Week 5 Maintenance Calorie Trajectory --- Birthday Celebration Edition!!!
This morning I weighed in at 144.4. It took a few weigh ins to get that number, because the digital scale needed a battery. But, 3 different times rendered this number so we're sticking with it! We're up .6 lbs. However, I feel safe assessing it may be a combo of un-eliminated waste and some water retention. I'm going to do another weigh in tomorrow morning before I input on FS.
Workouts have been a$$ kicking, but amazing. These muscles are still responding to additional protein and as a result, there is increased energy to engage the muscles, the core and push hard. Of course, as strength trainers know, the harder one is able to push (which is good), the inflammation increases.
But, SO DOES THE MUSCLE!!! YAY!
Callipers are still stating 22.8 body fat, which is okay. Waist measures around 31.5. Hips around 38.5.
I wore my size 8's this week. They still feel snug, but they're easy to zip up, not uncomfortable or giving me a horrendous muffin top. So, frankly I'm okay with it. My size 10's have some bagginess to them so it's a nice change.
This weeks trajectory is a bit different as you can see. I'm actually taking 100 cals away 5 out of 7 days this week. And, NO folks that is not what is done in reverse dieting or a transition into maintenance calories. LOL
But, it is what happens in the world of CICO maintenance when there is a special celebration coming up and calories are set aside so that one can enjoy the festivities. When I was on vacation for 9 days on the Oregon Coast, the data was clear in my logs that I basically love a 2300 cal/day vacation. It's what I averaged the whole time I was there.
I took a deficit the week before, and a deficit the week after that vacation. So, when all is said and done I gained half a pound and then lost it. But, that data from vacay was imperative. It wasn't easy to log honestly people. There were nights on vacay when I just wanted to say screw it too tracking all together, but I logged as honestly and to the best of my ability as was possible.
But, ya see knowing my average cals/day during vacation was imperative, because now I know what my "good time" cals are. And, knowing what those are means when I have special celebrations like my b-day coming up - I can adjust the cals accordingly to allow for it.
And, just like Vacay - I will not be weighing next weekend. I've long since learned it's ridiculous to weigh in after a high cal night, regardless of whether it was planned for. It actually says nothing about what is gained or lost, unless one is interested in the weight of their water, pee, and poo.
And, that is the bottom line.
The below numbers are based on last weeks caloric trajectory so I'm staying put with an average of 1545 cals/day, regardless of whether I show a loss tomorrow. I will also be sticking with 1545 calories/day next week and weigh in on Nov. 3-4. We'll see where we're at and assess where we want to go from there.
In the meantime, this girls body just kept a pace of 73 RPMs on the recumbent bike during 4 different intervals at level 16 resistance. It's funny, because I close my eyes when the interval comes around so it's my legs that really decide my pace. I can't see how fast I'm going. My lungs were burning hard this time and I kept thinking "dang, why is this kicking my a$$?!" LOL. When I opened my eyes, I realized...Duh, because you're pedaling at 73 RPM's instead of 68.
I realized today while pedaling on the bike, there is an element to all this that feels like I'm starting over. It's hard to explain, but when I decided to take my strength training to a whole other level after hitting goal, it kicks my butt in a completely different way. It's not about how many calories I burn that can be banked towards weight loss. It really starts to become about developing and expanding the potential that's already there. It's about mastering the skill to do it. It's not just about function anymore, it's about form. And, there's and element to it that is just as hard and challenging as the endurance needed stay consistent enough to release weight.
Anyhow, have a blessed week everyone. BTW - I'M TURNING 45 YEARS OLD! :-)
