Feenix's diary - This Is Sparta!

I also took Thurs/Fri "off", ate fries and deep-fried food. Unfortunately, I'm having trouble getting back on track as I am sick now (not because of the food, because of some evil microbe).

Nothing wrong with taking a small break, as long as you get back on your plan afterwards, and don't make the breaks too regular an occurrence.

And Happy (belated) birthday!
 
So last weigh-in thingy was 18th. Checked the dreaded scales a couple times over the past few days and it ain't really moving. Depending on the day, went down a pound or so, up a couple, down one etc. etc.

I'm trying not to get too caught up on numbers, but it is important to check that things are going the right way. Bit bummed that there seems to have been no progress in two weeks. Granted I did have 2 major cheat days over my birthday week, but even with those, I would have thought things would have moved. I'm not in any rush, but I really do need to know that things are working as when I can say to myself "ok, I have proof I'm losing weight" I find the healthy eating no problem at all. When I'm not sure if it's working, thats when I struggle. E.g. few days ago when I saw the numbers hadn't changed I splurged a bit and ate and extra 300-400 calories or so. Bold me.

I'm averaging anywhere from 1400-1800 calories per day. On top of that is a 150-200 burn from walking. I really would think that it would show more results than it has so far. Again, I'm in no rush, but things seem to have slowed to a crawl which makes me worry that it's not working.

Other thing is, while I do feel different from when I started, that feeling happened after about 3 weeks. I really dont feel (literally) any different from 5 weeks ago. One thing I have been doing is having maybe 2/3 small cookies with my coffee during the day, but they're all accounted for in my calorie count. I also usually over-estimate things a bit as I know calorie counting is difficult to do exactly. So I dunno. I think after this long weekend, I'm going to "start again". Cut out all treats even tho I've been counting them and..hopefully things will start moving again. Not having dropped under the 266 mark is annoying the heck out of me (266=19stone). It feels I've been heading to that goal for so long and I just can't seem to reach it.

I usually subscribe to the simple formula calories out > calories in = weightloss, but now I'm starting to think about all the usual stuff like increasing the times you eat to keep metabolism going, and not eating late at night and all that stuff. Tis a bit confusing.
 
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woot! just noticed I've got my number 69 back! In my ticker says I've 69lbs to go. Guess there's a silver line to every cloud!
 
So weighed in on my new start day and averaged clocked in at 267(ish for the crappy scales)

So going to strict sticking to total calories allowed whereas before I'd allow myself to go 100-300 above the odd day. Also cutting out my little treats with coffee. Gonna get the ball rolling again and once I'm confident I'm on the downslope I can relax again.

Just discovered the Intersections Boxset from Bruce Hornsby. I never knew what a stunning musician he was. It's some of the best music I've heard. He really explores different genres and is a jaw-droppingly amazing pianist. Fantastic find.

Hope all are doing well.
 
Remember, the number on the scale isn't the be-all and end-all.

Lots of different ways to track progress - ,measurements, body fat %, clothing size, looking in the mirror...

Don't let the scale get you down. It doesn't always tell the whole story.

Mind, you might also be stalled at the moment, so maybe try shaking things up. make a change in your diet. Make a change in your exercise routine.
 
hey feenix i notice i never say anything in your diary, so i am here to change that. just want to let you know you are making good progress and keep it up. don't worry about the numbers like you said. one week you'll weigh and a ton will have fallen off, believe me, i was in that boat. just don't let it get the best of you. I admire all you guys who count calories. i really can't do it. i keep it in mind when i eat things, but i have a rough estimate, but i just can't sit and log and count. blah. i guess i am lucky, because the weight is coming off. good luck, and make sur eyou don't cut everything out, otherwise you are more prone to binge. for example, today is starbucks day. i treat myself to a venti mocha frapachino. couold i go without it? sure, but why not have something to enjoy! of course i do get the light version, so its not as horrible. anyway, i need to post in my own diary, i'll catch up with you soon.
 
Hello Feenix, Happy Belated Birthday!!! WOOT! Did you have Cake???? Soon I am going to have a ticker that counts down the days to my birthday to just have cake, I am going to have a whole cake to myself and all day I will only eat cake!!! CAKE CAKE CAKE!!!:smash:

This line you stated;
I'm not in any rush, but I really do need to know that things are working as when I can say to myself "ok, I have proof I'm losing weight"

That's what I always feel like when I have been sitting on a number....(#'s blah blah blah, I know I know already) I keep thinking am I supposed to just be this size than? Or am I still able to lose it? What am I doing wrong? What am I doing right? That kind of stuff, so I understand. ;)

Lata :seeya:
 
Thanks for stopping by folks. And I'm totally with you all on the not relying on scales, well in my head I am. Guess sometimes we just need some form of confirmation that things are going ok.

@Kur, the way I look at it is either count calories or just be mindful of food and work out loads. And since I hate "official" working out with a passion, it's choosing the lesser of two evils for me :p

@Cord, I was considering using measurements, but never got around to getting a tape. I must do so next time I'm shopping. How are you finding doing it that way?

@RG, had one slice of cake I think but tons of small candies. Man I enjoyed every single one of them, but they were tinged with a slight bitter taste of guilt :p

Well checked the scale again this morning (even tho I told myself to just forget about it for a couple of weeks. The scale has become worse than that candybar in the press you can't stop taking out and looking at!) Down to 264/265 (depending on where I put my feet :p) so I'm even more confused now. I just find it strange that nothing can happen over the course of 2 weeks and then within about 5 days, 4 lbs drop. Guess I'm over simplifying the body as a machine. As long as the number doesn't go up over the next week or so I'll be happy that things are still moving in the right direction so can stop focusing so much on it then.

On a totally different note, Bioware (one of my fav game studios) released a CGI movie to create a bit of hype for the Star Wars MMO they're developing. I'm not overly excited about the game (as an MMO anyway, I reckon it'll be more of a co-op play with friends experience, could be wrong tho), but the CGI "trailer" is wet pants inducing. So well made. It's a pity the 3 Star Wars prequels weren't even remotely this good. Damn you Lucas!

Check it out here


And while on the subject, here's one of my all time favs CGI game "trailers"
 
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we need to talk more. i am not the avid gamer i once was, but obviously i have a passion for it since my plan is to transfer into the gamin industry. speaking of bioware, there will be a worker from there shoeing off stuff asndf the like at a llocal art college today at two i plan to go meet and chat, and see if i can make another contact in this oh so small industry. I figure after my vacay i will hit the portdfolio hard and get myself in someplace nice! I was about to tell you i caught up to you, but alas you have went down some more, which is definately a good thing. i'll just say i took your 269 for now, althoughi fear it'll be gone quite soon lol. anyway i understand what you are saying about counting vs. intense workouts, i just thought i'd throw it in. just keep in mind losing weight shouldn't detour you from living life they have to co-exist. you don't want to be a slave to calories or the scale, so you have to figure out a balance where you don't let the scale dictate what you eat so much and not feel bad when you do indulge a little. We are human. its work to lose i know, but like a job, we don't want to live to work, we want to work to live. keep up the good work!
 
Feenix said:
Thanks for stopping by folks. And I'm totally with you all on the not relying on scales, well in my head I am. Guess sometimes we just need some form of confirmation that things are going ok.

@Cord, I was considering using measurements, but never got around to getting a tape. I must do so next time I'm shopping. How are you finding doing it that way?

Well checked the scale again this morning (even tho I told myself to just forget about it for a couple of weeks. The scale has become worse than that candybar in the press you can't stop taking out and looking at!) Down to 264/265 (depending on where I put my feet :p) so I'm even more confused now. I just find it strange that nothing can happen over the course of 2 weeks and then within about 5 days, 4 lbs drop. Guess I'm over simplifying the body as a machine. As long as the number doesn't go up over the next week or so I'll be happy that things are still moving in the right direction so can stop focusing so much on it then.
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Yeah, despite all the other metrics I am applying, I still use the scale to get that weekly feedback. And as long as it keeps going down, the feedback is still positive. I don't know how I am going to feel if/when I stall weight-wise.

The tape is good - I only use it once a month, and it is even nicer than seeing the scale numbers drop - to see that you are actually getting smaller. And a 60" cloth tape is only a couple of bucks, so it is the cheapest may to measure results numerically.

Glad to see you got some change. Body weight is a funny thing - it can plateau for a while, then suddenly drop. That is the main reason that I don't weigh myself daily - too many little fluctuations.
 
@kur, now that is something I'd love to do, chat with someone from Bioware. How did it go? Like yourself, I'm not as much of a gamer as I used to be, but I still love seeing what people come up with and am fascinated by the whole game development process from assets to gameplay design to programming. Playing games, I usually go for the heavy story ones, hence my enjoyment of Bioware titles, tho I feel they do need to shake things up a bit. Their next title Dragon Age hoepfully goes back to some of their old titles. A lot of their recent games (gameplay wise) were really similar. They are fantastic story tellers tho. (But I wish they'd just dump the romantic plots from their games, they're always done terribly.)

@Cord, I'll start thinking about doing the tape stuff. Part of me whoever wants to just forget about tracking anything (cept calories) as its been working so far so might be time to just trust the process for a month and forget about metrics. I shall see.

Had an "official" weight-in yesterday as it was the end of the 8 week challenge thingy in a different thread. Lost 18lbs overall in less than 8 weeks so happy with that. Let myself splurge a bit and ate stuff I normally dont, like a lot of bread and some choc but still kept it within an acceptable calorie range.

One thing ye should try is find something that weighs the same as what you lost (I had a basket of books) just to get some idea of how much you've actually dropped. I tried it and it gives me a real "wow" as it's hard to believe that 8 weeks ago I was carrying that on top of what I have now. What's even more wow is the fact that I am still carrying about @4 times that more than I should be. Really puts things in perspective.

Hope all are doin well.
 
Feenix said:
One thing ye should try is find something that weighs the same as what you lost (I had a basket of books) just to get some idea of how much you've actually dropped. I tried it and it gives me a real "wow" as it's hard to believe that 8 weeks ago I was carrying that on top of what I have now. What's even more wow is the fact that I am still carrying about @4 times that more than I should be. Really puts things in perspective.
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That's a pretty good idea. I had plans to steal a page from Disciple's book, and start lugging around the lighter of my heavy bags (60lb) once I had lost that much. Kind of a symbolic act, to carry the weight I had lost around on my shoulders, as a reminder of what I had lost and what I really don't want back.
Maybe I should try it with something at my current amount of weight loss.

And I'm really looking forward to Dragon Age.
 
Cord the Seeker said:
And I'm really looking forward to Dragon Age.
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Yea me too. While I love Bioware games (the story always sucks me right in like a really good book, they have some amazing character writers), I always get frustrated that it's very hard to roam around (both "story" wise and world design wise), they are very linear. I'm hoping Dragon Age has the usual Bioware story excellence and a more open world to explore. Merge those two and I'm a happy panda. I will admit tho that when I heard it was moving from PC only title to PC+consoles I started worrying as I blame a lot of the linear world design on the fact that they design the games for consoles. I'll be a real sad panda if the PC version feels in anyway hampered by the fact it's being released on consoles too (not to mention if the UI on the PC is really a console UI. Oblivion anyone?)
 
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