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 minus signs are a good thing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label minus signs are a good thing. Show all posts
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Friday, May 4, 2012
The Journey: Weeks 2, 3, and 4
Dates: April 12 to May 2
Weight Change (Period): -6.0 lbs
Weight Change (Total): -4.4 lbs
As you can see, this is the first post in over three weeks for The Journey. The biggest reason was I was away from home on a trip to the Grand Canyon, Sequoia, and especially Yosemite. Since my scale is rather bulky, I didn't take it with me, so with no way to record my weight change, I just decided to skip a couple of posts and merge them into one giant post.
As you can see from the results, perhaps I should skip posts more often (yeah, I'm sure that's the reason). I chalk the success of the past three weeks up to an increase in physical activity for the most part. We took some walks and a couple hikes on the trip (stay tuned for posts about these hikes), which I'm sure played a part. Since I returned from the trip I've walked every weekday morning save for May 3, and I mowed with a push mower that day. I still need to add even more activity than a 20-25 minute walk every day, but it definitely has helped.
On the other side of the equation, I can't say I've done as well as I could. I guess we did keep from overdoing the snacks on the trip, and I have added more fruits (if not vegetables) to my diet. However, I'm sure my total loss would be greater if I hadn't indulged in In n Out (ANIMAL STYLE ALL THE WAY), Whattaburger, and some unholy omelet concoction at Denny's that had five different types of meat in it. Nevertheless, this still marks an improvement over Week 1. I expect Week 5 to be better.
One thing from the trip I wanted to add to this is about the nutritional values being shown in the menus at IHOP and Denny's. I don't know if that was a CA regulation, or just the restaurants getting ahead of the curve, but it was interesting to see the calories in some of my favorite foods. I can't say it changed my choices, as the five meat omelet was obviously not on the healthy side of the menu. However, it did make think twice about ordering my overstuffed breakfast, and made me a better informed consumer. I shudder to think what some of the values for things I eat at other restaurants are.
Until next time,
Andrew
Weight Change (Period): -6.0 lbs
Weight Change (Total): -4.4 lbs
As you can see, this is the first post in over three weeks for The Journey. The biggest reason was I was away from home on a trip to the Grand Canyon, Sequoia, and especially Yosemite. Since my scale is rather bulky, I didn't take it with me, so with no way to record my weight change, I just decided to skip a couple of posts and merge them into one giant post.
As you can see from the results, perhaps I should skip posts more often (yeah, I'm sure that's the reason). I chalk the success of the past three weeks up to an increase in physical activity for the most part. We took some walks and a couple hikes on the trip (stay tuned for posts about these hikes), which I'm sure played a part. Since I returned from the trip I've walked every weekday morning save for May 3, and I mowed with a push mower that day. I still need to add even more activity than a 20-25 minute walk every day, but it definitely has helped.
On the other side of the equation, I can't say I've done as well as I could. I guess we did keep from overdoing the snacks on the trip, and I have added more fruits (if not vegetables) to my diet. However, I'm sure my total loss would be greater if I hadn't indulged in In n Out (ANIMAL STYLE ALL THE WAY), Whattaburger, and some unholy omelet concoction at Denny's that had five different types of meat in it. Nevertheless, this still marks an improvement over Week 1. I expect Week 5 to be better.
One thing from the trip I wanted to add to this is about the nutritional values being shown in the menus at IHOP and Denny's. I don't know if that was a CA regulation, or just the restaurants getting ahead of the curve, but it was interesting to see the calories in some of my favorite foods. I can't say it changed my choices, as the five meat omelet was obviously not on the healthy side of the menu. However, it did make think twice about ordering my overstuffed breakfast, and made me a better informed consumer. I shudder to think what some of the values for things I eat at other restaurants are.
Until next time,
Andrew
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)