So, we all go around saying "I must have a slow metabolism", being annoyed that our weight has a natural upward drift and we lose so slowly. But take a look at this:
The internet calculates my maintenance calorie needs to be about 2100.
My average intake for the past 34 days has been about 1850/day.
A pound of fat is 3500 calories.
Go ahead, run the numbers. According to this calculation, I've lost four times as much weight as I should have.
Have I been losing muscle? Maybe, but if so, there's not a whole lot I could be doing about that. I've also been strength training, and it's not as if I've been overdoing the deficit. They say you lose fluid at the beginning of any diet, even a healthy one, so maybe that's it - although I don't quite get why. Or it might be that my metabolism is just as high as any other 20-year-old, and the natural upward drift is due to different deficiencies in my bodily makeup... such as the fact that "hunger" comprises at least two distinct physiological sensations.
Either way, I've lost 10 pounds in the first month (now 171) and I'm happy about that. I'm going to continue as I've been and hope to lose another 5 pounds in each of the next two months (more or less, still sticking with 160 by 99 days). If it slows beyond that rate, I'll start by just pushing my daily target down to 1700. I anticipate, around 165 or 160, a straight up plateau, and at that point I have 2 strategies - eat for a week at maintenance, and then drop the target to 1500. By that point, hopefully, my needs will be less and it won't strain my energy so much (1650 seems to be my lower limit lately). I don't know what will happen at 150, but since I've never been lighter at this height I wouldn't be surprised to stall out there as well. I then still have the further step of 1200 available if necessary.
This weekend I'm doing something a little different for my booster. Instead of eating an overload for one day, I'm spending two days at about maintenance, or rather, eating intuitively. Yesterday I ate as follows:
Breakfast out (615)
Mozzarella, avocado, mushroom and tomato crepe (550)
Coffee with cream and sugar (45)
Andes mint (20)
Fruit grain bar and 1 square dark chocolate (130+55=185)
Bean salad over green salad (170+30=200)
Frozen yogurt and fruit sundae (2*140+75+25=380)
Frozen grapes (50)
Whole wheat pasta with cheddar cheese (400+100=500)
1 Triscuit with 1 tsp honey peanut butter (40)
615+185+200+380+50+500+40=1970
I did not end up having any exercise, but I will at least do some wall pushups and such today, and my new running shoes should come soon, which will motivate me to run a lot more. I ate scrambled eggs with spinach and cheddar for breakfast, and we are going berry picking so I will be eating lots of fruit today and for a bit. Fruit is awesome, it's delicious and snacky but healthy and low calorie density because it's also full of water and fiber.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
Reflections on all week
This has not been the best week. After the 4th I just felt rather out of sorts. I didn't end up getting new running shoes on Monday because the store didn't have my size in the style I wanted, and by that time I was so frustrated with shoe shopping, the post-holiday bus schedule and generally depleted that I went straight home and did not run. I did however make it up later with 30 minutes of aerobic dancing to music and ordered new shoes online. I can get last year's version of the shoes online for half price anyway.
I'd felt depleted in the afternoon Monday, but it was worse on Tuesday. Luckily I got a strength workout in before it really hit. Wednesday morning I decided there was something WRONG with being this tired after two cups of coffee. My boyfriend thinks it's at least partly occupational burnout, but I decided to target the fact that it was the end of my period and I'd eaten 1590 and 1665 calories the previous two days. I ate a good amount (1845 calories) on Wednesday, had iron-rich spanakopita for dinner, took a multivitamin and did not exercise at all, instead going home and straight to bed.
I feel better now, and when I thought about it my "booster" day also wasn't very well executed. I didn't exercise, and when I go back to look at it, all my extra calories came from alcohol. I only ate about 1800 calories in actual food. I should increase real food to make my system want to burn real food.
I don't imagine anybody care that much about my exact food list for each day, so I won't post it, but I have it written. I will however address yesterday because I went to another summer barbeque:
Apple cinnamon oatmeal and yogurt with jam and honey (100+50+70+25+30=275)
Half an apple, cherries, and a boiled egg (50+50+70=170)
Cheese, tomato, and hummus pita sandwiches (160+2*100+100+25=485)
2 squares dark chocolate and 1 tbsp peanut butter (105+100=205)
Barbeque (860)
1 glass lemonade (120)
Boca burger on a half bun with mustard and cheese (140+100+10+90=340)
Fruit (50)
Veggie pasta salad (100)
Klondike bar (250)
275+170+485+205=1995
This falls into what I'm inclined to start thinking of as my "error zone." The zone where, no, if things had gone according to perfect planning my calorie count would be considerably lower, but I'm still a bit under maintenance (roughly 2100 according to various internet calculators).
There were three failures to mention, in descending order of seriousness: first, I poured myself undiluted lemonade for my first drink. There just didn't happen to be water out at the time and we'd gone to the roof already, so I just went with what was there, which was too sugary even by taste! Second, I underestimated how many calories I should to allow for the event, which was at the end of the day. Third, and this is entirely not my fault, I didn't know there would be Klondike bars.
However, my successes were: I only poured myself 8 oz of lemonade even though the glass was 16 oz, only had one glass, and I took an opportunity to get some water on the table later. I left alone the fruit salad in favor of grilled pineapple and a smidge of pasta salad, and declined the top half of a bun to make caloric room for cheese. I did not have any brownie bites.
But why did I eat a 250 calorie Klondike bar instead of a 70 calorie brownie bite? Simply put, because Klondike bars are amazing. Ice creamy goodness beats a brownie every time (unless it's a "special" brownie and even then I dunno), plus it was almost 100 F yesterday. As LessJess puts it, "some calories are just worth it." The lemonade was not worth it (frown), but the ice cream was.
I also got in a strength workout at lunch.
Lastly, while I was sacrificing fruit salad, brownies, and top buns and feeling self-consciously picky and obviously-on-a-diet except that nobody else cares - it made me notice the bodies of other women there. I tried to just see the real shapes and volumes, and it was interesting. There's a girl who, by the standards I apply to my own body, is a bit of a fat girl - she's similar to me around the limbs and even a little squishier around the middle. But I had never thought of her as heavy, she always looked normal to me. Then there's another one who did look big right off the bat, yet she's really only a little bigger than the first one. Why? I think it might have something to do with narrow features and straight hair that make the bodily curves seem more out of place. Girl number 3 is long and lean, she kinda looks athletic but might just be tall. My supervisor, I was surprised to see, is shaped a lot like me, and I always thought of her as a sprightly and trim person, but then again she is 13 years older than me. Finally, the last girl there is what I want to be. She's about my height and my proportions, but slim. My body could look like hers after I lose these 40 pounds. The first girl makes me feel better about how I look from the outside but the last one is my inspiration.
I'd felt depleted in the afternoon Monday, but it was worse on Tuesday. Luckily I got a strength workout in before it really hit. Wednesday morning I decided there was something WRONG with being this tired after two cups of coffee. My boyfriend thinks it's at least partly occupational burnout, but I decided to target the fact that it was the end of my period and I'd eaten 1590 and 1665 calories the previous two days. I ate a good amount (1845 calories) on Wednesday, had iron-rich spanakopita for dinner, took a multivitamin and did not exercise at all, instead going home and straight to bed.
I feel better now, and when I thought about it my "booster" day also wasn't very well executed. I didn't exercise, and when I go back to look at it, all my extra calories came from alcohol. I only ate about 1800 calories in actual food. I should increase real food to make my system want to burn real food.
I don't imagine anybody care that much about my exact food list for each day, so I won't post it, but I have it written. I will however address yesterday because I went to another summer barbeque:
Apple cinnamon oatmeal and yogurt with jam and honey (100+50+70+25+30=275)
Half an apple, cherries, and a boiled egg (50+50+70=170)
Cheese, tomato, and hummus pita sandwiches (160+2*100+100+25=485)
2 squares dark chocolate and 1 tbsp peanut butter (105+100=205)
Barbeque (860)
1 glass lemonade (120)
Boca burger on a half bun with mustard and cheese (140+100+10+90=340)
Fruit (50)
Veggie pasta salad (100)
Klondike bar (250)
275+170+485+205=1995
This falls into what I'm inclined to start thinking of as my "error zone." The zone where, no, if things had gone according to perfect planning my calorie count would be considerably lower, but I'm still a bit under maintenance (roughly 2100 according to various internet calculators).
There were three failures to mention, in descending order of seriousness: first, I poured myself undiluted lemonade for my first drink. There just didn't happen to be water out at the time and we'd gone to the roof already, so I just went with what was there, which was too sugary even by taste! Second, I underestimated how many calories I should to allow for the event, which was at the end of the day. Third, and this is entirely not my fault, I didn't know there would be Klondike bars.
However, my successes were: I only poured myself 8 oz of lemonade even though the glass was 16 oz, only had one glass, and I took an opportunity to get some water on the table later. I left alone the fruit salad in favor of grilled pineapple and a smidge of pasta salad, and declined the top half of a bun to make caloric room for cheese. I did not have any brownie bites.
But why did I eat a 250 calorie Klondike bar instead of a 70 calorie brownie bite? Simply put, because Klondike bars are amazing. Ice creamy goodness beats a brownie every time (unless it's a "special" brownie and even then I dunno), plus it was almost 100 F yesterday. As LessJess puts it, "some calories are just worth it." The lemonade was not worth it (frown), but the ice cream was.
I also got in a strength workout at lunch.
Lastly, while I was sacrificing fruit salad, brownies, and top buns and feeling self-consciously picky and obviously-on-a-diet except that nobody else cares - it made me notice the bodies of other women there. I tried to just see the real shapes and volumes, and it was interesting. There's a girl who, by the standards I apply to my own body, is a bit of a fat girl - she's similar to me around the limbs and even a little squishier around the middle. But I had never thought of her as heavy, she always looked normal to me. Then there's another one who did look big right off the bat, yet she's really only a little bigger than the first one. Why? I think it might have something to do with narrow features and straight hair that make the bodily curves seem more out of place. Girl number 3 is long and lean, she kinda looks athletic but might just be tall. My supervisor, I was surprised to see, is shaped a lot like me, and I always thought of her as a sprightly and trim person, but then again she is 13 years older than me. Finally, the last girl there is what I want to be. She's about my height and my proportions, but slim. My body could look like hers after I lose these 40 pounds. The first girl makes me feel better about how I look from the outside but the last one is my inspiration.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Post party
Surprise surprise, I'm not very hungry this morning. I had some coffee and a bowl of cereal because skipping breakfast is bad. Really surprise though, I still weigh 172. Or rather, I weighed 174 first thing, but after a shower came in at 172. This raises interesting questions about the net water effect of a shower, or perhaps about the accuracy and precision of my analog scale. I should get a digital one and "recalibrate" eventually, but it's far from the top of my priority list for my money. Anyone know of an inexpensive, but reasonably accurate (error < 1lb) digital scale?
I'm going to go buy a new pair of running shoes today, and my parents gave me a yoga ball yesterday, so now at work I can sit on my ass in a way that burns more calories. It it not adequately inflated at the moment, but tomorrow I'll go to the sport center and ask them to pump it up.
I'm going to go buy a new pair of running shoes today, and my parents gave me a yoga ball yesterday, so now at work I can sit on my ass in a way that burns more calories. It it not adequately inflated at the moment, but tomorrow I'll go to the sport center and ask them to pump it up.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Keeping calories within reason at a party
The tidbit-ness of the party definitely got to be too much to individually enumerate, but I added it up in my head as I went and I consumed approximately 1000 calories of food and 650 calories of drinks. Bringing the total to 2490, which is just within 2500, and is therefore "accounted for."
That said, I was reminded of a few lessons. It's so strange how I just stop exercising the new habits I've been developing when I go back to an old environment. First, drink first - you'll get more intoxicated on less alcohol, which is good on a number of levels, and you'll delay eating. Second, don't put some of everything on your plate - eat one item at a time, and use a smaller plate or a napkin if possible. This is especially relevant if it's the sort of potluck where people show up continuously, with new dishes, for several hours. You want to pace your calorie consumption, and if you wait to serve something until you want it specifically, you may find yourself passing over the things you're not really crazy for.
That said, I was reminded of a few lessons. It's so strange how I just stop exercising the new habits I've been developing when I go back to an old environment. First, drink first - you'll get more intoxicated on less alcohol, which is good on a number of levels, and you'll delay eating. Second, don't put some of everything on your plate - eat one item at a time, and use a smaller plate or a napkin if possible. This is especially relevant if it's the sort of potluck where people show up continuously, with new dishes, for several hours. You want to pace your calorie consumption, and if you wait to serve something until you want it specifically, you may find yourself passing over the things you're not really crazy for.
A moment to appreciate my body even as I modify it
Moment of appreciation: I do have nice legs. I am fine walking around in my underwear and a sweatshirt. Even though my thighs and butt are storing a lot more fat than they need to, the butt-thigh-calf curve is well-shaped, and it's clear that I've always maintained a nice muscle core to them.
Back to modification; what I have eaten so far today is as follows:
1 bowl cereal and coffee with cream (100+130+20=250)
Carrot cake and coffee (200)
Tofu tikka masala over rice (100+3*30+200=390)
250+200+390=840
Today gets to be my metabolic booster day - I planned this a long time ago because I have some friends who always have a potluck on 4th of July involving many dishes from many friends and quite a bit of drinking. If I aim to eat 2200 calories today, then I have 1360 to spend - 1660 if I allow up to 2500, which I don't really want to do, but is allowed by my previous definition of my booster day. Originally, for today I was going to say fuck it, there's no way I can determine my calories at a potluck, and just go for it. But I'm going to make estimations, if crude ones, and continue to practice restraint. My available calories sound like a lot, but a lot of them will be spent on alcohol, and since there will be mostly sangria and beer, it'll be about 200 a drink. Of course, I've been such a lightweight since starting to diet that I may drink less than I usually do at this event. It's been quite convenient that way.
Ok: mental budget of 700 alcohol calories and 700 food calories for the night. It'll probably swing 600/800 one way or the other, but an even split will make it easier to keep track of in my head.
Back to modification; what I have eaten so far today is as follows:
1 bowl cereal and coffee with cream (100+130+20=250)
Carrot cake and coffee (200)
Tofu tikka masala over rice (100+3*30+200=390)
250+200+390=840
Today gets to be my metabolic booster day - I planned this a long time ago because I have some friends who always have a potluck on 4th of July involving many dishes from many friends and quite a bit of drinking. If I aim to eat 2200 calories today, then I have 1360 to spend - 1660 if I allow up to 2500, which I don't really want to do, but is allowed by my previous definition of my booster day. Originally, for today I was going to say fuck it, there's no way I can determine my calories at a potluck, and just go for it. But I'm going to make estimations, if crude ones, and continue to practice restraint. My available calories sound like a lot, but a lot of them will be spent on alcohol, and since there will be mostly sangria and beer, it'll be about 200 a drink. Of course, I've been such a lightweight since starting to diet that I may drink less than I usually do at this event. It's been quite convenient that way.
Ok: mental budget of 700 alcohol calories and 700 food calories for the night. It'll probably swing 600/800 one way or the other, but an even split will make it easier to keep track of in my head.
The results I wanted
173 yesterday, and 172 today. And yesterday:
2 eggs, baguette with butter and jam, fruit, and an Andes mint (2*70+200+100+50+50+20=560)
Homemade bread and cheese (180+100=280)
2 flatbread with hummus, cheese, fruit, and 2 beers (2*130+5*35+100+50+2*200=985)
560+280+985=1825
A run for 1.4 miles, which confirmed that exercising before breakfast does not agree with me, and we walked downtown, 2.1 miles. I guess I count walking if it's more than about 2 miles because that's out of the ordinary and usually feels like extra work. I just can't count all the walking I do on a daily basis to get to and from bus stops, across campus, to the store and back, etc, which are usually in sub-half-mile increments.
2 eggs, baguette with butter and jam, fruit, and an Andes mint (2*70+200+100+50+50+20=560)
Homemade bread and cheese (180+100=280)
2 flatbread with hummus, cheese, fruit, and 2 beers (2*130+5*35+100+50+2*200=985)
560+280+985=1825
A run for 1.4 miles, which confirmed that exercising before breakfast does not agree with me, and we walked downtown, 2.1 miles. I guess I count walking if it's more than about 2 miles because that's out of the ordinary and usually feels like extra work. I just can't count all the walking I do on a daily basis to get to and from bus stops, across campus, to the store and back, etc, which are usually in sub-half-mile increments.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Backlog of data
Wednesday 6/30
Scrambled egg in tortilla (180+70=250)
Almonds that didn't soak very well (200)
Homemade bread, 2 string cheese, and salad with vinaigrette (180+2*60+50+30=380)
About 40% of an apple my sister didn't finish (40)
1 large veggie dog on a bun & 2 small with condiments, potato chips, and root beer (110+130+2*45+40+170+160=700)
250+200+380+40+700=1570
no exercise to speak of.
Thursday 7/1
Fancy scrambled eggs, 4 veggie sausage links, and 1 juicebox (250+180+120=550)
1/2 tuna+mayo sandwich, cheese popcorn, and an apple (100+200+80+100=480)
Cheese popcorn and yogurt (40+100=140)
Risotto, lettuce, and 1 glass wine (450+~0+125=575)
550+480+140+575=1745
some crunches, dips, and inclined pushups, a.k.a. sissy pushups for people who can't even do sissy pushups, plus some general camping activity, like hiking around the forest and climbing up and down a stream.
Friday 7/2
2 packets instant oatmeal and hot cocoa in coffee (2*130+110=370)
Luna bar (180)
Cheese popcorn (40)
1/2 cheese sandwich and apple (100+100+100=300)
Home-mixed yogurt (150)
Tofu and yams tikka masala over rice and 1.6 glasses wine (100+100+3*30+200+1.6*125=690)
370+180+40+300+150+690=1730
walked home from campus for 2.8 miles again.
I don't have a whole lot to say about it, but I've got to make a comment about the cheese popcorn. Cheese popcorn is one of my favorite foods; in high school I was known to get a bag of it, which is something like 5 160-cal servings, at afternoon break and eat it all in class. So I wasn't going to miss out on it, but this time I indulged moderately by half- and quarter-servings and really paid attention to it, enjoying the small amounts. It worked out great, as you can see.
I can't wait to weigh myself tomorrow morning! Honestly, I'll be disappointed if I haven't lost anything since last time, but I stepped on and got a little preview this afternoon and I'm pretty sure I will see a drop.
Scrambled egg in tortilla (180+70=250)
Almonds that didn't soak very well (200)
Homemade bread, 2 string cheese, and salad with vinaigrette (180+2*60+50+30=380)
About 40% of an apple my sister didn't finish (40)
1 large veggie dog on a bun & 2 small with condiments, potato chips, and root beer (110+130+2*45+40+170+160=700)
250+200+380+40+700=1570
no exercise to speak of.
Thursday 7/1
Fancy scrambled eggs, 4 veggie sausage links, and 1 juicebox (250+180+120=550)
1/2 tuna+mayo sandwich, cheese popcorn, and an apple (100+200+80+100=480)
Cheese popcorn and yogurt (40+100=140)
Risotto, lettuce, and 1 glass wine (450+~0+125=575)
550+480+140+575=1745
some crunches, dips, and inclined pushups, a.k.a. sissy pushups for people who can't even do sissy pushups, plus some general camping activity, like hiking around the forest and climbing up and down a stream.
Friday 7/2
2 packets instant oatmeal and hot cocoa in coffee (2*130+110=370)
Luna bar (180)
Cheese popcorn (40)
1/2 cheese sandwich and apple (100+100+100=300)
Home-mixed yogurt (150)
Tofu and yams tikka masala over rice and 1.6 glasses wine (100+100+3*30+200+1.6*125=690)
370+180+40+300+150+690=1730
walked home from campus for 2.8 miles again.
I don't have a whole lot to say about it, but I've got to make a comment about the cheese popcorn. Cheese popcorn is one of my favorite foods; in high school I was known to get a bag of it, which is something like 5 160-cal servings, at afternoon break and eat it all in class. So I wasn't going to miss out on it, but this time I indulged moderately by half- and quarter-servings and really paid attention to it, enjoying the small amounts. It worked out great, as you can see.
I can't wait to weigh myself tomorrow morning! Honestly, I'll be disappointed if I haven't lost anything since last time, but I stepped on and got a little preview this afternoon and I'm pretty sure I will see a drop.
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