lonniehuffman's Journal, 20 March 2021

Again? Wow! 👏👏👏👏👍 

I'm up and down like a rollercoaster, Shrewdness. 🎢 

It's almost as if you're toying with us? 🙃🤣 Let's put 5 lbs of rocks in my pockets today and then take 3 lbs out tomorrow. JK and great drop Dr M 👍💙 

That would actually make more sense, sk! 😄 Lately, the punishments (weight gains) haven't really fit the crimes (indulgences). It's definitely harder going down the scale than going up. Going up is literally a piece of cake. 🍰 

Nice drop! 

IDK Lman. I'm not losing nor gaining anything anymore.... :( 

When I reached a plateau while losing weight, Slow Meta, I got over it by increasing my calorie intake for a day or two, then going back to the previous level. That seemed to kick start my metabolism. I hope you figure something out that works for you. I know it's frustrating when you get stuck.  

Whoosh again 

Gotta hand it to you, Lonnie: you never seem to go above or below a 5 pound range of your ideal body weight. So after that piece of cake, what are you doing with your diet/exercise routine to bring your weight back down again?  

Thank you, JustBananas! 🙂 Through my life, I've been able to lose some weight before, but I'd eventually gain it all back and then some.  Now that I've miraculously been able to lose all the weight I'd hoped to, I'm determined to never gain it back.  I weigh myself everyday to make sure.  I lost the weight in 2020 by coming up with my own plan based on the recommended maximum daily allowances for each nutrient, not calories.  I researched just how much sodium a person should have in day, as well as how much cholesterol, fat, sugar, all of them, and used the FatSecret app to enter those maximums as targets on the food tracker.  Then I tracked everything I ate, eating whatever I wanted until I maxed out on the nutrients.  If I maxed out on sugar, for example, I'd find something I could eat that didn't have sugar in it.  I'd eat until I couldn't fit anything else on my tracker without going over on my nutrient targets.  Besides this, I also switched to whole wheat products (pasta, rice and bread).  I quit eating after 6 p.m.  I also completely stopped drinking alcohol and diet sodas.  I wasn't sure my plan would work, but it worked exceedingly well.  I lost 75 pounds in 5 months that way.  Now, I'm in maintenance.  My maintenance plan is to enjoy whatever I want as long as I'm below 173 pounds.  I still don't eat after 6 pm, and I almost always use whole wheat products, but I don't track anything I eat, and I have alcohol and diet sodas in moderation.  Once my weight is at 173 or more, I go back on my diet just like when I started, with one exception.  I've still been enjoying some diet sodas while on my diet days, but I count them on my tracker to make sure the sodium in them doesn't push me over my target.  I stick to my plan until I'm back under 173.  This plan has worked well for me so far.  On June 1st I will have been maintenance for a whole year.  Let me know if you have questions or I can explain something better. 

Exercise! I forgot that part, JustBananas. I walk. That's really all I do. I use Google Fit to track my steps. My goal is to get at least 40 Heart Points (the points the app gives you for strenuous activity) per day. I usually get twice that or more though. I do my walks regardless of what my weight is. I do them everyday. 

Thanks for the details, Lonnie! So basically you go back to tracking nutrients and ditch the Jose Cuervo. It sounds very healthy, but also very tedious (not my specialty, as it makes me obsessed!). As far as no eating after 6 -- I could never do that! I don't even start making dinner until usually 8 or 9 o'clock! But I'm always looking for tips & tricks from those who are able to successfully maintain an ideal body after a reasonable time spent losing excess weight. 

Oh! One other thing I should have told you, JustBananas, I only eat breakfast and a late lunch, whether I'm under 173 or not. At dinnertime I only have a small snack. Otherwise I quickly climb the scale.