It's a fine, fine morning!
Sure, it's a little cold outside. It seems that the Weather Gods are pretty insisting on the fact that summer is over in Denmark for now.
Still, if you're in a good place the sun always shines on you, right? That's kinda how I feel today.
I'm down in weight, and almost at my maintenance weight again. It's not that massive a thing, as I have been there for a week's time now, but it's nice to see the maintenance.
It could have gone wrong though. Especially yesterday.
I made some conscious choices - bad ones - and I did them with the full intent of conpensating for them - which I did.
You see, Wife and I were out for lunch and shopping, and I really wanted ice cream as a post-dinner snack. I wanted something good, something SINFUL!
The choice fell on Ben&Jerry's. Geez. Do you KNOW how many calories are in those suckers? I wonder if they are singlehandedly responsible for obesity? :)
Anyways, I decided to go for it. I had one. Well, most of one, about two thirds. Wife had the rest. It cost me 800 frickin' calories. However, I thoroughly enjoyed it and I did NOT lose control of anything by having it. That alone is an accomplishment.
As I hinted, I also totally compensated for it.
I had made the condition that if I wanted this ice cream, seeing that it was a MASSIVE calorie cost, I'd have to pay with more than cold hard cash.
So, I got on the bike. Max weight (which isn't as much as you'd think, but comparable to riding uphill constantly I'd say, and went at it at a good pace for 75 minutes. Estimated calorie burn was 650 calories according to fitbit. On top of this I did an extra two kilometer walk. Bonus calories of 160.
This brought me to almost full compensation, and that added into the math of calories in and out yesterday actually left me with calories to spare.
I like that I can "cash out" my extra exercise in my calorie counter. If I do things out of the usual - things that aren't already calculated in my activity level - then I can "cash them out" and have more calories allowed.
It's not something I'd normally do as I like to just have the extra weight loss, but I think it's a way I need to start thinking a little more now that I am in maintenance mode. I need to simply stay within the calories to maintain, and if I want more than I can have, I need to work it off. It makes sense.
This gave me an impressive THREE HOURS AND 27 MINUTES of "Very Active Minutes according to fitbit. The bike ride, gym, walks. That's quite some.
Check out my stats!...
So, today I am down to 80.6 kilos. Not 100% at my maintenance level, but more than close enough. I have no worries about this. In fact, I am so close to maintenance level that my calorie counter has "awarded" me with an extra 300 calorie allowance today. This happens when I'm within one kilo from my goal weight. It's nice to see. :)
It seems like the calorie counter does a pretty good job balancing the calories. if I set the maintenance level at 80, then 80 it will be. If I am higher, it'll take calories allowed away from me, give me a little more as I get near my goal, and actually give me more when I am lower than goal.
This makes me wonder...
If I am indeed weighing LESS than my goal, does the counter try to FATTEN ME UP to maintenance level? And what about Fatsecret? Does it do the same thing?
This is obviously something to be aware of. I don't want to be fattened up, but on the other hand that IS how we maintain weight, isn't it? It just sounds so counter-productive in my mind. I guess because my mind is still - and probably always will be - in some sort of weight loss mode.
I suppose getting a higher RDI doesn't mean "Fatten up", but more "maintaining the weight I set".
The easy solution could of course be to lower goal weight when I reach the 80. I don't think I want to do that. The surgeons said my weight is ok, I feel ok weighing 80, and it's all good. I don't see a need to chase a lower number, but it's just in the nature of this whole game to WANT to be less. It's a tough thing to get past. I'm working on it though.
Just the fact that I have changed my goal weight in ALL counters and settings on Fitbit, Fatsecret and Madlog (my calorie counter) is a huge step, I think. I'm no longer in a hurry to do any further weight loss. I just want to make sure that my weight doesn't go in the wrong direction and escalate to something silly again.
...
This is really the one thing that concerns me about the surgery (surgeries?) that I'm gonna have.
I know there will be a while where I can't lift weights. I know there will be a while where I can't walk much. I know that I will be benched, and during this time I will not be mentally stimulated. You know what goes right hand in hand with this scenario? Eating out of boredom!
Last time I had the surgery I gained 10 kilos. It was hard work to get them off again. I really don't want that to happen again.
I hope that the simple fact that I am more aware of that trap today will help me stay out of it.
The approach to stay on track is pretty simple. Keep my calorie counter at maintenance level at 80 kilos, but change activity level to "Sedentary" instead of "Moderately Active". Come to terms with an RDI that is about 600 calories less than I'm used to and simply following that for a while. Then, as my activity level goes back up, so will my RDI and hopefully it's all good.
Supposedly, it's just a few weeks we're talking about. I'm not sure yet. I think it's something I won't know until I'm there. I won't know how it feels to work out post-surgery. Some things I have no doubt that I can do, and some things I have no doubt that I can NOT do. The question is to what extend I can do what.
We'll see.
It's a serious concern, though.
I do have a few things implemented to make sure I don't lose grip. One thing I am planning is to simply show up at the gym on workout days whether I can actually work out or not. I think that just going there will keep me in the habit of going to the gym. 2-3-4 weeks at home away from it all will make it a lot harder to come back. It's better to be there every other day, talk to people, keep teaching, do what I usually do. It will help.
...
So, today is cake day. Wife is not doing the usual stuff, but more like a dessert, a nice little Danish thing. Basically it's thick apple sauce, whipped cream and chushed cookies. Not TOO many cookies, just a little bit. It's not all bad.
For once, this will be my SAVIOR. :) I need my fat% in my food intake to
go up a little, as my lunch and dinner are very reasonable and low fat. I need 30% of my calories to come from fat according to the "build muscle while you lean up"-guide that I'm following. This is really the obvious place to get that into my food today. How weird.
Obviously, I WANT to participate in the cake break. Duh. But it feels weird that I am allowed, and that it will actually HELP. :) That is so strange.
I'm not too concerned. Given my new RDI from being close to maintenance weight, I will come out of the day with 700 calories left, if I eat what I have planned.
It's basically lunch (Chili con carne), afternoon snacks (The apple cake, huge protein drink, apples), dinner (Turkey breast with veggies) and a protein bar just before my feeding window closes. They're all reasonable choices. Even the cake is not too bad.
...
It's time to go walk! I want to get my hour/5k walk in before going to work, and I'd like to go to work just a little bit early. I have things to do, people to see, letters to write! It's gonna be a nice and fun day, though.
...
Today, I'm thankful for:
- 80.6 kilos! Nice to see a two kilo drop, especially after gaining a kilo yesterday.
- Wife!
- Ben&Jerry making the best ice cream in the world.
- The ability to compensate for said Ben&Jerry icecream.
- Morning coffee, giving me the boost of energy I need in the morning.
Happy Thursday! Life is good!