Good morning!
Not a whole lot of changes since yesterday.
My mental health is pretty much like yesterday. Nothing worse and nothing better.
The weight? Well, I am essentially hitting the averages of the past week - my spreadsheet predicts what my stats are, and I only had to change one - I was 100g heavier than it had expected.
The good news is that muscle weight is up and fat weight is down.
...
I did good yesterday, but it was a challenge.
Not the usual "weight loss" challenge, but a challenge on getting all the numbers UP.
Yesterday, I started digging more into the forums on www.iifym.com to learn more about doing this feeding approach right. I like the idea behind it, and I can completely see all the benefits.
Make sure you meet your body's macronutritional needs and you can do what you like, within reason. Sounds nice, doesn't it?
I had most of it down already.
I eat enough protein pretty much every day. Reading more into the website, I see that I need to be a little better at getting enough protein EVERY day.
I definitely eat enough fat. :) I don't need to change anything here.
The one I am generally short on, is the fiber. I did good yesterday, added enough fiber in my food. Result? I wasn't hungry at all, all day. Sure, I had some urges for snacks and sugar, but that was not physical hunger, and I managed to push it aside.
I hate those cravings though. They can be tough to ignore.
...
I also set my numbers for the future a little differently, leaning a little more towards the IIFYM approach.
The website is essentially made for body builders, and this it assumes that one is relatively low in body fat, and need to either "cut" (trim the fat) or bulk (add a little fat, in order to promote muscle building).
For me, I am in "cut" mode. Hell, I'll probably ALWAY be in "cut" mode. :)
This gives me some different settings to mess with, three options for weight loss:
Suggested 15% calorie deficit, Aggressive 20% and reckless 25%.
I set mine at the suggested 15%, which allows me 2500, based on the premise that I burn 2900 calories daily. This is pretty much perfectly in line with what I see from the fitbit.
I'm still very much in doubt whether the fitbit is 100% correct. Well, it'll never be 100%, but just how close is it?
Many times, I see it fitting perfectly, and then I doubt it suddenly. I just have to keep going, and for now assume that this is correct. Again, there is ALWAYS time to adjust. I'm in no hurry.
So, at this level it gives me a suggested 2500 calories daily, or a 400 calorie deficit per day. This should give me a little less than 1 lb of fat loss weekly, and I should be able to trip up a little over the next month or two.
Now, I still want the freedom to splurge, so I am still using my "save up calories" approach. If you want to spend more later, then save up and do as you please. This, I know, works. As an alternative, I can also spend it spontaneously, and pay back over the next x days. It works, and it gets me into a much more relaxed mood in regards to the journey.
Because of this, my spreadsheet gives me numbers HIGHER than 2500 right now, even if the thing is set for the weight loss. I basically have earned more calories to consume by having a deficit larger than the 400 daily - either by eating less or moving more.
It's a good deal. Today, I can consume 2740 calories. I'm gonna stick to the 2500, though. I'm keen on getting my footing at this slightly lower calorie intake, and just keep the extra calories for a splurge when/if I feel like it.
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Today is fully calculated, entered and done with, and it's only 5:30 AM.
No breakfast (though I did spend 16 calories on some psyllium husk for an added fiber intake. It fills me up nicely too, and it seems like it doesn't give me any feeling of having eaten and thus doesn't make me hungry).
I'm going to pick up Wife in the town where she works (by train) and I will have Skyr (a high protein milk product from Iceland) as my first meal on the train.
Then we're gonna go have a nice, Iranian lunch. Good meats, salads, humus. Yum!
That's really the "food" i'm having today. It'll be a late lunch, and I know I won't be very hungry for dinner.
I have entered a 100g plate of dark chocolate also, so it's okay if I choose to have it. I might, I might not. Let's see. It all depends how hungry I am and how I feel.
I really don't want to go much lower than the 2500 calories today, as I know that I will probably be walking quite a bit, and I don't want too large a deficit.
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I have one more thing on my menu.
This will be my evening snack, and - if I am hungry - also be my dinner.
"Protein fluff".
Have you guys heard of this? In the words of the teens: "O-M-frickin'-G!" :)
This stuff is AMAZING! I tried it last night, and it is like the perfect snack for me. I just gotta work out a few tweaks, but it is AMAZING. Do I sound excited? I think I do. :)
It's dead simple.
I used 150g of strawberries, 40g of whey protein powder (I use a brand called Star Nutrition, cheap as dirt), 65g of low fat milk. A little stevia to sweeten the thing. That's all.
In my first attempt to do this, I simply blended the ingredients until they were mixed. Not further than that.
Then I got out my mixer and whisked it for about 5 minutes. It takes a little while. Then, all of a sudden, it poofs up. It becomes extremely "airy" and very light.
Supposedly, the "fluff effect" varies with the different types/brands of protein powder. Most of the body builders seems to like the casein powders instead of whey, is it seems to fluff it better (and give you a slow breakdown of protein), but I just used what I had, and I think it's fine.
It looks something like this (not my picture, but you get the idea):
It is absolutely deliscious, and it packs quite a punch.
The portion I made yesterday probably ended up as a full liter (but only at 255g, it's all air!) and had the following nutritional values:
Calories: 185
Protein: 25g
Carbs: 17g
Fat: 2.8g
Fiber: 3g
Not bad for something that feels like a very nice, creamy ice cream, and a MASSIVE portion. I could easily have shared this with a person or two.
Now, I read that it's a good idea for "air" to add a little xanthan gum to it, but this isn't available here in Denmark. I've ordered some on Amazon to try it out, but I'm honestly not sure it's needed with the protein powder I use. It fluffs it pretty well.
I also read that some microwave the berries first, to be able to mix without blending, and some whisk up egg whites first, then add the other ingredients and get the fluff from there.
Mine worked perfectly, though. I will probably not change a lot, other than trying to add the xanthan gum and see the effect.
...
In a few minutes I'm heading out for my walk. Then the gym. Week two, third day with two reps. I am eager to go.
Then, later in the morning, I'm going for my doctor's appointment. I am curious and nervous of what he's gonna say and how he's gonna be able to help me. I need to have all this stress worked out.
I feel better, since I'm not at work. However, the guilt of not being at work is also getting at me. No fun.
At the same time, I feel that it's a HUGE stress factor when I even go near my work place. This is obviously a problem. This is what I need to get worked out.
After the doctor's appointment, I have promised to call work (SCARY!) and let them know if I know anything about the next steps towards recovery, or the next steps in my plans in general.
We'll see.
After that, I'm heading out to pick up Wife. It's gonna be nice to not just be in the apartment. Staying in is a bad move. One tends to get stuck.
...
Today,
I'm thankful for:
- Protein fluff! :)
- Morning coffee!
- Gym Day!
- Walking! I hope to do a little extra today.
- Wife!
- Weekend! I like having Wife around, and we're gonna be together all weekend, except my band practice.
Have a happy Friday, my friends! Life is good!
