Posts tagged nutrition

Nuts are greasy (in a good way) and high in calories. Very filling

French Fries are also very greasy (not in a good way) and high in calories. Not filling at all.

Vegetables are lean and low in calories. Also very filling.

Crackers are lean and often time low in calories. Not filling at all.

Pick what you eat carefully. Not all foods are created equal.

Today was the third day in a row of being back in the gym and hitting it hard. Eating “clean” has been harder to come by, as my sleep routine is disturbed now (with the twins) and it’s hard to get a good breakfast in, which skews the rest of the day.

But where there is failure, there is equal opportunities to learn and grow stronger. So that’s what I’m doing. My goal for the week is to just keep my weight stable. I may even lose a pound, somehow. (It’s now that I’m grateful for building some muscle mass, it’s paying off now in both metabolism and overall strength.)

The focus still must be to keep it one day at a time.  To just do the best I can. And I can push 278-280 by next Friday.

Exciting times, indeed. :)

Today’s post will be a simple question to my followers (and any other kind souls that might want to weigh in). Please reblog, and leave your notes as comments, or using the ask me anything Tumblr utility.

My present reality is that, at least weight wise, I feel I have plateaued. Gone are the days of seeing the fat and pounds melting away. Quite the opposite: I feel like my cheeks are getting fuller, as if I’m gaining fat. The scale, meanwhile, hovers between 133 and 134kg the last 10-14 days. I am not dipping below this. On a more positive notes, while I’m not measuring myself, I notice my clothes continuing to feel more loose. But nevertheless, I don’t think I’m destined to weigh 295-300 pounds as my healthy weight.

Why?

My first thought is the whole “starvation mode” business. This is when the body holds on to all fat, thinking it the optimal strategy for survival long-term, usually triggered when one consumes too little calories. (Gosh, I wish it were as simple as “caloric deficit and your good to go!)

How do I know if I’m taking too little calories? I exercise 5-7 days a week, cardio (fat burning cardio), of which 3 days also include weight training. Assuming a BMR of about 2500 cal (35 y/o, 6’2”, 297 lbs), according to Harris Benedict Equation, I should be taking in about 4k-1k = 3k calories, but I average between 1200-1500 calories a day - without taking my workouts into account (~500 cal per workout on average). I eat plenty, but mostly vegetables that aren’t very caloric to begin with.

I started taking precise notes on my diet habits lately. Here’s a snapshot:

Food Log 9/1-9/3

This is pretty similar to what I’ve been doing the entire time. I lost 40 pounds with this. Now I’m losing nothing. Note that net calories just means calories minus calories burned working out. (And yes, Saturday was that low net-wise… that’s the day I have my personal trainer push me on the TRX.)

Please help.

XOXO, Time4Change77.

The good:

Despite Hurricane Isaac’s presence in the Florida straits, I still was able to workout by using creative means (bicep-curling my toddlers, using my real stairs for cardio) and even got my children into it. I managed to be in the zone about 30 minutes in a one hour session, but at least that was 30 minutes straight, using up the other time to do my TRX style workout using counter tops and stair railings. Pretty fun. I also stretched, which was nice.

The bad:

I ate two things today that I probably shouldn’t have. They added about 400 calories and 25g of fat that I could have easily avoided. All is not lost, and I can always do better tomorrow. But I have to stay on point to reach my goals. Not because a hamburger today dooms me; but because all apathy needs is a foothold to take over. I will not let it take over.

To make one of my go-to snacks, I toss about 3/4 cup of a low-sugar, high-fiber (but oh-so-delicious) cereal into a small container with 12 almonds (that’s about 1/2 ounce). It’s an easy-to-eat-on-the-run, filling snack or breakfast that delivers whole grains and nuts and lots of staying power for only 175 calories. Sometimes, I sweeten it up with a tablespoon or two of raisins.

A good example of a base cereal is Cheerios, but something similar should work the same.

When you’re eating out, ask for an extra salad plate and transfer the proper-size portions of your food onto it when you’re served your entree. Then ask the waiter to take away and wrap up the rest.

• Learn to cook;
• Energy in, energy out;
• It has to be a lifestyle change or it will never last;
• Fail to plan, plan to fail; and
• Love yourself, because you are truly amazing!

• Eating even less sugar, by taking a daily vitamin and cutting my fruit intake to one a day (one real fruit, no juice). This was out of necessity, I was eating too much fiber, and I want to have the option of Brinta or Grape-Nuts in the morning;
• Eating more variety, including Greek yogurt with fruit as an alternative to Brinta, Grape-nuts or more sugary cereal;
• I bought whey protein powder and am having at least one scoop (mixed in water) per day;
• I’m mixing it up in the gym. I have four different routines that I cycle through during the week to keep my body on its toes (I’ll write about those this week). It also keeps the gym experience fresh and fun;
• I’m still keeping a food log, adding stats when possible. The tweak here is making the switch from optional to more disciplined. I’ve even added a calorie counter. The purpose here is educational. I find I may be eating too little calories, which can be harmful to weight loss (body gets the wrong message, stores fat instead of burn it the fuck off);

Things have been a little… loose lately. Uncomfortably loose. (In my tummy.)

Could I be eating too much fiber?

I’m going to try something new today.