Wrong Way WI
Darn it! I weighed in this morning and was up .6 lbs from last week. My trend this month is going the wrong way. My losses have been -11.4, -3.6, -1.6, and +.06 lbs. Not that I would expect these numbers to go in the opposite direction, but maybe hold steady around 1.5 to 3.5 lbs per week. As I’ve stated here many times this month, I am eating 1600 calories or less every day. In the twenty-six days of May, I haven’t gone over the limit even once. To see a gain this week is of course heartbreaking. It feels as if all the hard work is not paying off.
The gain this week has me thinking about my metabolism. I would guess that my sedentary lifestyle coupled with my eating habits over many years has slowed down my metabolism greatly. The diabetes isn’t helping either. I’m not a doctor, that’s just my opinion. Since I believe the slowdown in weight loss and the gain are symptoms of the metabolism rather than my eating, I will continue with my 1600 calorie/day plan. I’m still thinking about whether I will allow extra calories once or twice a month. I will make that decision in June. In addition to that plan, I need to work on the metabolism.
Speeding up the metabolism will take some work. Two things that may help and I will start working on this week are drinking more water and exercising. For weeks now, I keep talking about needing to do both of these things but yet don’t. The exercising is mostly a matter of getting started but also prioritization of my time. Since it is important, I need to move it up the priority list. The water issue I’m not sure of the problem. Some days I won’t even drink 64 oz. of water. I just don’t think about it. I need to build the habit of drinking more often. I usually have a glass or bottle of water near me, but sometimes it won’t be drunk. Hopefully this isn’t just talk again, but I plan to work on both exercising and increasing my water this week. I will need to do some more research on metabolism as well to see if there are other things I might do. Any suggestions?
Alright, I am tired of thinking about this morning’s weigh-in. Onward and hopefully downward!
John should be back from his haircut soon and then we are going shopping. The sun, as per usual Memorial Day weekend weather for Seattle, has disappeared. Perhaps a movie at home might be on the agenda for tonight. Hope you’re enjoying the long weekend.
Tammy, how about you just write a few sticky notes and put them up around the house where you’ll see them as you move through your day (and your computer monitor or desk at work if you have that kind of job) – have the note say “drink water”. Or “hydrate” or something simple, or something funny which will make you smile, but also get you to act. Then once you see it, you train yourself to go to the sink and drink a glass of water right then. A glass, a few gulps, put a straw in it and slurp – whatever works. Take to carrying a bottle with you, as well, so you can hydrate where ever you are. I think it definitely helps to drink a glass of water as soon as you are out of bed, before you eat breakfast. It gets the metabolism moving right away. If you decide to add in some of that extra fiber supplements, it helps to drink water with it, which will enable you to get a bit more inside you. You’re doing GREAT. Don’t worry about the scale; I know it’s hard to ignore it, but ultimately it’s just a guideline.
You know on the biggest loser how they lose those huge numbers week to week? They’re doing 6-8hrs of exercise a day and so far that I can tell, eating very little. While you’re getting yourself on track, concentrating on eating is first on your list. Once you feel like you’ve gotten the eating under control for a few months, exercise will become more important. Always progressing, you’ll integrate new habits all the time. Be kind to yourself! Do one new thing every week so that you get into a habit formed space with whatever that new thing is – this week it’s water. Next week, it may be water, too! Or it may be: walk to the end of the block and back every day for a week. Or reach over and touch your toes. Or take a fiber supplement before you eat your meals. Or … you name it. There are hundreds of different possibilities to help you on the journey.
I guess one thing I should point out to you Tammy is that you still lost 16 pounds this month – I think you have to look at the big picture. And yes, obviously if you moved more that will definitely jump start your metabolism – even if you just start walking 15 minutes a day, that’s a start.
You are doing great! Don’t give in. You can do this!