Saturday, July 22, 2017

My best post vacation tools for Weight Maintenance 2017- slight adjustments, immediate action

Long term weight maintenance 2017, BMI Ave 21.7

Long Term Weight Maintenance, with loss, 2016, BMI Ave = 23.1

So, I went above my most desired weight maintenance range of 113 to 116 lbs. (at 5'1" desired puts me at BMI of 21.4 to 21.9 ). Once I go >22, I find it easier to gain weight. I like my best range, so I'm going to work to stay in it during my early 50's as much as possible.

I didn't go above 117, but I'm not starting to trend back below 116 either. So....

I'm taking immediate action Going outside my range will happen. Swift action is needed. A plan is needed. My effective tools are needed.

What I don't need: I don't need to panic, lie to myself about "just a pound" "maybe it's muscle weight"" the weather is sooo hot" " the scale is a lying liar that lies" Baloney.  All BS, in my opinion. Although I was in range on my first day back from vacation, I didn't stay there. No sense in lying to myself about it.

Reality: I can see the trend. I can reverse the trend if I do the work. Critical thinking and the right tools with day-in-day-out work are required. 90-95% of my success will be due to the foods I put into my body. My habits and thought processes are built.

For me, it's a biochemistry deal. 90-95%. My body will reward me well for putting the right food in my pie hole, in the right amounts, during the right time of day. LET'S GO!

Project Summer 2017 level out, tend down is in effect. If you are just starting weight maintenance- take note, if you were at weight maintenance and fell off take note, if you are losing back to weight maintenance, take note.

I don't have to weigh in for my health insurance discount until October, but if I don't take action now, I could easily be into paying $40 more a month for insurance in 2018. Insurance company doesn't give a rat's patootie that I was overweight and obese for 40 years. They just want to up their premiums. As a single head of household, it's ON for getting that discount. Plus, I can save by not developing type 2 diabetes,

My best tools in order of effectiveness for leveling off and losing a pound or two near goal maintenance weight :

0. Stay on my abstaining food template.
1. Intermittent Fasting, daily 17:7 or 18:6
2. Tracking food in My Fitness Pal.
3. Bringing my total calories down 100-200 calories daily or so.
4. Monitoring my exercise WITH my calories
5. Bring my total fat grams down closer to my total protein grams
6. Bring protein grams up slightly, closer to my fat grams (fat grams are higher for me LCHF, even with weight loss)
7. Abstaining from fruit, because I cannot lose weight while eating fruit.
8. Sleep adequate
9. Walking adequate
10. Gym adequate
11. Flexibility and Stair Sprints and Meditation goals

I'm not adding new skills or habits. I am making slight adjustments -

For example:  say total fat for the day going from weight maintenance of 90-115 grams more to 80-90's grams

For example: say total protein for the day going from 60-70 to 70-80 grams

For example: extra beef or chicken or seafood, keeping protein slightly leaner

I'll remove calories via mostly by lowering fat closer to protein:

For example: Olive Oil in breakfast and lunch lowered by half
For example: abstaining from pumpkin seeds
For example: lowering my avocado intake slightly

I can make it all do able and in the next month or so, demonstrate that I can get back to desired range and maintain it. Because I have all year.

What didn't work in the past-

0. Eating all things in moderation
1. Eating from 6am to 10 pm
2. Tracking WW points based on low fat, set me up for a binge 100% Ugh!
3. Thinking I was "winning" by eating zero point or low point carby foods. Oh WW - double ugh!
4. Not adjusting or tracking movement with food in.
5. Trying to eat more grain carbs
6. Trying to cut protein to save WW points for Skinny Cow Ice Cream
7. Fruit was free, free y'all. Not once did I connect my near pre-diabetes diagnosis and lack of weight loss from my middle to fruit. What was I thinking???  OH, I wasn't thinking critically, that's right...
8. 5-6 hours of sleep seemed to be enough
9. Four thousand steps- wasn't going to help me
10.  I went to the gym so I could justify buying those protein bars and cookies that are really candy.  It didn't end well.
11. I was starting not to fit well in airplane seats, car seats, and at

It pays to know your best tools and use your best tools.  Once good habits are set, then slight adjustments don't take much time or plans or brain space. It's automated, routine, filling, and high in nutrients. EZ, relatively.

Safe travels and effective tracking. Always.

5 comments:

  1. Super good post. (There might be a typo/wrong word in best tools #6). Thank you for taking the time and putting yourself out there.

    Question. WW online app that so many people use. Does it break down/list macros???

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    1. Thanks! I fixed it. I still stay LCHF during weight loss, but I bring my fat total grams down a lot closer to a slightly increased protein grams- closer numbers.

      I used to really eat a lot of high protein - lean, until it stopped working and I got bloated and a lot of joint pain. Oh, well! At least I can tell what "adequate" is for me now. LOL. In maintenance, my fat grams go slightly higher- naturally.

      I'm really thinking that the biggest influencer is my IF window. Eat late and boom, weight comes piling back on. I was just tweeting up Dr. Panda from The Salk Institute this morning. He was tweeting about this study http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/oby.20460/abstract;jsessionid=BEA6580355117EEEBDE913F6F245E093.f03t01

      Any tool women (and men- but this study was women) can get to reverse metabolic syndrome that is a simple habit change vs expensive meds or programs is a WIN- IMO.

      Thanks for the heads up on the typo and for stopping by

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  2. Hey, great post. I admire your drive to stay on track. I am having a problem (I've had this in the past too) breaking the 138 mark and continuing to lose. I hit 137 for a day and the 138 shows up the next again. I'm finding I need to stay under 1,000 calories a day to keep losing even with the increase in exercise I am doing. I also think maybe chicken bloats me and stalls my weight loss. I baked some chicken the other day and made chicken salad with just mayo. Ate 3 oz. one day for lunch and 5 oz. the next day and wham......big time bloating and that pound came back on. Both days my intake was slightly over 1,000 calories though. It is a nasty little game we have to play, isn't it? I really enjoy your blog. Thanks so much for sharing.

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    Replies
    1. Maybe it was the chicken. But my first thought was - What was in the mayo?

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  3. Great post with very helpful tips, Karen. I like how you don't take extreme measures--just make small tweaks. A lot of people kid themselves that the weight in the scale is muscle or water retention. I am someone for whom the scale is a very accurate measurement of my body. It is essential for me to weigh myself.

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