Change in weight (7/14/20 – 7/20/20): -1.6 LBS
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I want to start by thanking everybody who reads, likes, and comments (personally or on here). You all are tremendously helpful and it means so much to me.
I started this week knowing that I needed to reign in my eating. We planned our meals, with no takeout, and stuck to it. We also knew that Saturday would be a socially distant dinner with friends, and I planned that I would have greater food consumption on that day. Well I did it! Part of me wanted to lose the full 2.6 pound back, but I also want to keep my loss at a sustainable pace. With that said, I am very happy with my weight loss.
As my old advisor, who still follows my posts (Thank you, Jane! It means so much), said to me: “I exercise to maintain”. This was something I kind of knew, but needed to hear again. It takes so much to exercise off food intake. One Panera bread chocolate chip cookie is over 400 calories. That is a 30 minute ride ride for me with heavy exertion. It starts with committing to how you take in food and then you start thinking about exercise.
So I stuck to my meal plan, had a bit of a splurge on Saturday, and here I am. I feel good.
Weight loss can be so mental, and it can be a difficult subject. Not everybody needs to keep losing weight or should focus on weight in general. Such a goal can be bad for some. I try to balance my need to get healthier, while paying attention to my mental health. And ultimately, I want to encourage reaching for your goals, whatever they are. Hitting my goals this week and taking better care of myself has made me feel great! I feel satisfied, proud, and fulfilled. It is amazing how just doing what you set out to do can have such an impact on your being.
I have been dealing for some time with the negative, after-effects, of some fad diets I have done in the past. I plan on speaking to some of these, whole 30, paleo, keto, and so forth in a later post, but I must mention how they can have negative effects going forward.
Let’s talk about pasta. I have it in my head that pasta is the worst thing in the world for you. Paleo rails on it, keto and the whole 30 rail on it. The Atkins diet told me to steer clear. Because of this history of hearing this, I never have it in the house and I also don’t have a lot of backup meals. But is pasta really that bad in moderation? Or how much better is a pasta dish than staring at the kitchen, realizing you don’t have much, and just ordering takeout? When we have these carry-over mentalities, and don’t put them in a wholistic context of our goals, they can be quite destructive. Last night I almost ordered takeout, but I had some leftover chicken, some frozen veggies, and pasta in the house. I made a meal from that. Is pasta worse than just eating veggies, yes. Is it better than takeout pizza, yes! I was able to have a satisfying and modest meal that stuck to my goals for the week.
I am working on a calories in/calories out approach to my weight loss. I need to take things in moderation, but remember, this is the long haul and I want to live a way that I can sustain forever. That starts now. I can have cheese, I can have pasta, and I can have legumes. I just need to track, be conscious, and stick to my goals. With this, I won’t have major cravings and I can live enjoying not just life, but life that includes food. I need to get these lingering themes from other fads out of my head so I can plan pragmatically and effectively.
The only other thing I want to note is you all should get outside when you can. The therapy of nature is real. I took and early morning walk through the woods with my daughter on Saturday and man, did it do wonders.
Do you have any lingering ‘rules’ that may be holding you back from pragmatic and effective betterment? Do these actually help you? Let me know your thoughts.
If you know anybody who you think might benefit from reading my blog, please share it with them. I would love to reach more people because the success I am currently experiencing comes after years of struggle and frustration that I know many others face. If I can help myself through this, wonderful. If I can help others, even better! I am here to cheer on your effort and work, to whatever goal you are aspiring towards.
Please leave a like or a comment!
How did I do on last weeks action plan?:
- 5 Cardio workouts. 1 45 min ride, 1 HIIT Ride, 1 Low Impact ride, 2 runs. Attained
- 2 Strength Sessions (Tues/Sat) Not attained
- Plan out my meals, stick to them, and portion snacks. Attained.
- 2 additional outdoor activities. This can include walks with my daughter, disc golfing, skiing, etc. Attained
- 3 dedicated stretch sessions. 2 10-min lower body and 1 10 min full body (Mon/Wed/Fri). Attained
- 20-30 minute midday walk on work days. Attained
- Track every bite. Attained
- Drink 10 glasses of water per day. Attained
- Find some quiet time to calm my thoughts and mind. 2 5-10 minute sessions. Attained
Action Plan
- 5 Cardio workouts. 1 45 min ride, 1 HIIT Ride, 1 Low Impact ride, 1 misc ride, 1 run.
- 2 Strength Sessions (Tues/Sat)
- Plan out my meals, stick to them, and portion snacks
- 2 additional outdoor activities. This can include walks with my daughter, disc golfing, skiing, etc
- 3 dedicated stretch sessions. 2 10-min lower body and 1 10 min full body (Mon/Wed/Fri)
- 20-30 minute midday walk on work days
- Track every bite
- Drink 10 glasses of water per day
- Find some quiet time to calm my thoughts and mind. 2 5-10 minute sessions
Please stay tuned for more updates. If you have been enjoying this, please become an email follower or a wordpress follower. Having this public audience has been a positive motivation for me to continue working towards my goals and so I really am thankful for all of you!
| Date | Change in Weight |
| 12/1* | – |
| 12/2* | -5.4 lbs |
| 12/9 | -5.4 lbs |
| 12/16 | -3.4 lbs |
| 12/23 | +2.8 lbs |
| 12/29 | -1.2 lbs |
| 1/6 | -1.4 lbs |
| 1/13 | -1.6 lbs |
| 1/20 | -1.4 lbs |
| 1/27 | +0.4 lbs |
| 2/3 | -1.2 lbs |
| 2/10 | -4.6 lbs |
| 2/17 | +0.4 lbs |
| 2/24 | -1.6 lbs |
| 3/2 | -3.2 lbs |
| 3/9 | +1.8 lbs |
| 3/16 | -3.2 lbs |
| 3/23 | -0.6 lbs |
| 3/30 | +0.4 lbs |
| 4/6 | -1.6 lbs |
| 4/13 | +0.8 lbs |
| 4/20 | -1.8 lbs |
| 4/27 | 0 lbs |
| 5/4 | +2.4 lbs |
| 5/11 | -5.2 lbs |
| 5/18 | 0 lbs |
| 5/25 | -1.0 lbs |
| 6/1 | -1.2 lbs |
| 6/8 | -0.4 lbs |
| 6/15 | -0.8 lbs |
| 6/22 | +0.8 lbs |
| 6/29 | -1.4 lbs |
| 7/6 | -2.4 lbs |
| 7/13 | +2.4 lbs |
| 7/20 | -1.6 lbs |
* I first weighed myself on a Sunday night and began the regular weigh-ins the following morning
-Ben
a better ben 
You are killing it Ben and thank you for the shout out. I actually eat pasta a lot. It’s easy, goes with everything and takes 10 minutes. More veggies than pasta though. All shapes, sizes, etc. I think you are in it for life now. We have to be. And you are right about the fads. Good food, in moderation, keeping track…it becomes a lifetime thing that took me 30 years to appreciate and embrace.
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:-). Thank you for the support, Jane!!!
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you got this, bro! We kept pasta out of our lives for a few years, and boy did I miss it! With kiddos, we can’t just eat quinoa sweet potato cakes all the time – they won’t eat it! And we need to enjoy food! Agree it’s about balance, and still enjoying while also recognizing that joy doesn’t just come from food, and there are other rewards in life than that piece of cheesecake – rewarding yourself with self care time or a walk in the woods can be more fulfilling – as you stated! One thing I don’t regret, though, is cutting out soda and most sugar sweetened beverages, with the exception of natural fruit juices here and there.
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You are so right, Liz. The food reward is not a healthy habit and I fall into it too easily!
Sugar sweetened beverages used to be a big issue for me, thankfully I have pretty much been able to cut them out. I rarely have soda or teas. Most of the time I drink water, seltzer, and my morning coffee.
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