Stop being lazy

I am still not keeping up with my diet as well as i should. I think it's nearly THAT time so I am tired and blah and getting lazy about it. But I had a weird dream last night (I won't go into it, it's on my other blog) and then this morning I got frustrated about other things and decided this is it. I have had enough. I am tired of being tired, I am tired of being lazy, I am tired of not seeing any progress.

I am cleaning my house today. InshaAllah tomorrow, I will get the stroller out of the car and go for a long walk tomorrow. I need to started some form of exercise, house work and daily walks are about the only things I can do for now.

Yesterday, I went grocery shopping with the baby and we had a pretty nice day, he was good boy, mashAllah. I broke my "No non-halal" rule and ate a chili cheese burrito from Taco Bell. I used to eat those all the time when i was in college, but they quit making them. I usually only eat halal, but occasionally will eat Wing Stop wings, maybe some pizza from Pizza Hut. And if and when Burger King has those Italian chicken sandwiches...I will be in line for that, too.

I have been thinking I really need to plan my meals from the beginning of the day. I am still trying to figure out just how much food I eat before I sop feeling hungry. And sometimes I am not hungry, the food just tastes good. And a lot of the time, I have realized that I eat when i am depressed or stressed. I need to find something else for comfort.

Back on the Wagon

This has given me a little bit of encouragement. I need to kick myself and get back in line.

http://health.msn.com/weight-loss/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=100218116&imageindex=10

Changes

My "diet" has stalled. I am not staying in control as much as I should. I am still eating less than I normally would, I have not been stuffing myself, but I could probably do better and eat less. I am not eating as slow as I was in the beginning and I am not taking smaller bites like I was before. I don't think I have done too much damage, though, just getting a bit lazy. Alhumdulillah, at least I have not gained anything. I am still where I was three weeks ago.

I need to remember to eat slowly, chew thuroughly, take more drinks in between bites. I think, also, instead of three big meals, I can eat smaller meals more often, like I had to do when I had gestational diabetes. Six small meals a day. Inshaallah, that will help my sudden hunger, like a few hours after breakfast, and the low blood sugar I get sometimes. But if I do that, I have to pay attention to what I eat and not eat too much sugary stuff at the wrong time. I should try to aviod sugary junk food anyway, except once or twice a week and eat more "natural" unprocessed food.

I also need to start some form of exercise. InshaAlah I will keep the baby's good stroller with me in the apartment instead of in the car with my husband all day and go for walks inthe morning after his breakfast. We both enjoy them and the weather is nice now, mashAllah. I also need to do some crunches. I was thinking to do 100 a day for now, maybe 20 with each prayer?

InshaAllah, I want to lose at least ten pounds by the New Year.

Two weeks.

Bismillah...

Just a quick post to update on how the diet is going.

Honestly, I have been slipping a bit. I am still eat quite a bit less than I normally would but that seems to be increasing a little day by day. and I can feel myself getting a bit lazy, and losing it a little when faced with something good to eat. Like yesterday I made biryani and it is was good, mashAllah. Probably ate a bit too much rice.

BUT, alhumdulillah I was actually down a few pound this morning. what gives? The scales have been stuck for days, weeks, whatever, but at least, it has not increased any over this time.

It has now been about two weeks since I started.

Copied Posts

From Oct. 7
Diet Progress...

Bismillah hir Rahman nir Rahim

Well, since my diet blog is under review (at least I hope it is, I have no idea how it works) I will just track my progress over here for now. The last few days I have done okay on portion control. At least, I am eating less than I usually would. I am trying to control how fast I eat, also. And taking smaller bites. The scales have not moved in a week. Right now I weigh ۞۞۞ - 15 and I want to weight ۞۞۞ - 55 Yeah, you didn't think I was really gonig to put my weight on here, did you? I am okay with ۞۞۞ - 15 because just a few short months ago I weighed ۞۞۞. Confused? Well, sorry, can't reveal what ۞۞۞ is till I'm ۞۞۞ - 25, haha. But it gets discouraging when your scales hardly move anymore. I really shouldn't check everyday, just once a week. But it's still the same, week after week. I know I have to give it more than just a week. I am going to hold out till New Year's and then see where I'm at.

From Oct. 8

Diet Woes

I have been doing okay on the "diet", I guess. I am definitiely eating less than I usually would. Now I need to work on the things I actually do eat. I tend to get the munchies late at night. I need to snack on healthier stuff, instead of cookies and chips like I have been doing (even if i am eating just a few.) Maybe some baby carrots or some fruit. I think I better start eating more simple things, fruit, veggies, milk, bread. Staple foods, that don't have goofy cartoons on the package, right?

I think I also need to eat a bigger breakfast, I get really hungry about two hours later. So far I have been eating one slice of toast and a glass of milk for breakfast, which is more than I usually eat, I used to never eat breakfast at all. I think I will go ahead and add another slice of toast.

I am feeling hungry right now. But I notice that after a while it is not so bad, i can deal with it. If I start feeling weak or get low blood sugar, I eat some peanut butter or drink a glass of milk, eat some cheese. Within a few minutes I feel fine. It's kind of like "borderline" hungry. Weird, but I feel it in my arms and legs. I feel less heavy and lazy. But I STILL weigh ۞۞۞ - 15. And I still look like I weigh ۞۞۞. I know it takes time, got to reverse those wheels. I'm chugging along. Got to be patient. Wait till at least November before I see anything going on.

InshaAllah I am planning to make up my missed fasts and also try to fit in six fasts for Shawwal (the month after Ramadan) starting tomorrow. I missed eight this year, so that is two weeks, but they don't have to all run together. I will be honest, I actually have more than just this year's missed fasts. But I do not know if or how to make them up, if I am even allowed to do that. And if it comes down to feeding a poor person to make up for a fast, I can not afford that these days, I kind of AM the poor person right now. Just last year, I had a baby in the middle of Ramadan, I missed that whole month. A few other years, I did not make all of the missed up, due to my own laziness, astaghfurillah. I am trying to get right with Islam and with Allah, I need to find out what to do about making up a LOT of fasts.

Not Guilty

Bismillah...

Okay, I think my diet blog has been aquitted of any spam or wrong doing. So I will copy some of my diet related posts from my main blog over here.

As of yesteday, I have been slipping a bit. I have been a bit down lately, and when I get depressed, I tend to get the munchies and eat more. InshaAllah, I will straighten all this out and get back down to business.

Rules (based on the ahaddith)

Bismillah...

I am not a scholar, of course, so these "rules" were created based on my limited understanding of the ahaddith that I already posted. Whether I mistook the true meaning behind the haddith I was reading or not, they make sense to me, and I hope, inshaAllah, that these tips are sound enough advice to follow. For the next three months I am my own "guinea pig", so I am not trying to pass this off as a ligitimate weight loss plan. I just want to try to follow the Sunnah of eating more closely and see if it can help me feel healthier and look better.

Start your meal with “Bismillah.”

۞Use your right hand to eat (and drink.)

۞Do not over eat or stuff yourself.

۞Use moderation and portion control.

۞Use self control.

۞Do not satisfy your hunger fully three days in a row.

۞Eat LESS and drink MORE.

۞Use 3 dates and water as a snack to “tide you over.” (or 7 if you feel really hungry.)

۞Rinse you mouth after drinking milk (due to fat content.)

۞Do not dine in extravagance. Simplicity and moderation is best.

۞Get by on half (or two thirds) of what you normally eat.

۞Eat slowly and stop before you are totally full or when you no longer feel hungry.

۞Chew your food slowly.

۞Do not recline like a lazy person, sit up (so your food digests properly.)

۞Respect your food.

۞Do not drink (or eat) directly from the container.

۞Do not breath heavily, or spit back into the drink container.

۞Take a sip and then take a breath. (Breathe into between sips, 3 at a time. Do not take large gulps.)

۞Do not insult someone’s cooking.

۞If you like it, eat it (in moderation.) Do not deprive yourself.

۞If you don’t like, don’t eat it. (And don’t put it on your plate and waste it.)

۞Enjoy sweets in moderation, do not deprive yourself.

۞Eat dates (or take bites) one at a time. (Finish one bite before taking another.)

۞Do not eat garlic right before going to the masjid. (Rinse your mouth and brush your teeth thoroughly whenever you eat garlic.)

۞Lick your fingers when you are finished eating.

۞Invite others to join in your meal, no matter their status, or the amount of food being served.

۞When eating with others, pass food to the right.

۞If you are eating dinner at the time of Isha iqama, finish your meal before praying.

۞Say Alhumdulillah (at least) after eating.

۞Cover your food at night, put it away, saying bismillah.

Ahaddith About Eating In Islam

Bismillah...

The first haddith from at-Tirmidhi is the basis for my Islamic diet:

"A person fills no vessel worse than his [or her] stomach. It is sufficient for the son of Adam to have a few mouthfuls to give him [or her] the strength he [or she] needs. If he [or she] has to fill his [or her] stomach, then let him [or her] leave one-third for food, one-third for drink, and one-third for air."
(At-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah)


From Bukhari:

Volume 7, Book 65, Number 287:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
The family of Muhammad did not eat their fill for three successive days till he died.

Volume 7, Book 65, Number 304:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah's Apostle said, "The food for two persons is sufficient for three, and the food of three persons is sufficient for four persons."

Volume 7, Book 65, Number 306:
Narrated Ibn 'Umar:
Allah's Apostle said, "A believer eats in one intestine (is satisfied with a little food), and a kafir (unbeliever) or a hypocrite eats in seven intestines (eats too much)."

Volume 7, Book 65, Number 310:
Narrated Abu Juhaifa:
Allah's Apostle said, "I do not take my meals while leaning (against something.)

Volume 7, Book 65, Number 320:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
The Prophet never criticized any food (he was invited to) but he used to eat if he liked the food, and leave it if he disliked.

Volume 7, Book 65, Number 342:
Narrated 'Aisha:
Allah's Apostle used to love sweet edible things and honey.

Volume 7, Book 69, Number 530:
Narrated Abu Said Al-Khudri:
I heard Allah's Apostle forbidding the drinking of water by bending the mouths of water skins, i.e., drinking from the mouths directly.


Just wanted to add this one, I thought it was beautiful, and most people need to be reminded of this:

Volume 7, Book 65, Number 370:
Narrated .Abu Huraira:
The Prophet said, "When your servant brings your food to you, if you do not ask him to join you, then at least ask him to take one or two handfuls, for he has suffered from its heat (while cooking it) and has taken pains to cook it nicely."

Intro

Bismillah hir Rahman nir Rahim

Now that Ramadan is over, I have decided to go on a diet again. Before Ramadan I was doing low carb, which has worked for me in the past(I lost about 15 pounds this summer), but it's really hard to deprive myself of pasta, rice, bread, cookies, CHOCOLATE. It also gets expencive, with all the meat you have to eat, and Atkins bars are not cheap. So, instead of going on a low carb diet, I decided to try something different.

For the next three months I want to document my success (or lack there of) at what I call the "Sunnah Diet." Sunnah roughly mean the lifestyle of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. As Muslims we should always try to follow the Sunnah, inshaAllah, to perfect our own religious lives. The Sunnah is found in the haddith, the sayings and deeds of the Prophet, peace be upon him. The haddith cover almost anything you can think of, everything from the proper way to pray, enter and leave your house, bathe, even go the bathroom. The Islamic manners for eating are also in the haddith.

To keep it brief, Islamic dieting (or my understanding of it) is mostly about portion control. You are not supposed to overeat and stuff yourself silly. You should have some personal control over how you eat, meaning don't scarf it down, eat it slowly. You should also drink lots of water or fluids. You should fill your stomach with 1/3 food, 1/3 drink, and 1/3 air (air is the empty space, from not filling yourself totally.) Eat until you are not hungry. And there is no deprivation, you can enjoy your cookies and sweeties, but in moderation. Moderation is the key to everything in Islam. But keep in mind, the earliest Muslims on up until recent times did not have all the processed junk food we have today. Don't eat your Oreoes straight out of the bag. Put a few on a plate, and don't sneak back for more. CONTROL YOURSELF.

InshaAllah I will post the haddiths that I read, the "rules" so to speak. I thought this was the best time to start, with Ramadan still fresh on my mind, and the knowledge that self disciplne and self control are possible. All during Ramadan, I woke up at 5:00 or 5:30 to eat breakfast, near impossible feats for me! But I was determined to not ruin my fasts by skipping Suhur and missing Fajr. I was determined to not miss my fasts, even though I was evacuating for Hurricane Ike, or because I was nearly killed by a tree falling on the house.

I intend to keep up with my dieting for the next three months. I am going to "expose" myself a bit, and admit how much I weigh....hmm, maybe next post.