Dates: July 12 to July 18
Weight Change (Period): -1.8 lbs
Weight Change (Total): -12.2 lbs
Well, another week, and another net loss. I chalk it up mainly to an increase in exercise. Most of exercise was of the WiiSit variety (with the bicycle and boxing exercises creating most of the activity), but I did do some walking in place and some strength exercises while I watched Breaking Bad. Had I not enjoyed so many chips that week, my loss would have likely been better. Outside of chips, though, I think I did ok as far as eating is concerned.
I have to admit I kind of splurged on chips the past week, mainly because I knew what was going to happen come today. After the success of my McDonald's ban, I decided I would try a month without chips, and see how that goes. As much as I like them, I think I'll be able to get along without them. Besides, without chips I won't be eating dip, which just helps out there as well.
It's not a full potato ban. I figure I might eat a baked potato here and there, and I don't eat fries regularly enough (since McDonald's is out anyway) that they aren't a big deal. I suppose I won't buy any tater-tots or fries to fix at home, but it isn't like I do that a lot anyway. I also will be cutting potatoes out of breakfast, when I eat it out. By accident I didn't order potatoes with my omelet one day, and I found that I didn't need them anyway.
I'm not a big believer in permanent bans on certain foods. In my mind, if you ban something entirely, you are less likely to follow your regimen. Ideally I'd like to reach a point where I can have a Big Mac once in a while, but I can't have one every other day, or even every other week. These month long bans are more like experiments to see how well I function without them. So far the first experiment is going well, to the point that I'll probably just continue it another month.
Besides extending my experiment to potatoes, I also am trying to introduce planning of menus for my meals. The idea behind this is if I plan my meals, I won't be tempted to just get something quick and unhealthy. So far I've succeeded in following through on lunch, and am currently in the process of following my dinner menu. I'll let you know next week how well this goes.
-Andrew
Showing posts with label WiiSit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WiiSit. Show all posts
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Thursday, July 12, 2012
The Journey: A good week
Dates: July 5 to July 11
Weight Change (Period): -4.0 lbs
Weight Change (Total): -10.4 lbs
So I guess getting rid of McDonald's is working out pretty well, eh? Granted, I've not given up all fast food (just the Golden Arches and a few of the other most egregious offenders), but that has to have helped. I've only done the one walk (detailed in my previous post), and a couple of "WiiSit" sessions. Honestly I think it comes down to a cut in the calories of taken in, and a few good decisions here and there.
I doubt that I can keep this rate up week in and week out. If I only lose a small amount in the upcoming week, it will be a bit of a letdown, but not much. After all, that would still make three weeks of decrease in a row.
I guess if I started with giving up McDonald's, I can move on to making a different change this week. Perhaps I'll add one more vegetable per day, or commit to eat nothing after 8:00 pm. Whatever it is, I'm sure I can do it, and help me continue on the straight and narrow. Which is good, because as experience has taught me, this path is as narrow as a knife's edge atop a ridgeline.
Andrew
Weight Change (Period): -4.0 lbs
Weight Change (Total): -10.4 lbs
So I guess getting rid of McDonald's is working out pretty well, eh? Granted, I've not given up all fast food (just the Golden Arches and a few of the other most egregious offenders), but that has to have helped. I've only done the one walk (detailed in my previous post), and a couple of "WiiSit" sessions. Honestly I think it comes down to a cut in the calories of taken in, and a few good decisions here and there.
I doubt that I can keep this rate up week in and week out. If I only lose a small amount in the upcoming week, it will be a bit of a letdown, but not much. After all, that would still make three weeks of decrease in a row.
I guess if I started with giving up McDonald's, I can move on to making a different change this week. Perhaps I'll add one more vegetable per day, or commit to eat nothing after 8:00 pm. Whatever it is, I'm sure I can do it, and help me continue on the straight and narrow. Which is good, because as experience has taught me, this path is as narrow as a knife's edge atop a ridgeline.
Andrew
Thursday, June 28, 2012
The Journey: Going in Reverse
Dates: June 7 to June 27
Weight Change (Period): +2.6 lbs
Weight Change (Total): -5.6 lbs
When I started my journey to lose weight, I had hoped every post would be a steady march of positive results. However, I also understood that reversals would happen. Expecting them doesn't make them any less discouraging.
I had hoped that a week along the Blue Ridge (including a hike to the AT at Grayson Highlands and a walk up to the ATC Visitors Center in Harpers Ferry) would help out. After all, the bulk of my previous loss happened due to my trip out to Yosemite. Perhaps it did, and prevented my awful habits during the other two weeks of this period from making that number even worse.
Once again it comes down to my woeful eating habits. Far too often I find myself taking a trip up to McDonald's to get my meal, probably because it is too easy. It isn't that it takes a huge effort to fix a meal, particularly for one person. It is just that going through the drive-up is just that much easier. I just have to break that habit, there is no other way around it.
On the positive side, I am still down for the three months of this journey, so I can take some comfort in that. I've made a pledge to give up the Golden Arches for one month, just to see if that has any impact. Also, starting next week I'm going to plan my breakfast and dinner meals, as this will prevent me from relying upon the fast food crutch so much.
It appears we are now in the midst of our first real prolonged dangerously hot period here in Central Illinois. Unfortunately that means getting out and hiking or walking will be much less likely, as I really don't want to be out there in this heat. It isn't that I can't do it (it was plenty hot in Harpers Ferry, and we somehow made it up and down that damn hill), but that it becomes harder to do it. Looks like I'll have to break out my Wii Balance Board and bench and get some serious WiiSit* action in until cool weather comes back.
Finally I think I need to recommit myself to posting this every week. I admit I've let it slide to two or three week increments in an effort to catch up, or because I was away from my scale on Weigh-In Thursday. Doing this weekly is a way to keep me honest, and to keep me thinking of the overall bigger picture. I clearly stumbled these past three weeks, now the trick is getting back up and continuing on.
Andrew
*Due to me being larger than the max weight for the balance board, I engineered a compromise situation where I can still get some benefit from WiiFit by sitting on a tall bench with my feet on the board. It's not perfect, but it's better than nothing, and has worked for me in the past. Of course, there are a couple of exercises (tricep extensions, and the jogging in place one) that I can do as it was intended.
Weight Change (Period): +2.6 lbs
Weight Change (Total): -5.6 lbs
When I started my journey to lose weight, I had hoped every post would be a steady march of positive results. However, I also understood that reversals would happen. Expecting them doesn't make them any less discouraging.
I had hoped that a week along the Blue Ridge (including a hike to the AT at Grayson Highlands and a walk up to the ATC Visitors Center in Harpers Ferry) would help out. After all, the bulk of my previous loss happened due to my trip out to Yosemite. Perhaps it did, and prevented my awful habits during the other two weeks of this period from making that number even worse.
Once again it comes down to my woeful eating habits. Far too often I find myself taking a trip up to McDonald's to get my meal, probably because it is too easy. It isn't that it takes a huge effort to fix a meal, particularly for one person. It is just that going through the drive-up is just that much easier. I just have to break that habit, there is no other way around it.
On the positive side, I am still down for the three months of this journey, so I can take some comfort in that. I've made a pledge to give up the Golden Arches for one month, just to see if that has any impact. Also, starting next week I'm going to plan my breakfast and dinner meals, as this will prevent me from relying upon the fast food crutch so much.
It appears we are now in the midst of our first real prolonged dangerously hot period here in Central Illinois. Unfortunately that means getting out and hiking or walking will be much less likely, as I really don't want to be out there in this heat. It isn't that I can't do it (it was plenty hot in Harpers Ferry, and we somehow made it up and down that damn hill), but that it becomes harder to do it. Looks like I'll have to break out my Wii Balance Board and bench and get some serious WiiSit* action in until cool weather comes back.
Finally I think I need to recommit myself to posting this every week. I admit I've let it slide to two or three week increments in an effort to catch up, or because I was away from my scale on Weigh-In Thursday. Doing this weekly is a way to keep me honest, and to keep me thinking of the overall bigger picture. I clearly stumbled these past three weeks, now the trick is getting back up and continuing on.
Andrew
*Due to me being larger than the max weight for the balance board, I engineered a compromise situation where I can still get some benefit from WiiFit by sitting on a tall bench with my feet on the board. It's not perfect, but it's better than nothing, and has worked for me in the past. Of course, there are a couple of exercises (tricep extensions, and the jogging in place one) that I can do as it was intended.
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