Monday, August 25, 2014

YES! 8.4 lb Weekly Loss!

08/25/14

Weight: 276.2 lbs (-8.4 lbs) 

I am SO happy with my progress! IT REALLY DOES WORK!!
(I ended up losing just a smidge more than the husband this week! PARTY!)


Let me break down my week for you. My average daily calorie consumption was about 1050 calories. I have set my daily calorie consumption goal between: 1200 - 1500. I know what you are thinking. 

You ate really too low!!!

I wasn't specifically trying to eat super low calories. I genuinely wasn't starving myself. I ate pretty nutritional meals, lots of protein (between 60 to 90 grams of protein daily) and fiber. My calories came from protein and carbs mostly. Was I intentionally eating a low-fat diet? No. 

However, I found out that 1 gram of fat = 9 calories. This is in comparison to both protein and carbs are 1 gram = 4 calories. So as I planned my calorie consumption for the day, I ended up eating lower grams of fat in general. Plus I knew that more protein would help me fill fuller longer. And guess what?! It worked!

The most important take away I had this week was that protein did help me fill up for longer periods of time. Because of this I didn't feel like I was starving all the time. That is cool. I certainly did have moments of cravings. Especially on Friday, mostly because it was an odd work day for me and I had more time on my hands. I didn't go to sleep until much later than I do on other days. So my brain was alert and thinking "I WANT COOKIES EVERYTHING BAD!" I just had to keep looking at the calories I had consumed for the day, calculate what I had left and see what my craving would cost me. 

Once I realized it wasn't worth it, that helped me stay on course. Did I still crave? Heck yeah! But it is so much easier to tell your stomach/brain/etc. "HEY! I can't afford another 1,000 calories! So shut up!"

Exercise

The Mr. and I did do our planned workouts. They were great! We are a bit sore on the off days, so I know what we are doing is working. We are taking it slow and steady. Basically - I didn't kill myself in hours of workouts either! (you could if you wanted to eat 3,000 calories a day)

Workout A
Core - Plank for 30 seconds
Glutes/Hams - Squat to Overhead Press (both legs) with dumbbells
Lats - Lat pullover with barbell/dumbbell
Quadriceps - Squat (both legs) with barbell/dumbbell
Chest - Bench Press with barbell/dumbbell
Deadlift - with barbell (this will later be changed to hammer curls)

Workout B
Core - Plank for 30 seconds
Upper Back - Barbell/dumbbell row
Single Leg - Step Up (quadriceps) with or without dumbbells 
Also this could include a "glute bridge" thus adding another single leg workout

Triceps - Lying Tricep Extension
Calves - Calf raise 

We do these workouts alternating between them and with a day off in between. Basically three days a week we are doing one of these workouts. On the 3 off days we have, I have chosen to do a very simple 20 minute walk. It isn't anything hardcore, just an easy stroll (no more than about 1 mile in 20 min) through our neighborhood to "stretch my legs". I enjoy walking and think this helps my soreness the day after a strength training routine. 

Upcoming Challenges:
  1. Don't go bananas on free day

  2. I will need to remember on our Free day, to not go banana crazy throughout the entire day, binge eating my way through my calorie deficit the following week. I truly believe this was the reason for my stall out continuously last year, while the Husband lost weight consistently.

    I plan to write more on how my free day went tomorrow.

  3. As I lose weight, my progress will seemingly "stall".

  4. What this really means is that I will need to pay attention to adjusting my calorie intake as I progress. There really won't be a stalling, but as I lose weight, I won't be burning as many calories just sitting around as I am now. It takes a tremendous amount of calories to maintain my current weight. I am already expecting my weight loss per week to go down over time.

  5. Cravings? Binge days? Special events?

  6. I know I am going to have other days of solid cravings. Or days that I may end up eating my way through 4,000 calories in one sitting. Also, I am aware that I can't stop life for months and months while I lose weight. I am going to have to attend special events where I can't control the food or be truly aware of the calories I'm eating. 
    The point is that through all this, I just have to pay attention to how my eating is reflective on the scale. Since I have been dutifully logging every.bite.I.ate that has helped me look at an accurate log of my food. And that helps me make much smarter choices.
Go me!

:~D

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