Reaching my target weight

[RithiaAllen]

Thanks Susan. ? I have fingers crossed for you too.

 

This morning at my weigh in I was 221.3. I had another bowl of my spaghetti with meat sauce and my meatballs. I have two more servings left so I’ll have them for lunch today and tomorrow. I have been combining the spaghetti with vegetables. I finished off my green beans last night so today I cracked open a can of no salt added green peas.

 

yeaterday I didn’t make my 5 mile goal but I was at 4.92 miles so I was close. But my calf muscles needed rest so I stopped to avoid injury. I did burn 3155 calories with 861 from active movement. I ate 816 calories which I think might be a little low on the estimate because I didn’t feel hungry.

 

i also have set my eating window to once at 11:00 to Noon for lunch and once when I get home for dinner with lunch being roughly the same size meal as dinner. Yesterday I slacked on the water and only drank 48 Oz.

 

However I have a office job programming so I don’t lose much water to sweat outside of walking.

 

so far in November I have lost almost five pounds and since late October I have lost ~14 pounds.

[RithiaAllen]

Oh Kristen is Leto some kind of martial arts? I guess I should probably mention that I started practicing some of the old forms I learned way back when and sparing against imaginary opponents. I’m rusty but it’s excellent cardio. I’ve found I can’t quite do tornado kicks anymore but I’m getting there while I am getting close after three weeks of practice and I’ve got the hook kick move back. Maybe at some point I’ll go find a gym so I can actually spare again.

 

oh and I don’t think I mentioned yet that my resting heartbeat has been in flux. A night ago it was back up to 60 and then today back to 59. 

[Kirsten]

Leto? Lol sorry that must have been a misprint on my part. My diet is called Keto. It’s a diet that removes all but about 5% of carbohydrates from your life. So no sugar, grains, starches, etc... you eat a protein and fat heavy diet which puts your body into a state called ketosis. Typically you burn carbs for energy. And you burn fat when those carb reserves are low. By removing all carbs your body has no choice but to burn fat for energy. Which means you really burn a lot of fat very quickly. It is not the best diet for your body though. It can cause high cholesterol and in some cases awful complications. I do a slightly modified version of the keto diet. I double the amount of carbs allowed. (From the 10-15g your supposed to stick with up to 30ish) and I cut most of the fat out as well. I also cut out most sodium with the carbs and try to limit myself to under 1000mg a day. I think that is much healthier than just eating a lot of meat and cheese. It’s a lot of lean meat like chicken fish turkey etc and greens. With some added cheese so that I have fat to burn. And maybe a piece of bacon or two as well. Lol. 

It works very well with my high metabolism. Carbs seem to shut down my metabolism hard. When I was a kid I ate a diet of fast food and chain restaurants. Lots of fat. And I was a rail. As I got older I cut that out and replaced it with pasta and bread. And I got fat. Not everyone’s bodies are the same but this is what works for me. It does work for most people but it works extremely well for me. Blessing and a curse really. 

[Kirsten]

I should also add that there is no exercise required to loose weight fast with this diet so you don’t bulk up at all. You actually loose size in my experience. But when I hit my target weight I go back to a fully balanced diet of 33% protein/carb/fat and start exercising. That usually puts on a few pounds to start but it comes off again eventually if you stick with it. 

 

[RithiaAllen]

Lol Apple Autocorrect in action. I swear I typed Keto.

 

I understand the concept of low carbs to burn fat. Just don’t overdo it and get sick. ?

 

For me the exercise is a force multiplier. I want to lose the weight yesterday so I am giving my everything to it right now while I’m cooked up in a apartment alone. Once the house is sold and the boyfriend and our dogs move to Texas in our new place I won’t have as much time to myself but I’ll use the treadmill for at least an hour a day.

[jae bear]

  The treadmill is a great idea, walking just works your legs and who doesn’t want bigger thighs? Well I guess I do I don’t know about everybody else ?...  I’ve been using an exercise bicycle and getting great results, I typically lose a few pounds a week when I stay on the exercise bike !

[RithiaAllen]

I used to ride bikes but I haven’t in a long time. I’m going to build up to it because there are some excellent bike trails in the parks near me and I want to utilize them.

 

walking right now has been paying out nicely and to be honest I am still not anywhere near the condition I was back in college. However I see a difference and I’m making progress. In the Fitbit scale for health I just got upgraded to a 29-33 from 28-32. I’m almost into average condition which is great considering I’ve gone from poor in September, fair in October and most of November and I’m a point or two away from fair now. 

[Susan R]

Well, today is Tuesday...my weigh-in day.  I lost 2.5lbs. this week which wasn't too bad considering it was over a Thanksgiving holiday.  It's actually par for the course.  I now have only 31.5lbs. to go to my target weight.  Needless to say, I'm in a great mood.

I had to lengthen my walks to get the same quality of workout.  Not by much but 3.5 miles instead of 2.5 miles a day.  I also enjoy walking slightly faster than my wife which is starting to become an issue.  I enjoy our walks together but I'm finding I need to continue a few additional trips around our giant neighborhood loop without her at a much faster pace than the first 2.5 miles.  This workaround is ok for now but I was hoping I could get my wife to increase distance or pace with me.  I realize now that it's likely an unrealistic expectation I had.

 

Susan R?

[Kirsten]

Weighed in today. I’m down almost 3 pounds. 195.6 so far. There’s a long ways to go still, but I know I’ll get there! 

I did have a rough carb day. I used all 30g of carbs. Amazing how fast they add up. But I ate some tomatoes that kind of crushed it for me. 5 cherry tomatoes is like 8g. Plus my p3 was ham Colby jack and cashews. 5 more grams. I’ll do better today. My p3 is only 2 today and my lunch isn’t a salad. Salads are hard. It was 15 total carbs yesterday. Lunch today is grilled chicken pizza sauce pepperoni bacon and mozzarella. 8 carbs. That’ll be 11 before dinner! Should stay below 20 today. 

Great job Susan! I may be down 3 today, but add in the last week and I’m still up 2. Thanksgiving is a rough diet time. Lol. I used to jog with my wife and eventually I had to start on my own. But what we ended up doing was that i would go out  and run alone for the majority of my workout, and the last 2 miles I’d slow down and jog with her. Like a cool down. It worked well too. We still got our time together and I got to run 3.2 miles without a stroller! Lol. Maybe something similar would work for you too. 

Rithia that is great! I’m not even in the poor category I bet. Lol. I had forgotten about that scale. But I’m waiting for the new year to start my exercise. 

Heres to a good day!! Work hard and play harder!! #carbsarethedevil! ?

[RithiaAllen]

That’s awesome Susan. Keep up the exercise and the low calorie intake and it will happen. Try to find something that you can sustain because once you reach your target weight you might be able eat a little more because you’re maintaining the weight but it won’t be much more. That’s why I’m doing it the way I am because I don’t consider this a diet. Once I reach my goals I’ll keep right on going with what I’m doing except aim to not lose weight. Being in the habit of normal portions and no snacks will mean the weight stays off and junk food is the most unhealthy empty calories.

 

That is impressive Kristen. That’s amazing 3 pounds so quick is a good feeling but don’t burn out.

 

I lost another .6 pounds and am down to 220.7 which makes my weight loss exactly 15 pounds right at the month mark. I don’t think next month will be that much weight again because the first week was the body dumping water faster then I could refill because of all the sugar burning off which stores water and once burned is dumped.

 

Between last Wednesday and today I have lost 3.1 pounds. If I can sustain this burn rate that would be about 12.4 pounds per month which I think is amazing. In 4.9 months I could be down to 160 and at the six month mark I might even be able to get down to 150. So right as I turn 38 being able to go back and say yup I’m back in the same shape as the way I turned 30 will be a great feeling. ?

 

In terms of exercise yesterday was a 5.75 mile day and my calories where under 1200 but I burned 3320. I believe it’s 3500 calories per pound. So yesterday I burned 2300 calories which is right in line with my weight loss. Technically that gives my watch a .05 margin of error. It helps me to see this in the numbers. To know the only thing I have to do is walk and not snack and the weight comes off steadily.

[Kirsten]

Awesome Rithia! Keep it going girl! ?

[RithiaAllen]

Thanks!

 

Oh and the best part is I fit into a 38C bra today. I’ve lost another band size on the upper torso so while I do not see a difference the difference is there. My bigger blouses are now starting to get a little loose which is great. Once Ilose more weight I’ll donate the cloths to anyone that needs cloths starting out that is larger.

[RithiaAllen]

So this weigh in was a little disappointing but any loss in weight is still a victory. My weigh in today was 220.6. I lost a grand total of .1 pounds.

 

I burned 3193 calories over the course of the day. Walking 6.36 miles yesterday helped I guess.

 

 I’m thinking maybe I retained water but part of the problem was I ate 1352 calories worth of food.

[Kirsten]

Every days not a blockbuster either Rithia. I lost 1 pound yesterday. But most people average 2-4 pounds a week on a basic exercise and calorie counting type of diet. It’s slow but very healthy. The most important part is to change your lifestyle using that means. Like you’ve said yourself eventually you hope to simply keep eating and exercising the same way and maintain. 

.1 is better than gaining! And every day that you don’t go up is a victory!  Good job and keep going!! 

[RithiaAllen]

I’m not going to quit. I’m going to hit the treadmill after work for longer. ?

 

I guess I also learned that I can still lose weight eating spaghetti for lunch (finished it off) and a angus burger with baby tomatoes and baby spinach as the greens and still technically lose weight in the same day. Today I won’t have nearly the same amount of cards. There is a place that makes awesome salads by work. I’m going to have them for lunch and a side of mixed berries then have 4 eggs, turkey bacon and a pancake for dinner with just a little bit of maple syrup and ketchup.

 

So that combined with 8 miles today should do the job of breaking the 220 barrier into the 219 and keep the fat burning.

 

 

[Kirsten]

Carbs are the enemy! No matter what diet you do. Any carbs you don’t burn are stored as fat along with the majority of your fat taken in as well. Cut carbs and force your body to burn fat. No breads pasta rice sugar potatoes. Fruit are good carbs. Multigrain is also okay. Nothing with enriched flour. That stuff is the worst. Well high fructose corn syrup is the worst but bleached enriched white flour is a close runner up. ?

[RithiaAllen]

Just now, Kirsten said:

Carbs are the enemy! No matter what diet you do. Any carbs you don’t burn are stored as fat along with the majority of your fat taken in as well. Cut carbs and force your body to burn fat. No breads pasta rice sugar potatoes. Fruit are good carbs. Multigrain is also okay. Nothing with enriched flour. That stuff is the worst. Well high fructose corn syrup is the worst but bleached enriched white flour is a close runner up. ?

I don’t have spaghetti all the time but I had a batch and I’m pinching pennies until payday so I wasn’t going to let the food go bad. My body can burn calories quick, it runs hot. The problem was working from home in a area that had no good place to walk was a major detriment to me.

 

since I’m moving around now I’ll burn the weight. I think the big thing is not to have the burger often.

 

I’m not going to cut the carbs to the bone though. This isn’t a diet that I am going to stop when I reach my desired weight. I like a dinner roll and sandwiches for lunch are easier until I get small enough containers for salads.

 

A lot of my stuff is back in Virginia at the house. So I have been having to buy things along the way since I got the apartment.

 

The changes I am making have to be something I can stick with for the rest of my life.

 

My calories for lunch where an estimated 650. Although I did swap out the bread for a wrap. I also got a side salad instead of the fruit because their berries where old looking.

 

I have burned ~1266 so far today with a short mile long walk on the treadmill this morning when I got to the office.

 

Tonight I may or may not change my mind on what I’m going to each but it will mostly be protein and fiber. Although if I stop at Walmart or target and get a cutting board I can make a salad which would be pretty good too.

[Kirsten]

That’s great! My Fitbit must hate me. I average like 8-10k steps which is like 5 miles every day. And I usually only get like 700 burned calories. And like half of it is treadmill walking on the max incline. And I work construction all day carrying heavy stuff climbing ladders placing cables and all sorts of work work. Still I never hit 1000 calories burned. ?

[RithiaAllen]

I must have a fast metabolism.

 

According to FitBit I have walked 1.8 miles today and burned 1638 calories today. My Apple Watch indicates I have 386 moved calories and 1735 calories burned. My steps today are 3932 so far today.

[Kirsten]

Maybe mines broken. Idk. The watches don’t register your metabolism though. They use a standard equation that calculates heatrate vs steps and time and give a mean average of data collected in their system. My Apple Watch is even worse. I average like 2000 less steps a day with that dumb thing and never break like 500 calories burned a day. 

Whatever though. The only thing I wanna see is that 194.6 go lower and lower erry day! ?

[RithiaAllen]

I went ahead and weighed myself again when I got home and as of right now I am 220.2. That means I burned .4 pounds over the course of the day.

 

This is after I drank 32 Oz of water for the first half of the day. So now I’m going to have dinner and then hit the treadmill. I have a 5.62 mile walk ahead of me. I can do it. ?

[RithiaAllen]

1 hour ago, Kirsten said:

Maybe mines broken. Idk. The watches don’t register your metabolism though. They use a standard equation that calculates heatrate vs steps and time and give a mean average of data collected in their system. My Apple Watch is even worse. I average like 2000 less steps a day with that dumb thing and never break like 500 calories burned a day. 

Whatever though. The only thing I wanna see is that 194.6 go lower and lower erry day! ?

Maybe. My blaze wasn’t holding a charge after 11 months. I was able to get a replacement pebble to replace the one that came with it. I like the tech but I think it’s a bit low on the quality department.

 

I agree the weight coming off is all that matters at the end of the day.

[RithiaAllen]

This mornings weigh in has me at 220.1.

 

I was only able to do 6.16 miles yesterday in total because I ended up the phone longer then I wanted to. I did burn more calories yesterday but it was a wash because I had more calories over the course of the day. That said my carbs yesterday where 23% less then yesterday. My fat eaten increased 13% and my protein increased 10%.

 

I am not as worried about losing only .1 pounds because it seems I lose more weight in the day before dinner and that is my lightest time of day. Considering this time yesterday I was .5 pounds heavier I seem to be right on track.?

[Kirsten]

That’s good news Rithia! I weighed in this morning at 193.6. Down 5 from Monday! I’ll be happy if I can keep the 1 pound a day for the first full week to two weeks. But I hope it slows after that. Otherwise I’ll hit my target weight by Jan and that’s not the plan. I don’t want to start running again until March. 

I am going to start adding planking this Monday. Only 5 minutes twice a day though. My core isn’t too strong right now and I don’t want to overdue it. 

And on the really plus side my wife is also down 5 pounds from Monday! She’s doing so good so far! I hope more than anything that it continues for her. That would be so great for both of us. ?

keep up the great work!! 

K

[Kirsten]

I had an even day yesterday. No gain. No loss. Weird too because I was only at 1400 calories in. Only 22 carbs in. And I walked almost my 10k steps. I mean I had sashimi and beef teryaki for dinner for gods sake! It was 2 carbs! And all that raw fish is so good for you. Oh and if you’ve never had octopus sashimi you have to! It’s cooked but oh man. Soooooo good! Well if you like lobster at least. It has that sweet chewy buttery flavor like a cold water lobster tail. ?

 I should’ve had a good day. Idk what happened. Here’s to a better day today! From 1.25 a day average loss to 1.00 now. Eeh I’ll still take it!