A New Plan of Attack

As you may know, I've recently expressed my frustration at the whole weight loss journey and the fact that I've been stuck in a rut (plateau!) for quite some time now. After reading Jackie Warner's "This is Why You're Fat" book, I decided to try her jumpstart plan in which you add foods to the things you're already eating.

The plan includes adding 2 eggs, 1 cup of oatmeal, 3 servings of veggies, 2 servings of fruit, 3 liters of lemon water and whey protein daily to what you're already eating. As you can guess, adding all of those things leaves less room for the junk.

I started the plan on Monday, December 6th and so far, I've only had the oatmeal once and haven't had the eggs. I've grown up hating the smell of cooking eggs, so therefore I didn't eat the stuff. I did give them a try on Sunday and although I didn't hate them, I didn't love them either. It will take some getting used to. The oatmeal was the same way, since I'd never eaten it before and the texture gets to me.

Anyway, I've decided I'm going to focus on the eating first. I know last week I said I was going to focus on the exercising but I've come to realize that the food is the root cause. I love food...who doesn't? I especially love ice cream, which is a major problem.

I'm still going to be as active as I can, but I'm not going to stress over getting my workouts done. If I can get the eating under control, the rest will come; I'm sure of this. Most of the time, I like working out but the junk food I'm eating has made me lazy. I also find that I eat the junk with the intention of working out ("I'll burn at least 300 calories tonight"). Of course, I eat the junk and then don't fit the workout in. Enter the list of excuses here.

So, this is my course of action of the next few weeks, and beyond if it takes longer to get the food under control. To be honest, though, after eating more fruits and veggies throughout the week, I had more energy last night than I've had in a long time. I actually stayed awake past 10pm. The clean eating phenomenon suddenly makes even more sense. I realize it will take me a while to get it down and control the cravings, but I think it's important, so I'll do it.

Goal weight, I'll see you 2011!

Inches Lost

As many of my MFP friends know, I've been very down and frustrated this week because I'm stressed about constantly logging calories, trying to exercise enough to eat what I want, etc. and not seeing any results. Add these things to the fact that I've been teetering between 184-188 lbs. since March and I'm bummed.

I decided to take a step back from logging so obsessively and am attempting to get on my scale less. The stress of my weight loss journey is likely causing my body to hold onto weight and I need to figure something out. Now is a good time to relax a little because the six week weight loss challenge I've been on is done. Obviously, I didn't win anything but it did force me to take a look at how far I've come since starting this journey just over a year ago.

As the title of this blog says, I've lost inches. The scale hasn't moved, but my body has apparently reshaped itself.

Since August 2009, I've lost:

Bust    1.50 inches

Waist  7.50 inches!

Hips   3.0 inches

Thigh 1.70 inches

Bicep  0.50 inches

 

Total: 14.2 inches from my body overall!

Going forward, I need to remember not to be so hard on myself. Things are happening, whether it seems like they are or not. Not only have I lost 14.2 inches and 33 lbs. since starting this weight loss journey, I've increased my BMR.

Now, it's time for me to make a plan to get me though the next 33 lbs of my weight loss journey without feeling like I have to throw the scale through a wall.

Dwindling Motivation

I'm sure others experience this, but I find my motivation starts out really strong at the beginning of the week and by Thursday, it's almost gone. The eating starts to slide along with the desire to workout. I start by telling myself I'm not going to miss any workouts this week. Then, by Wednesday or Thursday, I tell myself, "I can use today as a rest day and rearrange the rest of my schedule. It will be fine." By the weekend, I start telling myself I can start again Monday.

No, I can't start again Monday! It only makes it that much harder. Yes, I WANT to get to my goal weight. I'm excited when I see any kind of progress, be it on the scale, inches or muscles and bones showing that didn't before (biceps, collar bones). I need to figure out how to keep the momentum going!

Analysis Results

I did a brief analysis today in an attempt to get my weight loss moving consisently again. I've been stalled out basically since May, other than fluctuations in the 4 lb. range. What I found was interesting. Here's what has changed.

1. I was drinking protein shakes as meal replacements for 1-2 meals (usually lunch and/or dinner). I gave up the shakes completely when I was getting nauseous after drinking them. I've since learned that it was the brand of coffee/cappuccino flavoring I was using.

2. I was eating a snack during the day, generally at 11am or 3pm, depending on how I was feeling at work.  I now rarely have a snack between meals.

3. I was drinking barely any water.

4. I was eating an average of 2,000 calories per day with lots of zig-zagging. Since around the time of my stall, I've been averaging 1700-1800 on days without exercise.

So what am I going to do with the information I've learned? I'm going to start experimenting to see if I can get things moving consistently again. I recently had my 1 year anniversary with MFP and have lost half of the weight I want to lose. Now, I'd like to lose the other half before my 2 year anniversary with MFP.

Here's the plan:
1. Start using protein shakes as meal replacements for at least 1 meal, most likely breakfast since this is the hardest meal for me.

2. Pack healthy snacks so I can have one mid-morning and one mid-afternoon to keep the metabolism going. Fruit and veggies are key!

3. Keep drinking lots of water! This part I've since gotten much better at and I feel better overall when I'm well-hydrated.

4. Start eating closer to 2,000 calories a day (average) with zig-zagging. I think it's especially important to eat enough calories now that I'm doing a weight lifting program.

5. Focus on the kinds of foods I eat and make an attempt to try eating clean(er). After all, it makes perfect sense but it does take some effort. 

 For a while, it's going to be all about experimentation to see what works for me. As long as I have a plan, though, and know I can tweak it at any time I think it will be okay. 

Shred with Weights by Jillian Michaels - A Review

I thought I'd post this for you Jillian Michaels fans out there.

I just received Shred with Weights by Jillian Michaels, which was released earlier this month. It's a kettlebell workout, but can be modified to use a single dumbbell. Unfortunately, Jillian does not give a recommendation for the weight of kettlebell to be used, but does push her adjustable kettlebell. She does suggest those using dumbbells use 3-8 lb weight.

The video consists of a tutorial and two different level workouts. I highly recommend using the tutorial if you haven't used kettlebells before, like me. It was very helpful to take the time to figure out the correct form for the movements before adding the cardio aspect.

I did the tutorial followed by Level 1 and it was HARD. My fitness level is intermediate, as I've been working out consistently for over a year now. It's been a long time since I've felt like passing out during a workout. I did stop to sit down during the workout, in the third circuit during a move called "Turkish Getups". Personally, I burned 199 calories in the 27 minutes of Level 1. I did not count my calories during the tutorial because it is slow-paced.

Overall, I believe this would be a very effective video, like the rest of hers are. It's a killer workout incorporating her famous circuits which include both strength and cardio.

As an FYI for you Jillian fans, her Six Week Six Pack DVD will be released November 30th.

A Milestone

It happened today. The scale said 185 for the first time since 2006, when I was doing Weight Watchers. Of course, I gained everything back once I stopped following the program, but that's another story.

 Typically, I wait until my official weigh-in day to change my ticker and really count any losses. However, I was too excited to wait two days until Friday. I've been waiting for this day for a long time. I even had 185 set as my Labor Day goal, and although it's two days late, it's the first weight goal I've met by my own deadline.

Perhaps even more exciting than the actual number of 185 is that today's weigh-in moved my BMI score from "obese" to "overweight." Seeing the calculation left me speechless for a few moments; all I could do was grin.

Sure, I know as well as the next person that BMI isn't necessarily an accurate measure of one's body composition, but I'm finding all of the reasons I can to celebrate my success. In fact, everyone should, rather than focus on the what they have left to accomplish.

Here's to a new milestone and my successes so far! 

Angry at the Scale!

It happened for the first time this morning. I was so angry at the scale, I wanted to throw it out the window.

 What happened to create these feelings? I worked hard all week with exercising, staying within my calories enough to have a good deficit and drinking more than enough water and the scale "rewarded" me by showing a 0.6 lb weight gain.

Trust me, I'm no stranger to gaining weight from week to week. I've had fluctuations of 5 lbs from one day to the next at times, but this one angered me more than any others because I really had my heart set on seeing a 185 on the scale; my Labor Day goal.

After letting my anger fester for a few hours, I tried to talk myself down with the usual reasoning. Too much sodium, sore muscles, etc. It was when I got up from my desk to walk to the fax machine that I realized my size 10 jeans, which I just bought last week, felt looser. They aren't snug around my waist.

I've calmed down and come to the conclusion that I must be losing inches instead of pounds again. For me, I only see decreases in one of them at a time. So, it looks like it's time to take measurements again...and remind myself to breathe and let it go!