Tuesday 6 August 2013

Measurement Monday - Round 1

Okay, moment of truth time.

How has the last five six weeks of getting 'reserious' about my weightloss efforts gone?
 
 

On June 24th, I reached a new point, where I decided once again, to make a difference in the way I feel and the way I look. 
 
I weighed in at 107.6 kgs.  (237 lbs)  There on in, I started to be super careful with logging everything I was consuming.  I logged eveerything using MyFitnessPal and I was aiming for 1610 Cal a day.  I bought a notebook to write everything down and I used a digital food scale to measure everything.  I even took my digital food scale with me when I visited family for the week!  In that week, I didn't quite stay in my calorie limit, but across the week, I believe it averaged out that I was just under. 

The following Monday morning, back at home, I weighed myself and the scale flashed up 105.2kg (231lbs). 
Really?  Wow, I wasn't expecting that.   Did I really lose weight already? After just one week of trying to stick to a lower calorie level? Nah... Couldn't have!  In this week, I was much more careful about sticking to my calorie limit and I also managed to do some exercise - trying out the Couch to 5K program.

Monday 8th July, next weigh-in.  103.5kg (227.7lbs).  O_O     Hmmm... Okay, perhaps this lower calorie limit has some merit to it afterall.  This week I wasn't as careful with meal planning and logging.  I let myself get tired and hungry and then when I got home, I didn't make good food choices.  Or I picked up some fast food on the way home.  I didn't properly plan meals, lunch was a lazy affair, breakfast was skipped.  It was not good.  The next week followed much the same pattern. 

And it showed. 15th July I weighed in at 104.0kg (229lbs).  I didn't do any exercise in this week either and I had some sick days from work.  By 22 July I was sitting on 104.9kg again (231.2lbs).  

But, of course, on the 21 July I watched the Fat and Back documentary and it reinforced for me just how hard this journey is (urgh! what a cliché) and how easy it is to fall into bad habits that will not help me in my efforts to get healthy again.  

Started tracking & logging diligently again.  I've noticed that my tracking is becoming faster as I re-use many of the same foods in the database.  I'm only using the webversion, so there's no scanning of barcodes.  I just have to look everything up.  But stuff like steamed veges are usually floating around in the first three pages of recent food because I eat the same type of veges often.  And I'm getting better with portioning my food straight away, weighing those portions and putting it into the freezer straight away.  And I don't need to weigh everything out each time anymore.  My coffee for instance, I made & weighed enough times that I have a standard formula now of coffee:sugar:water:milk.  The milk varies slightly (±10ml), but I'm not quibbling over it, because a) long term I feel those wobbles balance out, and b) nearly half the time I make myself a coffee, I never finish it. 

Now, completely by accident I forgot to weigh-in last Monday.  I was really excited and looking forward to it too, because I'd just finished a week of careful tracking again.  I only remembered once I was halfway through breakfast.  I was going to weighin the next day, but I forgot then too, and by Wednesday I felt it wasn't going to be an accurate picture of the week. 

So I left it to this morning.

I weighed in at 103.0kg (226.6lbs). 

Woohoo, I think I'm losing weight. :) Finally. After 15 months of this blog and not really getting anywhere or doing anything. This calorie counting thing seems to be the way to go. I've lost this weight just by weighing and logging food. I've not done any real meaningful exercise in the past four weeks either. Just one walk of 40 minutes. It seems it's going to be possible and I can do this. I can lose weight and get healthy.

Excellent! :)

4 comments:

  1. Wonderful! That's a really great result. Yes, calorie counting is amazing, isn't it. I was so incredibly resentful to calorie count at first, but it works so well that it's hard not to love it, don't you agree? So how do your clothes fit? Looser, I bet. :D

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    1. Hi Marion, Yes, I feel that I really am getting a good result from the calorie counting. Another loss again even this week. :)

      And, while it is tedious, I'm getting better at it and it's slowly becoming a faster task. It's also been interesting realising just how many calories are in different foods. Bread's a good example. I can totally see now why many people find bread is the enemy!
      I really enjoy bread though and wouldn't give it up for quids :) Jaffles (toasted sandwiches) are the best! My preference is for "nutritionally sound" bread however. Soy & Linseed is my current favourite, although I do like ordinary wholemeal (wholewheat I think is the same?) or Rye bread. No white bread for me! (Not even as a kid).

      You raised an interesting question about my clothes fitting looser. I haven't noticed a difference. But, I don't know if that's because there isn't a difference or because I haven't been paying enough attention! :D

      Tell you what, I'll continue to wear clothes over the next week and let you know soon. Now that you've brought it up, I know I am going to be more aware of it. :D

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  2. I just found this blog and I totally love the way you write honestly. Tracking does help. You just got a new follower. :-) Come visit me sometime...

    ~Enyonam
    http://transitioningto143.blogspot.com

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  3. Awww.. shucks, that's so nice of you to say! :) Thanks for dropping in and leaving a comment. I appreciate it.

    I had a quick scoot over to your blog. Wow, have you got a big archive! Brill. I look forward to reading through all your posts. Slowly. Over a few weeks me thinks...

    Funnily enough, I think I've stumbled across your blog once before, because I have read your list of "Reasons for Losing Weight" before. I totally agree with you on point #3. That is the absolute pits isn't it? Especially in Summer, as many pants are made from linen, or a linen blend. I've had some that lasted 5 wears before they wore through. But only on the inside leg. :( What a pain.

    Well, Summer is still a few months away yet. Gonna keep on tracking and keep on getting healthier and losing weight so I don't have that problem this year!

    :) Kathleen

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