Amy's weight loss diary

It's called cron-o-meter. The version I've got I downloaded from here: It was recommended to me by a friend of mine who is really into weights.

You may find it a bit frustrating at first because you have to enter some of your own values for foods and things (it's set up from a US food database), but once you enter food it stays there. It's also a lot more complicated than I make it out to be but I've disabled most of it because I don't know what to do with it. (If you get it to predict calories for you, be aware it's going to give you maintenance not weight loss calories, but you can enter those numbers, as well as adjusting macros, yourself. Also I don't know if it does kilojoules, which may be a pain for you)
 
Thanks amy. No i can do calories. If its too much of a fiddle, i probably won't do it but i will give it a shot. I didn't like using the nutritiondata calorie counter. I like their nutritional data though. It does a good thorough breakdown of what's in food.
 
There's something about opening up a new packet of coffee beans. Problem is I'm not drinking so much coffee anymore (it really messes with my workout- used to have 3-4 cups a day) and so the beans go stale too quickly. Going to try freezing half the packet and keeping the other half in an airtight container in the fridge.

Edit to add: and I can't find my information on how to clean my coffee grinder (I'm sure it needs it). Nor can I find the information online. Frustrating.
 
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See how everyone is inspired by you??

Mmm coffee.
Fresh ground coffee in a French press.
<3333
I hate when it goes stale :/
 
Just had three cups of coffee (figured out how to get the upper burr out of my grinder so I could clean it. And heh at the suggestion so often made to get a specialist burr cleaning brush. I just use a soft toothbrush which I have specifically for the purpose). Mmm, good, and virtually no calorie (except the milk). And when they're fresh out of the packet, even the cheaper stuff is really good (so, so much better than pre-ground, which is so, so much better than instant. Can't believe I used to drink that swill) Very glad I decided to spend some of my Christmas money from my parents on a decent-ish grinder (and glad I got it before Christmas! I was looking to see if I could find the cleaning instructions, and the thing's gone up 15 quid! I would've found that prohibitive. It's the cheapest electric burr grinder I could get, paid about 30 quid for it)

I'm baffled that people are inspired by me, to be honest. My weight loss took some time to start, has been modest (albeit steady when it started) so far (3kg= 6.6 pounds), and I don't think I'm doing anything special. I'm thrilled with my own progress- I've been on some sort of diet since I was 15 and this is the first time (apart from illness- yes, I lost 40kg, no, it's not worth it) when I've had anything approaching significant weight loss. But look at you- you've lost nearly double what I've lost, and with a holiday where you couldn't control your food as well! (And you look damn good in your gym gear) Not to mention the people here who've lost my ideal body weight or even my total body weight. They're just astounding. I come here so often for inspiration/ motivation myself (yes, and to help others as I'm so pleased with my own progress and I'm doing something that's working for me). I'm definitely not saying it's a bad thing that people take inspiration from me- all power to you/ them- but I don't get it.
 
Just got my graze box (which, because it was a day late, I got half of a box back on- or, all of what I paid because this box was half price). Umm, thanks Royal Mail?

What I got and the nutritional value:
"Little Figgy Went to Market": 40g of baby figs, apples, and cranberries. 98.8 calores, 23.5g carbs (of which 20.5 sugar), 0.9g protein, 0.3g fat (no saturates), 2.4g fibre, 6.3mg sodium.
"Swallows and Amazons": 30g of brazil nuts, cherries, mango and raisins. 163 calories, 14.2g carbs (of which 12.7g sugar), 2.6g protein, 10.9g fat (2.6g saturates), 2.3g fibre, 3.3mg sodium
"Omega Booster Seeds": 35g of linseed, pumpkin and sunflower seeds. 189 calories, 5.7g carbs (of which 0.4g sugar), 8g protein, 15.6g fat (of which 2.2g saturates), 2.2g fibre, 4mg sodium.
"Eldorado": 45g of dark chocolate-covered cocoa beans, hazlenuts, and cranberries. 249 calories, 13.5g carbs (of which 8.8g sugar), 4.5g protein, 19.2g fat (of which 4g saturates), 3.1g fibre, and 5.1mg sodium.

Edit to add: I am not going to have any unless I take them to the gym with me. No, I am not. I really want to try the one from last week's box, though, I'm curious as to what goji berries are. But the boxes aren't cheap (well, they won't be) and I want to have a good reason to have that sort of portioning thing going on. Gym is a good reason. Just because is not. I'm going to go and put them somewhere where I can't see them now.
 
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I've just put on the exercise shorts I used to use when I did aerobics in my flat (which I stopped because I don't live on the ground floor and didn't want to have to wait for downstairs to start complaining :eek: ) to do some stretches on my lounge room floor (no jumping or anything, should be alright) as today isn't a gym day. My thighs have definitely changed shape. The last time I wore these they were very tight and my thighs felt wobbly and disgusting. Today they feel like they fit properly, the front of my thighs are solid, and the backs are... well, less wobbly.

I'm trying to get exercise in every day. I think this officially makes me a junkie!

Edit to add: Just finished the "strength and conditioning" sections on an aerobics DVD I bought nearly a year ago. Last did it about four months ago, when I decided it was inconsiderate to live on a first storey flat and be doing aerobics in my living room (the aerboics section involves some jumping). I remember the strength and conditioning sections to be barely manageable, even when I was doing them every day for weeks at a time (there are periods where the instructor says "I know this is tough" or "you should be really feeling this now" or "just two more, come on", and my recollection of those phrases is the immense relief that I didn't have to keep going). Today? Oh sure, I felt it, but I didn't break a sweat, and it wasn't hard by a long shot. Easy. I've come a long way.
 
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Do you live in England or do you live in Australia? I can't tell.

You are inspiring.
Because you're so consistent and motivated and yeh. Awesome.

I've been on some sort of diet since that age too. Aw i bet we'd have been such chums had we known each other haha. So great to hear how your body is changing shape and your gym clothes are fitting in a different/better way. I looove when my body starts to feel more solid after working out. I haven't got there yet like you.. but hopefully soon.

Your Graze box is full of deliciousness. It'll be worth going to the gym to have a munch on them, hey?

See how fit you are? You dont even sweat at the dvd any more. Woop woop.
 
I'm from Australia (Sydney), but I've been living in England for nearly two years (haven't been home in all that time- visiting in a couple of months, really looking forward to it). I'm in the northwest (not too keen to give out a specific location, relative anonymity is my friend).

I'm not sure how I could do this if I wasn't committed. I need to have rules and structure and stuff or else I find things difficult to follow through with (I think this is why previous weight loss attempts have been so abysmally unsuccessful for me). But I can see where you're coming from though. Looking at a weight loss plan that's been documented systematically like I'm trying to do must be helpful.

I'm surprised you don't have a change in your (at least perceived) body composition like I have given you've lost so much more weight than me. I wonder why that could be (maybe because you're taller and so your weight is more evenly distributed, or because of different workouts- it may depend on level/ intensity of strength training)?

I'm really pleased with the Graze box, and I've all-but decided to keep on going with them when they're full price (they're a little on the expensive side, but I'm only getting them once a week, and they're perfect parcelled up gym snacks, not to mention getting more variety in my diet, including food I probably couldn't manage to have on my own). Everything I've had so far has been superb (even the one with the walnuts- I didn't think I liked walnuts!)

I'm really surprised by that. I've been seeing gains at the gym but have had nothing to compare it to so far. I actually did that because I was going to try an at-home workout I found (on a website recommended to me for finding exercises and stretches)- - but I couldn't do them because I don't have the balance/ coordination (I did the first one and stacked it after three reps, tried the second one and was wobbling all over the place, and thought "sod this, I'm going to do something I at least know I can do").

I'm really getting into the exercise. It's hard to believe, given how ridiculously bad at exercise/ sport I've always been. I'm particularly seeing the benefits of weights, which I assumed I just wouldn't do.
 
Ah so you're from Oz but you live in England. North england. INTERESTING.
It'll be so great to go home and visit with a hot new bod haha.
 
Love to live where? Australia or England? There are advantages and disadvantages to living anywhere, but as someone who's moved so far, I can tell you that there really is "no place like home".

A friend of mine is suggesting I need to look into recovery drinks and to up my protein consumption given how much lifting I'm doing/ considering doing. I'm looking into this and it looks a) expensive (or else those 35 quid containers had better last a long time!), and b) calorific (the recovery drink he uses is something like 600 calories, which is completely out of the question on my regime). I think he's right that I need something (given sometimes during/ after my workouts my blood sugar plummets and I get very shaky, sometimes for hours afterwards despite eating (and sometimes I've had to stuff my post-gym snack into my mouth in the locker room after my workout because I begin to become disoriented due to low blood sugar))- but I'm not sure what. This sort of goes against other advice I got that I don't need sports drinks etc until I'm doing ~2 hours of intense cardio at a time (I suspect that'll never happen). I'm very confused.
 
It is a lovely part of the world. I honestly couldn't say whether I'd prefer to live in Australia or here, I like them equally in different ways. (The part I live in is almost certainly not the kinds of parts you're thinking about though).

I love travelling, and I think seeing different parts of the world is really important. I hope to do more of it.
 
Are you eating carbs in your meals the night before the gym? I reckon you could be lacking some carbs perhaps and you haven't got enough energy available in your system. Try eating some pasta or rice or bread at dinner and see if it makes any difference. Don't worry, it won't convert to fat until about two days if unused. Yep, the more i think about it, the more i think this lack of carbs could be the problem.

I"m not suggesting you consume more calories, just eat more of your complex carbs at dinner. Its possible you are not eating enough carbs for your gym program. Or maybe the intensity is too high.

What about visiting a sports doctor to discuss it with them?
 
You could be right. As I say, I hate that this is all so confusing. I don't think I'm eating too few carbs- I just checked on my calorie counter and I'm getting 242g of carbs a day on average for the last two weeks (it's definitely my predominant macronutrient by a long shot- by contrast, I got 76.2 grams of protein and 29.9 grams of fat per day in the same period). I'm certainly not "afraid" of carbs like some people seem to be- for me it's all about the calories (well, and the nutrition, but the kinds of carbs you're suggesting aren't a problem on that front either). If I'm in a deficit, even if I ate nothing but carbs (that's obviously a bad idea), I think I'd still lose weight.

I actually eat a substantial minority (usually about a third) of my calories at dinner in any case, and a lot of that is is carbs (I've never quite understood the difference between simple and complex carbohydrates, but I don't think much or any of it is "bad". You see what I eat).

I'm not sure of the availability of sports doctors here (I'm pretty sure it'd have to be private, which may cost more than I can afford) but I might talk to my GP about it.

Thanks for the suggestion. More to ponder.
 
For what it's worth, in terms of post work out recovery drinks, no study they've done has ever shown any of the super expensive, super high calorie products to be any more effective than... a glass of chocolate milk.

You shouldn't really need it, though.

Talking to your GP may be a good idea - it shouldn't really hammer you quite that badly...
 
I officially love this forum :) So much great advice, with knowledgeable and experienced people willing to explain things (again and again) in plain English. Yesterday after I got home from the gym I didn't think I'd be able to crack this weight lifting thing, now I think I almost have a program to work with (have to think on and tweak some suggestions, it's getting very late here, will do that tomorrow before I go to the gym).

Anyway. Food diary.

Thursday 28 April

Breakfast: 45g oats, made with water, with 109g milk on top and 60g of blueberries. Was more stodgy and less filling today than usual, which was strange. Not sure what that's about. Subtotal: 217 calories, 9g protein, 36g carbs, 3g fat.
Snack: a 301g mango, with 3 cups (600ml? estimate) of coffee with 192ml of milk. Subtotal: 268 calories, 8g protein, 60g carbs, 1g fat. (wow, that was a big snack, wasn't it?)
Lunch: 2 slices rye bread, with plain light cottage cheese, 11g honey, 90g tomatoes, pepper and dried mint. Subtotal: 257 calories, 12g protein, 44g carbs, 2g fat
Snacks (not together): 2 kiwi fruit (weight together 156g) and 2 rye crispbreads (plain). Subtotal: 145 calories, 3g protein, 30g carbs, 1g fat.
Dinner: 50g basmati rice and a serve of the chicken mango stirfry. Subtotal: 511 calories, 19g protein, 75g carbs, 15g fat.
Total: 1400 calories (74%), 53g protein, 247g carbs, 23g fat, over sodium allowance.

Am a bit hungry now but as it's closing in on midnight I'm just going to have a few more glasses of water and go to bed rather than add to it.
 
Oh, and I forgot to add. I think I'm going out on Saturday so it may be the first day since right at the beginning of the month where my calorie counting has to be an estimate or even goes out the window. It's not ideal, but I'm making much quicker progress than I anticipated (my calorie goal- 1885- is supposed to be a pound a week, and after a stall I've been losing a kilo- 2.2 pounds- a week for the last three weeks), so I suspect at worst it'll just slow things down a little. If I do go, I'll try to make reasonable choices in the circumstances but not worry about it too much, and then get back on the wagon.
 
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