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TLDR: I lost some weight -- link to data graphs at the end!
I want to start this off by writing out my positive thoughts for each pound I’ve lost! (Thanks u/groundstabber for the idea!)
Instead of posting my full list of positive thoughts all at once, I thought posting at monthly increments might help keep me motivated and accountable. I’ve been lurking/commenting for awhile now, but this’ll be my first full post so bear with me and let me know if you have any questions! :) Presumably my follow-up posts will be shorter...
11 pounds, 11 positive thoughts
- I feel like I can actually do this.
- Water is the worst but I love it!
- For whatever reason, I can now actually visualize myself thin — for the first time ever.
- Eating unprocessed foods make me feel so much better.
- My path to losing weight is clear to me.
- My dog is getting healthier and happier, too!
- I can’t see it yet, but I know it’s happening.
- I’m having fun exploring my neighborhood on walks.
- I haven’t binged once despite the growing stress at work.
- Getting on (and back on) track makes me feel really good about myself.
- When things (calories) don’t go according to plan, I’m not beating myself up about it.
The Numbers
Timeframe: Oct 1, 2018 - Oct 31, 2018 (final weigh in for Oct: Nov 1 @ 7am)
Avg daily calories (after exercise): 1120cal
Avg daily water consumption: 100oz
Total lost: 11lbs
The Details
I went from eating Chick-Fil-A almost every day for lunch and pizzas for dinner, 1-2 monsters per day + some sodas throughout the week to unprocessed foods and OODLES of water almost overnight. Did I struggle that first week and since? Sure. But it got easier and my body responded with a good long whoosh at the beginning. Last week was a pretty significant “cheat week” after struggling a lot with difficult situations at work, but I’m back on the wagon and sticking to my goals!
Note on why unprocessed: I’ve tried losing weight in the past eating whatever I wanted as long as it was within my calorie budget and it did not work for me at all. I have also had a mild dairy/gluten allergy since childhood and it seems that when I eat either (or both) my body doesn’t respond well in many ways — including bloating and weight gain (presumably water weight? I don’t know.) I went on a paleo meal delivery plan many years ago and it was wonderful, so I thought I’d try something similar again! I also just have this deep belief that our bodies aren’t made for the shitshow we put in them, lol.
What I tried to normally eat:
Lunch -
If I prep (which I’m trying to get better at), this is what I prep — yields 5 lunches
- 16 oz 99%/1% ground turkey
- 8 oz baby Bella mushrooms
- 3 medium zucchinis, diced
- 2 tablespoons light butter
- Calories p/serving: 159cal
- Note: I tracked this wrong for the first week I had it and didn’t go back and update it in my graphs — eh.
If I didn’t prep, I ate a Jimmy John’s #1 Unwich (300ish calories) -- I ended up about 50/50 on my turkey stir and unwiches this month.
Dinner -
- 4 oz ground sirloin (90/10)
- 8 oz baby Bella mushrooms
- 1 cup red bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup asparagus, diced-ish
- 2 tablespoons light butter
- Calories p/serving: 392cal
Once again, I was about 50/50 on this meal and eating something completely different.
Snacks -
- Walnuts, bananas, and beef jerky were my go-tos for the month — quantity and calories were adjusted based on caloric intake from main meals
These calories are based on the nutritional label and measuring. I hadn't scanned barcodes into these meals until this past Sunday so my earlier calorie intake measurements are in fact wrong, but not super far off. I’m not worrying about macros at the moment but intend to look into those more in the future.
As for exercise, well, that’s been a bit more sporadic. I thought I’d do some of those Beachbody workout videos but couldn’t build up the motivation to keep it going, so for now I’m just focusing on being more active. My dog appreciates it because he gets more frequent, longer walks so everyone’s happy!
The calorie graph is net calories after food and exercise. There are a couple dips — these have a couple different explanations. I’ve learned that I am an emotional eater to an extent, but when things get bad enough, I just don’t eat. My job is incredibly stressful and it happens. I’m working on it. :) A couple dips were caused by dental appointments and therefore not being able to eat. There are other dips (on Sundays) that are because I ate my usual calories and hiked for a couple hours! Hiking burns an INCREDIBLE amount of calories based on everything I’ve read and every calculator I’ve seen. Try it! :D
Tracking: I use the LoseIt! App to track my calorie intake, water, exercise, and weight. I also use Happy Scale for weight because I like that app and it’s graphs. I also use a spreadsheet of my own design to make predictions, set expectations, adjust future planned calorie intake/exercise, and because data makes me happy. It’s more tracking, more work, but it helps me to see the bigger picture. It’s not exact, but it’s mine. :) It’s also a sort-of social calendar — the red highlighted cells being dates I expect I won’t be able to eat my usual meals due to events/obligations. This goes all the way to Sept 30, 2019 which (at the moment) goes beyond when I hope to hit my present goal weight of 125. We’ll see where I go from there. :)
Regarding my spreadsheet: Life is not as easy as a spreadsheet, unfortunately, but it helps me stay focused. When figures go from estimates to facts, the number goes bold. Anything listed as “Projected” is based purely on calorie intake + deficit math. In addition to this main spreadsheet, there are additional sheets in the file: Overall Weight Graph, Month 1 Graph Data, Month 2 Graph Data, Month 3 Graph Data. Additional sheets will be added as time goes on, but three months was sufficient for the time being. :)
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