Keeping Tabs Day 7

Not a bad day.  I worked hard today and didn't really have time to overeat.  So there is one technique for moderation.  Here are the numbers:

Total Calorie Consumption: 2187

Keeping Tabs Day 6

Another positive day.  I was able to focus a lot of my time and energy on my health today.  I got out for a walk, the first real outdoor walk of the year.  It was pretty cold out, but the snow had almost completely melted off, so it was a pretty easy walk.  I got in probably about 4-4.5 miles and walked to my favorite picture spot with my new camera, which I got for work, but I can use for myself as well.  Here are the numbers, and a few shots of the scenery.

Total Calorie Consumption: 2473
Exercise Calories Burned: 464
Net Balance: 2009 calories

Weigh in 2:5

Yet again I am switching things up.  Sundays really were not working for me as weigh in days.  I need to keep those on off days so I can be in the right frame of mind and have the time I need to write.  This also serves as a jumping off point for the following week and a time to collect my thoughts on the previous week so I can assess areas of improvement.  I could not do that when, on Sundays I had to weigh myself, go work for a full day, come home, prepare for work the next day, and then find a few minutes to throw together my blog post.  It took me a few weeks to figure out that the ritual of making my whole morning about my health was a really good, and ultimately indispensable thing.

5 days of tracking my calories like I did last year has proven immediately successful.  I want to be at maintenance, but I have not reached my goals.  Constant awareness can be fatiguing, so I shouldn't be surprised that I fell off the wagon for a while.  I am sure it seems ridiculous to the outside observer seeing as I lost over 150 lbs in a year, but I have been thinking about this for so long that it feels like I have been at this forever.  Sometimes.  There are those moments when I see a not so old picture of myself and see the tangible proof of how far I have come.  Just this week I went to change my address on my driver's license and decided to ask for a picture change as well.  A supervisor had to approve it, but all they said was "congratulations, good job".  That is a great feeling.  Plus my new picture actually looks good, so that was $30 well spent.  Another frustration is that the more I lose the more unsure I become as to the end point.  I have no idea what my ideal weight is.  According to the actuarial tables and BMI measurements I should weigh no more than about 205.  That seems impossibly low to me.  Looking at my waist to hip ratio and estimated body fat percentages I am quite a bit closer to my goal.  Both my bath scale and estimates based on my body measurements peg my body fat percentage at about 29%.  That means to be at the max healthy range I would need to lose about 30 pounds of body fat.  Splitting the difference between the two metrics puts me at about 230, which seems about right to me.  I just don't know, though, and not having a steady target to shoot for is sapping some motivation.  I try to focus on health and happiness, but the scale is always there, and is the biggest indicator I have.  It is hard not to get tunnel vision. Here are the numbers:

Current Weight: 282.6 lbs
Starting Weight: 440.2 lbs
Weight Loss This Week: 4.8 lbs
Weight Loss in Year 2: 2.6 lbs
Weight Loss Total: 157.6 lbs

Like I said, I know what works.  i just have to stay disciplined and do it.

Keeping Tabs Day 5

Total Calorie Consumption: ~2550 (I lost track of an item amount, so this is my best guess).

Keeping Tabs Day 4

Another hungry day, but I stayed within myself.  I also got in a little exercise to offset a few of those calories.  I know exercise doesn't do much for weight loss unless you are on "The Biggest Loser" or a professional athlete and have hours to work out daily, but every little bit helps.  Exercise will also help me tone and look healthier, and will build muscle mass which increases basal metabolism.  Here are the numbers for today:

Total Calorie Consumption: 2380
Exercise Calories Burned: 343
Net Balance: 2037 calories

Keeping Tabs Day 3

All I can say is that I was pretty hungry today.  It was good, balanced stuff, and still in line with my weight loss pace.  My maintenance calorie total is 3412 per day according to the app I am using (dubious, but a baseline number to work with), so this is still pretty good.

Today's Calorie Consumption: 2483

Keeping Tabs Day 2

It seems counter-intuitive,  but I will be doing 14 consecutive days of blog posts that I don't particularly care if anyone reads.  I need an accountability boost.  Having to post my calories means I have to count my calories, and that is going to be key to getting back on track.  There will be a time for a more relaxed attitude with my diet.  That time is not now.  I am not where I want to be yet.  I have come a long way with my baseline habits, which is why even when I was not paying as close attention to my intake I still maintained and did not really gain weight.  It is nice to know that maintenance will not be all that difficult, given the evidence of the past couple of months, but I am not there.  Here are today's totals:


Today's Calorie Intake: 2149