That’s what I want to happen. 3-4 weeks from now, I want to look back and remember how tough this week was. Mid week (and even up to about an hour ago), I show a gain. And not just a small gain, but a couple pounds up (332).
Let me preface this with the fact that, I have not let this change my habits, my focus, or my committment to my new lifestyle. Activity remains a consistent part of my life. According to my new gadget (more to come in another post on this), I’m burning a calorie deficit of 1,500-2,500 calories per day, so I know I’m continuing to do what’s right.
But this sucks.
There are so many things that I’m trying to understand or at least wrap my mind / logic around how this is happening.
I’ve watched the Biggest Loser. I’ve seen some contestant comment about “I don’t know how I didn’t lose wait!” or “I dont know why I’m up!”. I always thought, “yeah right…he’s just trying to screw over
And what about my calorie deficit. That’s 1,500 – 2,500 calories per day. PER DAY! Even if I’m underestimating my caloric intake by 500 or 1,000 calories a day, I should still be going in the other direction.
Not sure if anyone caught it in my update note, but I was sick Sunday night (vomiting, the trots, all that good stuff). I’m sure that has played a factor into all this as well. Throwing my body out of whack.
Not to mention, it’s been a stressful week with life in general (work, kid’s and their schedules, etc).
I am confident that this week is the Perfect Storm of crap that will impact my losing weight and that any day now, the science behind this will kick back in and I can get on my way.
I am confident that I will look back in a couple of weeks and be proud of my perseverance through this challenging week.
But, in the meantime….this sucks.
Keep in mind that as much as “calories in, calories out” is a good general principle, there are a lot of things that affect both sides of the equation to keep it from being foolproof. Hormones come into play. Twitching/fidgeting comes into play. Was your sleep very restful? You may have tossed/turned less and therefore burned fewer cals. Just a few examples but everything matters. Eat a lot of salt, your body will retain more water weight. Also internal processes burn calories as well. Eating more fiber makes your body work more because it has to break it down and turn it into something it can use. Eating more protein also is more work – calorie studies are done with food that is pre-digested, whirled around in a blender, so they’re not perfect and don’t take into account how your particular body would digest. Also, your cells want to defend their position, as you onslaught them with this war you are waging. So that is why plateaus occur – your body is putting on its best fight to get to where it THINKS it needs to be. You need to show it who’s boss, and keep providing only the energy that is necessary, not excess, and continue to provide good sources that give all the MICROnutrients you need. Your wk2 menu looks awesome – very wholesome 90%, with only about 10% non nutritive – if that’s just enough to keep sane and social then it’s perfect. You’re a little shy on fruit, lots of low cal vitamins with fiber to help slow their digestion to be had there so something to think about. GOOD LUCK keep at it and remember the scale is a moment in time. Do you feel like you’re progressing toward stronger, younger, smarter? That matters more. Are you taking measurements, that may help you feel better about things if you lose a couple inches but the scale stays the same.
Great feedback Matt. Thanks a ton, as this is what I’m hoping to get when I post the food logs, etc.
I had forgotten about the impact of sodium / salt. In reviewing my log from this week (which I’ll post on Sunday when officially weigh-in), my sodium level is obscenely high (some days break 6k), while still being within my caloric targets. During the log I posted, most days ranged from 2k – 3k mg/day. I’m sure that is playing a factor into this as well. You also bring up a great point about fiber (which fresh fruits and veggies are great sources for this), so I’ll see what I can do to adjust that.
I should get some current numbers to use as additional evaluators. I do feel great and it feels like I’m doing the right thing. I know what it feels like to eat like crap and not exercise. I have a lot more energy and willingness to do things than I had previously. Which, I agree, matters more. It’s what’s going to keep me on track even if the scale says differently.
Thanks again! More to come!