Starting Weight: 342.0
Previous Weight: 321.5
Current Weight: 322.5
Total Weight Loss: 19.5
Calories consumption was high this week. Gotta say, I still don’t understand how I can have a negative net burn and still gain wait. But, I think I can correlate what my daily activity is vs calories consumed and how they drive weight gain vs. loss. I had lower activity, higher calorie consumption…logic tells me that should be a gain.
More to come…
I felt the need to share that while I’m 15 weeks into this journey, I must admit that I still struggle with the mental side of obsessing about food. I don’t mean casual thoughts about what to plan for dinner. I mean obsessing. That constant mental thought that can not be shaken.
I could be working on an analysis at work [ice cream]. Finishing it up and prepping for another meeting that I have in about 1 hour 15 minutes [ice cream], which is just after I get back from lunch [there's ice cream in the freezer upstairs!]. I’m leading and I have to get an agenda out [plus, there's that new ice cream shop that just opened down the street!] before I leave for lunch. It would be good to [hold it...they have a drive thru!] jot down some notes about the discussion points. Damn it. I’m leaving for lunch.
I feel the need to put in a disclosure that while these thoughts do occur very similar to how I’ve outlined above, sometimes I succumb to them and sometimes I don’t. If I do succomb, I do log it in my food log / calories consumed. Granted, for the better part of the 15 weeks, I’ve been able to “ignore” those thoughts or distract myself with other tasks. I’m curious whether this will be a life-long habit that I will have to deal with. Because if it is…that sucks. I’m up for doing it. I’m just recognizing that it sucks.
I’ve quit smoking. Haven’t had one in 7 1/2 years now. And I know that I will never have another because I understand that the first one that I “approve” will be the toughest and all my control over the addiction will be out the window. Granted, it is much easier now to say “no” to smoking than it was 2 weeks after I quit (infinitely more easier). But this obsessing is very much like that.
For anyone that’s fought and beaten (or worked with someone that has), any feedback on how you dealt with the mental aspect?
I can only speak to how I handled the smoking addiction and that was one day at a time. Not even that. I focused on very short term goals. …..5 minutes …..I can make it to the next 15 minute mark without a smoke …..I can make it through the drive home without a smoke ….I can make it in the house and change out of my work clothes without a smoke …..I can eat dinner without taking a break for a smoke ……ah, thank goodness, it’s bedtime
That’s how I handled a full elimination habit.
This isn’t full elimination though. This is like quitting smoking, but still buying cigarettes everyday. Having someone light it for me and handing it to me and saying, “Don’t smoke that”. Like I said…I’m not going to. But yes, this sucks.
Starting Weight: 342.0
Previous Weight: 319.5
Current Weight: 321.5
Total Weight Loss: 20.5
I’ve done well this week even if the scale doesn’t show it. Just as I said last week….
Feeling good. Feeling focused. Looking forward to continued success. I’m optimistic that I’ve righted the ship.
FYI, I’ve had limited mobility this week thanks to a bout of Tendonitis in my foot and Dr’s orders. Should be back to normal routines by mid-week.
More to come…
Below is a screenshot showing what my daily averages are in the various categories tracked by my armband.
Starting Weight: 342.0
Previous Weight: 321.0
Current Weight: 320.5
Total Weight Loss: 21.5
I’m back on track for sure. I’ve enjoyed some budgeted indulgences this week (ice cream with my brother’s family, etc) and given that one of the indulgences was pizza last night, the sodium, etc in that is probably factoring into my weightloss not being more.
I’ve really enjoyed reading the blog that Matt linked last week. That page has some great insight on what to put into one’s body. Good info. Thanks for the link! Any other sites like that, that you follow regularly?
Wishing everyone well going into picnics this week and weekend. I’ve got some time off coming up this coming week and plan on doing a ton more yard work, landscaping, etc as my activity. Though with it being 95+ degrees out, that tends to cause many breaks so I don’t pass out (safety first!).
More to come…
I will post this week’s body media log later today when I sync my device. FYI, I’m going swimming with the family today…here’s to hoping I remember to take it off this time!
Below is a screenshot showing what my daily averages are in the various categories tracked by my armband. FYI, I track my food in an independent app that is much easier than the app they have, but the caloric values are plugged into the BodyMedia app. Also note, I miskeyed the weight and can’t figure out how to correct it. Body Media could really improve their Activity Manager app to be a bit more user friendly for these types of things.
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Starting Weight: 342.0
Previous Weight: 322.5
Current Weight: 321.0
I’m getting back on track mentally. Some days it is a challenge to remember, but I did take some of the comments to heart last week and did a bit more activity and cycled my calories (one day 1500, next day 2400, etc). It appears to have paid off. We will see how this continues this week too!
One thing I can attest to is that the BodyMedia CORE armband that I had (note the tense) is not to be worn while swimming. It wasn’t until after about an hour at the pool on Father’s Day with the family that I realized I still had it on. While it appeared to make some beeps and preliminarily appear OK, it died that night. I was without it for the majority of this week. I felt very out of sync from what my habit has been. While I have been tracking my food with another app, I felt somewhat blind to how many steps and/or activity I’ve had that day. Nothing that I think is detrimental, as I still evaluated it the old fashioned way, but still….it’s nice having gadgets sometimes. 
More to come
You can see the calorie deficit that is shown still shows improvement, but I attribute a lot of that number to the deficit achieved over the last two / three days of 2k (almost 3k).
Below is a screenshot showing what my daily averages are in the various categories tracked by my armband. FYI, I track my food in an independent app that is much easier than the app they have, but the caloric values are plugged into the BodyMedia app. Also note, I miskeyed the weight and can’t figure out how to correct it. Body Media could really improve their Activity Manager app to be a bit more user friendly for these types of things.
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I think it’s best to establish a lot of obtainable goals with varying time committments related to them. I want short, quick, obtainable goals in order to have some short term success to envoke some form of self-motivation through success. I also want to define some long-term goals, so that I ensure that I have a solid footing on what the big picture will be.
I will create a tracking page for these, but below are some items that I look forward to acheiving.
Follow the link below to see my various lists of goals.
One thing that has helped me with keeping moving and having a daily focus on activity is the ability to make a game out of it.
Here are some ways that I do this….
No matter the way you find to keep challenging yourself, part of the challenge has to involve setting short, obtainable goals. Hitting a goal for the day will help keep you motivated and inspired to keep going on the journey. If all you focus on is losing 150 pounds in the next year and a half, it will be a long and boring journey, which you will likely not finish.
Make it fun. Make it a game. Challenge yourself.
Below is what I ate during Week 4 up to the weigh in day (I weighed in Sunday morning as soon as I got back from Cub Scout camp).
Feel free to review and comment.
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday (was at Scout Camp and Burned over 5,000 calories this day)