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I didn't start recording any of this when I first started making these changes in my life, so I figure I should put it all down so when I make future entries it will reflect THE WHOLE journey. I wish I had started doing this when I started a little over a month ago, but at least I'm getting it all down now while it's still fresh in my mind.Hopefully there won't be too many pitfalls in the future, but if so, I can now revist this and see how relatively easy it was to get started :)
Here goes:
Watched "Sugar Coated" after having seen "Fed Up" and some other health/diet related movies. Something just clicked and I just sort of - I don't know, woke up. Not to sound too much like a hippy, but's like I came into being. I can't explain it, really. I didn't say to myself "you need to go on a diet" or anything. I just sort of started taking these steps....
Step 1 - Cut sugar and carbs out of what I eat. Done! And I should be specific - I cut it out of what I ATE, I still had a Guinness or two in the beginning, but I stopped all the juice and soda. Thought that would be harder than it was.
Step 2 - Shopping. I knew I needed more veggies and some fruit and better quality meats and good fats. I also knew it was time to get some cookware and stop going out and start cooking/prepping meals.
Went out and got lots of eggs, bacon, fresh veggies and some blackberries and blueberries for sugar fix since they are lower in carbs. Would have preferred bananas, mangoes and other fruits, but hey - on a mission, right? I also made sure to get grass fed butter. I don't make/have a lot of money, so cost/budget is a big deal to me. I was surprised to find that shopping for and cooking all this fresh food wasn't all that expensive compared to what I was spending on ordering out and buying inexpensive junk. It hasn't been all that time consuming either. I really like cooking now and am surprisingly good at it
Step 3 - Do more research and find a place to start logging food and tracking progress. DOne!
Step 4 - No way I'm ready for exercise. I smoke, have hypothyroidism & THE MOST sedentary lifestyle you can imagine. Out of breath going up stairs, get cramps in my legs from walking the shortest distance - not good. SO, I know I WANT to exercise down the road once I get some of the weight off & figure the best thing to do is to prep my body for it. I started doing stretches. Nothing fancy, but a little bit every day. I'm getting ready!
Step 5 - Bye bye Guinness. I will miss you. I don't drink anything else - ever. Tried to do the red wine thing, but it's just not for me. I tried to measure my carbs to allow for a pint, but as I started to see progress, I knew it had to go. Now that I've stopped, I can see how it was holding me back, but maybe it made the adjustment period easier since I could still go out and feel "normal" while I attacked diet and prepping for exercise. Now I don't miss it - I just get a soda water with lime, which is really refreshing and I get to go out with friends. Winning!
Step 6 - I have no idea how I'm really doing, so get a scale. Done! Great investment - I can see my results and it's pushing me forward. Wish I would have spent a little extra and got the one that shows BMI and all that jazz, but it works for now :)
Step 7 - Weight is coming off, feeling better. I know that muscle helps burn fat. So i got a 6lb dumbell. Probably should have got something lighter, but I stuck with it and now I'm doing more reps and more types of lifts than when I started so I think progress is good. I have now found some good videos on Youtube I think I will be able to follow along with and will be getting some lighter weights to start doing those workouts.
Step 8 - Take a closer look at the numbers. I really want to get into and maintain ketosis, so time to look at the numbers and plan/eat accordingly. Not as hard as I thought. It's really coming together and I have dropped 12 pounds as of this morning and only started the journey 5 weeks ago. It's sort of disappointing that I started this at around 220 pounds (from last weigh in at doctor's a few weeks earlier) and entered my first weigh in at 210 (didn't have a scale yet - bad guessing on my part) so my progress on this site shows a smaller loss than I have acutally achieved, but I am SO happy to be where I am and that I have come this far.
Step 9 - Incorporate new foods, like coconut oil.
Step 10 - KEEP IT UP!! More research, inspirational videos, blogs etc..
Start thinking about the next steps - maybe set some goals - Hope to start doing some exercises besides weights soon. Would like to get some good walking shoes soon and start slow with some walking :)
So that's how I got started and how I got here. Now I've written it down and put it out there so I can revist my beginning and if it helps anybody else - even better!
Diet Calendar Entries for 21 June 2016:
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1173 kcal
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Fat: 102.52g | Prot: 44.81g | Carb: 22.85g.
Breakfast: Dean's Heavy Whipping Cream, SweetLeaf 100% Natural Stevia Sweetener, Dunkin' Donuts Coffee, Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter, Bacon (Cured, Pan-Fried, Cooked), 4 Grain Vegetarian Large Brown Egg. Lunch: Kraft Natural Finely Shredded Mexican Style Four Cheese, Tomatoes, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Basil, Garlic, Applegate Farms Natural Beef Hot Dogs. Dinner: Carrabba's Italian Grill Sauteed Broccoli, Beef Meatballs, Silk Coconutmilk Unsweetened. Snacks/Other: Nice! Roasted Almonds Lightly Salted with Sea Salt. more...
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2383 kcal
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Activities & Exercise:
Weight Training (moderate) - 10 minutes, Resting - 15 hours and 50 minutes, Sleeping - 8 hours. more...
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