Rob's Diary

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bensanon said:
I should plan for when I get there. I think I would like to learn a little more about cooking healthy meals and prepping and planning my meals better. I hope to enjoy the food more too. I would like to meditate daily and dial down the exercise a little. I want to learn to be more comfortable with myself and increase my confidence.
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I think that is a very good idea. While we think that actually losing the excess weight & maintaining the vigilance we need to do it, is the hardest thing, I think it is maintenance that is really hard. Planning ahead for that is a really, really good idea. Right now trust yourself that you are learning the skills. Learning to cook healthy meals & planning ahead are very good skills that will help you get to your goal weight & then to maintain it. Anxiety sucks I know, but I think you are doing well.
 
Thanks Cate! I've been wondering a lot how I will fair. I think continuing to update my diary here will be helpful too.

7-7-19 sleep: 5hr 19min

7-8-19 weight: ?? (I forgot! How weird is that?)

7-8-19 breakfast:
- eggs
- yogurt with blueberries
- decaf coffee
Total kcal: 328

7-8-19 lunch:
- bison burger on sprouted bread with mustard, Swiss and red onion
- seasoned grilled chicken breasts
Total kcal: 726

7-8-19 snacks:
- flax raisin bran with almond milk
Total kcal: 219

7-8-19 dinner:
- chicken kabobs with roasted vegetables and marinated slaw and harissa sauce (Zoe's Kitchen)
Total kcal: 600

7-8-19 total kcal consumed: 1,872

7-8-19 exercise:
- 7 mile run (5.41 mph speed)
- 1 miles incline walking (3.6 mph speed, 134 feet climbed)

7-8-19 total steps: 22,508

7-8-19 Fitbit total kcal burned: 4,302

OK today. The comments here at the bottom of these logs are meant to give some idea of my mood and state of mind. Recently I've been having this sense that something has changed within me. I feel as if I'm growing complacent and lazy yet I'm really fearful my weight will plateau so I keep checking everything mentally - how many calories, how much exercise, etc. The thing is I'm working harder than I was when I started it just doesn't feel that way. Weird. I stopped for awhile but will start meditating again if I can sit still long enough. That's the other thing. I have more nervous energy from losing the weight. Not quite sure what to do with myself sometimes.
 
I'm gonna post a series of numbers. This will probably look nauseating for others but they're not meant for anyone but me anyway and raw summaries are enough for me.

Last week's calories, macros, weight, and sleep.
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Summaries by week of calories, weight, sleep, servings of fish. I added a column for weight loss rate through the corresponding week. Looks like I'm around 4-5 pounds per week.
Screen Shot 2019-07-08 at 23.52.35.png

Summaries by week of my macros. I'd been wanting to put this one in here. Looks like I'm roughly 30%-40%-30% carbs, fat, protein.
Screen Shot 2019-07-08 at 23.52.44.png

Summaries by week of runs. I don't have weight training volume in here but I've thought about adding it based on PLB's input. Will try to do that soon.
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I'll add week 10 on Wed.
 
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I think you are going through so many changes & feel the need to stay focussed, that your emotions may get out of whack. I know I felt that way when I lost a lot of weight back in 2007. I was on an emotional roller coaster. It's best to keep an eye on how you're feeling & take steps to reduce stress wherever you can. More meditation, reading or listening to music before bed might help. I would be exhausted if I got so little sleep. Take care, Rob.
 
bensanon said:
I feel as if I'm growing complacent and lazy yet I'm really fearful my weight will plateau so I keep checking everything mentally - how many calories, how much exercise, etc. The thing is I'm working harder than I was when I started it just doesn't feel that way. Weird. I stopped for awhile but will start meditating again if I can sit still long enough. That's the other thing. I have more nervous energy from losing the weight. Not quite sure what to do with myself sometimes.
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I think those feelings are quite normal. I remember feeling kind of like that the last time I lost a lot of weight. Especially the "have more nervous energy from losing the weight. Not quite sure what to do with myself sometimes" part. I think having more energy is a good thing, but you do need to figure out do with it. This time around I have not yet lost enough weight to feel that way strongly, but I am seeing a little more energy and looking forward to more.

I think your feelings are a clear sign of progress, and you are right to try and figure out how to handle them. I think handling them will be a part of what you need to do to keep the weight off.

You are doing well, keep it up!
 
7-8-19 sleep: 5hr 0min

7-9-19 weight: 216.0 pounds

7-9-19 breakfast:
- eggs
- yogurt with blueberries and banana
- decaf coffee
- vitamins
Total kcal: 416

7-9-19 lunch:
- salmon burger on sprouted bread with mustard, Swiss and red onion
- seasoned grilled chicken breast
- tomatoes
Total kcal: 746

7-9-19 dinner:
- southwest spicy salad with chicken (Coolgreens)
- chicken chunks (canned)
Total kcal: 770

7-9-19 total kcal consumed: 1,932

7-9-19 exercise:
- 7 mile run (5.46 mph speed)
- 3.5 miles incline walking (3.6 mph speed, 698 feet climbed)

7-9-19 total steps: 26,572

7-9-19 Fitbit total kcal burned: 4,567

I feel really good tonight after my run this afternoon. I haven't felt this way in awhile though. I think there's something going on but I'm not sure what. I'm not losing weight at the same rate as a couple of weeks ago and I can sense it in my body and mood. I feel like things have been easier in the last couple of weeks and I've drifted into autopilot mode without much challenge to myself with exercise or food. I haven't been fighting with the same intensity even though my run distance has gone up and my calories have gone down. I can think of a couple of things. One is that I've been doing more running and less walking. The walking may be better for weight loss for me than the running. Two is perhaps my body has gotten used to the same meals and same exercise routines and my BMR has slowed down. I'm not burning as much because I'm getting lighter but I have correspondingly dropped my calories. I'm a bit puzzled. I'll keep thinking on it but in the meantime try to up my running like today. Today I walked before the run and that warmed me up more than usual so I felt good throughout the run and for longer.
 
alligatorob said:
I think those feelings are quite normal. I remember feeling kind of like that the last time I lost a lot of weight. Especially the "have more nervous energy from losing the weight. Not quite sure what to do with myself sometimes" part. I think having more energy is a good thing, but you do need to figure out do with it. This time around I have not yet lost enough weight to feel that way strongly, but I am seeing a little more energy and looking forward to more.

I think your feelings are a clear sign of progress, and you are right to try and figure out how to handle them. I think handling them will be a part of what you need to do to keep the weight off.

You are doing well, keep it up!
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Thanks so much for the encouragement, Rob. It's really helpful. Glad to hear you're seeing a little increase in energy. I saw your weight this morning and you are doing really well! Congrats on your progress so far.
 
bensanon said:
7-9-19 additional exercise:
- shoulder press 55lb, 12x3
- pulldown 65lb, 12x3
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Rob, I just scanned back to look at your pattern of training, a couple of things, you are doing chest press more often than lat pulldowns, this is not a balanced way of lifting and usually leads to problems in the long run. Maintaining muscle balance is key to remaining as injury free as possible.

You are also not achieving balance by doing bicep curls without doing any exercise for triceps, again putting you at a risk of injury.

Have you considered doing a full body type lifting routine ?
 
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7-9-19 sleep: 6hr 11min

7-10-19 weight: 214.8 pounds

7-10-19 breakfast:
- eggs
- yogurt with blueberries and banana
- decaf coffee
- vitamins
Total kcal: 416

7-10-19 lunch:
- chicken breast chunks (canned)
- turkey burger on sprouted bread with mustard, Swiss and red onion
- grilled chicken salad - savoy cabbage, green cabbage, romaine, carrots, celery, green bell pepper, wonton strips, almonds, green onion, cilantro with roasted red pepper dressing
Total kcal: 899

7-10-19 snacks:
- pistachios
- flax raisin bran with almond milk
- carrots with almond butter
- yogurt with almonds and pistachios
Total kcal: 1298

7-10-19 dinner:
- southwest spicy salad with chicken (Coolgreens)
Total kcal: 670

7-10-19 total kcal consumed: 3,284

7-10-19 exercise:
- none

7-10-19 total steps: 3,690

7-10-19 Fitbit total kcal burned: 2,545

No exercise. Rest today. Unwanted thoughts throughout the day. Felt really hungry in the afternoon and evening. Ate above my normal calorie amount. Similar day as I've had in the past when I rest and my body wants more. This all happened in one day and I suspect I'll be fine tomorrow whereas before it would sometimes take the extra day. This is probably the result of overdoing it on the treadmill. I really pushed myself yesterday bc it felt great. Sleep has been a little lower recently.
 
Trusylver said:
Rob, I just scanned back to look at your pattern of training, a couple of things, you are doing chest press more often than lat pulldowns, this is not a balanced way of lifting and usually leads to problems in the long run. Maintaining muscle balance is key to remaining as injury free as possible.

You are also not achieving balance by doing bicep curls without doing any exercise for triceps, again putting you at a risk of injury.

Have you considered doing a full body type lifting routine ?
Click to expand...

Thanks for pointing that out. I hadn't even thought about how to balance that way and didn't realize lats may balance chest. Appreciate the insight. I have forgotten to log several sessions here so maybe I missed some of the lat pulldown days but I also lose track sometimes.

Re the triceps, I was hoping I got enough of them with the shoulder press and chest since they're somewhat involved with those? I use machines for both. I've never had very big biceps but I have large triceps.

I've thought about a more extensive routine but I'm not much of a weight lifter but I don't know much either. I'm keen on doing what is "healthy" and will benefit me long term but I don't know enough so this is kind of where I ended up for now. I would love some suggestions for someone knowledgeable like yourself. I haven't seen what other people do and I just have a very vague understanding of things that prevents me from doing very much and I don't see or notice results very much so I'm not really incentivized to do more if that makes sense.
 
This last table shows numbers for my exercise. I think I've figured out why my numbers were a little lower than usual for weeks 9 and 10. I think it's partly due a lower overall exercise volume in weeks 8 and 9. Total miles run and walked were about 25% lower than my usual amount which is around 50 miles per week. I can tell a difference when I walk before I run as I've been doing the last couple of times and it increases the mileage but also after the run, I feel like I got a great workout. Similar to what I was getting when I was walking far distances outside and then I would come in and run on the treadmill the next day. I'm not walking outside right now because it's too hot but I can walk on the treadmill. In week 10, I got up there again and I wonder if it'll translate to more weight loss in week 11. My treadmill walking was getting shorter as my runs were getting longer and it snuck up on me. I think this is it but we'll see. Yay for data! :coolgleamA:
Screen Shot 2019-07-11 at 21.48.19.png
 
7-10-19 sleep: 4hr 19min

7-11-19 weight: 214.8 pounds

7-11-19 breakfast:
- eggs
- flax raisin bran with almond milk
- decaf coffee
- vitamins
Total kcal: 377

7-11-19 lunch:
- tomatoes
- bison burger on sprouted bread with mustard, Swiss and red onion
- grilled chicken salad - savoy cabbage, green cabbage, romaine, carrots, celery, green bell pepper, wonton strips, almonds, green onion, cilantro with lite balsamic vinaigrette dressing
Total kcal: 709

7-11-19 dinner:
- Mediterranean salad trio bowl with chicken and marinated slaw (Zoe's Kitchen)
Total kcal: 860

7-11-19 total kcal consumed: 1,946

7-11-19 exercise:
- 6.25 miles run, 5.5mph speed
- 4 miles incline walking, 3.6mph speed, 925 feet climbed
- chest press 55lb 12x3
- bicep curl 25lb 12, 10; 20lb 10

7-11-19 total steps: 26,555

7-11-19 Fitbit total kcal burned: 4,411

Felt good today. I added a new song to my playlist. I like the emotional ones while I'm running. Helps motivate me.
 
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Yay for data indeed :) Glad you found the bug in your system - and kudos to your body for signaling it wasn't getting the same intensity workouts anymore.
 
7-11-19 sleep: 6hr 0min

7-12-19 weight: 216.0 pounds

7-12-19 breakfast:
- avocado on sprouted bread
- Greek yogurt with blueberries
- eggs
- decaf coffee
- vitamins
Total kcal: 494

7-12-19 lunch:
- refried beans, tomatoes, avocado, spinach on sprouted wrap with lime juice and Greek yogurt
- seasoned grilled chicken
Total kcal: 725

7-12-19 dinner:
- southwest spicy salad with chicken (Coolgreens)
Total kcal: 670

7-12-19 total kcal consumed: 1,889

7-12-19 exercise:
- 5.5 miles run, 5.39mph speed
- 5 miles incline walking, 3.77mph speed, 1,210 feet climbed

7-12-19 total steps: 28,962

7-12-19 Fitbit total kcal burned: 4,949

I was really disappointed when I read my weight this morning. I'm in a rough patch for the past 2.5 weeks (compared to all the previous weeks). I will wait until next week to see what week 12 numbers are and if I need to change my approach.

I did try LaMaria's wraps and they are fantastic!! Thank you, LaMaria! :) I'll post a picture of them if you want to see what I put together. I think they looked as good as they tasted. So healthy although I used canned beans so a little high in salt.

I like this song when I'm running.
 
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