Life Happens

Funny thing about this world.  It keeps spinning and moving no matter what you do.  The past week we have eaten horribly for one reason or the other, but it mostly to convenience and not liking certain recipes.  So, we have decided to streamline.  Holding my weight is no longer an option.  I will lose.  Instead of huge variety in our meal plans, we have simplified it down to 3 different breakfasts, 3 different lunches, and 5 or 6 different dinners.  We have gone with healthier versions of things we know we like and are limiting our intake of bread type carbs.  Also, I am printing off the eating menu for the week and posting it on the refrigerator.  One of our main problems the past 2 weeks has been only having the menu on the computer.  We would forget to look and then not have something thawed for the next day.  Yes, it seems as if we are at another restart, but we knew we would have to find a plan that works for us.  We will figure calories for meals this week so we will know my calorie count for the week.

Also, I have decided to approach my exercise regime a bit differently.  I will continue yoga, but I am also going to start a set of challenges to meet goals and get more physically fit.  For the most part they are thirty day challenges except for the first one.  The first challenge which begins tomorrow if the Mile Everyday Challenge.  This challenge is what it says it is.  I will challenge myself to walk a mile everyday.  This is not a 30 day challenge.  This is a lifetime challenge.  For the rest of my life, my challenge will be to walk a mile everyday.  This is the first challenge because it is the most basic, but also being a lifetime lifestyle goal, it is the foundation upon which all others shall be built.  Honestly, my end goal is a marathon.  Lofty, but doable.  What does all of this mean?  Especially the new challenges.  Well, it means I will have to set my alarm and roll out of bed at least 30 minutes earlier than usual in order to meet the challenge.  I will do this whether Shiloh sleeps 8 hours or 2.  That is my challenge.

Starting April 1, 2014, I will post a new 30 day challenge every 30 days with increasing difficulty so that anyone who wants to join can do so.  My hope is that we can challenge each other and meet tough goals to get where we want to be.  This will be an adventure and an obstacle at times, but well worth it in the end.  If you are around me in the coming months, please don't tempt me with foods I should not be eating.  I know there will be holes in my eating plans.  Family visits, special occasions, and other things can throw off my diet, the goal is to be faithful 90% of the time.  It's a baby step, but a step that must be taken because every journey begins with one step.    Pray for me as I restart.  Pray that we can eat low calorie enough and like it so that we can stay faithful.  Pray that consistency and lack of variety in our meal planning can work in our favor.  Pray that I can walk away from temptation.  Just pray.

Update and Decision

I know I have been a little while getting back on here, but we have been working through some issues and I have fallen behind.  After weighing options and looking at my body's reaction to a few off days (I lost more weight on those than I had in a week), I have decided to quit counting my calories.  Instead my focus will be on better choices and portion sizes.  For those who don't know me well, I am a little OCD, and the calorie counting was actually counter productive.  I would get so consumed with the numbers that the stress was affecting everything in my life.  If I didn't lose the weight the numbers said I should, be it more or less, I was frustrated.  Also, I was never hitting my calorie goal, and my weight loss had stopped.

Then, I cheated a couple of days and lost 4 pounds.   So after a lot of discussion, we made the decision for me to quit calorie counting and simply make better choices and control my portions.  Carrie wants to add some old standbys back into the diet so we compromised.  I told her that would be fine as long as on those days SHE counted my calories and made sure I stayed under a preset limit.  We won't be adding those things back in everyday, just once every week or two.

I write all of this to say I will spend more time on this blog sharing feelings and concerns rather than daily logs.  This means my posts will be farther apart, but I will try to give a weigh in update each week with a little insight into what the diet has been.

January 29, 2014

Basal Metabolic Rate                                                                                                       4495 calories
Breakfast - (eggs, oatmeal)                                                                                               -408 calories
Lunch - (Grilled Chicken, Corn, Green Beans)                                                              -537.5 calories
Dinner - Spanish Rice                                                                                                   -744.75 calories
Snack - Nuts                                                                                                                     -220 calories
________________________________________________________________________________
Total Calorie Deficit                                                                                                       2584.75 calories



Felt good to be back on the plan today, however, I find that I have no way to accurately count the calories I have burned during my workout.  Also, I am researching Weight Watchers as a possible replacement for my current calorie logs.  The reason for the research is the ease of keeping track of points while on the road.  I have a few friends who participate and love it.  A points based system may make it easier to eat on those weird schedule days.

Ever had one of those weeks....

where everything just seems to build up?  I have this week, and nothing seems to line up for my nutrition department.  Between baby sleep training, schedule mishaps, and unplanned trips to Midland, my eating has been bad.

When I found out this morning that my eating would be out and about and I would not be able to accurately gauge calorie intake, I decided I would do one healthy change at least today.  So, I dusted off the juicer and had a fresh juice at breakfast.

No calories today, but one thing I have learned is I need to have a plan in place for days like today.  Food I can take with me.

January 26 & 27 (Long couple of days)

So, just a quick update to say the past couple of days have been looong.  Between church, trying to retrain a sleep regressing 7 month old, and the act of living things have seemed to spiral out of control.  Our calories information got thrown away before we could write it down, and a couple of meals really turned out badly so we had to eat backup foods.  Not a great start to the week, but the good news is I held pretty steady although I can feel I am retaining water and not feeling too hot.  Hopefully, the sleep training will be a little easier tonight and I will be back on the calorie counting ball tomorrow.

January 23, 24, & 25

Thursday
Basal Metabolic Rate                                                                                                       4495  calories
Breakfast  - (Bacon & Eggs)                                                                                             -380 calories
Lunch - (Beans & cheese)                                                                                                 -615 calories
Dinner - ( Spaghetti)                                                                                                        -1162.5 calories
Crackers                                                                                                                              -320  calories
_________________________________________________________________________________
Total Calorie Deficit                                                                                                         2017.5 calories



Friday & Saturday

Honestly, the weekend got away from us.  Friday included our monthly date night, and with the new phases in training Shiloh, we simply ate badly.  Our calorie content was bad, our food choices were horrible, and the sodium contained in Friday night dinner was through the roof as illustrated in the 2 lb gain on the scale overnight.  Complete water weight, but very telling on what that stuff does to you.  We did not count calories these past 2 days because we forgot until it was too late.  This little goof has led us to one big decision however.  Since we already have a monthly date night which is really hindered by calorie counting, and since every diet plan that works allows for little cheats here and there to make the program workable, our monthly date night will also be our cheat day.  On that one day per month, we will not count calories, and we will be able to eat the foods we have craved during the month.  The psychology of deprivation has been wearing on us all the past 2 weeks.  Thinking I can't have this or that simply makes you want it more.  My personality is such that substitution doesn't really cure the crave.  On most things I would rather go without than try and trick my taste buds.  So, while the calorie journals will resume tomorrow, there will be one day a month where it will simply say Cheat Day.  This will allow us to look forward to the foods we crave, but still give us built in time to possibly overcome the craving.  Essentially, we won't be telling ourselves no, we'll be saying not right now.  I assume this week's weigh in will be off because our sodium has been high all week with the foods we were trying to cycle out of our house, but I will still post any loss or gain on Monday.  Have a good weekend folks.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014 (Moderation not deprivation)

Basal Metabolic Rate                                                                                                 4495 calories
Breakfast - (Eggs and Bacon)                                                                                     -375  calories
Lunch - Mexican Rotini (LGB, Ranch style Beans, Rotini)                                          -1075 calories
Dinner - Blackeyed Peas                                                                                            -640  calories
Ritz Crackers                                                                                                             -406 calories
_________________________________________________________________________________
Total Caloric Deficit                                                                                                   1999 calories



Biggest problem with today's food is the sodium content.  Today Carrie and I talked about  what we really need to do food wise.   Our stance must be one of moderation rather than deprivation.  If we deprive ourselves of all of the things we like all at once, we are doomed for failure.  Instead, we must splurge and eat what we desire in moderation while keeping our calorie count in check.  Someday these foods may very well be elminiated altogether, but for now moderation will keep us focused and on task.