Canadutch
the-diet Weigh-In Week 5
Week 1 -> 0 lbs lost
Week 2 -> 2 lbs lost
Week 3 -> 2 lbs lost
Week 4 -> 2 lbs GAINED
Week 5 -> … *drumroll* 7 lbs LOST!!!
Total Lost -> 9 lbs
Holy shit!! *Happy Dance* I certainly wasn’t expecting that when I got up this morning! Although I did try quite a bit harder in this past week than I did in previous weeks, because last week sucked hardcore when I gained back 2 of the 4 lbs I’d lost. It’s all a learning process and since I’m not following any set diet it’s all about lifestyle change… it will get better as time goes on.
Changes I’ve made so far:
- Gave up gaming, which was pretty much demanding I spent at least 4-5 hours a day sitting at my desk without really getting up much at all.
- Gave up cola… ouch this one was tough. I loved my Coke and would drink glass after glass each day (while GAMING!).. after about 3 days of not having any I suffered terrible headaches (caffine addiction?) but with a lot of water and ibuprofen I worked through it and am now 100% cola free!
- Gave up french fries! Yup, that’s right… no more french fries for me!
- Bought yogurt, carrot sticks, oranges and frozen yogurt with my groceries instead of chips, chocolates and ice cream.
- Also got low fat things if possible. Low fat cheese rather than regular cheese, etc
- Water, LOTS OF WATER! I have 2 1-liter bottles of water in my fridge and have a sucky 1/2 liter bottle I refill from them and carry around with me. I drink as much as humanly possible every day. (Yesterday I drank over 4.5 liters!) I hope there is no such thing as drinking TOO much water!
- Learning to bake things instead of frying when possible.. ex. Sunday for a bbq I was going to boil potatoes and let them cool and then fry the potato hunks in butter. So yummy! Instead I cut them into hunks, put some herbs and spices on them and put them in the oven. Equally yummy and less fattening!
- Doing something every day that makes me sweat like a hog for at least 30 minutes.
Still need to learn:
- To not use so much ketchup, ugh… don’t know if I’ll ever be able to do this one.
- See above and replace with Mayo.
- Actually, I need to just generally learn to use condiments in moderation. Whether it’s ketchup, mayo, dip for nuggets, whatever… I need LOTS of it. Really need to find a way to curb that.
- That it’s ok for people to see me sweat. For some reason I hate it, if I’m out walking or doing something being active and I come across people I get weird about them seeing me red faced and sweaty. Like I imagine them thinking how horrendously fat and sweaty I am and thinking I’m disgusting. (Bad, I know)
If anyone has any tips for other things I could learn and could do please feel free to drop them in a comment. Remember though, I’m quite out of shape so suggestions like “Go jogging or biking for 2 hours a day” are more like suggestions on how to commit suicide at this point! haha Be gentle!
My goal is to lose 2 lbs a week, to take it slow and easy and create a lifestyle change rather than a temporary starvation to get the weight off. Basically as long as my weight is going down rather than up, I’m happy. Even if it’s just 1 lb at a time. Last week sucked, this week was awesome. My weight fluctuates terribly depending on my menstrual cycle, the heat, and other things that make me retain water and bloat. So I know some weeks will be disappointing, I just need to not get discouraged by it. Which I didn’t this week and I’m totally stoked with my 7 lb loss!!
Wow thanks for all the tips guys (and gals!)
I have an appointment with a clinical dietician on July 19th so I’m sure she’ll shed a lot more light on what I should/shouldn’t be eating.
I’m not sure I’m into the whole counting calories thing and getting really technical about it. I kind of like taking the “eat a little less, move a little more” approach for now.
I’m sure that will change once I start getting more fit, get a gym membership and all that other fun stuff though.
I can’t live without Heinz Ketchup!
I think simple walking is all the exercise you need while getting started.
Another thing you can do is track your nutrition. Yes that might seem crazy, but just try it for a week or two. Don’t change anything you would normally eat, just log it and see what you eat on a weekly average basis. I use CalorieKing.com, the offline client, because the food database is so comprehensive. Doing that is eye-opening, plus you learn a lot about portion sizes.
2 pounds a week sounds high to me, that means running a 7000 calorie deficit per week or 1000 calories per day. Given that daily intake just to fuel your existence is about 1800-2000 calories, that means chopping out half of what you should be eating per day. One way to help balance that is exercise… I’d say 1 pound a week is more realistic.
Awesome start and congrats!
And as Gail said be sure to get a little salt too to avoid hyponatremia. ;)
Hi Breigh,
Congrats. on the weight loss!
Definitely the no coke or soda was a good choice!
Along with low fat foods, I found that cutting breads and alcohol out of my diet makes a very big difference too.
I love bread, but it is a killer..all foods with high carbs, like breads, seem to convert to sugars (which can convert to fats)…so I try to stay away from breads…
I love pastas, so I find that if I undercook pasta it is better for me eat than if I over cook it…the blood sugar conversion is less with undercooked pasta…
Same with fruit…over ripe fruit is bad…ripe enough is better…it all comes down to the amount of sugars you put in your body…even with no fats in your diet…the sugars in your diet will put the weight on…
So the more you decrease the blood sugars you put in your body by the converted foods you chose to eat, the faster the weight seems to shed..
Now I weigh a lot less, and have my occasional bad meals (frequently), but it is ok since the majority of my meal choices contain low fat/ low blood sugar producing foods…you can find a lot of these and eat fairly well!!!
Great luck to you!!! just don’t push too hard too fast (I’m talking dieting, not sex)
Steven
You’re doing great!
Just a caution on the water: it is possible to drink too much, it’s called hyponatremia.
http://chemistry.about.com/cs/5/f/blwaterintox.htm
You’d have to drink quite a lot, but my sister-in-law told me of someone she knew who got it a few years ago. In Karl’s blog you’ll notice he mentions all the different types of drinks the runners consume during a race, because too much water can be detrimental. Not that you’re running a race, but 4.5 litres is quite a bit!
Your method of “slow and steady” is always the best way, because quick weight loss means quick regain. My GP told me to keep a food diary, which I’ve not done yet (bad Gail!), but it does make you stop and think more about what you’re eating and how much and when.
Tanya, I actually am part of a diet club :) You should join it too! If you go to the “The Diet” at the beginning of this blog it takes you to the website for the ‘club’ I joined! We have a flickr group etc. It’s quite nice!
You are doing well. I admire that.
Roast veggies are always nicer than fried ones.
Be careful to not GIVE UP too much. Fries once in a while are ok, but not daily.
Maybe we should start an on-line, bloggers diet club? :) I could use the help.
Breigh,
I live in Roosendaal about 40 mins south from Rotterdam. My husband ( we just got married april 11th) works in Rotterdam.
I purposefully didn’t join a gym because I was so scared of how much it would cost. When we bought our first house and moved in Dec we were saving for the wedding so a gym membership was out of the question. Now that we are done with that I bit the bullet and went to find out prices. I was shocked I thought it would be more. My membership allows me unlimited access and I pay 126 euros for 3 months. I only had a 40 euro one time sign up fee so for us it wasn’t so bad. I don’t spend alot of money on myself each month so I really think the membership is worth it. It also includes use of the swimming pool (if I can get over my bathingsuit in front of other people issue) the sauna, and all group lessons.
Feel free to email me any time, I would love it :)
Penny
Kim – I do have some ‘girlie’ weights here, I used to use them but when I stopped I got Xander to take them down to our storage room. Will have to get him to bring them back up, along with the exercise bike that is still down there! :O
Penny – I hope you read this again! (Otherwise I’ll email you) Where are you living in NL?! Don’t you find the gyms here horribly expensive?
Thanks for the tips girls! :D
I just wanted to say you make me laugh because I feel your pain!
After living in Holland for almost 3 years and gaining 15 pounds I decided to change my lifestyle as well. I joined a gym which is only one block from my house but is still a challenge. Like you I don’t like people to see me sweat, and when I work out I do it in accessive. Everytime I walk out of the work out area in my gym to the bar area ( YES BAR) people sitting and having a beer always say geesh you sweat alot. Yesterday was elderly hour or something because there were a few elderly people sitting at the bar who said look it’s the american girl who sweats alot! NNIICCCEEE!!
So now am I not only shy about people seeing me sweat apparently I have been given a nick name. I also have to HAVE to have my shirt long enough to cover my butt, cause work out clothes are hell for heavy people!
Some tips I have tried and work:
I have recently gone to only weighing myself one day a week, instead of 2 times a day. Better for my ego and more accurate.
I too drink a shit load of water each day, to help me do that I started adding lemon, mint and stuff like that to make it a bit more appealing.
I stop eating when I am full. Simple but hey I didn’t do it in the past.
After I eat dinner I don’t eat anything for the rest of the night. This is the HARDEST for me.
Thats about all I got. If you have any tips for eating more veggies let me know. Fruit I can eat all day long, but a cucumber or carrot is just not too appealing.
Anyway I wanted to say hey and congrats on your weight loss!
BTW Don’t even get me started on the no screen on your windows things. I hate bugs!
Penny
That’s awesome on your weight loss, way to go!
We talked a bit before on MSN about how hard it is to get into working out and feeling self conscious with people watching. I felt like everyone was staring at me when I joined the gym last year and truth be told they were. It wasn’t like I thought it was though, people thinking “Oh look at that fat chick trying to workout.” It was more people just wondering who the new person was.
I’m still a ketchup junky myself but try to keep it at moderation. The way I see it is if I want a bit of ketchup on my burger or with my baked fries I have it. Don’t try to limit yourself too much or you’ll go nuts. If you want fries and ketchup have them, just baked them instead or make your own home fries with spices, they turn out really good!
Giving up cola is a great idea. I used to drink 4-6 Pepsi a day so I know where you’re coming from. I had the major withdrawal headaches as well. Cutting that out from your diet alone is going to give you great results. It’s insane how many empty calories pop contributes to our daily lifestyle.
As far as exercise goes, take it slow and make it fun. If you could get a couple of 5 lb weights to use at home and add that in I’m sure you’d do great. Walk Away the Pounds is a video I have at home that I use when I can’t get outside. It’s a bit cheesy but a good workout when you’re just starting.
Congrats again on the great weight loss!
keep up the good work !:D