Good morning, and Merry Christmas to all who celebrate today!
EDIT:
If you're only gonna read ONE thing in my journal today, please check out the EDIT I put at the end! Wow!
END OF EDIT.
Let's start off with a little jam...
I figured we should stay in the non-traditional Christmas music.
This is a wild one, so brace yourselves. :)
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...
We celebrate Christmas on the 24th here in Denmark, so we're WELL on our way in regards to Christmas.
We had a very nice dinner, Roast pork and roast duck, potatoes, red cabbage and gravy. It's very traditional, and Wife cooked an amazing meal as always. She's such a great cook.
We also opened presents. I got some cool new clothes, and a much needed speaker for my laptop/tablet/phone. I love it! Wife knows me well. :)
She made me laugh out loud when I saw what she got me. It's great! Just because you're all about rock'n'roll doesn't mean you can't be comfy, right? :D
... I got Wife all of the original Battlestar Galactica shows on DVD, along with the bluray of the old movie, plus the full original Star Trek show on bluray, along with the most awesome action figure from the show. She LOVED it! She's such a nerd. I think this is why we go so well together. :)
I also - of course - got the amazing Black Sabbath box set that I was handed a few days early because Wife just couldn't contain herself. I am listening to it as I am writing this. I absolutely love it.
Along with all these great things, I also got a couple of much needed regular, nice sweaters that I can use for work, etc. Very comfortable clothes and very nice looking. I like!
It was a great Christmas Eve.
...
I was in TOTAL control of the calories. I went a little higher than expected, but still had 500 calories to go at the end of the day.
The numbers aren't all that good though.
Weight:
Day after surgery: 82.4 kg
24.12.13: 83.9 kg (up)
25.12.13: 83.3 kg (down)
Average 7 days: 83.5 (steady)
Average 28 days: 82.7 (steady)
Bodyfat:
Day after surgery: 07.5% (6.18 kg)
24.12.13: 10.9% (8.98 kg - up)
25.12.13: 11.0% (9.16 kg - up)
Average 7 days: 9.8% (up)
Average 28 days: 09.8% (steady)
Muscle weight:
Day after surgery: 72.5 kg
24.12.13: 71.2 kg (up)
25.12.13: 70.5 kg (down)
Average 7 days: 71.6 kg (down)
Average 28 days: 70.9 kg (down)
Fluid Percentage::
Day after surgery: 68.5% (56.44 kg)
24.12.13: 64.9% (54.45 kg - down in %, steady in weight)
25.12.13: 64.6% (53.81 kg - down)
Average 7 days: 65.7% (down)
Average 28 days: 65.7% (steady)
Total Daily Energy Exp.:
Day after surgery: 3379 calories
24.12.13: 3334 calories
25.12.13: 3297 calories
Average 7 days: 3348 calories (down)
Average 28 days: 3314 calories (down)
Abdominal fat:
Day after surgery: 5
24.12.13: 5 (steady)
25.12.13: 5 (steady)
Average 7 days: 4.7 (up)
Average 28 days: 4.6 (steady)
Weight is down - which I don't really care about. Body fat percentage, however, is all the way to 11. If there is ONE thing I don't want to ever see turned up to 11 again, it's my body fat percentage. This HAS to come down, and it has to happen now.
Along with this, I see my muscle mass coming down slightly still. It's not TOO bad, but it IS coming down - whether I like it or not. There isn't a whole lot I can do about it. I'm still not allowed to do ANY strength training, or training that can get my pulse up high. I'm benched.
What I CAN do is walk. The last few days have been very inactive due to the holidays and due to really cold, wet weather. It's the same today.
Forecast says it'll dry up a little later today, and I HAVE to get out there and move. I need at least the 10,000 steps.
I think I need to start taking action on lowering that body fat percentage.
There are two things that I see can have made me gain body fat.
One is obviously consuming too many calories when compared to my calorie burn.
The other is obviously not moving enough compared to my calorie intake.
And, I should mention, a lot of fatty foods lately. It's the downside to all the Christmas foods, isn't it? It's all fat.
I have to say I have been really good at staying away from sugar in general. Consuming the higher calories has really helped me to NOT get into sugars as such. I'm happy that this is the case, and I really don't miss the sugar.
...
One thing I have to remember in this is that I don't need to do anything drastic. From here on, it's all a matter of small adjustments. I'm not gonna go for some stupid 1000 calorie daily intake or anything.
I simply have to work out how to know better how many calories I burn daily.
The scale numbers ARE higher than what many calculators suggest. It could be wrong. Then again, the scale is the only tool that actually taps into my body facts first hand. If any tool knows my body, this is the one.
There is also the Fitbit Flex. It shows a lower number, often by about 7-800 calories. Maybe this is better?
Regardless, the calories needs to come down just a bit.
I think I have healed enough over the last three weeks that it's safe to nudge it down just a tad. Not enough to lose muscle on it, just enough to find a better maintenance level. Right now I'm bulking, and I don't want to. I don't want to lose weight. I just want to maintain.
...
So, how to take a little action?
Well, I can do a few things, obviously:
1. Move more.
2. Consume fewer calories.
3. Eat better.
Moving more is a given, especially compared to the last few days. My average step count for the week is well under 10,000 daily. I need to up this. This will give me a slightly higher calorie burn.
The other is that I can try cutting down on my calorie intake. I can try straying from the calorie intake suggested by my scale.
I still think the scale is fairly accurate, in the way that it's a very realistic number for a person doing relatively normal things, and who isn't a couch potato. I think the number will fit just fine, once I'm back to my normal activities. At least, it will be a great starting point.
But for now I probably need to go a little lower.
I have a nice, little custom spreadsheet that I enter all my numbers in, and that does a lot of statistic calculations for me. It also tells me the absolute minimum calorie intake I can have. It's pretty close to my RDI, because of my low body fat percentage.
Today my RDI (or TDEE) is 3297, and my lowest acceptable intake is 2656. This is the "magic number" where I supposedly won't tap into muscle for calorie burn. If I go lower, I risk losing muscle.
That being said, I don't think it's something that happens just from going lower one day here and there, and this is important.
When it comes to weight loss/gain, muscle building, fitness - NOTHING happens from slipping one day, be it in a good or a bad way.
We're tempted to change everything when we see that things aren't going the way we're hoping. We're ready to completely re-evaluate everything.
I think it's a good idea to just keep trucking and see whether the trend really IS bad - and then fix it - or if it's simply a fluke.
Well, looking at my numbers, it's NOT a fluke. I am definitely gaining fat, and I don't like it.
My solution is pretty simple:
Today, I will go with the low RDI, my minimum calorie intake, to create a deficit. Once the weather clears up in a few hours, I will go walk. I will ensure that I get my 10,000 steps in today.
Then tomorrow, I will do a full fasting day. I will not eat until dinner time, and I will limit the calories for that meal to 600.
Wife will be out working - and will probably be doing a fasting day too - so it should be easy enough. Daughter eats whatever we serve, so there really aren't anyone to consider. She's got plenty of leftovers in the fridge.
The trick is of course to stick to the plan, even if I am here at home all day, mostly watching movies. Everything is closed for Christmas here in Denmark, so there really aren't a whole lot to do. It's more than likely that I won't be going out for anything other than my walk.
Let's see where that takes me. Sane calorie intake today, fasting tomorrow.
I gotta say that I don't like planning fasting day ahead. I wish I could just do it today, but I think it'll be hard.
Then again, why not? I can at least try. I'm always skipping breakfast. If I skip lunch too and have sane dinner, then I'm done. Maybe it's not as hard as I think.
Yeah, I'll give it a try. :) Let's do this. Let's get that body fat percentage down a notch or two.
One thing that "scares" me from doing a fast day is that I KNOW my body fat percentage will go up! I will most likely weigh less in the morning, if I don't really eat all day. This is a given, pretty much. When I weigh less, and don't drop a SIGNIFICANT amount of body fat, then the percentage will go up, as it's related to the body weight. Still, it's long term results I gotta look at, not day-to-day stuff. I just hate that I know doing right will ruin my numbers. :) Still, longer term will show better.
This is all about getting the right grip on things.
Maybe my intake IS a little high. Is going lower daily the solution? Is moving more? How much more is enough? Is it enough that I simply revert to my normal doings from before surgery when the doctors give me the "good-to-go"?
Will it be a solution to keep at my 3300 calories, but maybe do a proper 600 calorie fast day? And how will that affect my cravings? So many questions.
...
Today, I'm thankful for:
- Christmas!
- Presents! Such nice things I got. Love 'em all!
- Wife!
- Daughter!
- Kitty Cat snuggled up with me as I type this!
- Morning coffee!
- Water which will fill me up all day.
Merry Christmas to all!
Life is good!
EDIT:
I just had a TOTAL eye opener!
This is actually pretty amazing.
You guys know how much I have battled that damn sugar demon. I have to say this has COMPLETELY disappeared once I started eating more, post surgery. Once I SIGNIFICANTLY upped my protein intake, and just enjoyed my bigger meals, the sugar cravings went away.
What also went away was the hardship of maintaining my calorie intake. I would binge so often that I would constantly be compensating for it.
I just did a calculation - never done this before - and it is truly an eye opener! Check this out!
From November 1st to December 1st, my average calorie intake was 3300 per day. My RDI was WAY lower, but I kept losing grip and binging on candy and junk.
From December 7th (first day of eating after my new numbers post surgery) and until yesterday (including the Christmas Eve feast), my average calorie intake was 3400 per day.
Basically, it's the same. The way it feels is WAY different, though. Before, I felt like it was a constant battle. Today I feel confident about my eating, and I feel that it's a challenge to eat ENOUGH - and I'm having the very same calorie intake!
The difference? I'm eating enough, and of the right things. I'm no saint. I don't eat all veggies - in fact I don't think I eat nearly enough. But I make sure that I get my protein, my fats, and I fill out the chart with carbs. This fills me up and I am so satisfied that I don't crave candy.
No candy. I have no urge, because I feel full all the time. I don't feel that I am suffering. When I want a snack, I grab a protein bar. I grab super dark chocolate. At the same time, I'm confident to buy candy in way smaller portions if I want some.
And the weight? Well, through November it went up and down a bit, mostly because of the water fluctuations that came from binging. The start and finish weight for the month is dead on, within 100g, the very same.
The last few weeks? I have gained 1.5 kilos, but mind you I just came out of surgery, and all my stats have been tossed around. That being said, I weigh the very same - within 200g - of what I did on both November 1st and December 1st.
My point to this is - make sure to eat ENOUGH. Those cravings are HARD to deal with, but I am starting to see that when we eat enough instead of doing the constant calorie battle, then we only make it harder on ourselves.
END OF EDIT
2ND EDIT:
Well, fasting day isn't today. I can tell I'll be going more hungry than I want to, so I went ahead and did a reasonable lunch. After I had lunch, Wife decided to bake cake - and who am I to argue? I'll have a little, but I'll keep it to that. Wife makes the best cakes in the world!
As an alternative to fasting, I'm going with my "lowest allowed calorie intake" instead. This is my TDEE minus the calorie hit my body fat will allow, just over 2600 calories.
I can easily do this.
END OF EDIT.
3RD EDIT:
So, nothing goes according to plan today. :) I had it all planned, it was all calculated. Then we realized that the turkey meat we were gonna cook had expired. Everything is closed around here by now, being a holiday and all, so we had to use what we had. The result is an extra hit on calories. I won't reach the top of my TDEE, but it's not gonna be as pretty as I hoped for.
Hey, at least I did a nice long walk. That'll compensate somewhat. MOre on that tomorrow. :)
END OF EDIT.
