I weighed in at 230 lbs this morning, so I lost 9 lbs. this week. Apparently the 6 lbs I was up yesterday was due to the 5 gallons of water I drank trying to make SURE that sodium would have no part in this week's weigh-in. I peed myself to death last night, so sleep was intermittent.
Now before anyone gets overly excited, you all know I gained 6 lbs. last week. I'm willing to bet at least 4 of those lbs was from the sodium I ate the previous night and just didn't have time to fall off yet. So in the 9 lbs I lost this week, I think 4 lbs of it was water weight, and 5 lbs of it was actual fat lost. I'm 2 weeks into my month, so with a 6 lb gain the first week and a 9 lb loss this week, I've lost a total of 3 lbs, which is an average of 1.5 lbs a week. I am perfectly happy with that.
I'm ready to change some things. It doesn't excite me to lose 5-6 lbs in a week and then have a gain the week or 2 after that. It just doesn't. What I am longing for is CONSISTENCY. I want to figure out my own personal groove where I'm dropping 1-2 lbs a week nearly every week.
My first thing I'm going to change is up my calories to 1700 this week. I'm hoping a few more calories will lesson the deprivation feeling I've been battling with. Also, I'm re-distributing my calories through my day. I've been eating 4x a day. Breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, and dinner. I eat dinner between 5-5:30pm and I don't eat anything else before bed, which is usually around midnight. I don't like going 7 hours with no food. It irritates me. So I'm going to start incorporating a snack around 8pm probably. I had a personal trainer once tell me that not eating after 6pm is a myth. She said it's perfectly fine to eat an evening snack, but the trick is to make sure it's no more than 150 calories.
Also, I've been eating the bulk of my calories at lunch due to something Pam's doctor told her. He said to eat the bulk of your calories earlier in the day to give your body a chance to burn them off and make dinner your lightest meal. I've been trying to work towards that. For example, my dinner last night was a 150 calorie bowl of soup. I know the dr is probably correct in his thinking, but it doesn't feel right for me. I want to try to make the calories I eat at each meal a little more even to see if it keeps me feeling more full throughout the course of the day.
Another thing. My mom told me last night that she thinks my metabolism still isn't right. She said that I eat way too little fat. I haven't done this by design, I actually never count the fat in anything I eat. The only thing I count is calories. Naturally, with scouring the earth to find the lowest calorie foods so that I can have as much volume in 1500 calories as possible, I've ended up with way too little fat in my diet. Sparkpeople says I should have between 45-60 grams of fat I day. I usually average 20-25 grams. I had to go back and look at this at their website from where I track my daily calories, because as I said, I've never paid attention to the fat before. So upping the fat is going to reduce the volume, but she says that fat helps to satisfy you, so I'm hoping the less volume won't bother me.
This is all trial and error for me. Obviously, if I get to next weigh day and I've gained, I'll have to do some more adjusting. But I don't think my problems lie with my exercise. I think walking/jogging 4 miles 5-6x a week is pretty good for my exercise. I've also been lifting free weights every other day to work on my bat wings, but I plan on incorporating some other free weight exercises this week. I think the issue is with my calories, and the way I'm eating them.
My goal is now to get to a consistent loss every week, even a small one. If I can find my groove, I will gladly nix my 10 lb/month goal and just be happy with whatever I lose....as long as I'm losing pretty consistently. The people that I've been thinking about are Jo at 282.5 and "K" at Fat [Free] Me. They are so consistent....1-2 lbs week after week after week for months on end. That's the kind of success I want.
Keep your fingers crossed for me this week!! I really need to get the "diet" feel off of this healthy eating lifestyle and find a groove that I can settle into for life. I'm in this for the long haul. :)
Quote For the Day:
"If you don't do what's best for your body, you're the one who comes up on the short end." -Julius Erving
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Hi Tammy. Eating calories at certain times in the day is another dieting myth. I think spreading them out more evenly will be great for you. Most people prefer not to eat the biggest meal in the middle of the day because it really slows you down for the whole afternoon. And your body needs nutrition to do all the repair work it does while you are alseep.
ReplyDeleteIt must be a real head spinner to be up and down by such numbers on the scale. Consistency is going to feel a lot better.
Congrats on having lost 3lbs so far this month. You're very nearly half way to your goal!
Best wishes,
Bearfriend xx
Great work, Tammy. And great post with some excellent ideas about how to tweak your program. They all sound very sane and reasonable. The issue with fat consumption is true...and why I now use a little half and half in my coffee instead of skim milk. It really makes a difference in how the coffee tastes and satisfies, and I have no more than about 1 1/2 tablespoons in my one cup a day.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to hear how you take information from other peoples' blogs and try it out. I'm getting help and motivation that way too. I think you're off to a great new path on your journey that will reap benefits!
Great job on your loss!!:) A loss is a loss so even if you say its only 3 lbs it still great! ;) I try to spread the food out and not eat a bigger meal on any of my meals...I feel like it keeps me from getting too hungry. I don't know if you like ice cream but I eat a Skinny Cow ice cream cone every night around 8pm and it really satisfies my sweet tooth:)
ReplyDeleteYour doing so good!! I am looking forward to seeing how things go...take care:)
I second what Friend of the Bear said! When I first started trying to lose weight (back before I got this job that made me gain it all back!), my doctor put me on a low-fat diet, limiting me to under 30 grams a day. That really worked for me, though I always found that I tried to get up to my 30 grams if I could! And I also had a my most caloric meal at suppertime, because that was the only meal that I had to prepare for both me and my hubby, and since he is diet-phobic, it had to be on the higher-fat, higher-calorie end of things. I still lost almost 50 pounds only doing that -- I didn't even really exercise. So I'm with your mom in that I think you should increase the fat in your diet a little bit, but I have heard that 45-60 grams is more to maintain a weight. Maybe shoot for 25-35 a day?
ReplyDeleteAnd I cheer you on in your weight loss! You are such an inspiration! Makes me glad you've updated your TrampStamp in your sidebar!! ;D
Wow, you've really been on the roller coaster, haven't you? A little consistency would be a blessing, I agree.
ReplyDeleteHey Girl I am impressed, not with the weight loss, that is great, but with the attitude and the looking at the calories. I always am always trying to spread the word ythat ou have to eat the calories to burn the calories. I am so glad you are looking at that now, I am sure you will see the difference and get into that groove you are looking for.
ReplyDeleteI also love that you are walking/jogging, isn't that amazing, a couple of months ago you would never have dreamed of JoGGinG!!!
You Go Tammy Girl I can see big changes on the horizon.
Love and hugs
Sheilagh
Congrats on getting the scale to move downward for you this week.
ReplyDeleteI have been having an evening snack just about every night from when I first started this journey and have lost over 100 pounds. So I think the not eating at night thing is a myth.
I spread my calories out and eat every 3-4 hours.When I have a strong case of the hungries I make myself an egg white omlette or scramled eg whites. This makes me feel full, is low cal, and I can add low cal veggies to make it more interesting if I feel ambitous enough.
THere are lots of nutritious ways to put together a 150-200 calorie snack or mini meal. I'm sure you'll experiment and find some favorites to fall back on!
Way to go, Tammy. Doesn't matter HOW is comes off, it just matter that it does. A nice, steady plan for losing is a great idea. And you're right to look at other bloggers successes and try to incorporate some of their tricks into your own routine. Keep at it, you're doing great.
ReplyDeleteI think you're right about needing to take the "diet" feeling off your lifestyle change. Honestly, after losing and regaining large amounts of weight at least four times in my life, I truly believe diets don't work. You'll figure out what's best for you and your body. This is for life, so we've got to make choices that work for us long term. I'll be interested to see how the changes affect your loss.
ReplyDeleteEating less in the evening is not a "myth".
ReplyDeleteThe idea behind it is your burn more calories during your waking hours (breakfast and lunch meals) and your metabolism slows down as you sleep, so you don't need to eat the bulk of our calories in the evening and have your slower metabolism trying to work on them.
Tammy, you stay up so much later than I do that I can totally see 150 calories not being enough for an evening meal.
Our evening meals are now just the lightest of our three meals, soups with whole grain breads, omelets for dinner, salads, etc. I know we always still get a number of calories, but with just less volume, and less fats and carbs for our bodies to process.
I think the idea is still a good one, but everyone would have to tinker with it to get the best result possible for themselves.
You are so great! You are doing well changing things up! Cant wait to see how the changes work for you. Your determination is proof of what can be done.
ReplyDeleteWell this post is definatley shorter than most of your posts, lol. My mom and I were discussing how you and a few other bloggers write so freakin much, lol. I mean I can talk that much but when I actually sit down and write my blogs end up being so tiny compared to how long it actually took to say it all. But anywho, 9bls is awesome for gaining 6 last week. I wish I could lose a big number at least once. I guess if I can get a handle on my urge to stop at the Chick-fil-a drive thru all the time then I'd do a lot better. Thanks for motivating me it helps alot to hear kind words instead of negative ones.
ReplyDeleteGreat job on the pounds lost this month!!
ReplyDeleteWhen I lost my first 50 pounds, I cut out way too much fat out of my diet. Not on pupose, but I was eating a lot of fruits/vegs and lean meat that it wasn't enough (my hair started falling out so I went to my dr and that was what was wrong).
I think i need to add a small snack after dinner too. I have had a hard time wanting soooo bad to munch on ANYTHING.
Have a great weekend and keep up the good work!
Hi! I stumbled across your blog while I was looking for more weight loss oriented blogged. I love your writing style. I hope you don't mind that I'm following you. Keep up the good work! I'm definitely looking forward to hearing what more you have to say!
ReplyDeleteAwesome loss! Your new plan sounds great. I love how you find ways to switch it up if it isn't working exactly how you want instead of just saying your body's being stupid. Lifting free weights is a great idea. That's going to help you look a lot better, first of all, and it will help you speed up your metabolism even more once you gain some more muscle. I hope these changes work well for you!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the loss! I know you are a touch frustrated and looking to refocus your efforts (which I think is great), but don't lose sight of the fact that you have lost over 40 pounds! You really are doing well. Wanting more consistancy is totally understandable though so if you hear a "Yay, Tammy!" from my portion of the world, you know who it's coming from.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, I knew you would do it. A personal trainer I used to have told me to only eat fruit before 2pm, so you night time snack shouldn't be fruit.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the loss. 3 pounds is three pounds. I know the up and down is frustrating, but a loss is a loss.
ReplyDeleteGreat post and lots of great tips.
Take care
Paula
I am all about eating the fat! :-) I've noticed that I am definitely fuller and fuller for longer when I eat fatty foods. Recently I ate some veggies with some full fat sour cream dip and although I only ate a couple tablespoons, I was so full afterward! Usually when I eat veggies alone I'm hungry again in about a half hour. In the afternoons I eat full fat yogurt and I notice a huge difference in how soon I get hungry when I try lower fat yogurt instead. Fat totally fills me up and leaves me feeling less snacky than my usual constant, constant snackyness. I say, go for the fat! ;-) Personally, I'm happy to have a good excuse to do so.
ReplyDeleteI'm really glad you're trying new things to find what works for you. I can't wait to hear what you figure out!
hey EVERY success is a success... 3 punds is awesome and you're consistent in your inconsistency :) so just work on one thing and move forward.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads up on recipes... I'm excited to see what she has 'healthified' and I'm excited to keep up with your journey as well - onward and upward :)
It sounds like a good plan to me! Congratulations on the weight loss!
ReplyDeleteYour progress pics are awesome! You go girl!
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed ... XX
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you that your exercise is sufficient. I mean, Good Grief, that's a lot of walking!
I eat fat daily in the form of nuts, olive oil, avocado & butter but not necessarily all in one day but sometimes it works out that way. It's never hindered my weight loss at all. It definitely keeps me satiated through the day.
On days I eat a snack before bed if I'm hungry. Usually a small bowl of cereal & milk or some cottage cheese and fruit. I agree that's it's a myth not to eat after dinner too. It hasn't hurt me in that dept. either.
Tammy, I hope that all your adjustments help you to attain consistent weight loss. It's great that you're reformulating your strategy and NOT giving up just because what you're doing now isn't giving you the results you're after.
This is a victory I'm sure.
My word verification was "blesses" ... neat eh?