. When in Spokane, we usually eat at I-Hop. In the past I would order a chicken fried steak, which wouldn't work on this diet.

I ordered the stack of five pancakes and ate one with no butter and a little syrup. The other pancakes were brought home and eaten, one a day, until they were all gone. The I-Hop menu was studied on the Internet, so the Simple and Fit two-egg breakfast was ordered on our next visit.

On the plate were two egg whites, two slices of turkey bacon, two slices of wheat toast and a bowl of mixed fruit. It was delicious and fulfilling. However the bacon was loaded with salt, which may be skipped in the future.

We try to eat at Olive Garden when in Wenatchee, which presented another predicament. The menu was studied in depth. The waiter was questioned about a side salad, but they don't have such an animal.

I was still pondering the solution, when it was time to place our order. The waiter was a super nice guy and understood my dilemma.

"I'm going to bring you a plate and you can eat part of your wife's salad," he said.

This worked just fine. Remember, Olive Garden has unlimited salad, so the bowl would have been replenished if necessary. We had enough in one bowl.

A challenge needing a creative solution occurred in Odessa. Bill Witt, his son, Kevin, and I stopped at a small restaurant for lunch on the way to a hike destination.

Bill and Kevin ordered hamburgers and I asked about a side salad. They offered a dinner salad, with just a little lettuce for $2.50. I asked them to make me a $5 salad with the dressing on the side. The cook went out of her way to make a great salad, with some extra vegetables added.

DietPower has worked for me. Remember there is a 15-day free trial available. The cost is $27.95 through May 15. Plus there is a one-year money back guarantee.

Not only does the program record food items and the dieter's weight, but the nutrients in the foods eaten. A friend asked about my potassium level. The nutrient history indicated it was below 50 percent of the recommended 4,700 milligrams daily allowance for the day, week and month.

The plan is to eat a banana first thing every morning to see if the level grows. Eating boiled potatoes should help, too.

The goal is to reach 200 pounds or less on Aug. 28, but the real goal is to achieve the weigh and don't gain any more.