After seeing the
same weight on the scale for four Sundays in a row, it was nice to see a
different number finally. Yesterday, the scale finally moved
and in the right direction at that. I lost four pounds. It's good
to know that I am like a turtle rather than a rock.
The number of
maximum calories I should consume daily for weight loss remains a
mystery. My metabolism is slow due to many reasons (thyroid, diabetes,
sedentary lifestyle, etc.). For the last couple of months I have been
aiming for a max 1800 calories per day. I may try to lower that this
week. Still being close to 400 lbs, I can't imagine eating as few as
1200-1400 calories. Who knows, maybe it will come to that. I know
from experience that more calories is not the answer for me.
If I were creating a
balance sheet of my actions lately, here are some of the positives and
negatives it would contain.
Positives
- I have been tracking via MyFitnessPal every bite for the last 38 days
- I have been eating far less take-out food
- I have been increasing my average steps/day
Negatives
- I have not been meal planning as often as I would like
- I am still having sugary snacks in the evening
- My intake of vegetables has decreased the last two weeks
With the increase in
movement, eating more at home and less food consumed overall I am starting to
feel as if I have more energy and some aches and pains are decreasing.
Don't get me wrong, at 383 pounds I am still pretty much a sore slug, but I'm doing
better. Yesterday, I went to the movie theater. It had been about
two years or more since the last time I went. With the extra energy, I
felt I could do the steps and wanted to work on my fear of being in
public. I'm a work in progress and look forward to feeling even better
and doing more stuff as I continue to move and lose.
In case you don't
live in the Pacific Northwest or track the weather, we are having some pretty
darn nice days for June. Normally, summer doesn't start in Seattle until
July 5th. This year, June has been unusually dry and warm compared to the
last 19 years I've lived here. While my husband, sister and
brother-in-law might complain it is too warm for them, all I can say is
"Sweeeeeet"! Three to five years ago, my body changed
somehow (thyroid??) and I seem to always be cold. At close to four
hundred pounds, you might think I sweat all the time. I used to. My
husband, sister and brother-in-law do. I don't . For my husband's
comfort, we have the air conditioner set at 69 degrees. This means you
will find him in shorts while I am in sweats , two shirts and under a heavy
blanket and still shivering. With the temps and dry weather, I can now
step outside for a few minutes to warm up every now and then. I'm sure it
won't last forever, but I am enjoying every.single.dry.warm.day!!
Tonight, my husband
is trying a new recipe for grilled fajitas. I'm looking forward to trying
them and sitting outside while he grills. That's all I have for
now. I think I will head outside to enjoy the weather and start doing
some meal planning for the week. I especially need to start thinking
about the three day weekend and make plans so that we don't overeat. What
are your plans? Quiet time at home, camping or a barbecue with family or
friends?
Thanks for stopping
by,
Tammy
Thumbs up on tracking your food! I need to start doing that again.
ReplyDeleteProud of you for being consistent with tracking! It's not an easy thing to keep on top of all the time, but it certainly works. I don't know why people have this idea of 1200 being a great calorie goal, but I find that when I eat a little more, not only do I lose weight more consistently, but I'm less likely to give up on my goals and binge eat because I don't feel deprived or starving!
ReplyDeleteHi Tammy - great to hear it moved and four pounds is good.
ReplyDeleteKeep going - look forward to hearing about another loss.
All the best Jan
Hi Tammy.... good for you for being consistent and wonderful news about the loss. I admire your dedication and determination to keep moving forward. Every step counts. Keep up the good work
ReplyDeleteMany hugs
Hi Tammy, it all starts like this. Just a few pounds here and there downward will add up. Keep doing what you're doing to get these results. Just inch downwards. That's how many of us did it. Many of these things you're doing now will eventually become habits, which makes it much easier. :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm a little late to the celebration but GREAT LOSS! You've got a great attitude that will help you keep working on losing the weight.
ReplyDeleteJust to tell you what helped me a few years ago when I weighed over 350lbs: I started lunch & dinner with a cup of hot broth and a cup of salad. Here's a post I did (way too long ago) that had me losing 2 to 3 pounds a week for several months: My New Way of Eating Part 2. Once I stopped eating that way, I stopped losing and started gaining again. I've slowly started going back to eating that way but in a Weight Watchers-friendly way since that's where I get most of my support and I've been doing better with my weight loss now, though I lose slower. When I don't eat closer to how I used to 4 years ago, I gain a bit. Maybe some of my ideas might be helpful to you.