Not staying on track :(

K

KayM

Cathlete
Well I had a really rough couple of days from a food standpoint. I weighed myself this morning and the scale said 219!!! That's up 2 lbs from Tuesday. I'm actually a little suspicious of that, I don't think I could have gained two pounds in two days, but it sure gave me a wake-up call. I have been all over the place with my calories.

I was feeling so demoralized I didn't know if I could muster up the motivation for Step Heat. But I made myself do it and it made me feel so much better! I feel very virtuous finishing a 50 minute workout.

Now I'm trying to decide if I should call off the 1500 calories per day experiment. I'd been having 1200 per day, and that got very difficult the last few weeks, so I thought I would try 1500 per day. Well for some reason I just got out of control when I tried that little experiment!

My heart is telling me, 1200 calories per day has worked, stick with that. But my brain is telling me, if I can't handle upping my calories a little and sticking with it, what the heck am I going to do when I get to my weight loss goal??? But then I think, well I don't know for sure I will lose weight at 1500.

So I'm feeling kinda down today but I'm sure glad I did my workout. I knew last night as I was munching away that I was eating like I used to - well not quite as bad as I used to, but in the same habits (sneaking food and making sure no one can see you is NOT a good sign).

Please send me some good vibes today, I really need them!!!

Thanks,
Kay
 
KayM

Can I just say why are you weighing yourself so often this is not good. Too many women get focused on their weight determined by a set of scale and immediately start to alter their diet and not for the better. People who often develop eating disorders often weigh themselves several times a day.

It is a very negative thing and often undermines healthy weightloss methods. You need to look also at what you are eating as well as what you are not TOTM etc. Personally I think 1500 calories is good and 1200 not good.

Please just be careful and don't alter you calore allowance just because of your scales.

Babs
 
Hi, I agree with Babs. My weight can fluctuate up or down by several pounds, depending on the time of day, time of month, what I've eaten, and whether I've been to the toilet (sorry, perhaps that's too much information!) I have got to know the "range" that my weight falls in, rather than worrying about the exact number.

It's generally recommended that you weigh yourself once a week max, at the same time of day. Even then, don't get too hung up on what the number on the scale says. Remember that muscle weighs more than fat. If you are exercising (especially with weights), adding muscle weight is a good thing, as it speeds up your metabolism.

Sharon.
 
Hi Kay,

I agree with Babs, try and limit yourself to one weigh in a week. That is much better, as it gives a clearer picture of how you are progressing. I weigh myself Monday morning, as soon as I get out of bed, after nipping to the loo. It is better for your sanity !

Anna :)
 
One more thing, I am personally not a fan of calorie counting. The number of calories you need varies, eg, depending on your activity level that day, how hard you worked out, etc. So, there is no exact number that is correct for every day.

If you are eating small to moderately sized balanced meals (carbs, protein, a little good fat) every few hours, your body will let you know when you are hungry and when you are full. I once read somewhere that adults should take notice of how a 2-year-old child eats. I don't have kids, so don't have experience here, but apparently, they eat when they are hungry, and stop when they are full. As we get older, we start eating for all sorts of other reasons. Then, we get hangups about how we look, so try to control out eating habbits to the point where we don't listen to our bodies anymore.

Sorry for rambling - that was more than just one more thing!

Sharon.
 
Kay,
Do not feel bad! Don't know if this makes you feel any better but you are definitely NOT alone!!!! I have had the same problem the past couple weeks. I was really bad this weekend and it seemed to just throw me into a terrible spiral!

I read your post and it was almost like I was reading my own post I posted under PMS CRAVINGS Help! I can oh sooooooo relate!!!!!

I did the same thing as you lastnight and did M.I.C. because I was so discusted with myself. It did make me feel better.

I don't know what we should do. Maybe we should just give into the cravings for a bit but be controlled. I think mine might have came from the fact I have been holding back on all the good stuff for a couple months. Maybe it just finally got to me:)

I am going to try and eat more but eat healthy stuff for the next few days. I got some good advice on my PMS cravings post. I think I'm going to go out to lunch and have a great big giant size salad and a small soup from Chili's. Maybe that will help??

Anyway, I wouldn't look at the scale for a couple weeks. Sometimes it can be more depressing. WAit until you are able to get back on track and then get on it again!

Hang in there and Happy Halloween:)

-Pammer
 
One thing I would do is stop using the scale as a gauge for progess. It is one of the least reliable methods for gauging progress. I'd take measurements and go by how your clothes feel. If you have calipers, they are a great tool also. But so many things effect our weight (muscle, time of day, time of month, etc.) that I think can be more harmful sometimes than helpful.

Colleen
 
Hi everyone, thanks for your encouraging advice. I normally only weigh myself once a week, but I thought I should do it this morning since I'd been so baaad. I think I will not do that and just weight myself Monday morning as usual and see how it comes out.

I am going to try again to stick with the 1500 calories a day. I think if I manage my snacks in the morning I will do better. I tend to get bored at work and snack a whole lot during the day, then I've only got 3-400 calories at night which is my worst time.

Also, strange as it may seem, getting up in the morning to workout is somewhat troublesome too. As many advantages as it gives me, and as great as it makes me feel, my way of combatting snackiness in the evening used to be to work out, and now I don't have that. It will just be an adjustment I guess, working out in the mornings just seems to have so many advantages that I don't want to go back to the evenings.

I do have to count calories, though, or else I would cheat endlessly.

Thanks for your support everyone,
 
Kay, sending you lots of positive vibes. Don't beat yourself up or tie yourself down to the scale or cals. We need a different amount of cals everyday, so its kind of pointless to try and eat the same amount each and every single day. Also if the weight comes off slowly, it is more likely to stay off. It was very slow for me and now I can't put weight back on even though I am trying. LOL! Also, 1200 sounds like a very low amount of cals to me, particularly for someone who is doing Cathe. When you are larger, you burn more cals while exercising. You may be in 'starvation mode'. When I eat too little, I don't lose weight. I know that some people do fine on low cal diets, but it doesn't work for some for us. Infact I can't stay awake on 1200 cals - I start falling asleep during the day! Apparently the body requires less energy to preserve its current state. In order to build muscle and burn fat, it needs food! I would be setting myself up for failure, cravings etc. if I ate that little. Stick to a realistic amount and be patient. IMO being consistent with your workouts is more important. Concentrate on increasing your fitness levels, use lean protein and fiber as your power foods and hang in there! It will happen.
 
Well I would say I'm doing OK so far today. Not great, just OK. I need to find some low-cal snacks to take to work and I think that will help as well. There's a big difference between having cantaloupe as a snack, and having two granola bars!! Maybe I will go to the store tonight and get me some canned peaches and green beans to bring to work tomorrow.

I've had 1000 calories today so far so at 1500 cals per day that leaves me 500 for dinner, which surely should be enough. I have a lot of homework tonight which makes it hard. :-(

Thanks for your good vibes prfitness !!! I will try to follow your advice on the proteins and power foods.
 
Hi, Kay! I would like to remind you that flucuations in weight of up to 5 pounds are quite normal, particularly for women. A two pound difference is probably related to hormones; it's most likely water weight gain, not actual weight gain. For this reason, it's good to weigh yourself only weekly, at the same time of day. You are doing a great job but please, try not to become obsessed with eating too few calories. 1200 is such a small amount! If you feel deprived or like all you can think of is food, chances are you aren't eating enough! My intake varies quite a bit. I have days when I am ravenous and pack it in and days when I am peckish. I strive to balance it all out. If I do overeat, I lighten up the next day. Listen to your body and trust yourself! You are doing this and you will suceed! It's not about will power. It's about common sense and wisdom! So eat those grains and those veggies with little indulgences here and there and keep working out! You go, girl!


http://www.plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif Chick's Rule! B http://www.plaudersmilies.de/natur/petals.gif bbi
 
Hi Kay :)

Just saw your post, missed it earlier somehow?
I agree with everyone about the 1500 cal/day. I've always worried about you doing the 1200 cal/day thing. It is an adjustment, and you will figure it out. We all go through bad eating periods, and we all beat ourselves up for it. But you know what? Life is too short for all that! The nighttime thing can be helped by finding snacks that won't "damage" too badly. I'm fond of microwave popcorn, you can get the lite varieties and snack size portions. Wow's potato chips when I crave "the salty pleasures." Jello fat free pudding cups (100 cal/0 fat), and I keep apples, bananas and oranges around just in case.
But remember, food is our friend, we just have to learn how to live with it and control ourselves. It's not easy, God knows how I can't live without ice cream! It will wake me up in the middle of the night and say, "come eat me now!" And sometimes I do! But as time goes by, it gets easier and easier to keep it in it's place, and eventually, I get sick of being stuck on a plateau that I know is ice cream induced, so I consciously put the spoon down for a while. So don't beat yourself up, just realize it's a part of the daily journey and travel on.
Also, I found it helpful to plan my meals sometimes, that way I knew in advance how many calories I was eating for the day and I felt more "on top of it." And lastly, do not weigh yourself more than once/week, it will only mess with your mind. And if you don't already take your measurements, start doing it. Many times when the "scale gremlin" jumps on with you and sends the scale up a pound or two, taking your measurements will save your sanity. As long as you can see that they either remained the same or went down, you'll feel much better about whatever the scale tells you. :)

Donna
 
Hi Kay

Sorry I did want it to seem that I was being unsensitive it is just that so many of us beat ourselves up about our weight I agree with when I go on a binge I want to weigh myself the next day but I don't mainly because the scales are in my sisters room and she nags me if I weigh myself more than once a week.

As for the working out in the morning give yourself time to adjust and put some snacks in the desk draw like pieces of fruit, veg anything low fat and filling so that if you do snack you have an alternative to sugary, high fat foods.

Just a suggestion have a great day.

Babs
 
You guys are the best. I had a good day yesterday, I had 1560 calories which is above 1500 but not too much. I do think it is a good idea to stick with 1500. I've been afraid to start measuring myself because I'm afraid I'll measure a slightly different place each time and come up with different results. How much more inaccurate than a scale can it be though? :)

You are all so supportive it really made me feel better. I just don't want to go back to the person I was. I don't want to be a big fat person anymore!!

I hope your week is less tumultuous than mine, and thanks for your words of kindness.
Kay
 
KayM

I use the back page of my catalogue which shows where to measure, I go for under the boobs the boobs my waists and my hips and my right arm near the arm pit and my right leg on the thigh about 1/2 way up.

Great the calorie front it will get easier and you won't become that fat person again we won't let you. Just keep it slow and steady take set backs and bads as they happen but don't let them hamper you progress.

Be good to you, I have problems largerly due to the fact that I didn't take as much care of them as i should have. Please take care of you.

Babs
 
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