I was in a slump at the end of January as my weight went from 193.6, down to 188 in one week, and then shot back up to the 190s for 2 weeks in a row. I posted on 3FC and got some wonderful insight and advice on how to get over a plateau, and look what happened! Two weeks later, and I am down to 183.2. Happy days!
The best bit of advice was "push yourself harder at exercise" and I realized that - yeah - I wasn't pushing myself nearly hard enough. I did start the conservative Couch to 5K, but I am doing it at my own pace. You are supposed to move up increments every week, but I am moving up when I can, so its basically taking me 2 weeks per phase. But the awesome news is, I can do 1:50 jogging and once I did 2:20 seconds! This is amazing to me and I feel SO accomplished. I know it doesn't sounds like much (even to me if I think about it too much), but the fact that I have never exercised EVER and couldn't walk a block a year ago, my goodness. I'm awesome! I can't wait 'til I can go for 30 minutes. I am going to feel great!
I never followed through on my WiFit every other day plan. I am going to look for a DVD that has a free-weight toning routine for upper body and see if I can't follow through with that.
Another goal I am working on right now is to get grains out of my diet entirely and to up my protein intake. I am hoping this is going to boost the last 50ish pounds of loss. My realistic hopes is that by the end of this year I will be at goal. My FANTASY is that it will only take half that time. So, to try to achieve the fantasy, cutting carbs more seems to be a step in the right direction.
I hardly eat grains now except my morning oatmeal. So my first step is to stop eating the oatmeal (cry) and switch to eggs in the morning. I am also going to forgo my half-sandwich lunch and start eating more yogurt and probably salad AND soup (instead of one or the other) and also up my legumes which I have been avoiding due to calorie count. We will see how this goes. It has been 13 months of oatmeal every morning and I am used to the feeling of fullness. Lately though, I have been getting hungry at 11:00 and 4:00. I think my added jogging has done this, and I need more calories (I'm only doing 1200-1400 now) but instead of upping calories, I'm going to try this shift of food stuffs.
In non-fat related news, we are looking for a house! This is the first time in a year I have had my thoughts concentrated on something other than weight loss. It is strange. I have devoted so much emotional time and energy to learning about nutrition and keeping track of calories, and now suddenly I find that I am thinking about ways to save money (still working on the dang down payment) and mortgages and if we can afford to live in the part of town we want to live in... it's a complete shift of perspective. I am not NOT thinking about weight loss (obviously...). It is just bizarre to have something else going on in the back of my mind all the time.
Until next time...
tracker
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
I was on track with exercise for 2011...
and immediately got derailed by a ridiculously bad cold!
I still feel pretty terrible, but at least at this point I can think cohesive thoughts and I don't feel like I am living in a fog or wading through jello (that is the best way I can describe the slooooow feeling this cold has given me). As much as I loved spending time with my little nieces, perhaps letting the sickest one sleep in bed with me the first night while she hacked and coughed right in my face for 6 hours wasn't the wisest of decisions. But she is adorable, and I love her, so whatevs!
In any case, on Monday and Tuesday of last week, I took my 10 minute morning walks with the pups (5:30am UGH), and then my two 15-minute hilly walks during work breaks (and climbed 4 flights of stairs, four times!). Monday I did my Wiifit Yoga routine, and Tuesday I started my couch-to-5k (conservative) program. And by Wednesday, I was knocked on my plentiful behind wheezing, runny nose, head ache, sore throat... the whole works.
Even though I am feeling better now (I will be doing my yoga tonight), I won't be getting back out in the cold weather to do my walk/run until my lungs stop feeling like they are trying to claw their way out of my chest. I feel defeated and like I am letting myself down because I finally got myself pumped up to exercise, and I physically just CAN'T. But, as the husband pointed out, just because I didn't start on January 4 (my 1 year healthiversary) doesn't mean the rest of my year is screwed... I'm just off of my self-imposed schedule.
OK I pepped talked myself into feeling a little better about this.
For those curious, my exercise routine is as follows:
10 minute morning walk with the dogs
2x 15-minute walks during the day (during work breaks)
climb at least the 4 flights of stairs of my office building at least once a day
Tues, Thurs, Sat, work on couch to 5k (30 minutes of walk/run)
Wiifit Yoga for 30 minutes the other 4 days
If that routine doesn't do the trick of meeting my 2011 goal of 1 pound per week loss, then I am most likely going to be joining a gym to start weight training/toning.
I still feel pretty terrible, but at least at this point I can think cohesive thoughts and I don't feel like I am living in a fog or wading through jello (that is the best way I can describe the slooooow feeling this cold has given me). As much as I loved spending time with my little nieces, perhaps letting the sickest one sleep in bed with me the first night while she hacked and coughed right in my face for 6 hours wasn't the wisest of decisions. But she is adorable, and I love her, so whatevs!
In any case, on Monday and Tuesday of last week, I took my 10 minute morning walks with the pups (5:30am UGH), and then my two 15-minute hilly walks during work breaks (and climbed 4 flights of stairs, four times!). Monday I did my Wiifit Yoga routine, and Tuesday I started my couch-to-5k (conservative) program. And by Wednesday, I was knocked on my plentiful behind wheezing, runny nose, head ache, sore throat... the whole works.
Even though I am feeling better now (I will be doing my yoga tonight), I won't be getting back out in the cold weather to do my walk/run until my lungs stop feeling like they are trying to claw their way out of my chest. I feel defeated and like I am letting myself down because I finally got myself pumped up to exercise, and I physically just CAN'T. But, as the husband pointed out, just because I didn't start on January 4 (my 1 year healthiversary) doesn't mean the rest of my year is screwed... I'm just off of my self-imposed schedule.
OK I pepped talked myself into feeling a little better about this.
For those curious, my exercise routine is as follows:
10 minute morning walk with the dogs
2x 15-minute walks during the day (during work breaks)
climb at least the 4 flights of stairs of my office building at least once a day
Tues, Thurs, Sat, work on couch to 5k (30 minutes of walk/run)
Wiifit Yoga for 30 minutes the other 4 days
If that routine doesn't do the trick of meeting my 2011 goal of 1 pound per week loss, then I am most likely going to be joining a gym to start weight training/toning.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
One Year On Track (137 pounds lost!)
Copied over from 3fc but keeping it here for prosperity too (much less detail then I was actually planning on since I have everything here in the blog already, but still nice to have)
---
On January 4, 2009 I set out to change my life. I have never really dieted before, but I just knew a "diet" wouldn't work for me. I needed a permanent lifestyle change that would be a FOREVER solution to my food issues. After researching options, looking up the science behind weight loss, and reading up on nutrition, I started clean eating and calorie counting.
When I started, I told myself I would stay on track for 1 FULL year before giving up, and I would re-evaluate at that time. So here I am, my most important mini goal has been met. I have not had a cheat day/meal in 365 days, and I have a loss of 137 pounds to show for it (with very little exercise). The nitty-gritty details of how I did it can be found on my blog, here.
Onto the pictures! (see photo page, here)
More importantly than looking better, here is a small smattering of some of the physical and health related changes I have since losing the weight:
My goal weight is still 55 pounds off, and I know that the next year is going to be more of a challenge then the last. I have issues with getting enough exercise, but that must be my next step in order to reach my final goal, a "normal" BMI.
I suppose I could go on and hit ya'll with an even larger wall of text but I'll spare you :) My blog (link in my signature) holds all kinds of information if you are still interested though!
Thanks to you all for your motivation and kind words. I don't think I could have done this without you 3FC chicks and roosters as a big portion of my support system.
---
On January 4, 2009 I set out to change my life. I have never really dieted before, but I just knew a "diet" wouldn't work for me. I needed a permanent lifestyle change that would be a FOREVER solution to my food issues. After researching options, looking up the science behind weight loss, and reading up on nutrition, I started clean eating and calorie counting.
When I started, I told myself I would stay on track for 1 FULL year before giving up, and I would re-evaluate at that time. So here I am, my most important mini goal has been met. I have not had a cheat day/meal in 365 days, and I have a loss of 137 pounds to show for it (with very little exercise). The nitty-gritty details of how I did it can be found on my blog, here.
Onto the pictures! (see photo page, here)
More importantly than looking better, here is a small smattering of some of the physical and health related changes I have since losing the weight:
- I can cut my toenails without holding my breath and leaning to the side to do so
- My feet don't hurt at the end of the day anymore
- I can easily climb 3 flights of stairs (and not even be winded!)
- I no longer wake up all night from sleep apnea
- Even better, I no longer wake up with stomach acid in my throat and lungs and don't have to down antacids before going to bed nightly
- My diabetes is gone
- The nerve pain I had running from my lower back and into my thigh is gone
- My NASH / fatty liver cleared up
- I barely break out anymore
- I can bend and stretch and move in ways that I didn't even know I couldn't do
- My hands don't fall asleep much anymore
My goal weight is still 55 pounds off, and I know that the next year is going to be more of a challenge then the last. I have issues with getting enough exercise, but that must be my next step in order to reach my final goal, a "normal" BMI.
I suppose I could go on and hit ya'll with an even larger wall of text but I'll spare you :) My blog (link in my signature) holds all kinds of information if you are still interested though!
Thanks to you all for your motivation and kind words. I don't think I could have done this without you 3FC chicks and roosters as a big portion of my support system.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Happy New Year and a New Me
The last year has gone by in a flash. I look back and part of me thinks, "geez, that was so easy, why didn't you do it sooner?" and of course the answer is, "I wasn't ready yet."
On the other hand, if you would have told me last New Years Day, as I was shoveling gingerbread cookies (I ate an entire tin of 100 cookies between December 23 and Jan 2) in my mouth that I would be 137 pounds lighter in just a year, I would have laughed and said you were crazy! I would definitely not have believed that such a huge weight loss could be done without surgery, without a specific diet, and without lots of exercise, and by me, Mrs. I See-It-So-I-Must-Eat-It.
The weird part is, and I don't really like to tell people this when they ask me about my journey... it has been easy. The most problem I have has was the week before the holiday break from work when folks brought in home-made baked goods. I did not allow myself to have any, but, I broke down into tears like a psychopath. I wrote about it on 3fc.
When I decided to start this journey, I set out to do this 100%. I figured, why go to a partial effort? So, that's the way I have approached every single day. When I feel temptation, I go through a mental check and balance: If I eat X, then this is the result. And then I either have the item, or I don't depending on what it is. I say 'no' to certain things though (sugar, breads that aren't whole grain, rice) and am honest with myself about the consequences of over-eating (if I have 2 tablespoons of cashew butter now, I cannot have popcorn later). It has worked for me.
I think my real challenge with this weight loss process is about to start and I am nervous about the coming year. I am not going to be having the automatic encouragement of seeing weight melting off with almost zero effort (other than not eating like I have 2 butt-holes, as my dear friend Chris once put it hehehe). There are new changes I need to make, and it is a challenge that I have not really had to face. As anyone who has kept up on this blog knows, exercise is my downfall.
If I want to make it to 140 by this time next year, I am really going to have to start motivating myself to figure out an exercise I like doing or else I am just going to have a super hard time. I try to do my walking EVERY day, but I am finding myself with excuses more often than not. I have my wiiFit that I have used all of twice since getting it at the beginning of February. I also know that I should really be doing some strength training for toning, just to start getting some shape happening here because so far, I am pretty lumpy under all of this fat. The most developed part of my musculature are my huge solid calves what with having to carry around a third of a TON all of my adult life (geez that sounds terrible, but it's the ugly truth).
I don't really like the idea of New years Resolutions, but I certainly have a few goals I would like to meet in 2011:
1) get down to "normal" weight for my height, 140 pounds (lose 54.8 pounds)
2) get an exercise routine down
2a) do couch to 5k/ start running
2b) get some strength training in / join gym?
3) make a friend that I know IRL and not just online/ maybe an exercise partner? (any of you readers in the Bay Area? LOL)
So Happy New Year to a New Me! Hopefully next year I will be able to greet myself in exactly the same way :)
On the other hand, if you would have told me last New Years Day, as I was shoveling gingerbread cookies (I ate an entire tin of 100 cookies between December 23 and Jan 2) in my mouth that I would be 137 pounds lighter in just a year, I would have laughed and said you were crazy! I would definitely not have believed that such a huge weight loss could be done without surgery, without a specific diet, and without lots of exercise, and by me, Mrs. I See-It-So-I-Must-Eat-It.
The weird part is, and I don't really like to tell people this when they ask me about my journey... it has been easy. The most problem I have has was the week before the holiday break from work when folks brought in home-made baked goods. I did not allow myself to have any, but, I broke down into tears like a psychopath. I wrote about it on 3fc.
When I decided to start this journey, I set out to do this 100%. I figured, why go to a partial effort? So, that's the way I have approached every single day. When I feel temptation, I go through a mental check and balance: If I eat X, then this is the result. And then I either have the item, or I don't depending on what it is. I say 'no' to certain things though (sugar, breads that aren't whole grain, rice) and am honest with myself about the consequences of over-eating (if I have 2 tablespoons of cashew butter now, I cannot have popcorn later). It has worked for me.
I think my real challenge with this weight loss process is about to start and I am nervous about the coming year. I am not going to be having the automatic encouragement of seeing weight melting off with almost zero effort (other than not eating like I have 2 butt-holes, as my dear friend Chris once put it hehehe). There are new changes I need to make, and it is a challenge that I have not really had to face. As anyone who has kept up on this blog knows, exercise is my downfall.
If I want to make it to 140 by this time next year, I am really going to have to start motivating myself to figure out an exercise I like doing or else I am just going to have a super hard time. I try to do my walking EVERY day, but I am finding myself with excuses more often than not. I have my wiiFit that I have used all of twice since getting it at the beginning of February. I also know that I should really be doing some strength training for toning, just to start getting some shape happening here because so far, I am pretty lumpy under all of this fat. The most developed part of my musculature are my huge solid calves what with having to carry around a third of a TON all of my adult life (geez that sounds terrible, but it's the ugly truth).
I don't really like the idea of New years Resolutions, but I certainly have a few goals I would like to meet in 2011:
1) get down to "normal" weight for my height, 140 pounds (lose 54.8 pounds)
2) get an exercise routine down
2a) do couch to 5k/ start running
2b) get some strength training in / join gym?
3) make a friend that I know IRL and not just online/ maybe an exercise partner? (any of you readers in the Bay Area? LOL)
So Happy New Year to a New Me! Hopefully next year I will be able to greet myself in exactly the same way :)
Friday, December 3, 2010
Another Checkin' in Post
.. and another report that nothing special is happening :) I really don't focus on losing weight anymore. I focus on being healthy. I focus on eating great food that is great for me. On Sundays I hope my weight has gone down,but find it is going up and down - luckily the net at the end of the month is always down or this post would probably be very different, heh.
I tried to increase my calories when I started doing my walking exercise, but it hasn't really worked out. I really like to be at 1400. So screw it, that is where I will stay, and if I have my sugar free ice cream in the house, I'll have dessert which usually brings it up to 1600.
Any day now I will be down in onderland,which will be mentally significant, probably. I have it down as my next major goal, but I am not sitting here on pins and needles waiting for it to happen. I've been straddling 200-205 for 2 weeks or so. I'll be posting a 1 year Healthiversary post on 3fc and copying it here which will include photos, so to be in the 100s for that will be pretty awesome
I don't have much else to report other than that. Same ol', same ol'.
I tried to increase my calories when I started doing my walking exercise, but it hasn't really worked out. I really like to be at 1400. So screw it, that is where I will stay, and if I have my sugar free ice cream in the house, I'll have dessert which usually brings it up to 1600.
Any day now I will be down in onderland,which will be mentally significant, probably. I have it down as my next major goal, but I am not sitting here on pins and needles waiting for it to happen. I've been straddling 200-205 for 2 weeks or so. I'll be posting a 1 year Healthiversary post on 3fc and copying it here which will include photos, so to be in the 100s for that will be pretty awesome
I don't have much else to report other than that. Same ol', same ol'.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Rethinking my Plan
My body has decided that the major downhill roller coaster weight loss is at an end. While I am sad to see it go, I am stopping the constant fretting about it here and now. Writing things down has always helped me keep my mind on track though so this post is serving as my restructuring space.
Basically, I have been going every other week with a loss, and then the loss being only 2-3 pounds. That is fine, but I am restricting calories enough that this should not be happening and I should still be at 2 pounds (at least) a week. This leaves me with only one conclusion: I have screwed up my metabolism and have been restricting too much.
I have decided to up my calories in an effort to battle this. It's so counter-intuitive! I found a very interesting read today that I am going to use as my guide. In a nutshell, it states that your calories should not drop below your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) and that the calorie deficit should come from a combination of exercise, and the difference of your RMR and your BMR.
So, I found my RMR to be 1610 calories by using an online calculator . My BMR is roughly 2658 (which includes light exercise 3-5 days a week). So I should be at a deficit of 1048 per day which is 2 pounds a week.
I have been following an exercise regiment too now which is why I am using the "moderately active" BMR. I walk close to 14k steps a day total. This includes my morning 10 minute walk, 2 fast paced 15 minute walks that conclude with a 4 flight of stair climb, and another 4 flight of stairs mid-day, and then a 20-30 minute walk with the doggies after work which I have been doing every other day, but really need to focus and get it done every day.
I read that 1 mile = 100 calories, and that's about 7 miles, so it looks like I am burning 700 calories just on my walks. I think I easily burn an additional 300 calories naturally (digesting, temperature changes, desk work, chores etc) so the 1048 deficit sounds fairly accurate.
I am going to give this new regiment 2 good months and we will see if I am down 16 pounds by the beginning of December (2 lbs a week for the 4 weeks). If not, I will re-evaluate.
Basically, I have been going every other week with a loss, and then the loss being only 2-3 pounds. That is fine, but I am restricting calories enough that this should not be happening and I should still be at 2 pounds (at least) a week. This leaves me with only one conclusion: I have screwed up my metabolism and have been restricting too much.
I have decided to up my calories in an effort to battle this. It's so counter-intuitive! I found a very interesting read today that I am going to use as my guide. In a nutshell, it states that your calories should not drop below your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) and that the calorie deficit should come from a combination of exercise, and the difference of your RMR and your BMR.
So, I found my RMR to be 1610 calories by using an online calculator . My BMR is roughly 2658 (which includes light exercise 3-5 days a week). So I should be at a deficit of 1048 per day which is 2 pounds a week.
I have been following an exercise regiment too now which is why I am using the "moderately active" BMR. I walk close to 14k steps a day total. This includes my morning 10 minute walk, 2 fast paced 15 minute walks that conclude with a 4 flight of stair climb, and another 4 flight of stairs mid-day, and then a 20-30 minute walk with the doggies after work which I have been doing every other day, but really need to focus and get it done every day.
I read that 1 mile = 100 calories, and that's about 7 miles, so it looks like I am burning 700 calories just on my walks. I think I easily burn an additional 300 calories naturally (digesting, temperature changes, desk work, chores etc) so the 1048 deficit sounds fairly accurate.
I am going to give this new regiment 2 good months and we will see if I am down 16 pounds by the beginning of December (2 lbs a week for the 4 weeks). If not, I will re-evaluate.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Checking in!
As I expected, I haven't really felt the burning desire to blog anything as nothing significant has happened this past month.
I felt like I was stuck hovering at 222 lbs for 3 weeks there. It was hard! But I knew I was on target. I did take a weekend "off" and forced (LITERALLY FORCED) myself to heat 2000 calories on each day to do a kick-start to the old metabolism. It must have worked as the scale finally registered 216.4 on my Sunday weigh-in.
I do feel a little guilty about my calorie counts the past few days (hence, this post to be honest). I don't have an accurate count for Wednesday - Saturday, and then I knowingly went over my allotment on Monday. It went something like this: Wednesday, out to lunch with work. Thursday, out to dinner with friends. Friday, all day conference foods (luckily, healthy). Saturday, order in sushi dinner. Sunday on target. Monday 1469. I am supposed to be at 1290 for this weight to maintain the 2 pound a week loss.
Well, my decision is, since my body really likes 1400 calories, that is where I will remain, and I will work on getting 300 calorie deficit worth of exercise in per day. And I have started exercising! I take my morning 10 minute dog walk, then during the day I take 2 15-minute walks that are partially hilled, followed by climbing 4 flights of stairs. Plus I do another 4 flights at lunch. AND I even started doing my 30 minute walk + short bursts of jogging. OK I did that ONCE so far, but I am going to to do it today, I promise, and every day henceforth.
If only my legs would stop being so dang sore LOL
I felt like I was stuck hovering at 222 lbs for 3 weeks there. It was hard! But I knew I was on target. I did take a weekend "off" and forced (LITERALLY FORCED) myself to heat 2000 calories on each day to do a kick-start to the old metabolism. It must have worked as the scale finally registered 216.4 on my Sunday weigh-in.
I do feel a little guilty about my calorie counts the past few days (hence, this post to be honest). I don't have an accurate count for Wednesday - Saturday, and then I knowingly went over my allotment on Monday. It went something like this: Wednesday, out to lunch with work. Thursday, out to dinner with friends. Friday, all day conference foods (luckily, healthy). Saturday, order in sushi dinner. Sunday on target. Monday 1469. I am supposed to be at 1290 for this weight to maintain the 2 pound a week loss.
Well, my decision is, since my body really likes 1400 calories, that is where I will remain, and I will work on getting 300 calorie deficit worth of exercise in per day. And I have started exercising! I take my morning 10 minute dog walk, then during the day I take 2 15-minute walks that are partially hilled, followed by climbing 4 flights of stairs. Plus I do another 4 flights at lunch. AND I even started doing my 30 minute walk + short bursts of jogging. OK I did that ONCE so far, but I am going to to do it today, I promise, and every day henceforth.
If only my legs would stop being so dang sore LOL
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