Girls - maybe you could help me with my meal plan. This post is going to be quite long so bare with me.
This is an example of a 5 day week
Day 1
B - Kashi Granola Bar + 1 Apple
S - 1oz raw almonds + 1 cup raw brocolli + 1 tbsp fat free ranch dressing
L - 1 healthy request soup + 1 packet premium plus + clementine
S - 1 Banana
D - Falafel on 1/2 whole wheat pita with tzatski, lettuce, tomato, oinion and feta
Approx: 1100 Cals
Day 2
B - 1/2 cup honey but cheerios with skim milk + 1 peach
S - 1oz pistachios + 6 grape tomatoes + 1/2 cucumber
L - 1/3 cup whole wheat pasta + 1 can sweet chilli thai tuna
S - 1 apple + 2 laughing cow cheese wedges
D - Chicken Cesar salad (with fat free cesar dressing)
Approx: 1000 Cals
Day 3
B - 1/4 cup oatmeal + 1/2 tbsp natural p. butter + squeeze honey + 1 yoghurt
S - 12 small strawberries + 1oz pistachios
L - Chicken salad (spinach, romaine, tomatoes, red onions, light chedder
S - 1 banana
D - Chicken stir-fry with brown rice (veggies red and green peppers, cabbage and home made marinade)
Approx: 1200 Cals
Day 4
B - 1/2 whole wheat pita + 1 boiled egg + 1 apple
S - 1oz almonds + 1 yoghurt
L - 4 whole wheat melba toasts with tuna + carrots and grape tomatoes
S - 1 banana
D - Veggie Burger (no bun) with light chedder cheese and grilled onions + spinach salad with tomato
Approx: 1000 Cals
Day 5
B - Slim-fast meal shake
S - 1oz pistachios + tomato and cucumber
L - lunch out on Fri (allow for 500 cals)
S - 1 Apple
D - Dinner out (allow for 500 cals)
Approx: 1400 Cals
What do you think? What changes could I / would you make??
In addition to this I am drinking at least 2L water throughout the day.
My exercise schedule is;
Sun - 3mile walk
Mon - 1 hour Bootcamp + 3mile walk
Tues - 1 hour Zumba + 3mile walk
Weds - 1 hour Cardio Kickboxing + 3mile walk
Thurs - 3mile walk
Lauren - I am sorry that you are feeling so stressed right now. It is probably just because of TOM. If you stick with it then you will eventually see the results. Make sure you are not using the scale as your only measure of success. Measure inches, track progress with exercise, watch the fit of your clothes. Remember too that eating well and exercising are good for us even when the scale isn’t playing fair, so don’t do it only for the number. That said, I hope your scale starts being a good guy again soon. Are you doing anything to track your calories burned? Your meal plan looks like you are doing a calorie cycling thing, is that your plan? I know that for me, if I don’t eat at least 1100-1200 calories a day then the next day I don’t burn as many calories. It could be possible that your body is doing something similar. Have you tried increasing the calories?
Gekster - I’m so glad you are liking your bb. I hated spending so much on the thing, but it is soooo worth it. Did you get a display? Congrats on the loss.
Sandye - Congrats on getting the quilts done. They are gorgeous, I love the pink and green combo, it is what I plan on going with if I have a daughter. I hope your hubby feels better soon. Now get some sleep and then get your behind back in gear. You haven’t even been yelling at us about water, ‘tis not right. Good luck getting back on track.
Kim - I grew up in a military family and am all too familiar with the all or nothing feeling. Congrats to you for not throwing in the towel after missing the gym yesterday.
I am enjoying my calorie deficit cycling. I don’t know yet what it is going to do to the scale since I am only on day 4 of this, but I feel great. A funny thing happened to me the night before last though. That day I was trying to keep my deficit at 1000. I really wanted to go play with my wii fit, but I couldn’t decide if working out was worth having to eat more since I was already full and it was only a couple hours until bedtime. That is so backwards. When trying to lose weight people are always trying to decide if some food treat they want is worth the extra exercise, not the other way around. I opted for promising myself I could do wii fit the next day, kinda like I do with foods that I shouldn’t eat and am craving. So yesterday I did wii fit for 30 min. on top of my 55 min. elliptical and 25 min. ST. Has anyone else ever had a similar experience? Can anyone suggest some slightly calorie dense, but still healthy snacks I could keep in the house in case it happens again?
Lauren - Honestly, I think your cals are WAY too low! At 205 pounds, you should be more at 1600-1700. The absolute minimum for people to just function (i.e. breathe, digest, etc) is around 1200, and you are lower than that. So I can imagine why you are a little cranky - your body is in starvation mode! I know it sounds bassackwards, but try eating more for a few weeks and keep your activity level the same. Your BMR is around 1715 (I guessed on your age, so it's not exact). That means if you laid in bed all day and did nothing, your body would burn around 1700 calories.
Seriously, try eating more, even at 1400 or 1500 a day. I bet you will see some pounds drop when your body figures out you are not starving and so it doesn't hold on to every calorie you eat.
I've been on a sewing bender myself. New curtains in the living room, a cover for one of those cube ottomans, fixing stuff with holes in it, lol. I'm about to make SD15 new curtains and pillows for her room too. I don't have the bravery to attempt a quilt though, so I'm buying that.
Lauren - Honestly, I think your cals are WAY too low! At 205 pounds, you should be more at 1600-1700. The absolute minimum for people to just function (i.e. breathe, digest, etc) is around 1200, and you are lower than that. So I can imagine why you are a little cranky - your body is in starvation mode!
I have been told that before but 100 cals a day really seems like enough food for me, I am never hungry. But do you think I should still be eating more??
Well, I have good news! This was my last day of class today; I just have a final on Monday. But even better part is that I weighed in at 206.7 this morning.
Lauren - yes, I personally think you should try eating more. My mom has been a yo-yo dieter all her life, and now her metablolism is fried because she has restircted herself to 1000 cals or less for a long time. She has a hard time losing weight now. You dont' have to listen to me (I'm by no means an expert), but I do think upping your cals to at least 1400 would help get your body going again, and the pounds will drop after a week or 2.
Lauren- I agree, you really shouldn't go under 1200 calories. Also, you workout a lot which is great, but the calories should be up there too. Remember, its not about getting the biggest deficit possible, but rather having enough of one to allow for a safe weight drop. This would be a deficit of between 500 and 1000 calories per day. How long have you been doing this plan and what sort of loss numbers have you seen per week?
FGG- I didn't get the display, but maybe down the line. Because my computer goes everywhere with me it is not difficult to just plug it in real quick.
LTTG-I was alos gonna comment on the lack of posts today. I've been running and all today, so this is my first chance to post.
Hope everyone is behaving and enjoying their weekends!
Tummy- WOOT HOOT!! Who's that hottie shopping in the junior's dept!? IT's our very own TummyGirl!! to you! As always, you're an inspiration. I look forward to hearing your very detailed plans for maintenance (so I can copy them...heehee).
Sandye-Those quilts are fantastic!! I can't believe you were saying they're messy or whatever. You put me and my crafting skills to shame! LOL I absolutely understand the busyness making you feel like not staying on the plan. You get your butt in gear, though!! It's time to get back on the horse, young lady! No more slacking!!!
LaurenA-It's funny. I struggle the week or two BEFORE TOM, then when (or just before) it comes, I drop weight and the mood evens out. Aren't our bodies weird sometimes? And all so different. I'm glad you realize the emotions are messing with you a little. I agree with Nella and Gekster. You're calories seem WAY too low. I've read repeatedly never to drop calorie levels below 1200 or the body will go into starvation mode. That may be what is happening with you. You could try adding cals with drinks like juice or milk if you don't want to eat anymore (I wish I felt that way sometimes). Your food seemed fine, just make sure you're eating your fruits and veggies and get those 1200 calories. It's worth a try for a couple weeks to see what happens anyway.
I hit a new low today, girls. 133 on the nose. I was so glad to see a new low, but I'm still waiting for the 132.something. It's always nice to see the whole numbers change! Don't get me wrong, the 133 is fantastic because it represents being less than 5 pounds from my final goal range. and only 1 pound or so from my WW final goal. (I usually weigh in about 3 pounds heavier there since I'm clothed and it's in the evening.)
Today was a really good day plan-wise since we celebrated our 2 older kids' b-day parties and I still ate well within my cals (I had small pieces of each of their desserts) and though I missed my regular exercise, I stayed very active. I fully expect to see another little drop on the scale tomorrow. That how it works for me. TOM is here and if I stay on plan, it means a loss 90+% of the time.
The parties went smoothly and the kids all enjoyed themselves, so it made my day. Another thing that made my day was buying our new refrigerator. The one I wanted was on sale and we went and checked it out and bought it. They'll deliver it when the house is ready, so it works out wonderfully. It's SO nice and WAY better than any fridge I've ever had. I felt elated to get such a nice piece of equipment for my kitchen. I love cooking and all, so it's totally up my alley to get a beautiful appliance and be on cloud 9!! I know I'm a weirdo! Seriously, I can't wait to use it!
December Weight Loss Challenge Members and Goals List
Please let me know if anything is incorrect or missing. Thanks!
iDream: Keep weight between 130-135, Eat OP at least 85% of the month, Keep binging to a bare minimum LaurenA: Onederland jellofer2: Reach 228 lbs weebleswobble: Reach 195 lbs ShrinkingGirl: Lose 5 lbs dandk0204: Lose 10 lbs to reach 199 c laura: Lose 10 lbs LBLAZY: Lose 10 lbs to reach 182 KimL1214: Lose 10 lbs to reach 255 and no missed WW meetings AFChick: Lose 11 lbs to reach 185 Blondie32: Lose 12 lbs bananapancakes: Lose 8 lbs Miss Mallee: Reach 205 lbs jazzang: Lose 6 lbs to reach 179 Gekster: Reach 275 lbs Ms Perception: Reach WW goal weight and maintain (under 132) VickiLou: Lose 15 lbs to reach 212 TummyGirl: Lose 5 lbs to reach 135 and maintain Latetothegame: Lose 5 lbs Bigmid: Reach 205-208 lbs FitGirlyGirl: Lose 6 lbs to reach 183.6 CollegeGirl: Lose 6 lbs to reach 149 icandoallthings6613: Lose 3-5 lbs Dixiemae: Reach 166 lbs Nella: Get into 150's, Exercise 3x/wk mystical: Lose 5 lbs katkitten: Only go off-plan 4 times, Get in 32 hrs of cardio, weigh 286 lbs or less bigmomma: Lose 10 lbs to reach 272 k8zilla: Lose 8-12 pounds safely, workout min. 45 min/wk for 45 min or more, Get back into zumba and cardio kickboxing classes, Take arm/leg measurements and shrink them LINZLUV: Lose 10 lbs to reach 195 kaylasmom010: Reach 199 lbs
Like everyone else, I've been pretty busy and it's only going to get worse as Christmas gets closer. Don't be thinking I don't miss everyone though!! I'm going to try to do some personals but I'm only going to go back two pages and I'll likely still get confused. (Hey, it's still early.)
mystical Hooray for kicking your diet pepsi habit!
KimL It's so great to see you on your way to the gym again, you've had quite the down time with illness! Here's hoping for no more health related issues!! Oops, just read that you didn't make it to the gym, I'm glad you're thinking in that direction anyway!
FSA It's great to see you again! Keep popping in from time to time, we miss you!!
Tummy Again, congrats on reaching goal. There just aren't words to express how awesome I think you are and how motivating and inspiring you are to me. I'm so happy for you and excited to hear how you handle maintenance.
Gekster Congrats on the 2 lb loss! You're making me jealous with that body bug!! It sounds fantastic.
jellofer I just wanted to say that your post to lauren was very motivating and I thought it was just great. What a great mindset you have. I try to have the same one, but lose it every now and again when I'm frustrated.
Sandye The quilts are darling! You've got some crazy mad talent!!! I sure hope your hubby feels better soon. I am loving your healthy attitude about your eating, just remember to steer yourself back towards plan soon!
Lauren I am wholeheartedly behind you upping your calories. Whenever you eat below your BMR in calories not only are you makiing your body conserve as many calories as possible, but you're losing a lot more muscle than you normally would. I've done all of my weight loss trying to stay around 1800 calories. Some days I'm lower, but I'm never below 1200 ever and quite honestly, I love eating so I'm rarely below 1800 much. Give it a shot and up your calories. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised!
And with that DH is bugging me to go out to breakfast so I've got to cut this short. Sorry!
Have a great Sunday!
Thanks so much everybody, you're all so sweet and thoughtful and that's so much a part of why I made progress so fast, the bad days didn't seem so bad when there was a cheering section right over here whenever I needed it.
Just because I made goal I swear the universe wanted to test me, lol. A blizzard came through Friday afternoon and we got stuck in Edmonton for Friday night and got home late last night. And since you know my firm belief in planning, almost everything that goes in my mouth this was a challenge for sure. But I always carry snacks and guesstimated everything else. Yesterday I was super low on water intake but otherwise was fine. I even got in a quick run at the gym in our hotel just for good measure. I'm up about 0.4 this morning to be at 140 but a good day of water to make up for yesterday and all is right with the world.
Right now I'm working the last 5 off through primarily exercise and I've moved my calories up to about 1700-1800 a day, it's really crazy to eat that much. Hopefully that will give me some great fuel for workouts and still keep about a pound a week coming off. That's the plan until 135, then we'll see how it goes from there.
Lauren - I would have to agree with everyone else, I would definitely move the calories up a bit, maybe 10% a week until they were more in the 1500-1600 range, instead of just increasing all at once or you may see a scale jump which can be upsetting, plus it gives your body a change to adapt. Your BMR should be in the 1700 range without adjusting for activity and then with your added exercise you will most likely be creating a deficit over 1000 calories a day which can stall weight loss. Maybe give it a try and see. TOM's a monster and I hope you're feeling better. You can do this and I'm a firm believer that all our bodies want to be healthy, maybe not skinny but healthy for sure.
FGG - I do sort of the same thing, I choose what to eat based on how much exercise I plan to do for the day to make sure my deficit isn't above 1000 (I aim for 700-850 right now) I have the same problem some days where I just want to work out again but I don't want to eat more so I plan on it the next day. It's a delightful problem to have. I use nuts as a high nutrient snack and I have some oil blends (hemp/flax/walnut) that I add to my salads or smoothies if I need some extra calories. Dates are fantastic too, I'm on a date kick right now, they're about 120 calories per 40 gram serving, fantastic pre-workout fuel, straight to the blood stream and just plain yummy. Larabars (200-230 cals) are great if you want something prepacked and easy and they come in a ton of flavours and Vega makes some of the best organic, all natural, raw energy bars (240 cals) I've ever had. I have some recipes for energy bars that I'm going to try out over the next few weeks and I'll let you know if any work out really good. They're modelled after the Vega bars I use.
SG - LOL, I look forward to see how I handle it too. Losing is one thing, this other elephant in the room, maintenance, I've never done this before so it will be an adventure.
MsP - on 133 my gosh, getting so close, TOM is totally good for something. I'm so glad to hear the parties went off well for the kids (and for you ) it's such a relief when it all works out well.
Sandye - The quilts are gorgeous as is their room, that color is so perfectly 3 year old girl, my dh was jumping up and down when she walked by the computer, lol. And now for you miss Sandye, there is this slipperly slope that lives next to all of us people who lose a lot of weight and I want you to please walk away from it. Christmas is coming and if you're going to endulge a bit then better save some room for the end of the month.
Shrinking Girl Thanks, I really do think I am feeling better since I am no longer drinking the diet pepsi. I never thought I would be able to kick that habbit.
Tummy You are such and inspiration, I hope one day I will be able to be where you are. For some reason the weight loss seems to be super slow, I feel like maybe I am not doing something right I don't know.
TOM hit this weekend and I am feeling out of sorts, the weight is back up to 116, I just can't seem to get under that 114 mark bouncing up and down for the past month, it is driving me crazy. I just want to get under 210 by Christmas so badly and just don't know if I am going to be able to get there.
Ok now that I have had my pity part it is time to kick it up this week. Not sure where to start I know I have to be better with the food journal and knowing exactly how many calories I am taking in maybe that is the problem not enough planning ahead and measuring I don't know I just feel so lost right now. HELP PLEASE!!! I need some new motivation
on reaching your goal 
As always, you're an inspiration. I look forward to hearing your very detailed plans for maintenance (so I can copy them...heehee).
It's time to get back on the horse, young lady! 
No more slacking!!! 
) it's such a relief when it all works out well.
