New Year, new habits

W

whiskeytangofox

New member
Ok, so a new year and I've promised myself that this is the year that I lose the weight. Hi to anyone reading. I'm 25, living in London, working and currently weigh 213.2. On the plus side, I didn't gain any weight over Christmas, in fact I lost a pound. On the negative side, stacked against the 70 or so pounds that I've gained over the last 7 years, that's not a lot!

I've bought a set of really fancy new scales and I am going to weigh myself everyday and try to make a daily note in the diary so that if forces me to be honest and consistent.

So starting numbers and plan (got a measuring tape)

213.2 lb
5' 7'
45 ish % body fat (according to my scale)
BMI: 33.4
BMR is 1781 (according to my machine)
WAIST: 43 IN
HIPS: 48 IN
BUST: 44.5 IN
THIGH: 29.5 IN
UPPER ARM: 15 IN
CALVES: 18.5 IN


My food plan is to eat about 1200 in calories for my main meals. Plus a 100 or so leeway for any snacks. So about 1400 max, hopefully closer to 1200 per day. That gives me 450 dinner, 450 lunch, breakfast should always be 267 cal (75g of porridge with water). That sounds low but honestly - a 400g Sainsbury Moussaka for one is about 400 cal and it is huge and very filling.

I have bought in a lot of low cal snacks. Through the last few months where I have messed about with trying to eat better but not really tackled the weight, I have found some things that work for me as snacks

- satsumas/clementines etc. No other fruit really as most I like too much (bananas, grapes) or not at all (apples)
- low fat jelly. I love these. A whole bowl is about 10 cal which means I will be able to graze on them when I really need food without much of an impact.
- vegetables that I can eat raw - cucumbers, carrots
- Chicken pieces - sounds crazy but we know that eating a 100 cal of chicken drumstick is more satisfying than eating a 100 cal of chocolate. So I have lots of raw meat in the house and will just make baked chicken for myself.
- low fat soup - most soups are only 50 cal or so but are much more filling than anything else for that.

Lunch and dinner plan is to make soups, stews and meals and I'll be making them today and tomorrow hopefully for the fortnight. The house is actually full of raw food (lentils, pumpkins, lamb, salmon etc) that I have bought in over the last few months *meaning* to use and haven't. So I am going to finally cook them. I think that I found a bunch of 'diet' recipes that were too complicated in retrospect. I've tried some things out and found some things that sound my cooking style and eating style so will work.

For example, I have a pumpkin left over from Christmas day and instead of making a 'diet' pumpkin soup, which would be ok for lunch but not for dinner and I prob would get sick of, I'm making a lamb and pumpkin stew. Similar calories but more versatile.


My exercise plan is to get up in the morning and go jog for at least an hour before work and then hopefully soon the same after work. I have a fairly flexible boss and have had my starting time moved to 9.45, leaving for work at 8.45 means that I could be working out from 6 - 8 every morning. I have tried gyms and classes but I hate them and get bored on treadmills. I really want to try to do an evening jog even if it's 15 min because I feel like when I'm tired in the house in the evening, waiting for dinner it's a danger time for food as I can snack and graze. Even breaking that up for 15 min would prob not burn many calories but could stop me eating quite a few.

Today:

I feel really good about today even though I haven't done any exercise yet. I really prefer to exercise first thing in the morning but that's kind of been destroyed with the new year lie - ins. This morning was a case in point. I HAVE to get up early tomorrow and that means going to bed on time. Last night, I had a slice of cake at 1am as I was still up. Late nights mean extra food plus less exercise and I have to be disciplined.

Completely forgot breakfast as had to jump up to get to the bank before it closed. Ran around doing errands but to my credit (yes!) I didn't buy any snacks or eat anything. Then I came in at 2.30pm (!) and made my lunch and ate that. Only ended up snacking on clementine (1, 2 after).

Have bought a moussaka with a side salad for dinner(I know I should cook but post Christmas everything is still raw). That should be about 500cal for dinner which is within my day's count. Actually glad xmas is over and all of the tempting foods are out of the house.

Anyway so for the hard facts.

In

Breakfast: Nothing

Lunch: Fish & Potato (Those bags of whitefish in a parsley sauce - I love and are only 111 cal). So lunch: 267 cal. I liked that and would next time maybe add 100g of mixed veg for another 50 or so cals.

Dinner: Moussaka and rocket salad: 499 cal
Choux bun: 335 cal - friends came over and felt a bit pressured to eat it. Don't want to do a big diet announcement until I really have gotten into it and have something to show for it.

Snacks: 5 clementines: 175 cal


Out

Morning Run: no (bad!)

Evening Run: no!

(Not counting anything but exercise as out)

02/01/10
TOTAL IN: 1276
TOTAL OUT: 0

(I am keeping a physical food/exercise diary which I'll edit in the rest of the day's food the next day. I don't want to go near my laptop late at night as I end up reading blogs for hours and going to bed really late. )

Am editing this later as am in my bedroom at 8.45pm (yeah!) so laptop off at 9.30 then bed for 10!
 
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second day so far so good.

Got up this morning and went for a jog. I ran for 55 min and for about 4 miles (checked a signpost and it was .75 miles in 10 min). Not very fast but better to run steadily than to get winded and give up!!

Will do an evening run at 8 as well!

Ate my porridge for breakfast (267) and am about to make a ton of lunches for this week. Pumpkin and lamb stew, spinach and salmon in a low fat cheese sauce, lentil and tomato stew, fish pie etc.

Lunch will be fish/potato but have run out so will get some more today. Also want to make my jelly so that I can have healthy snacks for the rest of the week.

Am gonna have a look round the internet to see if I can find some accurate calorie burning estimates for my jogging.

Last day free before work tomorrow! never mind...
 
also, have taken some photos which I will post in a week or so. I want to take photos every month, measure weekly and weigh daily.

Will weigh every night before I sleep so post the weight the next day.
 
Back today and haven't done my second run or weigh in but still feel pretty good about the day.

Went out to run some errands and got caught out and had to go straight to church - that meant that apart from breakfast (at 11) I had had no food until about 4. By this time I was really hungry and realised that I should have made sure I had eaten lunch. I felt really good about myself because instead of going zero tolerance as I may have done in another diet and then getting too hungry and failing miserably, I ate a packet of wotsits - baked - 100 cal. And two satsumas (70 cal). I walked past a chippy and kebab shop to get the crisps! Very proud. That kept me going until I got home.

Then when I came home and for dinner I ate 2 fish packets and 100g of potato. This was 322 cal in total.

I then realised that I would not be able to cook my food for the rest of the week and get ready for work if I left the house for an evening run.

I know that I should be really stressed about it but I managed to make a ton of portions of food for the week.

Made:

salmon fish pie - 3 dinner portions (378) or six lunch portions (189)
lamb and pumpkin stew - 2 portions (171 cal) - pumpkin are amazingly healthy so will be buying them and mushrooms and using them for everything.
mixed tuna salad - 2 portions (122 cal)
lamb and lentil stew - 2 portions (180.5 cal)
lentil and tomato stew - 3 portions (130 cal each WTF) looks amazing as well.
carrot and pumpkin soup - 2 portions (55 each!)

Also made up some bags of food that can be quickly added to stuff for later

bags of lentils and veg - 3 portions (145 cal)
bags of prawn/veg - 3 portions (100 cal)
Pumpkin flesh leftover

I prob snacked on about 200 cal of leftover prawns (about 50g) and other tastes of the food but I wont have to cook for the rest of the week! Porridge for brekkie and will have fish pie tomorrow with some rocket for lunch

So

In

Bkft: porridge - 267 cal
Lunch: -
Dinner: fish and potatoes - 322 cal
Snacks: 2 satsumas - 70 cal
bag of wotsits - 100 cal
random food from cooking prob 200 cal

Total: 959

Out

Morning jog (!) 55 min and approx 4 miles.

Found a calculator for the jogging which gave me two different estimates, one based on distance ran (4 miles) for 557 cal, the other on speed (4.4 miles) for 715 cal. It would be nice to just take the higher one but I'm gonna try to take conservative estimates!

So out: 557

02/01/10
TOTAL IN: 959
TOTAL OUT: 557
 
Just to note -I really think that sometimes we beat ourselves up over not finishing diets but with every failed diet we do learn something. Like now I know not to pitch too low with my food. Like my lentil stew is 130 cal. 6 months ago, I would have had that for lunch and then felt hungry later on and then ended up scoffing 100s of calories of empty food. Instead I'll just eat these with a potato (150 cal ish) and then be really full for longer.

Also made my jelly!

Bought lots of low fat jelly and made it into some small, well what turned out to be baby food containers. 8 little jars - 36 calories. Good for dessert and a nice snack. I eat 3 or so a day for 10 cal instead of yogurt for 100+.


Btw, yes it's late but I have to go to work tomorrow and I don't want the holiday to end!!

I have noticed that I haven't been eating much the last two days. That is because without work, I keep missing lunch. If I get up past 9pm, add morning jog and it's 11 then I eat porridge for lunch really. Actually looking forward to the routine of work as I will get up early and exercise and will eat 3 meals a day so that should bring my calories up.

I think I have to be careful not to plan to undereat. I think this level is a good level in which I will prob cheat up to 1500 max but it's not like planning for 1500 and cheating up to 2000. I also think that planning for 1000 or less is too stressful. The most successful diet I've ever been on up to now was a few years ago - I didn't even have scales I just felt and looked a lot fitter. I did a lot of exercise and was on a diet of 500 (!!!) cal a day. Well, I never kept to it, I cheated up loads - prob to 1000 - but I felt like I could cheat as it was so low. I know that that was ridiculous and I feel relieved that on this diet I can occassionally grab a ready meal for 300 - 400 cal and still be on target but I think some people need a little leeway so it is best to undershoot their calorie restrictions. A 1800 target would have me measuring like a madman and would be unsustainable in the end.

Anyway, I will see how much I weigh at the end of the week and then look at my BMR more closely to see if it is correct. No point minusing all of these numbers if I turn out to expend no energy at all sitting on my ass at work, right?
 
Also, am absolutely horrific with drinking water. Am on a challenge to drink 3l a day and am barely managing 2l. I don't want to get stressed and allow this to derail my actual diet plan so I'm trying but not stressing about it.

I will try to incorporate it into each meal (that's 1.5l - I drink out of a .5l bottle) and then into specific break times. In fact everytime someone offers me tea, I will get water.

Next week we move to other things and I guess that I won't be this week's winner!
 
New day - my body gave up this morning and wanted to sleep rather than go for a jog. That's my own fault for staying up late but it was the first day back to work after the holidays. I will definitely go out tonight.

So far so good food wise

Bkfst: Porridge (267 cal)

Lunch packed (for work) is salmon fish pie and some rocket salad (10 cal). I'm not sure whether I want to have a lunch or dinner portion of the food so I will see how I feel. 378 is within my lunch budget and I think I am going to have my standard fish and potatoes (I love them) tonight with a portion of lentil stew. That should be 211+130 = 342. Fantastic.

I think I need to find a staple like my packs of fish to alternate. I like the portion control and the sauce, that is the problem. It is probably full of crap but it is very difficult to make fish + sauce that comes in for 111 cal. I'm going to look around and hopefully find something protein based that I can add a carb to which comes in at around 100 cal. *thinks* Am now thinking portabella mushrooms. They sell them in the market close to mine for 10 or so for a pound. I usually didn't know what to do with them (and once made a really vile cream of mushroom soup that was truly hideous) but I think grilled portabella mushrooms with quark (mixed with herbs, garlic etc) would come in at about 100 cal. Grilled or baked, I could eat two or three with a salad, or with lentil stew on the side or something.

I think for me the key to losing weight for me is a sustainable diet. I need to have food that I am able to replicate even when I am tired or bored. And it needs to be made up mainly of my favourite things: cheese, meat, fish, sauces, potatoes, occasionally rice.

No pasta ever. I don't really get full from rice and I don't enjoy eating it. I do like brown rice and risotto rice though. I may try a brown rice recipe and see if it feels more filling. The sauces thing is a big issue as I love cheese and white creamy sauces - which are all v fattening. I'm not the biggest fan of tomato sauces, which are healthier but less interesting, but if they are bulked up with something like lentils I can eat them. A meal of pasta and tomato sauce is something I would eat then eat again an hour later because it is so boring. I have made a bunch of meals and now I'm going to try to sustain them and then slowly add some more over the next few weeks with things that I might have in my cupboard but haven't really cooked with yet (pearl barley? chickpeas?)

I wanna get comfortable first. When I first bought in all of the food in my MRD (most recent diet), I made lots of 'recipes' that I found but weren't naturally the way I would eat. Now I know that I need to really want to eat it every day. Personally I need protein + carbs in a meal and I really really like meat. One thing I really want to crack is a low low fat cottage or shepherds pie. I love it and could live off it. I could also live off lasagne. It kills me how weight watchers can make a 250 cal takeaway lasagne but I can't at home. I'm gonna wait a few weeks until I've settled into this and then try to make some.

I think I'm really relaxed on this diet compared to my MRDs. Instead of fretting, I'm feeling quite confident and instead of trying to be perfect, I'm just accepting that there's a ton of stuff I will have to introduce as I go along. Like:

- multivitamins - I should be taking them but I keep forgetting (I have 3 packs stashed around the house including where I keep my porridge. Instead of beating myself up, when the other stuff gets a bit more routine, I will try to take this on.
- water - I know this will aid my weight loss and everything but I keep forgetting, even while on a challenge. I think I will try my best but not sweat it. It's kind of like when people write for advice on their plan and immediately someone says 'do resistance/strength training as well as cardio'. I know that it is probably best but I also know that going for a jog is the easiest, cheapest, most straightforward and most likely exercise that I will do. Involving things, gyms, drama just makes it less sustainable.
- getting all the right equipment - I have new trainers and scales and some workout gear but not the special waterproof wicking stuff, just t shirts and jogging bottoms. I will upgrade but I think in order to keep the excitement higher, I will upgrade at set points along my journey. I will put those set points in my next post.
 
TO BUY

1) Sports bra(s) - I know :) but a few weeks with a bra and two t shirts on is not going to kill my boobs. I'm like a 38E or something ludicrous so I'd expect my boobs to reduce dramatically anyway.

When: First 5 pounds is lost = 208.2

2) Snazzy running leggings

When: First 10 pounds is lost = 203.2

3) Running top - the wicking one

When: will buy this at end of Valentines Challenge = 200

4) Sports headphones - have normal headphones now and they are fine but I would like them to fit in without feeling they are going to occassionally fall out. Have tried with cheap ones before so am just gonna spend the big bucks

When: 20 pounds lost = 193.2

5) Itouch armband - Would like to not have to carry my itouch when jogging.

When: 25 pounds lost = 188.2

6) New trainers - I have fairly flat feet and am overweight and picked up a pair of trainers from a sports shop - ascics. I think they correct mild overpronation. I didn't bother to go to a specialist shop and let them fit me. Only my shoes wear on the outside, I think, which means I maybe underpronate. Anyway, no worries about it now. When I lose 35 pounds, I will go to a specialist shop and get fitted and buy a pair of fancy trainers. Currently my new trainers feel much better than my old ones and are not bad to run in so I feel fine.

When: 35 pounds lost = 178.2

And so on... I will adjust this based on what I actually lose. I'd like the treats to happen in 2wks, then a month then so on. If I lose weight faster or slower than I expect, I may adjust to pace them out more or less.
 
Completely missed the questions section of the diary

1) What is your current height and weight?

5'7, 213.2 lb

2) If you were at an ideal weight now, what would that weight be?

I'm not sure - maybe 130 - I think I would like to be a size 8/10 British.

3) At what weight would you like to be at four months from now?

170 - ideally

4) Why do you want to lose weight?

Because I gained most of it at a specific time - university - I think in my 3rd year alone I gained 2.5 stone. And I occasionally tried to lose it the completely wrong ways - not by thinking about calories or exercise but by fad dieting and crap like that. I'm only 25. I think a life time of being overweight is just not necessary.

5) Do you want to lose weight for a specific life event such as wedding or reunion? If so, when is that event?

I'm going back to school in Sept so am keen to take a lot of the weight off and put good habits in place for when I return to studying. This is a stable time for me - I have a job, money, a nice safe place to live where I can run etc. I'd be stupid not to take advantage of it.

6) What obstacles could get between you and your weight loss goals?

I can be quite lazy. I can be quite all or nothing, instead of doing things incrementally.

7) Why do you think that you now have a weight problem?

I love food - I am a foodie and I love to make complicated dishes with lots of cream. I also snack when I am bored or stressed and graze instead of eating properly. Uni finals = revision = food. I have to be careful not to allow myself to do that.

8) What lifestyle changes do you think would help you lose weight?

Exercise is no 1. I usually do so little. And my body does respond to it quite well. Also finding low fat things to eat that I enjoy - sometimes it's better to eat something slightly higher in calories that is edible than starve on lettuce.

9) Have you lost weight in the past? If so, what has worked in the past to help you lose weight?

10) I have lost some weight year or so in the past but gained it slowly back. Mainly because it was based on exercise and once I stopped that, it stopped. Also I've only begun to realise how many excess calories I actually ate. A slice of cake here, a soft drink there and it adds up to 500 cal.

11) Why do you believe that you did not lose weight or you gained the weight back?

Mainly because I didn't stick to it and it wasn't sustainable. I always lost weight when dieting or exercising.

12) What, if anything, has not worked for you in the past in helping you to lose weight? Why do you think it did not work?

Severe restrictions or fads don't work because I can't sustain them. Also 'trying to eat healthy' without learning about food and calories is useless. I thought I was being 'good' eating: a wholegrain bagel with low fat cream cheese for breakfast, a bought 'healthy' sandwich from say Pret for lunch, and pasta for dinner. But the bagel was like 500 cal, lunch 800, dinner 600/700. So I'd be eating 2000 plus 'orange juice' or a healthy drink - maybe another 300 calories over the day. And I thought I was dieting!

13) Would you try writing down all food and drink consumed for a given period of time?

Yes, that is what I am doing.

14) Do you cook at home often? If so, what do you cook?

I do cook and now we have a market close by I love to cook fish and meat. I like comfort type food - casseroles, gratins, lasagnes, pies. I love potato and it is my main carb. Love salmon. I like to bake as well - fairy cakes, breads.

15) How often do you go out to eat? Where do you go?

Don't eat out that often but never pick a 'salad' when at a restaurant. Even while I am dieting, life is too short to pay for salad. I don't eat Indian anymore though (stopped 2 years ago) and will stay away from Chinese.

16) What are your three favorite foods?

Potato, salmon, cream

17) What are your three favorite restaurants?

Places in London I like but nowhere is a favourite. I think my fav place to eat is Starbucks.

18) What are three things you can do differently when it comes to food?

Eat a set times
Cook in advance
Stop snacking

19) If you woke up tomorrow and your body was exactly the way you want it, what would be different?

A lot I think. I think I would go shopping, which is something I haven't been able to go wild on in years.

20) Do you eat when you are not hungry?

Yep, graze while watching movies or eat something that looks nice that I want but am not hungry (like a piece of cake)

21) Do you binge eat (large amounts at a time)?

I don't think so. I will tend to eat around meal times but if anything I undereat at one time and then eat loads of little things for a few hours. Certain things I can consume a lot of though - fizzy drinks etc.

22) Do you hide your food or eat in secret?

YES! So bad. Only because the family started getting nervous about my weight and began to watch me eating. So I would eat snacks on the way home.

23) Do you eat when you are sad, nervous, or depressed?

No, but when I am stressed, cooking relaxes me and so does eating really.

24) Do you eat as a reward?

I make things I like to eat on a day if I'm feeling bored. It feels like a treat.

25) Do you eat while watching TV or using the computer?

TV snacking all the time.

26) What do you normally eat for a meal?

Pre diet - whatever my flatmate makes, takeaway, sainsburys ready meals, whatever I cook - fish based usually.

27) What type of snacks do you eat?

Crisps, cake, sweets, pastry, popcorn, anything really. Not really chocolate.

28) In terms of exercise, what, if anything, are you currently doing?

Pre diet - nothing

29) Where do you go for exercise? A local public gym? School/work gym? Home?

Pre diet - nowhere. Hopefully now just jogging by where I live.

30) What, if anything, are your three favorite types of exercise?

I think jogging is the only type that I really like. Classes and gyms are a bit much and I like being alone with my thoughts.

31) What is your daily/weekly/monthly/yearly motivation to move towards your goals?

I'm still working on these little signposts. I think that I want my entire weight loss to be done by the end of August. 8 months.

32) Do you have rewards for certain goals?

I am rewarding myself in the first few weeks but I will certainly be working on it and thinking about it.
 
Writing that list made me focus on my goals a little bit

Let's assume a weight loss target of 160 lb = 11.5 stone. That's basically 50 pounds loss.

Let's do the math:

1 lb loss = 3500 cal deficit

So assuming a 1% loss of total weight per week = weekly deficit of 7000 cal = 2lb a week loss = 25 weeks = 6.25 months = mid July - just in time for Aug

Assuming a 1.5% loss = weekly deficit of 10500 cal = 3lb per week = 17 weeks = 4.16 months = mid May - plenty of time for Aug

Assuming 1.75% loss = weekly deficit of 12250 cal = 3.5 lb per week = 15 weeks = 3.5 months = mid April - plenty of time for Aug

So by this standard, I should feel happy to do the 7000 cal deficit. The problem is that as my weight drops, so will my BMR. My body will get more efficient and use less energy in exercise and need less food. So in reality keeping that 7000 deficit at 160lb will be impossible.

Prob better to start higher and see how it goes. The question is how this all translates to actual activity.

So those respective deficits make daily deficit of 1000, 1500 and 1750.

How would these work in reality?

Assuming a 1200 diet and a 1781 BMR = -587 anyway. Yeah, right, but let's assume so. Thus any exercise is really the controlling factor.

(btw I have no idea how you can lose 1000 cal a day - which is the recommended 1% - without going down to a low diet. The whole starvation diet drama seems a bit exaggerated, how else can you possibly lose it all from exercise?)

So me at this weight jogging for about an hour burns about 500 cal (600 - the 100 you'd be burning just by breathing apparently). So 2 hours = 1000 cal + 587 = 1587. That's a lot.

But I really want to do the 2 hours in the morning - why?

Well, I prefer exercising at the beginning of the day, it's easier, more fun, feels safer, is generally getting lighter throughout the workout - not darker -, if I do the bulk of the workout in the morning then I feel less pressure in the evening etc. I will have to move and have less free time from Sept onwards. I have a later starting time for work now as well and would rather exercise 6.30 - 8.30am.

But I also want to do at least 15 min in the evening though - why?

Breaks up the evening, stops me snacking, hopefully will make me more tired and sleep sounder.

So assuming 2.5 hours max a day = 1500 cal burned a day + the 587 = 2087. That's way above the estimates and seems implausible. As I lose weight, that exercise will not burn that much. Am I even really burning that much? I doubt it. Will I even be running the same pace for 2 hrs? I wasn't really out of breath yest after running an hour or even sweating really. I could prob have sustained it for another 1/2 hour at least. My feeling is to keep as much exercise as possible because the likelihood is that I won't do it all. An hour a day should bring me *supposedly* the 2lb a week loss. This seems unlikely though. And the last thing I want to do is work on a really tight margin that is then incredibly stressful. I don't want to lose no weight for 6 weeks because the calculators are a touch off and so actually this is a maintenance plus schedule and I'm losing 1/4 lb per week.


Man this was long and rambly - in conclusion - I think that it's easy to get sucked into complicated calculations which aren't helpful. I don't want to get dependent on the calculators and things. I'd rather have faith in steady routines that I can rely on. Let me try a week or so of the morning and short evening sessions. If I feel crappy I can adjust up the food or down the exercise as I see fit.
 
Lunch

Fish pie (378 cal)
Rocket salad (5 cal)

Dinner

One portion of lamb and lentil stew (181)
One portion of lentil and tomato stew (130) = 311 cal

Exercise: none yet! Got to get going.

Food is really good though.

04/01/10

In

Bkfst: porridge 267 cal
Lunch: fish pie 378 cal
rocket 5 cal
Dinner: lamb and lentil stew 181 cal
lentil and tomato stew 130 cal
Snacks: 5 satsumas 175 cal
Jelly 20 cal

Total: 1156 cal
Out: 0

04/01/10
IN: 1156
OUT: 0
 
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YEAH

Went out for a 2hr morning run today! 6.30am - 8.30am!

And double yeah - weighed myself - 207.4!! Lost 5.8 pounds. Now I know that some of that is water weight but it's still a motivational boost. Besides body fat (according to scale) has gone from 44.5% to 42.5%. I don't know how accurate they are but presumably they should be able to measure change. New BMI is 32.4!

Getting there slowly but surely.
 
Interesting thing

My scales are great and measure body fat and BMI and BMR. My BMR has fallen, according to my new BMI and scales, to 1750. I bet that 'plateaus' and 'starvation mode' in most people is nothing but a lower BMI

It's also weird that I looked at my ideal weight and height - 130 - and the BMR for that weight is like 1400 cal. Even with lots of working out, maybe 1600. In other words, if I do this, it is not just about eating less now, it is about adjusting my eating to the actual calorific needs of my body - for life -, which are much less than I have been putting in.

Anyway, lets worry about maintenance when I've actually lost some weight!
 
Hey thanks!

My scales are are by Homedics and are called the Toe Touch Body Analyser or something similar. They have a glass one but I bought the plastic one for cheaper. I have to say, they are amazing!
 
Ahhh! Today is the first challenge to my diet. I am at work and have so much to do, I cannot really leave until much later on. And I don't have any dinner with me (I had fish pie and rocket for lunch, 2 satsuma snacks btw).

This means having dinner at work. Now normally I would just get some fast food, or if feeling healthy, a 'healthy' sandwich from a sandwich shop like Pret or EAT.

Now I know the truth I am popping to my local supermarket to buy a prepackaged meal to eat. Yes it will be high in salt etc BUT it will mean portion control and be much less in calories than a sandwhich (which I have now learned in horror can be 700 cal plus. It will also be hot and filling. I have about 500 cal left in my diet so I will either get a 450 meal and try to snack on jelly for the rest of the night - or (better) get something closer to 350/400cal and then have a cup a soup (always have spare in work) which are 50 cal each. Then can have spare room for a snack if I want one.
 
Am still in work. But have eaten a low fat chicken noodle soup (43 cal) and a pack of prawns (86 cal). That is good as I feel pretty good food wise and it was only 129 cal.
 
So yest ended up doing good and bad. I bought my ready meal - a low fat lasagne for 311 cal and ate it. Unfortunately I tore the wrapping off by accident which meant I had to oven it instead of microwave. Was so hungry that I had one of my sister's chicken wings! Let's assume that was 200 cal at least. Anyway stopped there.

And didnt run today. Not cos I don't want to but because the muscles around my right knee are very tight and hurt when I go upstairs. I have been trying to take stairs everywhere and I think with the running it has strained. I will rest today and start again tomorrow but I'll stop taking stairs for now.
 
Inspired by your posting of fancy scales, I decided to get a new one because (a) I knew mine was giving me the wrong weight and (b) I can't resist a good gadget.

I now officially weigh 9lbs more. :-(
 
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