Good morning!
It's 7:15 AM, it's Saturday, and I'm feeling great this morning! :)
I couldn't sleep much, but that's ok. I feel like I am rested. In fact, when I woke up I felt so rested that I went for my usual walk - but made it 50% longer.
So, in this early hour I have already claimed 7½ kilometer, 10,000 steps and just around 85 "very active minutes" according to Fitbit. Not bad.
...
I did great yesterday - again!
I did my workout, I went to work, and I was gonna have dinner with Wife and then go for our walk.
We went to a little restaurant, and Wife had chicken pot pie. I was gonna have mashed potatoes with a beef stew, but the potatoes were - to say the least - foul. Cheap, powder made mashed potatoes. I can live with it if I myself is too lazy to cook, but for any restaurant out there this just isn't good enough. Not even for the cheap ones.
I returned the plate, and got my money back. They refunded with no trouble.
I simply skipped lunch, and had an extra piece of salmon for dinner. Not a bad trade at all.
...
The lunch scenario is actually very important for me.
I don't want to eat food that I don't feel like eating. Period. If I don't see anything appealing on a menu, there is just no point in having anything - unless I am REALLY hungry. And I'm never REALLY hungry.
No, I want the food I eat to be satisfying every step of the way. I want it to be what I expect it to be. I want it to satisfy my mind as much as my stomach.
This approach seems to help me feel full and satisfied. And it makes perfect sense. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's had some food because we were hungry, and it wasn't what we really wanted. And what did we do after? We went to eat what we REALLY wanted, and thus consumed a lot of unnecessary calories. I've done this all my life, I think. Probably thousands of times.
Instead, I see that it most times boils down to simply finding reasonable foods that fit in the diet plan and that sounds appealing at the moment. Choose this dish, and it's all gonna be fine.
...
I'm really happy that I did my walk and had my steps today, because I know the rest of the day will be a fairly lazy one.
Basically, Wife and I are gonna go shopping, go have lunch at the little buffet, and then we're gonna be home watching movies and just relaxing.
I've been looking forward to this. I need a relaxing day, and today is it. Tomorrow, I'm playing with the band, and as much as it's fun to do, it's also hard work. So today is the day.
...
Essentially, today COULD be Indulgence Day. I'm not taking the bait though. I gotta stay Low Cal, and I gotta do good.
I will probably have more calories than I have this last week, but in essence I am about 5000 calories under my expected goal for the week. There is no harm in having an extra piece of meat or something good today. The main thing is to limit the calories, limit the fat, limit the carbs. I might have a higher intake than I have the last week or so, but I will make every bite count, and remain focused.
I can't let my fluid levels fluctuate TOO crazy just because it's Saturday.
Today, I'm down ANOTHER kilo (well, 900g), and it seems to be mostly water coming off of me today. Of course, there is a fat loss too, but water seems to be the more dominant thing.
My body fat percentage goes up when this happens, and it went form 11.5 yesterday to 13.9 today. That's okay. I'll drop tomorrow or Monday, as long as I keep doing okay.
...
So, what is today's plan in regards to food?
I'm not sure what Wife wants for dinner yet, but I'll just follow suit. I will focus on whatever meat (for fat and protein) and severely limit any carb that she might add.
The same goes for my lunch buffet. I'll focus on meat, meat and more meat. It's lucky that I am a dedicated carnivore. :)
There will be no sugar snacks today. None. Zip.
...
During my walk this morning, something dawned on me. There is an added challenge coming up, and it's really, REALLY poorly timed.
I'm admitted to the hospital on Wednesday the 4th of December, and having surgery the day after.
Well, the Friday prior to that, we're having a semi-large gathering at our house for Thanksgiving (yes, I know. It's a day late - but since Thanksgiving is not a national holiday here, and neither is the day after, we're gonna have to do it this way if we want to actually have people come over...).
There's gonna be all the usuall Thanksgiving goodies, and I'm gonna be on super restrictive diet since the surgery is THIS close. At least, I think I am.
It might just be a question of my weight and numbers on the day. But obviously, I can NOT gain 4-5 kilos of fluid on that night. It's WAY too close to my surgery date.
I believe that MODERATION will have to be the key.
I will make this day a one-meal day, and ONLY eat for dinner. I will make sure to make smart choices, and I will make sure to NOT go nuts in the many dishes but simply eat, taste and enjoy, and then move on.
This is gonna be a HARD challenge. I hope the weeks of Low Cal leading up to it will prime me mentally to better do it.
...
Going Low Cal these last days - all week - has really not been rough on me. Actually, it's been surprisingly easy, just like last time I did it.
Last time, it was to try to actually feel hunger. I never did. I did, however, lose 10 kilos in three weeks, and I did lose a TON of muscle and ended up feeling super weak.
This will not happen quite the same way this time. This time, I am focusing a LOT more on my macro nutrients. I make 100% sure that I get enough protein and fats, and I make sure that I REALLY like the food that I eat.
I found a new little mantra that is really helping me these days:
There are essential proteins.
There are essential fats.
There is no such thing as essential carbs.
It's a great way of thinking.
...
Today, I'm thankful for:
- Down another 900 grams!
- Early morning walk!
- A short, but good night's week!
- Relaxing day ahead!
- Morning coffee!
- Wife!
- Spending the day with the one I love. Does it get any better than that?
Have a great weekend, friends! Tomorrow, I will most likely not write a journal, as I will have a very hectic morning. Unless, of course, I wake up at 4 AM again. Then I have all the time in the world.
Life is good!
