Maintenance Continues

Well, it’s been a while since I posted here.  I kind of had a feeling that would happen.  I’m known for jumping around from project to project.

In any case, this is how things are faring for me these days.  Due to the injured foot, I never quite made it back to running…or any type of exercise…since last September.  My diet has remained the same as it was last spring/summer.  I was able to maintain my weight for about 6 months after ceasing my exercise routine.  It was at that point (in March 2009) that I contracted mono, which then seemed to trigger my panic disorder, causing a world of havoc for my poor body.  For anyone who has battled anxiety and panic, I assume you can relate my telling you that is was a long, scary battle to fight.  After being place on anxiety medication about a month ago, I lost another 5 pounds and I am now maintaining my weight at 117 pounds.  My anxiety is under control again and my energy levels are back to what they were before the mono.  What is interesting to note is that even though my diet is nearly flawless – all good fats, low-glycemic, whole grains, fruits, veggies (sometimes) – my cholesterol has gone up again.

This surprised me. 

I lost 45 pounds last year and I have kept my diet as healthy as it was last spring.  I was certain that this be enough to keep my cholesterol at the same levels. After consulting with a nutritionist, we determined that it is most likely due to 2 possible factors: lack of exercise and/or genetics.

Since my diet can’t really get much better than it already is…aside from possibly needing a few more veggies and a little more fiber…the only change from last spring is the amount of exercise I am getting (or not getting, actually.)  It sure does seem as though continuous exercise is going to be a necessity for me in order to keep my cholesterol low.  I am so used to seeing exercise as a means to lose weight that I forgot that it provides other benefits as well.  Additionally, it would also help keep my anxiety disorder under control.

So, all in all, I have to figure out a way to add exercise back into my life. Forever.  My food intake is enough to keep the weight loss where it is, but total health requires more than just a low number on the scale.  Staying active seems to provide the body with a boost that we can’t get anywhere else.  I am excited to see how much a change those cholesterol numbers show after 6 months of sticking to an exercise routine.  I’ll keep you posted!

Taking a Break - Maintenance

Well, I have been dieting continuously for almost 6 months. Now some people think I'm not supposed to refer to this as a 'diet.' It's supposed to be called a lifestyle change; a permanent alteration to my habits in the direction of lifelong health and weight control.

Well, the truth is these lifelong habits are currently being used to lose weight. When I finally reach my goal weight, I will continue these habits. The difference is that I won't be counting calories and exercising in order to lose weight. I will be doing those things in order to maintain my weight and stay healthy forever. That will be my permanent 'maintenance diet'. In the meantime, though, I am still on a 'weight loss diet'. I use the word 'diet' here to signify my eating and health habits...not in the sense that this is a fad.

With all of that being said...I am a little tired. A weight loss diet puts stress on the body - mentally and physically. The body likes to have things stay the same. It likes steadiness and consistency. When we are losing weight, we are constantly forcing it to change. We force it to work a little harder. So, after six months of this, I decided to step back a little bit and do a little bit of maintenance. I am still counting calories and staying active (although, I will be honest and say that my exercise has dwindled a bit, but my foot injury and bad weather are to blame for this) but I am eating at my maintenance level of calories and I have not attempted to lose weight for a few weeks.

I figured this would be a nice way to let my body get used to my current healthy weight (127 lbs, thank you very much!) before I attempt to tackle the final 10-15 pounds.

How is it going so far?

Pretty well. I have stayed steady at this weight for nearly 4 weeks now. My injured foot has healed nicely and I am about ready to resume next week with increase my exercise to my previous level and consuming the calories needed to lose my 1 pound a week again.

In essence, I basically spent the past few weeks practicing what I will be doing forever...keeping my calorie intake at the level my body needs to maintain my current weight. Of course, if I had been more active these past 3 weeks, I would have been able to eat a lot more (because the more we exercise, the more we can - and should - eat!) But, I am glad I took it easy on the activity because I was really overworking my foot injury and possibly heading towards some long-term problems. (That's what I get for running with the wrong type of sneaker!)

In any case, I just thought I'd share my experience on 'maintenance dieting' and how I fared in my attempt to take a break from 'weight loss dieting.' Honestly, calorie counting has changed how I will eat forever. It just makes the most sense to me...calories in, calories out (for the most part.) It's not an exact science, so it always require tweaking, but I'm obviously doing something right because I have lost nearly 40 pounds this way. Wish me luck for the final 15!

Fueling My Body

I've been reading up the past few days on glycogen stores and how to ensure we have enough fuel to do a proper workout. The reason for this is that I was noticing a huge amount of fatigue during my daily run.

When I began to assess what might be causing this problem, I realized that my calorie intake has been decreasing a little lately. I was also doing double workouts on some days...running and then a round of WiiFit in the evening. Overall, I think my poor body just wasn't keeping up.

From what I have read, when we eat carbohydrates our body uses what it can at the moment and then stores the rest away. It converts the food into glycogen and packs that glycogen away in our liver and muscles for later use. Our body can hold about a half a day's worth of glycogen at one time.

Eating small, frequent carbohydrate meals will give your body a nice constant supply of glycogen for you to use throughout the day. You don't want to eat too many carbs at one sitting because whatever can't be stored as glycogen is then stored as fat. Don't restrict, but don't overdo. Low carb dieters tend to complain of fatigue. This is because they aren't filling their reserves. What is worse is that they will then try to exercise, too, which will very quickly deplete what is left of their glycogen stores. This is partially good because the body will then turn to their fat stores for energy, but the body will also start converting protein for energy, which can have an adverse affect on our muscles.

So, what I decided to do was take a few days off from exercise and just recharge myself a little. By the end of two days, I was able to run a good 4.5 miles...and still feel like I could run some more. I am now making sure I feed myself after I run, too. This has given me the energy I need to recover for my next workout. More energy also means a better, longer, and more effective workout. The duration of a workout really is key when it comes to weight loss. I feel like I finally have the energy to make each of my workouts really count.

WiiFit

Well, we got the WiiFit this week and I am loving it. The running and the hula hooping actually raise my heart rate into my aerobic zone - about 145-155 beats per minute. That's about the same as when I go for a light jog. The step aerobics brings me into what some call the 'fat-burning zone'...about 125-135 beats per minute.
That is more than enough to keep me happy when the weather it bad outside.

My calves are seriously...seriously...sore. I am shuffling as I walk. I also did some of the WiiFit strength exercises and my arms are sore. This is after I have been doing strength training with dumbbells for months. Obviously the WiiFit is hitting muscles I haven't used before...or is working them harder.

The balance exercises...eh. I stink at those. But, I have dropped another pound this week. I used the WiiFit for about 3 and a half hours in two days and burned about 600-700 calories (according to my heart rate monitor.) That makes me happy. Especially since is was so rainy in PA this week.

The yoga? I haven't really tried that part yet. I was more interested in the ones that keep my heart rate up. I like the running a lot. I think that is what killed my calves. I am definitely going to invest in a step and get a good step aerobics tape. I forgot how much I like that kind of workout.

So, my weight today? I saw 131. Very very nice. I am 4 pounds away from officially losing 20 pounds since January. That's about a pound a week. Slow and steady wins the race. :)

Almost 120s

Okay - looking good. I saw 132 twice in the past 7 days. In a few weeks, I'll be in the 120s. That will be sooo nice.
I am babysitting my friend's daughter today for a few hours and hopefully the sun will still be out by the time she heads to preschool. My Tony Little Gazelle is just not giving me the indoor workout it used to. I need to run!

Sleepy Day

Well, my weight is holding steady at 133-134. It's been slow going for the past 4 weeks. As long as I'm still losing, I'm good, I guess. I just got spoiled with the 1 pound a week loss I was having. :)

Today was a weird day. I slept in. Really slept in. I woke up at 9 and then went back to bed until 1PM. The rest of the day has been sluggish. It's rainy and chilly and I've been vegged out on the couch for the whole day. Not my usual routine, but it's nice to have the day off.

Because I woke up so late, there is no way I am getting all my calories in today. No matter. It just evens out the week from my high calorie Mother's Day.

Not much else to report. I started on Prilosec again and hope that will hold me over until I get back to my gastro doctor for Protonix. I have been trying to steer clear of things that will aggravate the acid reflux, but seriously - I am already trying to stick to low-glycemic, low saturated fat, all natural...and then to through in foods to prevent acid reflux. It's exhausting to keep trying to eat foods that will not conflict with all of my health issues.

Well, right now I'm in the middle of a "V" marathon - that old '80s miniseries about aliens coming to earth. Fun. Brings back memories - my brothers and I watched that soooo many times when we were young.

Shopping Day

Okay, so mom and I went out food shopping today.
I swung by the health food store to pick up some chia seeds. I already added them to my protein shake today...just a small change from my usual flax seeds. No special taste or difference - just added health benefits, so that's good. :)

I also picked up some cauliflower for the first time. I am trying two new recipes with them.
The first is just Mashed Cauliflower. Basically, steam or microwave the cauliflower until it is soft. Then mash it with a fork and add your own spices. Today I tried garlic, chives, salt and pepper. Very very yummy. If you like mashed potatoes (which I don't) this might be a nice alternative for you.

The second recipe is Popcorn Cauliflower.
Basically I took whatever cauliflower I had left after trying my mashed cauliflower (about 1/3 of a head.) Broke it up into a bunch of little florets. Mixed it with 1 tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and 1/2 Teaspoon of powdered garlic (I didn't have fresh garlic or I would have used that.) Baked it on a baking sheet at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes.
This is the basic calorie information.

I just finished it and it tasted good. I'm not sure if the calories are worth it, though. I am going to try a full head with 2 TBSP of olive oil next time. Because I am getting closer to my goal weight, my daily calorie goal is getting smaller and smaller and I need to start making strict choices with my daily calorie content.

The last thing I am doing today is marinating my salmon. I have been using a honey mustard glaze recently, but want to try something different and with slightly fewer calories. So, today is Lime Marinated Grilled Salmon.
I am not known for my cooking skills, but I think I can handle marinades.

Okay, while I'm at it...the rest of my dinner is my favorite. I have this all the time and I love it. It's my Tofu/Pepper/Onion Mix. (I think I'm going to come up with a catchy name for it one day.)
Basically...

I chop up 5 asparagus spears, half of a pepper (sometimes more), 1/4 cup of red onion, (and sometimes garlic, if I have it) I spray my wok with some cooking spray and start cooking the veggies. I season it...I have tons of different combinations I use, but it usually includes garlic. I add some sesame seeds sometimes, too. Then, at the end, I add my sesame oil for taste and shred some of my Cabot 75% cheddar cheese (so low in fat!) to melt on top.
The firm tofu gets added in the middle (I don't know why I add it then...I'm just a haphazard cook.) It picks up the onion flavors, the seasoning flavors and especially the sesame oil flavors at the end. I make sure the tofu pieces sit directly on the pan and turn them so that each side gets brown.
I have this side dish about 3 times a week (I have to or the tofu goes bad! I don't like freezing my tofu...it turns weird when I do that.)

This is probably how I get most of my vegetable servings. I really don't like vegetables that much, so the fact that I have 4 of them in one recipe is pretty darned good!

Well, today is a 'no exercise' day. I couldn't really fit it in this morning and I am tired now, so the exercise would be rather half-hearted. Plus, Grey's Anatomy will be on tonight and I need to stay awake for that!
So, tomorrow is an exercise day, for sure! It'll be raining, so it's just me and my Tony Little Gazelle. :P

Hitting the Calculator Again

I'm back up to 134.5 today.
So, water weight? Maybe. I have been drinking a lot (which is supposed to help) so that I can avoid water weight fluctuations and get a good picture of whether my new techniques are breaking me out of my 18 day stall. If it isn't water weight, then it means I might be missing something.

Time to look at the numbers.

Let's start with March and go all the way to May.
My weight is the weight at the END of that week. That makes more sense because it reflects how my Total and Net calories affected that weight for that week.

3/2/08: 142lbs. Total: 9808 (1400/day) Net Cals: 1269/day.
3/9/08: 141lbs. Total: 9702 (1375/day) Net Cals: 1278/day.
3/16/08: 140lbs. Total: 9464 (1350/day) Net Cals: 1276/day.
Average Exercise for three weeks: 736 calories per week.

3/23/08: 139 lbs. Total: 10500 (1500/day) Net Cals: 1390/day.
3/30/08: 140 lbs. Total: 10567 (1509/day) Net Cals: 1396/day.
4/6/08: 138 lbs. Total: 10971 (1567/day) Net Cals: 1380/day.
Average Exercise for three weeks: 957calories per week.

4/13/08: 136 lbs. Total: 10115 (1445/day) Net Cals: 1250/day.
4/20/08: 134.5 lbs Total: 10210 (1458/day) Net Cals: 1250/day.
4/27/08: 134 lbs. Total: 10078 (1440/day) Net Cals: 1220/day.
Average Exercise for three weeks: 1450 calories per week.

5/4/08: 133 lbs. Total: 10746 (1535/day) Net Cals: 1369/day.

That May 4th weight of 133 was only seen once - on that day only (so I don't know what happened to it. I'm blaming my cheap scale on that one.)
Today is May 14th and I am back at 134.5.
I have been seeing 134 and 134.5 since April 20th. Almost 4 weeks at the same weight. That's about as plateaued as I can get. I think.

Granted, I have changed how I track my exercise, so my Eat Back weeks may be a problem now. The accuracy of calories burned may be under/over estimated and pushing my body closer to my maintenance or closer to "starvation mode" (if I want to subscribe to that particular viewpoint. The jury is still out on that one.)

How has my exercise tracking changed? Well, I don't count all my exercise calories and I don't count all exercise the same way.

Old Way # 1

All exercise counts - cardio, yoga, weights, etc.
I tracked only 90% of any of those calories burned.

Old Way #2

All exercise counts.
If my average BPM (beats per minute) at the end of any exercise was:

1. above 140, I ate back 90%
2. between 112 and 139, I ate back 85%
3. anything below 112 was not counted.

Current Way

Exercise has to last longer than 20 minutes.
Any cardio over 129BPM: I subtract 1 calorie per 1 minute of exercise to account for my RMR.
All cardio between 120 and 129BPM: I count only 50% of those calories.
Any cardio under 120: not counted.
All non-cardio (such as weight training) over 125 BPM: I count 70%.
Any non-cardio under 125: not counted.

Am I underestimating?
Should I be counting any and all activity? Is my NET actually lower because I am really burning off significantly more than I am tracking?

Bah!

I seriously like my 'eat back' weeks. I start each day with the calorie intake for someone who is lightly active (which describes my life apart from exercise.) I then track all my exercise and eat back those calories. This has worked for me for quite a while, so I have no idea what is going wrong now.
Okay, before I panic. I am still in the middle of my Plateau Busting Plan. So, I will give myself to Sunday until I begin to really worry.

In any case - I had a really good workout today. Almost 5 miles. I was exhausted! Rain is coming on Friday, so I'm going to try to head out tomorrow and give myself Friday off.

Fluctuations

11:10 AM: Okay, I suddenly jumped from 132.5 to 134 this morning.
Darned weight fluctuations! Seriously. I dislike those aplenty.

In any case, I am up for a heavy duty exercise session in about an hour. It's beautiful here in PA and I am working on a good 3.5 to 4.5 mile walk/run. I'm not good enough to run the whole time, but I am noticing huge differences in endurance over the past month. I love running.

As for everything else, my brother just decided that he wants to hop on the health train, so I hope I might be able to pass some of what I have learned down to him. Our family has a slew of heredity medical diseases - cardiovascular disease and diabetes being the worst of them - and we have to work extra hard to avoid them.

4:00 PM: Well, my workout went awesome. About 4 miles at 414 net calories (after I subtract my RMR from it) and then 121 calories from my strength training. It was Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps today. That's my favorite workout. I only count 70% of non-cardio workouts over 125BPM. Yes, I have strict rules about what actually counts as exercise.

I am eating slightly less than my normal calories today because I am trying to make up for my Sunday binge-fest. :) Holidays are a pain to recover from - I have to really work on making them not so crazy in the future.

9:00PM: Eh. My acid reflux is sooo bad these days. I feel like I have something stuck in my throat all the time. I think my poor esophagus is all irritated. I have to read up a little on this and figure out what to do about it. Or...just go back to the doctor and get my Protonix prescription refilled. I just really dislike taking medication.

Down I Go

Okay, so I weighed in this morning...132.5 thankyouverymuch!
Oh, my weight loss, where have been? I have been waiting for you for weeks!

I exercised late last night - aerobic dancing and a full back/biceps and legs workout. My aerobic dancing was 33 minutes long with 239 calories burned at an average of 142 BPM. My strength training was for 26 minutes-174 cals burned - 137 BPM.
It had been 3 days since my last workout routine, so I definitely welcomed it.

I am now just on the very edge of normal body weight. As indicated by the BMI - Body Mass Index chart. I am in the middle of composing an entire post dedicated to body fat calculation based on the research I have done about it. The BMI chart is not always accurate when it comes to determining a person's body fat, but I'm still quite happy to know that the medical community will soon consider me to be in the healthy weight range. Yay, me!

I just finished my Kashi Lime Cilantro Shrimp dinner. Yummy and all natural. I will definitely be buying that again. Okay, that's it for today! It rained all day, so no exercise for me, but the next 4 days will be run, run, run!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!

We have some good food planned for today...brownies being the one thing I am looking forward to, definitely! I will still be tracking calories today, but I can't guarantee how accurate it will be. I don't care if I go over my calorie goal for today, but I still like to get an accurate idea of what I ate. I'm going to do the best I can with that.

I have been fighting a 15-day weight loss stall and I just saw the scale begin moving downward yesterday and today. It looks like those changes I made last week actually worked.

April 26th - May 8th Plateau Busting Plan - Dietary Changes

1. Drink more water - at least 6 water bottles a day. (I have been slacking on that recently!)
2. No processed dinners for a week.
3. Keep sodium at the recommended level.
4. Change my macronutrient ratio.
5. Eat more.
6. Change my regular bedtime snack.
   

The most important changes I think were the last two. I haven't made a post outlining how I count calories, so I will just give a basic explanation for those two steps.

Basically, my exercise routine in the past few weeks has increased. I found myself exercising harder and more often. The problem (I think) occurred when I ended up adding all that extra exercise, but never increased my calorie intake to properly cover it. I think I was actually under-nourishing myself.
I suddenly saw my weight stall. 15 days at nearly the same weight. So I decided that increasing my calories might be a positive change to make.

The other big change was my bedtime snack.
My bedtime snack is almost always the same (Skim cottage cheese, a pear, 1 piece of dark chocolate and 1% cheddar cheese), nearly always the same amount of calories (250) and nearly always at the same time (9:00-9:30PM).
So, I changed my snack. I made it 100 fewer calories and now I eat it a hour sooner.

I can't be sure if one change or a bunch of changes made a difference, but I believe my weight loss stall/plateau is over. I finally dropped a pound after 15 days of waiting.

This coming week, I will stick to the same plan and I will reassess by the end of the week. If the progress is not what I am expecting, I will start with exercise changes. I figured I would try dietary changes first and save the exercise changes for last.

Sometimes the body just doesn't want to keep losing weight. I've been restricting calories since January 27th and I think it feels that enough is enough! I still have quite a few tricks up my sleeve, so I'm not too concerned. I can wait. I'm patient. If I am at a calorie deficit and if I am nourishing my body and not pushing it into the legendary "starvation mode" then weight loss will occur! It just gets slower sometimes and needs a little push. Which is what I am doing.

In any case, I am on the right track. A lot of weight (35 pounds!) has been lost and I am feeling good so I must be doing something right!

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!