Monday, September 20, 2010

Disappointments and Plans of Attack


Well, here I am.  Back for my second instillation of McFatty Mondays. And it's not a good report, people.

Should I start with the bad news or the good news first?  I'm going with bad news first...

I fricking GAINED weight.  That's right.  I went from 195 to 198.5.  There are a few contributing factors to this, but even with those?  I really thought I would at least maintain.

Here is how the week went:

First of all, after much debate about how I would go about being more healthy, Miranda convinced me that for the lazy bum that I am, MyPlate at livestrong.com was the best tool.  It has been working nicely for her, and I dare to bet she is more active than I am what with her coaching colorguard and all.  So I signed up for the free service.

I entered in all my vitals: height, weight, activity level (which I am wondering if I over-estimated), and it calculated my daily intake as 2117 calories per day if I want to lose 1.5 pounds per week.  This seemed reasonable.

I learned a lot right off on the first day.  For one, my morning coffee with cream?  60 calories.  And my once-a-week (sometimes twice-a-week) pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks?  Has 600 calories.  Yes, another zero added to my normal coffee.  Ouch.

I have always been completely starving by lunch time.  I realized this is because even after lunch, I usually only consume about 500 calories total for the day.  This is CLEARLY not enough and it explains why I hit a wall right around the last hour of the day and don't feel like getting ANY work done once school is done.

Counting calories always seemed like a HORRIBLE task to me, but I found out that by entering things in, I learned what had a million calories and what seemed ok.  I also noticed myself saying no to random snacks because A)i just knew they would have a ton of calories that I didn't want and B)if it was only like a few bites of something it seemed useless to try to figure out the calories, so I would just pass.

Now with all this noticing what I was eating, I still didn't eat the best I could.  We had already gotten groceries for the week, so I just ate what we had.

I did start adding a fried egg and some wheat toast as breakfast.  Cort got up and made it for me so I wouldn't leave the house hungry.  This helped some, but I realized I need a mid-morning snack too--something to munch on on my planning hour to get me through to lunch.  So instead of having diet coke as a snack, this coming week I have yogurt and granola to try.

Every day except Friday I kept it under my allotted daily calories, so even though I wasn't very active, I figured I would at least stay at 195.  I almost fell off the scale today when I saw 198.5.  Especially after walking all over Chicago yesterday for hours!

So what could possibly be the good news in all of this?

For one, I am now aware of what I am putting into my body.  In fact, I haven't been this aware of my choices since I was pregnant with Eddie.

Secondly?  Holy support, batman!  You all are amazing.  I was so afraid to actually hit publish and tell you my weight AND publish pictures of my fatness, but you all totally lifted me up and supported me and loved me.  I am now AGAIN embarrassed to hit "publish" because I let you all down...I GAINED weight.

However, I am giving each meal a make-over one week at a time.  This week it's breakfast and my breakfast snack.  With the help of Kristin, I now have TONS of choices for breakfast that actually sound GOOD to me.  Cort bought eggs, wheat toast, tortillas, nutella, yogurt, and granola with groceries today.  I can have a healthy breakfast AND a healthy mid-morning snack, and hopefully this will help me stay full-feeling all afternoon.

So the first week of McFatty?  Huge fail whale.  But I have a plan.  Oh yes...I have a plan.

And if you want to read something sweet and loving that I wrote, you should go check out my post for the series, Small Moments Monday, over at Nichole's blog, In These Small Moments.  I am beyond honored that she asked me to be a part of this, and I chose a small moment that I look forward to every day.  I hope you enjoy reading my post!

20 comments:

Jennifer Kay said...

How would you like to do 30 minutes on the elliptical during your lunch hour and sweat your a$$ off Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the last two weeks to get on the scale this past Friday and see that it said the same weight. No loss. No gain.

Just as discouraging because working out sucks the fatty. And it's sweaty. And it hurts.

Miranda said...

Hey! I don't think something's right in MyPlate. It's giving you MORE than 2,000 calories a day, and 2,000 is the normal "limit." I'd double check that first.

Second of all, gains happen. And it's hard to get started on a new plan sometimes. It's just like starting anything, you know? It takes a little bit for the bugs to get worked out!

And I feel you on the mid-morning snack. I have string cheese or a pear or some baby carrots in my mini fridge to grab after first period.

Hang in there!

Julia Ladewski said...

first, getting active will make a huge difference. can you go for a short walk or jog in the morning? or maybe take eddie when you get home?

secondly, i think the calories is still a bit high. while i'm not a nutritionist, but i would go with 1600-1700 to start. ESPECIALLY if you're not active.

you can do it girl!!!!!! you'll have good weeks and bad weeks, but keep it up!

Anonymous said...

I don't think the first week should really count. You are learning and figuring it all out. It's like any goal, there needs to be a learning curve before it starts to pay off.
You are doing a great thing. For you and for your family.
Let me know how it goes!
p.s. I really need to do an expose on that pumpkin latte everyone is all about.

Pua said...

I agree with Kristin, the first week doesn't count. You were just learning about your habits and creating a game plan. You're okay!!

I started using Myplate to calculate calories and start eating healthier. I have never been more aware of what I put in my body day after day until now. Oh my God.

Kmama said...

Don't be ashamed to publish this post!! You are learning, and you are working towards a goal.

Have you tried fiber bars? They are pretty tasty, and they curb hunger because of all the fiber and protein...however, they sometimes have an unpleasant side effect in some people (gas).

Bitter Betty said...

First of allcoming from a fellow fat girl, I've had some sucess with sparkpeople.com , it's always reasonable and they give you week by week meal plans if you'd like. Because you shouldn't be eating over 2000 calories. That's 1000 calories away from gaining one pound. And the pumpkin spice latte is (verified from starbucks) 380 calories for the grande. So maybe try another calorie tracker.

And know that weight loss is a huge uphill battle! With small victories and great losses. It's all about trial and error! Good luck this week!

Alison said...

I use myplate and I love it. Sometimes I have to do some research at different sites to find the correct calories for something since people can add whatever they want. My calorie count is at 1600 and that's to lose 2 lbs a week and I'm at 197 this week. You might want to double check your info. good luck!

Trisha V. said...

I would check your calorie intake also... over 2,000 seems like A LOT! I know when I was really trying to lose weight I was at 1,500. Also, so good that you do snacks and things. So better for your intake to do it small over the whole day so your body has time to process and not store!! Good job! I have such a hard time with that cuz it is sooo much effort to find and fix a healthy snack all the time. You are doing great, just by getting informed. You will always have to change and reinvent what you do to keep your body on it's toes, and you have a GREAT start!

alicia said...

YOU CAN DO IT!!!! Sometimes you have to go backwards before you can go forward. It's ok.

Robin said...

I am rooting for you! I lost 60 pounds using MyPlate and I thought it worked great. Keep your head up, you are doing great. I agree with the other comments about 2000 being too many calories, but I also agree that this week shouldn't count. :-) Good luck!

Mandy said...

Ok... I am so with you on this one. I worked out three days a week for three weeks and then weighed myself... um, nothing. I even tried eating better.

But reading your post reminded me that it happens and to keep chugging along. You've inspired me to REALLY start watching my intake... I'm such a sucker for all things that aren't good for you!

kris said...

I am not the person to advise on food and weight issues. I hate paying attention to what I eat. And so I mostly do not. I often forget to eat, actually.

And I have never had a weight problem.

Except when I was pregnant.

But that was short-lived.

Snort!

Off to check you out at Nichole's.

The Many Thoughts of a Reader said...

I think you are probably consuming too many calories. Change your activity level or change your goal to 2 pounds a week and just see the calorie difference. 1500-1800 would probably be fine if they were good choices and high in protein and fiber. And tons of water. half your body weight a day in ounces.

Blair@HeirtoBlair said...

Keep it up!!!

The only thing I would say is that it seems like a LOT of calories - I know Nutrisystem's plan is a 1200 calorie per day diet.

So maybe something's off?

But I agree that you've done a great job of watching what you eat & picking some good choices. I'm a HUGE fan of packing in protein.

Then again, I am in no position to give advice as I gained 15 lbs & haven't been able to take them back off.

Jessica Anne said...

I think that it's actually a great first week. Just being aware of what your putting in your body is HUGE! The numbers will come later if you keep it up and keep tweaking things. I like to trick myself and buy substitute items like soy butter (I can't taste the difference, really)so I get the taste but less calories and less fat. And Kristin is the best. :)

HarmSkills said...

i like a string cheese or a light and fit for a mid morning snack. remember that protein and a little fat will satiate you longer.

WTH am I Doing? said...

Wow. I am so proud of you! :) You know I have my weightloss drama going on too. & Kristin has been great for me too. She's a rockstar. :)

My $.02...We are almost exactly the same weight. I fluctuate between 195 & 197 (the dreaded week tends to push the scale up...)

I do well with more protein & fewer carbs. I find that Luna protein bars are very, very tasty & will keep me full for a while (plus adding fiber & protein). I'm not a huge protein bar fan, but the chocolate peppermint stick? Tastes a lot like thin mints. Just saying.

Also? Be careful about cutting your calories too low. I tried to do that & I was hungry & felt like crap all the time. For me? Eating smaller bits more frequently (& upping the protein for staying power) was the key. I lost no weight until I did that.

Good luck! Perhaps I will get on the McFatty Mondays to keep me motivated...

Michelle@DomesticationoftheSingleGirl said...

You're learning as you go. That's NOT failure. It's a process and it takes awhile. Just like anything. And when you reach your goal (which you WILL) you won't be hating the week that you messed up a little. No, I'm not saying it's not a big deal. I'm just saying...go easy, your heart is obviously in the right place.

I'm a little horrified by what you're telling me about my beloved pumpkin spice lattes. SixHunnaWHAT?!

Alena said...

I'm late because I was out of town, but I'm catching up.

It sounds like you need more protein in the morning/mid-morning. It will help keep you from bottoming out before lunch.

I made scrambled eggs every morning (egg whites), I used Pam in the pan and then I added diced bell peppers. Also I'd give a couple of shakes of tobasco. It is actually pretty good for you, filling, and keeps you going til lunch.

Peanut butter is good, but I can't really remember how many calories that has. So that may not realllllly be good. lol

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"I can accept failure, but I can't accept not trying." ~Michael Jordan