195.2 lbs
Once again, I can't explain myself. Another pound gone and I did actually work out last night but not very hard. It does appear, at this point at least, I will have to work on a new chart tomorrow. I don't feel I have done anything differently this week. Have I? (cue dramatic soap opera chord sweep).
It's just been a short time since I started and I haven't looked back too deeply. That is, until today. I have a friend who is trying some of this for herself by using the diet regimen laid out in The 4-Hour Body. She is having a hard time because of the legumes and beans. In short, she hates them. It was then that I realized that I have eaten beans perhaps once or maybe twice a week for the past month and a half. I think the last time a bean touched my lips was Monday. Wait! I think now it must have been last week. Oh man, I am really screwing up this whole diet thing. I can't even recall what I ate! Uh, wait yet again, I am not doing a diet. But the short little email exchange this morning made me realize how far I have strayed off the reservation and forged my own path. That's only if I imagine there was a reservation in the first place.
Here is what I ate day so far (while I still remember!):
There is a lot of protein in there but there are still some carbs and greens. Overall, not bad. Overall, it is not how this whole deal started out. A typical day would include beans and spinach. Now? Perhaps I have some spinach and perhaps I don't. I think this evening will entail a nice salad with balsamic vinegar and some olive oil because I feel a bit full at the moment and it is getting much hotter outside.
Now you already know I have added bananas but I also have tried to include more greens in general and more nuts. There are some protein shakes in there with vanilla yogurt. I figured out that, unconsciously, I have been doing a body builders slim down diet. It's the type of eating regimen that builders usually do before competitions to cut the fat while keeping muscle mass. This new way of eating plus the workouts have come up huge in the numbers. I have one more week after this and it will be the three month mark and about 40 lbs gone.
If there is one bit of advice I can give, it is this: keep with whatever your doing as long as it works. The longer you keep with it, the easier it becomes. Most dieters fall off the wagon completely before any of their sacrifices produce sustainable dividends. If folks would just make a promise to themselves that they will battle through the cravings and other indignities for just 60 days of their life, they would be incredibly happy with the results. Even if you are only dropping a pound a week, that is still 8 lbs off of your frame in 60 days or 8 weeks. It's the follow through and not the swing.
There is one more bit of advice I gave my friend: make sure you have number consistency. It's incredibly important. How many times have you tried to lose weight and noticed your numbers floating all over the place? One day you are down 2 lbs and the next you are up 4 lbs. Who would want to keep with a diet that screws with your weight inconsistently? No one and that is why diets often fail. Time and place are everything. I have our scale in the walk-in closet and it is one of the first things I do each morning and I do it at approximately the same exact time every morning. I can not stress this enough. Your numbers drive you and everything else when you choose to make a life change where your diet and weight are concerned. You can't really measure your progress with a mirror at first, so your only option is the dreaded scale.
Don't be afraid to start now or set a day in the very near future to make a change. One question that I failed to answer for my friend was whether it was better to have a binge day on Saturday or Sunday. You know, it really doesn't matter. I have thought of shifting mine to Friday but Saturday seems to be good because I have all day at home to pig out. If you decide to do a binge day it is important to remember to binge only during the waking hours of that day - it doesn't work if you try to bridge a 24 hour period. Even now I am going to try and cut back on carbs on binge days, they make me sleepy and I crash early. It's less of a true experiment decision or even diet change, it's just more practical. I want the whole day not just the time until I eat myself to sleep. I am going to start that change on Saturday, I'll tell you how it goes. Two weeks from now I am changing my meal schedule to 5 a day - I'll keep you posted when and if that happens. Flexibility counts for a lot at this stage in the game.
It's just been a short time since I started and I haven't looked back too deeply. That is, until today. I have a friend who is trying some of this for herself by using the diet regimen laid out in The 4-Hour Body. She is having a hard time because of the legumes and beans. In short, she hates them. It was then that I realized that I have eaten beans perhaps once or maybe twice a week for the past month and a half. I think the last time a bean touched my lips was Monday. Wait! I think now it must have been last week. Oh man, I am really screwing up this whole diet thing. I can't even recall what I ate! Uh, wait yet again, I am not doing a diet. But the short little email exchange this morning made me realize how far I have strayed off the reservation and forged my own path. That's only if I imagine there was a reservation in the first place.
Here is what I ate day so far (while I still remember!):
- Chorizo and eggs
- A banana
- A large protein shake
- A Country Club unwich (turkey, ham,provolone, tomatoes and mayo in a lettuce wrap) from Jimmy John's (really cheap eats)
There is a lot of protein in there but there are still some carbs and greens. Overall, not bad. Overall, it is not how this whole deal started out. A typical day would include beans and spinach. Now? Perhaps I have some spinach and perhaps I don't. I think this evening will entail a nice salad with balsamic vinegar and some olive oil because I feel a bit full at the moment and it is getting much hotter outside.
Now you already know I have added bananas but I also have tried to include more greens in general and more nuts. There are some protein shakes in there with vanilla yogurt. I figured out that, unconsciously, I have been doing a body builders slim down diet. It's the type of eating regimen that builders usually do before competitions to cut the fat while keeping muscle mass. This new way of eating plus the workouts have come up huge in the numbers. I have one more week after this and it will be the three month mark and about 40 lbs gone.
If there is one bit of advice I can give, it is this: keep with whatever your doing as long as it works. The longer you keep with it, the easier it becomes. Most dieters fall off the wagon completely before any of their sacrifices produce sustainable dividends. If folks would just make a promise to themselves that they will battle through the cravings and other indignities for just 60 days of their life, they would be incredibly happy with the results. Even if you are only dropping a pound a week, that is still 8 lbs off of your frame in 60 days or 8 weeks. It's the follow through and not the swing.
There is one more bit of advice I gave my friend: make sure you have number consistency. It's incredibly important. How many times have you tried to lose weight and noticed your numbers floating all over the place? One day you are down 2 lbs and the next you are up 4 lbs. Who would want to keep with a diet that screws with your weight inconsistently? No one and that is why diets often fail. Time and place are everything. I have our scale in the walk-in closet and it is one of the first things I do each morning and I do it at approximately the same exact time every morning. I can not stress this enough. Your numbers drive you and everything else when you choose to make a life change where your diet and weight are concerned. You can't really measure your progress with a mirror at first, so your only option is the dreaded scale.
Don't be afraid to start now or set a day in the very near future to make a change. One question that I failed to answer for my friend was whether it was better to have a binge day on Saturday or Sunday. You know, it really doesn't matter. I have thought of shifting mine to Friday but Saturday seems to be good because I have all day at home to pig out. If you decide to do a binge day it is important to remember to binge only during the waking hours of that day - it doesn't work if you try to bridge a 24 hour period. Even now I am going to try and cut back on carbs on binge days, they make me sleepy and I crash early. It's less of a true experiment decision or even diet change, it's just more practical. I want the whole day not just the time until I eat myself to sleep. I am going to start that change on Saturday, I'll tell you how it goes. Two weeks from now I am changing my meal schedule to 5 a day - I'll keep you posted when and if that happens. Flexibility counts for a lot at this stage in the game.
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