pain is temporary - losing is forever

Posts tagged "80 day weight loss challenge"

27
Apr

day 62: watching food porn

62) When watching TV, do you usually watch the „food channels“ or movies/TV-shows/series?

No, I must confess I’ve never been hooked on food porn the way some of my family members are. Don’t get me wrong, I do like to watch the odd episode of Nigella, Gordon, Jamie or Floyd as they conjure up all sorts of interesting dishes but TV on the whole doesn’t appeal to me so I’d rather not. If I want inspiration or if I want to learn how to cook something I’m more likely to youtube or google image it. I like the idea of seeing the finished product first and from there work out how to make it. Often with my own Scandiribbean twist to it.
26
Apr

day 61: my usual meal plan

61) Write your usual meal plan for one day.

As I’ve said before, I haven’t really made it to a stage where I can talk about what’s usual when it comes to my eating. I’m still tentatively working out what works for me, and slowly moving towards cleaner and healthier options with each passing week.

I am trying to establish a routine of three meals and four snacks a day to fit with my daily activities, workout and medication. In an ideal world, I would like my food plan to look something like this:

7am snack: 4 tbsp greek yogurt, 2 tsp granola

8.30 breakfast: 1/2 cup oats (overnight or cooked) made with almond/vanilla milk, berries and/or fruit

12.00 snack: vegetables w. dip + almonds

2pm lunch: avocado, mozzarella, basil & red pesto salad w. sprouted bread

4.30pm snack: fruit or a smoothie

6pm dinner: fish or meat with veggies and dessert

8.30pm snack: fruit / a smoothie / a cup of cocoa / tea and a vegan brownie or something like that

I don’t know how long it will take to get there, but for someone who’s been used to running the whole day on coffee, coffee and more coffee and having dinner around 10pm this is a huge learning curve. Some days I feel like I couldn’t possibly eat any more, but I am sure over time my body will get used to it and start crying out for regular intakes of food the way it is supposed to. We’ll see… :)
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25
Apr

day 60: ditching the sugar

60) Ditch sugar and ALL sweets today. For just one day promise yourself you won’t eat any candy, sugar, sweets or any similar food.

Well, this was an easy one for me. I ditched the sugar eight years ago and have never looked back. I do have the occasional sweet, but it normally makes me feel very sick and bloated. I use agave nectar or small amounts of unrefined cane sugar for baking and making desserts where extra sweetness is necessary, but that’s not very often. I don’t add sugar to any drinks (except hot cocoa), or to any food. Initially it was difficult, but now I find that most things you can buy that contain sugar are far too sweet for me.
24
Apr

day 58: restriction or moderation?

58) Do you believe in restriction or in moderation?

Both! Generally speaking I believe in moderation, as I don’t think making any kind of food or drink forbidden would work in the long run. I think if you really want a piece of cake, you should have it and enjoy it.

But…

Restriction might be necessary to get you started. For example, when I embarked on this journey back in January I had to restrict my portion size. I swapped the dinner plates for starter plates, bowls and small glassware; and I started to eat pretty much all my food with a long latte spoon. I did this because I had realised my eyes were deceiving me, and I would put more food on the plate than I needed. Eating with your eyes, my grandmother used to call it. When I started with the smaller plates, I would wait for at least 20 minutes before taking a second helping. Funnily enough I’d notice more often than not that I really didn’t need seconds, but had it been on a bigger plate I know I would have eaten it all.

I guess the key is to work out what works for you and to be honest with yourself. If you know you can’t have a jar of nutella in your kitchen without eating it, then maybe nutella has to be restricted for a while. Restricted is not quite the same as forbidden, though. Just becasue you need to restrict your access to something for a while, doesn’t mean you can’t ever have it again.
22
Apr

day 57: my current weight
57) Write your current weight. Have you lost anything in the past week? If not, what are your plans for this week?

Today I finally managed to hold myself upright and steady (i.e. let go of the walking frame) for long enough to get a weigh-in done. My first in three weeks. And boy, am I glad I started to do the body composition readings! As it turns out, I have lost about 4 lbs of fat but gained about 12 lbs of water and am thus heavier this week than I was three weeks ago. Hmmm…

I look at that figure and see how my weight curve that had such a nice and steady downwards slope now has got a speed bump added to it. The reasonable part of my brain says we already knew: a) that I couldn’t possibly have gained any fat seeing as I’ve spent three weeks in bed eating no junk or anything that could have made me gain fat; and b) that with a leg the size of a tree trunk I must have retained a considerable amount of fluids. In other words, I should be jubilant right now and celebrate that another 4lbs have been discarded from my fat suit. But the emotional part of my brain looks at that curve and dreads updating the weight loss ticker. My 13-week suite has been broken and it buggers me.

My current weight is 278.4lbs (126.3kg). Today’s result was 8.1lbs (2.8kg) up from the last weigh-in (1 April), making the total -26lbs (-11.8kg) in 16 weeks, and bringing my BMI down from 46.3 to 39.9!
- Body fat: S: 44.9% | C: 42.7% | -2.2%
- Body water: S: 33.5% | C: 41.8% | + 8.3%
I’ve not been doing any real workouts for all this time, but to be honest just getting to the toilet and back has been more of an effort than some of my workouts. And today I am going to try and do something. Not sure what, how much or even how at the moment, but I will do something. I need to have something to log. And I need to have something to look back at tomorrow. Then maybe I can push myself to do a little bit more… =)

So, today I might feel like I’ve lost the battle, but I’m still planning to win this war. Goals for the week ahead will be to drink 3l of water per day and do some kind of measurable workout each day. Roll on week 17!
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22
Apr

day 51 - 56 backlog
Woopeedoo! I’ve managed to get back on track with my 80-day weight loss challenge responses. Now I’m going to see if I can work up enough courage, determination and strength to get on the scales for a third time lucky result.

51) Do you have a cheat day?

Never! This is another folly I used to engage in when I was doing all my mad diets. My weigh-in day would be my reward day for a week of misery and I’d binge on (or at least treat myself to) some of the things I had been craving during the week. As none of my diets have worked, I am now determined not to hold on to anything that reminds me of those days. Cheating is cheating! This is my life and my diet is what I will be eating for the rest of my life, not for a period of time. I make better choices. If I have a craving I won’t buy into it before I’ve decided what it is. A few weeks back I wanted pizza, so I made one by adding red pesto and various toppings to a tortilla. I’ve made icecream by blending bananas and nutella, and I’ve made brownies with black beans. But one day I really wanted Coca-Cola so I had a quarter of a small glass. And realised it wasn’t all that nice… =)

I suppose some people can handle cheat days, but I know I am not some people. I can’t handle cheating and I am not interested in spending the rest of my life wrestling cravings. The only way forward for me is a health plan where everything is allowed in moderation and where the focus is on always making better choices.

52) What do you enjoy the most in your weight loss? What makes you happier than ever before?

Spending time, effort and money on myself! It is ridiculously self-indulgent this project, and I’m loving the fact that I can finally begin to think of what I really want for myself. I guess it’s going to take time and be a long process of ups and downs, but at least I’ve started.

53) Try to eat nothing but raw food today. No cooking, no baking, no grilling. Eat raw carrots, canned tuna or smoked salmon, maybe even sushi! Just eat fresh, non-termal processed food. It might be weird and unnatural but that’s actually the healthiest way to eat. Enjoy your healthy day!

Well, this didn’t happen either. But I might try a raw food day in May. I’m thinking a day of fresh pressed juice and sushi would be nice… :)

54) What is your favorite weight loss blog?

I’m not so sure I have any favourites per se, but there are few tumblrs and word press people I follow more intently than others:
- fit-and-healthy-for-tomorrow (tumblr)
- girlgrowingsmall (tumblr)
- emilyeatsright (tumblr)
- justcallmecole (word press)
- stripmebeautiful (word press)
I find that I get inspiration from other people’s blogs and motivation from revisiting my own tumblr. Today, I’ve been reading my posts from the past two months and reminding myself why I’m doing this and where I’m going. I’ve found a few new recipes to try out and a slight resolve to try and keep myself up for long enough to get on the scales in the morning. And most importantly, through word press, tumblr and fitocracy I have found the gym and fitness community I have missed for so long!

55) Will you continue to write your blog after you reach your UGW?

My blog isn’t just about my weight shedding journey, but about the whole project 2016. My weight journey is a huge part of the project, but it is one of many and they are all equally important to my dream future. I know I will continue this blog post UGW, but I guess it is possible that it won’t be as heavily influenced by food and fitness issues in two year’s time as it is right now. We shall have to wait and see… :)

56) Have you ever been on a low-carb diet? How was it for you?

In 2004 I was asked by my doctor to try low carb for a month and see if it made any difference to my general sense of well-being. At first I thought it would be hard to give up beer and potatoes and pasta, but within a week I had noticed enough positives to be hooked. Atkins put an end to cravings, gave me better skin, made me sleep better and helped me shed loads of pounds whilst allowing me to eat as much as I wanted of pretty much all those things I had denied myself and put on the scary forbidden food list. I went through all four phases and thought I’d be a low-carber for life, but at the moment I’m not so sure.

I went off Atkins in January this year and have been doing some kind of clean routine since then. I’m trying to feed my body the best possible nutrients and I figured to do that I should add more fruit and berries to my diet. I’m seeing a dietician in May to look into how to optimise my diet to give my body the best possible support in dealing with all my stupid conditions. Until then, I will stick with my current food plan and take each day as it comes. Right now I’m more interested in trying to get my 7-a-day in than what my diet will look like in the future.
21
Apr

day 44 - 50 backlog

My 80-day weight loss challenge week 7:

44) Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend? Does (s)he know about you losing weight? Does (s)he support you?

Hmmm… I think for someone to be your boyfriend, they would first of all have to be a boy. As in not yet a man. And have neither interest in, nor use for, any more boys in my life. But I do have a partner. He is my Man Mountain. And he is very supportive.

45) Do you have a rest day when you don’t work out? Which day is it?

No, I don’t have a set rest day, but I do have rest days. I listen to my body and adjust my workouts to how much it can cope with. I don’t trust my body to tell me anything when it comes to food, but when it comes to the state of my joints and how much they can be expected to deal with on a daily basis I trust nothing and no one as much as my own body. So if the body is up for 7 days of workouts I’m game. But if it tells me it needs 7 days’ rest I’m game for that too. To an extent. I think normally 2-3 days of rest should suffice, but if things are really bad - like now - it may have to be more.

46) Try changing your routine today. Don’t do the same exercises as the week before, learn a new move to cinch that waiste or to tone those thighs!

This one will obviously have to wait until I can resume my workout again, but I was planning to change my routine anyway. I don’t want to be doing the same one for too long or I’ll get bored and start talking myself out of doing it at all. Not sure what it will be, but I’ve been saving routines I think I could do and some I think could be adapted to suit my needs. We shall just have to wait and see.

47) Have you forbidden yourself any type of food?

Absolutely not! I don’t believe in denying myself anything and making certain things forbidden. I’ve done that before and eneded up bingeing on those same forbidden fruits whilst feeling like a big fat loser, and I have no wish to go back to that madness. As a general rule, I don’t add sugar to anything I eat, I don’t eat ready made dinners, and I avoid anything unhealthy (including alcohol). But if I really want something I will either figure out a way of making a clean healthy version (e.g pizza or ice cream) or just have a small amount of it and enjoy. As this is a lifestyle choice I’ve made, I need to be reasonable and look at the long term viability of my plan. I think I’m on to a winner this time…

48) Do you reward yourself when you reach your short-term goal? What are your rewards?

I do! I think rewards are vital to success and help keeping the motivation up. My next reward will be a brand new filofax! I normally go for things like books, clothes or other things I want that are not food. I have a list of things I want right now, some of which are completely random and others that are health and fitness related. After the filofax I will be buying something for my future home gym. Maybe a set of dumbbells.

49) What do you usually have for breakfast?

I’ve always had a problem with breakfast, and I still do. I’m trying to get used to having a few spoonfuls of Greek yogurt first thing in the morning (to go with my pills) and then follow up with breakfast 1-2 hours later. I’ve decided oats is going to be my staple breakfast and I am experimenting with different ways of cooking it. So far, I think I like my apple, blueberry and gingerbread versions the best. Now I’m thinking of trying out the overnight oats next. It sounds like a simple enough thing to have in the fridge, and should you prefer something warm you could just pop it in the microwave for a minute before eating it. I’m thinking of doing an oats special on here closer to summer.

50) Write your current weight. Have you lost anything in the past week? If not, what are your plans for this week?

For the second week running I couldn’t get a Sunday weigh in as I was much too poorly. I’m hoping to be third time lucky next week.
21
Apr

day 39 - 43 backlog
As I’ve not been able to write for a while, I have been catching up on my 80-day weight loss challenge posts today:

39) Try a new veggie today. Learn how to prepare it and enjoy! How was it?

I’m saving this one for a week or two when Ems will be around. I think we would both enjoy that…

40) What is your body frame? Small, large or medium?

Hmm… I think I probably have a medium frame, but I’ve always thought that it is big. Part of this journey I’m on now, is going to be about re-framing my mind when it comes to body and size. I realise there’s something fundamentally wrong in the way I look at size, and now is the time to deal with all sorts of problems and shortcomings.

41) Where are you from? Is your country’s diet healthy or unhealthy in general?

I’m from Sweden and I would say the Swedish diet is generally healthy. Or at least it used to be. Being a typical agricultural country, the staple food of Sweden used to be fish/meat, potatoes and grains. These days, I’m afraid my country has fallen into the same trap as most western nations. The fast food culture has spread like wildfire, and the microwave meals has probably replaced potatoes as a staple. Still, I think the Swedes might be among the more health conscious people of this world.

42) How many meals do you usually have a day?

There is no such thing as usually where my diet is concerned. For years I mainly had one meal a day, in the evening, and spent the rest of the day drinking copious amounts of coffee and smoking. Now, I’m working towards a 7-meal a day plan. I want to eat:
1. Snack
2. Breakfast
3. Snack
4. Lunch
5. Snack
6. Dinner
7. Snack
I’m not there yet, but as I said - I’m working on it. Meal by meal and day by day.

43) Write your current weight. Have you lost anything in the past week? If not, what are your plans for this week?

I couldn’t weigh in today, so for now we will have to assume that my weight is what it was a week ago.
2
Apr

Day 37: Purging?

37) Have you ever purged? If so, how did you feel afterwards?

I’ve done many mad things to try and drop a dress size or two, but purging has never been one of them. I harbour a deep rooted fear of the two most likely outcomes of a purge and would never do anything that could lead to that. If ever I think I am in a position where I might throw up, I’ll lie flat on my back and breath as slowly and shallowly as possible to prevent the reflex. And I’ll stay there until the danger is over!
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1
Apr

Day 36: My current weight
36) Write your current weight. Have you lost anything in the past week? If not, what are your plans for this week?

My current weight is 272.3lbs (123.5kg). Today’s result was 2.4lbs (1.1kg) down from last week. My total is now -32.2lbs (-14.6kg) in 13 weeks, and my BMI is down from 46.3 to 39.1! Today it’s been three full months since I embarked upon this journey. Since then, I’ve had 13 consecutive weeks of weight shedding and I am finally beginning to see that this time it may actually be happening for real! I am getting rid of the extra pounds, doing some form of physical exercise every day and eating better and tastier food than ever. And I’m feeling a million times better for it!

Two weeks ago, I decided to start monitoring my body fat and water levels as well as my weight. This because I’m worried that a slow, or even non existent, weight reduction would play tricks on my motivation. Having gone from no exercise to daily exercise, I know this will happen as I’m bound to start increasing my muscle weight. So, what’s the stats for this first week then?
- Body fat: S: 44.88% | C: 44.05% | -0.83% (0.33% this week) So this tells me that of my 1.1kg weight shed, not all of it was fat. I lost water as well which I really don’t want to do.
- Body water: S: 33.53% | C: 33.73% | + 0.2% (down 1% this week). This is not good news! I was so pleased to see that I had managed to bump up the water levels last week, but this week it’s gone downhill again. I wonder if it’s because I’ve been spending quite a lot of time in the sun? Looks like I’m definitely going to have to keep track of the water intake this coming week and make sure I don’t slack.
I’ve also levelled up to Level 10 on fitocracy.com - so I guess that means I am now certified Fitness Wombat! Still fat. Still taking it really slow and crawling about on all fours when I’m not wheeling or clinging on to my rollator. But, most importantly, still getting off my backside each day to do my exercises and work for the body I want to be in. And this is a major achievement!

Roll on week 14!
1
Apr

Day 35: On fasting…

35) Have you ever fasted? What was the reason for it?

Yes, I have fasted so many times I have lost count. The first few times it was my parents who wanted me to do it, and bought fasting kits from some health shop. My mother has always been horrified at the thought of having fat kids, so she was always rather concerned about what we ate and used to make comments like “should you really eat that?”

I must say I believe fasting has had a negative effect on my body, but it has always made me feel a million times better. The first few days are horrible to get through, but on day 3-4 I normally feel like I’m energised and ready to take on the world. I get the same effect from a detox, though, and I gave up fasting for detox weeks. But now I’m beginning to think that is also something I’m done with now.

Eating healthier food each week since January, I feel like I’ve reached the same level of energising as a fast or a detox normally gives me. Maybe by only eating good food I won’t have that same problem of reaching a stage where I just feel sluggish and icky. It’s a little too early to say, but we shall see. I think I’m coming to the conclusion that I’m not really interested in any more short remedies. I want something that is good enough for all days of my life to feel special, and for me to feel like I can do it.
30
Mar

eldorm replied to your post: Day 33: Diet or lifestyle?

Yes! I think the key is realizing that it’s not a temporary thing. And being willing to accept that, and commit to “I will live the rest of my life like this.” This is the #1 reason why I think fad diets are so awful. They encourage the idea that a diet is a temporary…

You are so right! I’ve done every fad diet there is and the end result was always that I piled the pounds back on and was completely obsessed with something I’d not been “allowed” to eat for however long I’d been on this diet.

Now that I’m looking into how I can give my body the best possible care for the rest of my days my focus is not on what I can’t have or do, but on what I can have and what Ican do. And that changes everything! I am, indeed, going to live the rest of my life like this, and I intend to enjoy every single minute of it. My food included!
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29
Mar

Day 33: Diet or lifestyle?

33) Are you on a diet or are you making this a lifestyle?

I’ve been on some kind of diet for all my life, and it was only when I was diagnosed with insulin resistance that I realised a diet could be something other than a weight loss plan. Your diet, after all, is what you eat. Whether it’s healthy or unhealthy depends on what you are eating, not what you’re calling your food.

When I met my partner he was questioning my low carb diet. He understood the link between carbs and insulin, but he didn’t understand why I wasn’t thinking about the quality of the food I was eating. And when I insisted on buying one of the more expensive brands of pet food for the dogs and the cats, saying it was important they had a nutritious and well balanced diet, I think he decided I was completely loopy!

Before I embarked on my Project 2016 challenge, I spent a lot of time thinking about this. What am I eating? How is it possible that even when I am following a diet that is supposedly good for my condition I am not feeling healthy? And why am I piling the pounds I had lost back on?

Since January, I have chucked my low carb diet through the window and focussed on whether my food is healthy or not. I have gradually replaced everything in my cupboards that wasn’t healthy to bettwer products and I’m still upgrading as I go along. For instance, I will be buying extra virgin olive oil next time instead of the 50/50 stuff where half of it is processed. Yes, it does cost more, but by doing gradual changes and upgrades you can also adapt your food plan so that you don’t end up spending any more money than you did before.

This is a lifestyle, not another diet, and my main concern now is whether the food I eat is healthy and good for my body. I’m sure there will be bumps in the road, but thinking in a new way has made me approach the whole food and fitness dilemma in a much more positive light. It makes me feel happy and excited now rather than tired and depressed. How’s that for progress… =))
28
Mar

Day 32: Try a new fruit today

32) Try a new fruit today. Learn how to cut/eat it and enjoy! How was it?

I was planning to try a dragon fruit today. I think they look really tasty and have often thought of getting one, but never quite gotten around to it for some reason. Today, we started out with a second day of fun and games at the rheumatology department, and after that I was too down in the dumps to go on a wild fruit chase. Our closest fruit market didn’t have any dragon fruit, but we got a big box of ripe mangoes instead. And since they are the first we’ve got this year, surely they must count as new fruit?!

I cut a whole mango up into hedgehogs and ate the whole fruit. In the sun. In my garden. Pure happiness even after a depressing consultant’s appointment. It’s the small things that matter the most when all is said and done… =)
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27
Mar

day 31: my favourite workout clothes

31) What are your favorite workout clothes you own?

Day 31… I’ve been doing this 80-day challenge for a month now. And I’ve been on my weight shedding and fitness journey for three months. I guess that goes to show just how important it is to hold on to something that helps keep you focussed and motivated.

My favourite workout clothes that I own are sadly non-existent. I don’t have any workout clothes! And somehow I manage to work out just the same… =)) But to be honest, I would love to get some cute kits that would make me really want to put them on and get sweaty. Not sure there’s anything like that in rhino size, though, so it may have to wait until I’ve thrown some more of the fat suit off. First on my list of things to invest in is a decent sports bra. And second a new pair of trainers.

Welcome to the paperclip files; a blog about inspiration, motivation and dedication. About changing your life and doing it for YOU.

Project 2016 is my five-year journey to realise some of my wildest dreams relating to health issues, money matters, home improvement, personal growth and professional achievements.

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