Good morning!
It's a good day. I slept great, though maybe not enough, and I feel that I have focus on things and that I am moving forward and downwards.
I lost 300 grams since yesterday. Not as much as I hoped, but more than I could ever hope for on a daily basis.
Yesterday went pretty well in regards to calorie intake. I ended up at 2100 calories, using my allowance fully.
This gave me something to ponder on, and this is where I'd like to "go deep" with you guys today.
How much SHOULD we eat?
I know that I really like to go lower than the RDI I am given my Fatsecret or by any other calorie counter app/program. I think this is because I have the whole "the less you eat, the more you lose" thing poking at me still - even after almost three years in this "business" - and I know it's not true.
It's not about how little you eat. It's about eating the RIGHT amount of calories.
I have gathered my own intel on this, and I have read a gazillion articles. Everyone says the same, and still I catch myself ending up doing "wrong".
The rules are simple - and this is essentially the entire weight loss game boiled down to one magic sentence:
Consume 500-1000 calories less than you burn, as a daily average.
There. Done. That's it.
When you do this, your body has all it needs to survive. There is (generally) no real plateauing, stalling or anything else that gets in the way.
I see this with the people I start in up in my weight loss class. It's way easier to just use the numbers and not fight to go lower.
When you have the 500-1000 calorie deficit, then you still eat enough for your body to function properly. Your body "sees" that it's safe to let go of the excess fat. Your body is happy, and so are you.
It's a lot less frustrating to lose weight when you're actually allowed to eat during the process. :)
...
The reason I got the reminder of this was that I once more was reading the "
2 meal solution" e-book. He talks a lot about having proper food habits and about eating enough. Obviously, I couldn't agree more.
And still, I catch myself trying to "shave off" 500-1000 extra calories on a daily basis. I like the thought of having "given a little extra", as it gives me a feeling of accomplishment.
However, I do think that it is MUCH MORE important in the long run to do this right instead of doing this fast. I think shaving off more calories just to shave off more calories generally is a bad idea.
There will always be days where we just don't reach the max of the RDI. There will be times where we save up calories for the party next Saturday. Things like that. But this is different. I'm talking about coming out of the week with a 7000 calorie deficit ON TOP of the deficit already calculated by Fatsecret.
...
So, with that in mind, I will try to get a few more calories in throughout the week. I think this will help me, in general, but it will of course also weigh me down a little bit, simply because I need to eat a little more.
The "old" rules still apply, though. No bad foods throughout the week, and only the "really fun" stuff on Saturdays. :)
I think going to the max of my RDI will also help me stay on track in general. When you can eat more and allow yourself more, it's easier to not get yourself into trouble.
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Yesterday I wanted to eat the whole world!
I think this was related to being low for just a day or two, and it's crazy how that affects me. I keep trying to go low, but I don't need to.
The result yesterday was that I had every single calorie that I was allowed, and it was actually good enough. It made me able to keep trouble at the door, and I came out of the day knowing that I did as I'm supposed to.
Sure, there's less weight lost today compared to yesterday. However, I also feel very satisfied today, and according to fitbit (and everywhere else) I am still in a nice deficit that'll bring me to my goal - and hopefully fast. :)
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Today, I'm 82.6 kilos. I'm still in a category that I find unacceptable, as I want to be under 80, but I'm getting there. One day at a time, one step at a time, nice and easy.
The 2 meal thing really works fine for me. I like skipping the breakfast, as I really don't feel that I need it. I'm perfectly fine with lunch and dinner, and a few snacks inbetween if I need to.
Generally, I'm getting better at NOT snacking. I see that the snacks are what usually gets me in trouble, and I wish I could just eat my main meals. I don't think I'll ever be that type of person though.
I like snacks. I like little foods. I like eating. But I don't like what it does to me.
And still, if I have room in my RDI, and I have had reasonable foods for the main meals, and I have wiggle room, then I can allow myself to do "bad", as long as I stay within my rules. No sugar junk on weekdays.
The sugar is mostly for me to not wake up the Carb Monster. He's always lurking, and I know more than anyone that once he is there poking at me, then he isn't gonna stop until I go to sleep, no matter how much I feed him. It's better to let sleeping Carb Demons lie.
...
So, the
weekly stats are in!
I like getting these numbers, and I like seeing how well I'm supposedly doing!
What I am mostly focused on these days is the calorie burn. I burned an average of 3100 per day last week. This goes perfectly hand-in-hand with a calorie intake of 2100, to have the calorie deficit. 2100 is what my calorie counter is suggesting for me to eat daily right now. This is what I'll stick with.
Even if Fitbit IS wrong, and I'm still not fully convinced that it isn't, or even if there IS something about formerly obese people not being able to eat the same amount of calories as maintenance RDI as "normal" people do, then with a 1000 calorie deficit I will still lose a little weight. I am pretty sure about that. I am pretty active, move every day, for quite a while, and try to not "just sit".
I'm doing well.
Speaking of stats, here are the
numbers from yesterday.
They pretty much underline the 3100 calories per day statement, and yesterday wasn't all that active. :)
I did go to the gym with Wife, and I did get on the elliptical, but I only spent 10 minutes there, as I suddenly had other users of the gym asking me about my class. I think I have three new clients coming up. :)
I'd much rather make some business than do extracurricular elliptical workouts. Gotta keep the business going, right?
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Today, it's a cold morning. I have both gym and walk this morning, but I think I'll wait for the sun to come up and then go walk in the afternoon.
I will definitely hit the gym before work - I got a great reminder of how awesome working out in the morning is, when I went at 7 AM on Monday. I want more of that, and I just love the feeling of accomplishment I get from it.
So, it's gym this morning, and then walk after work. It's gonna be another sunny day, so I am 100% sure I will get my walk done. No worries.
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Today, I'm thankful for:
- A good night's sleep.
- Working out this morning.
- Wife
- Great stats from Fitbit
Happy Wednesday! Life is good!