konadad

I’m down a total of 50 pounds today.  50.2 pounds, to be precise.

I was on the doorstep about 5 days ago, but this week my body was fighting back and made me re-lose the same pound three times.

 Hmmm, time for a new mini-goal…. I’m thinking 25 more pounds…. I’ll try to do that before, say, August 1st.  OK, maybe too aggressive, but I like to set “stretch” goals. 

This link is to a screenshot of tracking sheet I use to monitor all facets of my weight loss. 

http://img37.picoodle.com/img/img37/4/6/28/f_dailyaveragm_bbbca5b.jpg

It’s nothing fancy, it’s just an Excel spreadsheet I created to give me a better idea of what’s going on from day to day.  In this chart, I’m tracking a “rolling” five day average… in other words, every day’s data point is the average weight I’ve lost per day over the previous five days ending on that day… does that make sense? 

For example: if you added up the lbs I lost from April 22-26, then divided that total by 5, that would give you the value for April 26th.

Now click on the image to enlarge it and see what stands out (at least to me)…. it appears that  my weight losses are cycling.  It appears that about every 18 days I begin a new cycle.

Hmmm.  That’s interesting to me, because I change very little else during my day-to-day routine.  I can think of nothing else that would cause my weight losses to cycle other than perhaps something hormonal or biological… anyone ever read one of the many books written about biorhythms?  I’m not claiming there’s any truth to it, but it makes me wonder…

We finished with fewer than we started.  It was a rigorous challenge, walking (or exercising on a treadmill or elliptical) for 21 straight days… and you had to cover a committed number of miles every day.  Most committed to 5 miles per day, while others committed to different distances.  I did my five miles each day on an elliptical.  If you did NOT complete all your miles one day, you had to make up the difference the very next day, PLUS pay a 2 mile penalty!  Good incentive to hit your target!

During the 3 weeks I had days I could have gone for 10 miles… but I had more days I had to force myself to get the 5 done.  It’s HARD to do it every day for 3 weeks.  Some workouts were completed after 11pm!

The effects of this challenge:

• Lost 14 pounds.
• Burned 22,000 calories, an average of 1000 calories per day.
• Covered 110 miles!
• Spent more than 25 hours on the elliptical, an average of 1 hour and 11 minutes per day.
• Vastly improved my cardio-vascular health; I can sustain workouts for 45 minutes now, where before I could only do an occasional 25 minute sustained workout.
• Created a habit (and desire) to workout every day now.
• Made several new buddies!  

Thanks to everyone involved in the challenge!  It was a blast and I’d do it again.

Here’s a link to the spreadsheet I kept to track my daily progress….

http://img27.picoodle.com/img/img27/4/6/25/f_challengem_29e944b.jpg

Part of this is a copy and paste of a post I made in the Serious Walker’s forum today, but I thought it might be valuable info for someone else so I’m posting it here too.

 A little background…

Before starting the 5-mile-per-day Walker’s Challenge 19 days ago, I had been losing weight each and every day with only an occasional blip.  A week after starting this challenge, my weight loss slowed to a crawl then stopped.   That seemed odd, as I was exercising 3x as much as I had been before the challenge and my eating had stayed the same.  So I did a mini-analysis and saw a couple of things… I was eating (slightly) differently (not so much MORE food as WORSE food and at the WRONG TIMES) and my water consumption hadn’t gone up enough to compensate for the extra workouts.   Then I saw an article about exercising  and getting your heartrate into the right zone… the “fat burning zone” rather than the “cardio zone”.  I had read this before, but assumed it was malarkey… if your heart is beating faster that’s GOT to be good for weight loss, right??  Well, here’s a post I made in the forum…

“I’ve cut back on carbs since my weight stalled a week ago.Since then my weigh-ins have been
-1.6,
-2.1,
-1.3,
-1.0
and -0.6 today
…for a total loss of 6.6 lbs in 5 days.This period follows a 5-day stretch where my gain/loss stalled. During that time I gained some days and lost on others to zero out. The only difference is I altered my diet to compensate for what I think was a side-effect of this walking challenge.

Two weeks ago I started the serious walker’s challenge; the challenge is to walk (or use the elliptical in my case) for a minimum of FIVE miles per day for 21 days.  That was a serious step up for me, as I had only been doing about 1.25 to 1.75 miles per day before the challenge started.  I began burning 1000+ calories in my workouts each day rather than the 300+ I had been burning.  I expected the increase in calories burned would be accompanied by a significant weight loss.

 Well, a funny thing happened.  My weight loss slowed to a crawl.  In the last week, I was actually closer to just holding my weight rather than losing any.  It was odd and it was frustrating.  I felt different, too.  It felt like my metabolism was slowing and I felt like my digestive system was slowing.  I really could feel it.  It was weird.

A few days ago I got frustrated enough that I considered quitting the challenge.  I know the exercise is good for me, but I also knew that it was somehow related to my weight loss changing for the worse.  But I didn’t want to quit on my walking buddies (because they’re a GREAT group of people and VERY supportive!).

So I started going through my logs.  At first glance, my diet looked good and my water consumption looked good.  So what was the problem?  Looking closer, I saw that my diet HAD changed.  It wasn’t huge.  I hadn’t gone from Braised Collard Greens and Steamed Fish to Deep Fried Cheese  and milkshakes.  It was a subtle shift; I was eating a little bit more at each meal (just a small amount), I was eating more carbs by a bit (again, just a bit), and I was eating a bit later at night than before.  They were small changes.  Lastly, but most importantly, my water consumption was off.  I drank well in the morning and ok at night, but from noon to 6pm I was letting it slide.

Three days ago, I “reset” everything to the right ways.  Water and food were flowing as they had when I started this journey.  I’m eating small portions, drinking loads of water, avoiding the sodium, snacking on high fiber items, and ceasing my eating by 8pm (I’m a late bird).  In two days I’m down almost 4 lbs… the biggest losses I’ve seen in 2-3 weeks.  I earned my newest Star (another Red Star!).  I’m down 45 lbs since I started two months ago.  I can FEEL my systems starting to flow freely again.  I have to remember to listen to my body.

Thanks to all my buddies who pepped me up and gave me advice.  You guys really do rock!

OK, so maybe I’m looking a gift horse in the mouth, but I don’t think so.  I think I’ve done something wrong in my eating plan, so I thought I’d check if someone else is having this issue.

 I’m losing my appetite.

Sounds good, right?  But I happen to believe that if you don’t feed the machine, then the machine fights back by holding onto the extra weight (aka “starvation mode”).

In two months I changed my eating habits from 2 huge meals a day (lunch and dinner) as well as snacks at night, to 4-5 much smaller meals with far fewer and much healthier snacks.  That was a good change.  I even saw my night time cravings beginning to diminish a bit.  Until the past week.  Then everything changed.

Take today for instance…

• At 8am I ate a 1C serving of my SuperColonBlast Cereal with 2% milk. 
• At 1pm I ate a sandwich with lean pork, cilantro, carrots and a vinaigrette (no mayo). 
• At 6pm I made dinner for my kids… one of my favorites, fried halibut served with peas and pasta… I didn’t eat ANY of it because I wasn’t hungry!!  What is THAT all about??
• At 8pm, I chose to eat (not really that hungry) because I was afraid I’d snack later (I’m a latebird).  I ate about 1-1/2 Cups of fresh melon.
• Of course, I drank my water.  About 3 quarts today.

That’s it.  No snacks.  No cheating.  It is not a decision on my part to not eat, I’m simply not very hungry.  Does this happen to anyone else?  Do you have to force yourself to eat meals to maintain a steady flow of nutrients?  I will if I have to, but it goes against my nature (while I’m trying to lose weight) to eat when I’m not hungry.

I’m a little baffled by it.

By the way, this drop off in appetite almost coincides with the Serious Walkers Challenge I’ve been a part of… We started 11 days ago.  In order to meet the challenge I’ve upped my elliptical workouts from about 1.3-1.5 miles per day to 5+ miles per day.  Is THAT it??

I’ve been asked this a few times lately, so I thought I’d blog about it in case anyone else is curious.  This is a response I sent to a buddy in an email…

Here is my “Diet”:

1. Cut out Garbage until later… I can add them in moderation as I attain my goals.  Therefore, no potato chips, no candy, no ice cream, no FAST food, sodas (of ANY kind), etc.  No empty calories.
2. Cut WAY back on simple carbs (pastas, white rice, potatoes, white breads, etc.  If I MUST eat some, ONLY in the first half of the day, so I have time to burn them.
3. Most anything else is OK IN MODERATION.  I can have fried fish, just in small quantities.  I can eat rice, but better to eat brown rice in smaller quantities than white rice.
4. Watch the Sodium!  I retain water if I consume salt, PLUS salt encourages my appetite.
5. Eat plenty of fiber.  It aids digestion and absorbs fats in your diet and helps carry them out.  I use high fiber cereal, whole grain breads, high fiber veggies.
6. Drink water.  When you’re done, drink two glasses more.  Drink it with every meal.  Drink between meals.  It displaces your stomach so you eat less, aids digestion, cleans your system, etc. etc. etc.  You’ll know you’re there when your pee is darn near clear and you go MANY times throughout the day… night too, maybe.
7. Try to reduce ALL meals to serving sizes of about 1-2 cups MAX.  That’s small for me.  Your stomach will shrink and adapt in a matter of weeks. 
8. Because you’re eating smaller meals you’ll get hungry again within a shorter time.  Eat more often.  I eat every 2-3 hours when I’m on track… even if it’s only a protein bar.
9. Try to get a proper mix of the right food groups.  Not everything they taught us growing up (i.e. the “Food Pyramid”) is hogwash.  My food probably breaks down accordingly: veggies and fruits (50%), meats and other proteins (20%), grains and legumes (20%), and the rest is carbs.
10. Eat early in the day; within an hour of wakeup if possible.  It jump starts the digestive system and gives your metabolism a little kick.
11. DON’T eat late in the day.  Try to eat nothing for at least a couple of hours before bedtime.  I try not to eat for 4 hours before bed I’m a latebird).  Going to bed a bit hungry is ideal… better than going to bed full.
12. Don’t deprive, starve or punish yourself.  This must be a LIFELONG change and that is unlikely to happen if you hate it or have negative feelings associated with the changes you make.  
13. This is the most important rule.  If you fall, get up and start again.  Now.  You CANNOT undo all your efforts with a bad day or week.  The only way you’ve failed is if you QUIT.

I’m sure I’ve missed some things, but I’ll edit this if I see them. 

 I doubt this will work for everyone, but it works for me.   I post it simply to show some of you how I do it.  If it helps, then that makes it even better!

A couple of minor milestones as I begin the 55th day of my New Lifestyle.

1. I’ve lost something every day for the last 10 days.  I attribute this to being involved in Tatiana’s March of Doom (aka Serious Walkers Challenge).  I’ve been eating well, too, but this challenge has really pushed me to ramp up my exercise regimen.  I highly recommend people consider any of the the good fitness challenges out there.
2. My emotional and physical states are still good almost 2 months into this.  I have few cravings that I can’t satisfy within the framework of my plan (i.e. anything in moderation), I’m still motivated and excited to make this change, and I actually enjoy most facets of this new lifestyle… I’m not sitting around waiting for the “diet” to be over so I can get back to eating my way. 
3. I’m down 40 lbs. and have earned another star.  Yea!  It got me thinking like I always do about what are some other things that weigh 40lbs.?  What is the equivilant to what I’m NOT carrying around with me anymore??  Ready??

$820 Worth of Quarters

             40 Hammers

2 Cases (48 bottles) of Beer or Soda

A One Man Kayak

40 Construction Hammers

A 5 Gallon Bucket of Trout

There.  That’s tangible to me.  Something real,  Something I can sink my teeth into.

No more playing catch with my kids while carrying 82 rolls of quarters in a backpack.

No more grocery shopping while carrying a 5 gallon bucket of fish.

No more fishing in the ocean with 40 Hammers tied to my waist.

Ahhhh.  Better already.

Hang in there everybody.  This will all be worth it in time.

I was thinking about that steep learning curve we all have to get through… teaching ourselves HOW to eat.  Of course there are good foods (e.g. veggies and whole grains) and there are bad foods (e.g. bear claws and doritos) but more importantly than that, we have Quantity (i.e. Portion Control) and Quality (i.e. balance nutrition); additionally we have to learn little things like WHEN to eat.

I didn’t get fat because of fast food or junk food alone.  Lots of thinner people eat both.

I didn’t get fat because I don’t exercise enough.  Lots of thinner people exercise little.

I also didn’t get fat because of genetics or because of a physical malady.  Lots of people with worse genetics or greater physical issues have lesser issues with weight than I do.

So, WHY am I FAT?

I got fat because food became WAY more than just nutrition and sustenance to me.  It became my crutch and my entertainment system.  Sad? Eat.  Mad? Eat.  Bored? Eat.  Up late watching the Tube? Eat.  Out with friends? Eat… too much, too late, wrongs foods, etc.  I got fat because I LET MYSELF.

Although I started my New Living Plan (”Diet”) on April 21st, 2008.  I actually started long before that.  I started by educating myself and more importantly, UNDERSTANDING myself.  Evaluating yourself with critical, unsympathetic  eyes is key I think to making a lifelong change.

Accepting that I have been weak in letting things go so far was hard, but necessary.

Accepting that many of the reasons I have eaten are no longer valid was hard, but necessary.

Accepting that my lifestyle must change was hard, but necessary.

Learning How To Live has been eye opening and difficult, but necessary.

After all this introspection and education, do you know what I’ve found? 

• Mom and Dad were right: “Everything in moderation.”
• A Diet will take weight off, but will not by itself keep it off.  That requires a lifelong change to habits and behaviors.
• During a Weight Reduction period, everyday counts.  If you fall, get up and start again right away.
• During a Weight Maintenance period, there’s more room for error… as long as you go back to your New Lifestyle.
• Healthy Food ≠ Tasteless Food.  It just requires learning new ways to cook and eat.
• Living Right can be as enjoyable as Living Poorly.  It’s just different.

What I’ve discovered on this journey is this:  Embrace the changes.  Learn to love life on this path as you did on the other.  The journey can be at least as pleasurable and the benefits will be far greater.

Woohoo!  I earned another Star!  I think it’s a burnt orange Star… which kinda clashes with my chartreuse Star.  I think the color balance is set poorly on my monitor.

 35 Pounds is a lot.  It’s about the same as any of the following:

• 80 Taco Bell Bean Burritos
• 150 McDonald’s Apple Pies
• 100 Cups of Wendy’s Chili
• 800 Pieces of Salt Water Taffy
• 12 Pepperoni Pizzas

Give or take.

 I’m trying to focus on the accomplishments of my past and not on the mountain I’ve yet to climb. 

Ignorance really is Bliss.