On Monday of this week I started on a ketogenic diet for the second or third time in my life. Clearly, I was doing it wrong before ... In the past I was not as diligent about keeping my carbs around 20, and I was probably eating the wrong things. It's been a rough week with my body adjusting. Lots of tummy troubles (TMI?) I weighed in this morning and have dropped 6 of my 15 holiday pounds ... 9 to go! Well, 9 to get back to where I was before I started stuffing my face at the end of last year.
My goal weight has always been 140, but I got to the low to mid 150's and got reaaaaaaaally comfortable. TOO COMFORTABLE! So comfortable that I started not caring about what I was eating and packed on the poundage.
Anyway, I figured I'd give keto a go once again since I have a beach trip coming up at the end of the month. I had almost resolved to just go out, purchase a one piece swimsuit, and just call it a day. EEK! I'm not sure if this will be a long term eating plan, but it falls into place with the low carb/low sugar thing I've been doing from the beginning. The carbs are waaaaay lower than what I was doing before though. My morning oatmeal is out the window AND my large Dunkin iced coffees with two pumps of mocha ... sigh. I stopped by and got a large iced coffee with JUST cream this morning ... not the same animal AT ALL!
I will say that with the keto way of eating it has been difficult for me thus far to figure out a good balance of macros. Your supposed to drastically limit carbs ... check ... and increase fat ... check ... My problem has been getting enough calories. Everyday this week I've been between 900 - 1100 calories a day. I'm aware that is TOO LOW, but I'm still trying to figure out WHAT to eat. My meals have looked like this:
Breakfast - Ham & Cheese Omelet
Snack - Half an avocado
Lunch - Baby spinach salad with a side of homemade egg salad
Snack - Cheese stick (which I actually cut out yesterday because I thought it was causing some "issues")
Dinner - Shrimp & Zucchini
We shall see how well I stick to it this go 'round. I'm trying! I think watching carbs and sugar are key anyway!
I've been slowly working my way back into exercising. I wrote a post last year where I poopooed on a friend's advice to stop jogging and to utilize the keto diet. Now, I have stopped jogging and am on the keto diet. OH, HOW THE WORM HAS TURNED! Clearly, I don't ALWAYS know what's best. Jogging became too difficult for me to maintain with all the crazy schedule issues anyway. We just purchased a stationary bike, so I'll be doing that OR walking AND working on my body weight exercises like pushups, pullups, body weight rows, and more. I feel like I'm my own scientific experiment. Trial and error, trial and error.
Friday, April 15, 2016
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
The Danger of Holding Patterns
Well, it finally happened. I gained weight.
I got comfortable.
I got too busy.
I got lazy.
I got chubby.
Let's rewind. Last year (2015) I stopped running 5K's. I think the jogging officially stopped at the beginning of December 2014. I remember going for a good jog on our local river walk with one of my best friends, and then, I came down with some crud that went on and on and on. It's hard to workout when you're chronically sick. I was out of the gym and not jogging for more than a month, and I never could get that switch fully turned back on.
I had been so proud of my ability to jog three miles and to complete these 5K's; it was upsetting to essentially lose the ability. I know if I did it once that I should be able to do it again, but then, life happens. At the beginning of summer, my husband changed jobs AND schedules. The mornings were no longer free for me to get up and go jog. THEN, Tyler started school in August, and things got even tougher.
I know a lot of mom's do what I do, but this is MY life and this is how it is affecting ME.
I get up, get myself ready, and get Tyler ready. Usually, this routine ends with chaos. I REALLY need to get up about 30 minutes earlier but have not achieved that yet. Once I get him to school (just in the neck of time), I cruise on to work. ALL of that to say that there is no longer time for morning jogs! Even if I got up early, I couldn't leave Tylerman alone in the house while I go run the streets of Leesburg (OBVIOUSLY).
I work 8 - 10 hours a day at our local newspaper and make a mad dash afterward to get Tyler before aftercare closes at 6. For a while we would head straight to the gym after I picked him up. I would already have my gym clothes on since I changed at work. That was short-lived. He decided at some point that he once again did not like the gym, and it just became too much of a battle. I would make it a couple times a week if my mom picked him up for me.
So, my exercise dwindled to almost nothing, and my diet was intermittently healthy. THEN CAME THE HOLIDAYS!!! DUN DUN DUUUUUUN!!! Even through all the trials of last year, I had somehow managed to stay in the 151-157 range. I weighed in October and was about 157. Then Halloween happened. Then Thanksgiving happened. Then Christmas happened. In between all of these holidays, I was just eating however I wished. My thought was, "Hey, I've maintained THUS far ... my body must be conditioned to maintain this weight range ... a little fun won't hurt." WRONG WRONG WRONG!! I did not step back on the scale until January or February of 2016, and to my horror, when I finally got the courage up, 167 popped up on that cruel digital screen. I felt absolutely defeated. I want SO badly to just be able to indulge when I feel like it, but it appears that it is just not in the cards.
I spent most of January and February barely exercising and beginning to reign in my out of control binge eating a LITTLE. It is now mid-March. Jamie and I have created a home gym in our garage, so the only issue is finding time to use it. Once I get home with Tyler around 6, it is usually non-stop until his bedtime. Cooking dinner ... cleaning up a bit ... catering to his needs AND wants ... My only solution is to exercise for an hour RIGHT when we get home to get it done and out of the way. Otherwise, I'm in there at 10 o'clock with barely any energy. I've systematically cleaned up my diet. I allow myself some treats on the weekend, but I feel like that may have to stop. I'm watching carbs. I'm watching sugar. I'm counting calories. I'm getting back on a regular exercise routine.
After about a week and a half of my newly turned over leaf (last Sunday), I decided to jump on the scale to see if my weight had budged at all in the downward direction. To my absolute horror, the screen flashed 170!! I texted my husband immediately with a 'what gives?!' type of message. He replies that my muscles are probably holding water because I worked out the night before, which I hope is the case. Today, I'm 170.2. Am I still retaining water? Why is my weight going UP UP UP? I can't even explain the frustration. I worked my butt off to go from the 200's to 155, and I feel like I've lost all control. I'm trying to get it down and it is going up??? I know some folks say that you shouldn't go by the scale, but I ignored my scale for two months and 10-12 pounds crept on. I ignored my scale some more, and my weight went up more. My clothes are tight. I'm uncomfortable. I'm unhappy.
I needed to type this out as a way to vent. All I can do is exercise more and become strict with my diet. Hopefully, this will be enough to get back to 155 before beach season. Anything more will just be cake ... but I won't eat it. Apparently, it is dangerous to become complacent and to take for granted all of the work it takes to lose/maintain a healthy weight.
On another note, in amongst all of this hullabaloo, I've been concerned about my overall health. I'm tired ALL OF THE TIME. I mentioned it to my doctor at my yearly exam, but he claimed that it was just my busy lifestyle. I've also been having lightheadedness once again. I stand up and nearly black out. My fingernails have started cracking and peeling near the base. I've begun taking multiple supplements and vitamins to try to help with all of this. I think I'll be tired for the rest of my life.
Anyway, here is a sample of my meals this week for future reference (about 1200 calories):
Breakfast: Coffee
Snack: Cheese Stick
Lunch: Tuna, pickle, greek yogurt, blueberries
Snack: Organic Fruit Squeeze
Dinner: Shrimp & Quinoa or Cod & a Salad (protein and veggies)
I got comfortable.
I got too busy.
I got lazy.
I got chubby.
Let's rewind. Last year (2015) I stopped running 5K's. I think the jogging officially stopped at the beginning of December 2014. I remember going for a good jog on our local river walk with one of my best friends, and then, I came down with some crud that went on and on and on. It's hard to workout when you're chronically sick. I was out of the gym and not jogging for more than a month, and I never could get that switch fully turned back on.
I had been so proud of my ability to jog three miles and to complete these 5K's; it was upsetting to essentially lose the ability. I know if I did it once that I should be able to do it again, but then, life happens. At the beginning of summer, my husband changed jobs AND schedules. The mornings were no longer free for me to get up and go jog. THEN, Tyler started school in August, and things got even tougher.
I know a lot of mom's do what I do, but this is MY life and this is how it is affecting ME.
I get up, get myself ready, and get Tyler ready. Usually, this routine ends with chaos. I REALLY need to get up about 30 minutes earlier but have not achieved that yet. Once I get him to school (just in the neck of time), I cruise on to work. ALL of that to say that there is no longer time for morning jogs! Even if I got up early, I couldn't leave Tylerman alone in the house while I go run the streets of Leesburg (OBVIOUSLY).
I work 8 - 10 hours a day at our local newspaper and make a mad dash afterward to get Tyler before aftercare closes at 6. For a while we would head straight to the gym after I picked him up. I would already have my gym clothes on since I changed at work. That was short-lived. He decided at some point that he once again did not like the gym, and it just became too much of a battle. I would make it a couple times a week if my mom picked him up for me.
So, my exercise dwindled to almost nothing, and my diet was intermittently healthy. THEN CAME THE HOLIDAYS!!! DUN DUN DUUUUUUN!!! Even through all the trials of last year, I had somehow managed to stay in the 151-157 range. I weighed in October and was about 157. Then Halloween happened. Then Thanksgiving happened. Then Christmas happened. In between all of these holidays, I was just eating however I wished. My thought was, "Hey, I've maintained THUS far ... my body must be conditioned to maintain this weight range ... a little fun won't hurt." WRONG WRONG WRONG!! I did not step back on the scale until January or February of 2016, and to my horror, when I finally got the courage up, 167 popped up on that cruel digital screen. I felt absolutely defeated. I want SO badly to just be able to indulge when I feel like it, but it appears that it is just not in the cards.
I spent most of January and February barely exercising and beginning to reign in my out of control binge eating a LITTLE. It is now mid-March. Jamie and I have created a home gym in our garage, so the only issue is finding time to use it. Once I get home with Tyler around 6, it is usually non-stop until his bedtime. Cooking dinner ... cleaning up a bit ... catering to his needs AND wants ... My only solution is to exercise for an hour RIGHT when we get home to get it done and out of the way. Otherwise, I'm in there at 10 o'clock with barely any energy. I've systematically cleaned up my diet. I allow myself some treats on the weekend, but I feel like that may have to stop. I'm watching carbs. I'm watching sugar. I'm counting calories. I'm getting back on a regular exercise routine.
After about a week and a half of my newly turned over leaf (last Sunday), I decided to jump on the scale to see if my weight had budged at all in the downward direction. To my absolute horror, the screen flashed 170!! I texted my husband immediately with a 'what gives?!' type of message. He replies that my muscles are probably holding water because I worked out the night before, which I hope is the case. Today, I'm 170.2. Am I still retaining water? Why is my weight going UP UP UP? I can't even explain the frustration. I worked my butt off to go from the 200's to 155, and I feel like I've lost all control. I'm trying to get it down and it is going up??? I know some folks say that you shouldn't go by the scale, but I ignored my scale for two months and 10-12 pounds crept on. I ignored my scale some more, and my weight went up more. My clothes are tight. I'm uncomfortable. I'm unhappy.
I needed to type this out as a way to vent. All I can do is exercise more and become strict with my diet. Hopefully, this will be enough to get back to 155 before beach season. Anything more will just be cake ... but I won't eat it. Apparently, it is dangerous to become complacent and to take for granted all of the work it takes to lose/maintain a healthy weight.
On another note, in amongst all of this hullabaloo, I've been concerned about my overall health. I'm tired ALL OF THE TIME. I mentioned it to my doctor at my yearly exam, but he claimed that it was just my busy lifestyle. I've also been having lightheadedness once again. I stand up and nearly black out. My fingernails have started cracking and peeling near the base. I've begun taking multiple supplements and vitamins to try to help with all of this. I think I'll be tired for the rest of my life.
Anyway, here is a sample of my meals this week for future reference (about 1200 calories):
Breakfast: Coffee
Snack: Cheese Stick
Lunch: Tuna, pickle, greek yogurt, blueberries
Snack: Organic Fruit Squeeze
Dinner: Shrimp & Quinoa or Cod & a Salad (protein and veggies)
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