Thanks Ketology! I am trying to get the appointments scheduled. One thing I have noticed across my years of exercise is there is a distinct difference between aerobic exercise on a machine and aerobic exercise propelling one's self forward. I'm not sure if is just the impact or what.

623....

My night time weight reading last night was a new low weight. It didn't hold until morning though. However, I get my choice of a 0.5 loss for the month or a 1.5 loss for the month. Usually, I take the bigger loss but it didn't pan out so well for me in May. Now I am thinking about hedging my bets and recording the smaller of the two. Eh, maybe I'll wait until the end of the month to decide. That way I can make the statics read the way I want.

On-plan
3 walks
calorie deficit
started fast (one hour late but close enough)

622....

So I posted yesterday before I did my calorie tally. Boy was I happy when it was on target. So tonight we ordered pizza. However, I have learned the hard way (2:00 am wake up calls from my digestive system) that most pizza dough has palm oil in it. Around March or April, I was able to figure out that palm oil was the culprit. Palm oil is in a shocking number of processed food items. Unfortunately, many of them are my favorites (e.g.: pizza, Oreos, Little Debbie Swiss rolls, M&Ms, Kit-Kats, etc.). You would think avoiding these things would help me lose weight. My excess weight really likes me.

Anyway back to the pizza, this joint also has sandwiches. I learned the hard way that their bread has palm oil in it. So tonight, I ordered a crust-less pizza. Basically, they dump all of the toppings including sauce and cheese into a pan and bake it. It was quite tasty but I missed the crust so I ate a piece of bread with it.

On-plan
3 walks
calorie deficit (larger than planned)
ended 16 hr fast

621...

Realizing I suffer from magical thinking. In the back of my mind, I feel like the weight I should have lost in May will suddenly show up on the scale one of these days. Most of me understands that ship has sailed but yet there is this little part of me that thinks maybe today is the day it will appear. Or rather disappear I guess.

Notably today, my appetite was under control. After eating, I felt full and did not want to eat any more. This is big for me as I rarely get a proper signal like this. I tend to fall into a long eating window because I am waiting for the signal to stop eating to appear. When it doesn't I'll eat a little more, so on and so forth. Today was fantastic! If my signaling worked like this every day, it would knock six months off of my journey. Six months!!

On-plan
2 walks (1 more than planned- today is my rest day)
calorie deficit (larger than planned)

620...

Trying to re-scale my plan to get the weight loss moving again. Realistically, I need to double what I am doing. I started that process today.


On-plan
3 walks
calorie deficit

Add-on plan
1 bike ride
additional calorie deficit

619....

Getting arrangements in place to get my leg braces. At some point, I'll need to adjust my calculation. I'm at least 30 days behind. However, the magical thinking part of me hasn't let me change it yet since a large weight drop will happen any day.


On-plan
3 walks
calorie deficit

Add-on plan
1 bike ride
additional calorie deficit

618...

The common recommendation for exercise is 150 minutes per week of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes per week of vigorous physical activity or a combination of the two. Before the pandemic, I was getting 120 minutes per week that was a combination. As soon as the restrictions were put into place, I was getting at least 360 minutes per week of moderate physical activity. Now, I am up to 435 minutes. At what point will I see the benefit? I have been exercising consistently for quite a while. It is not helping me lose weight and I have more aches and pains. Some days it all feels counterproductive.

On-plan
3 walks
calorie deficit
started fast

Add-on plan
1 bike ride
additional calorie deficit

617...

Perhaps I have a tumor... Seriously, I had a plan that worked for a year. It was working great (consistently losing) and then it stopped working (no loss, zippo, nada, nyet, nein) when I had my best compliance with it. I pouted most of the next month. I was over calories on eight days last month but still managed a half pound loss. Since July hit, I've increased my calorie deficit by 124%. 12% above my new planned target which was double my previous planned target. In addition, I have increased my exercise by 32% for the last four days. The result is a 2.5 pound gain since July 1. At this rate, I will weigh 65 pounds more by the end of the year. Plus, I feel lousy- tired and sore. I'm keeping calm and carrying on. However, some positive reinforcement would be refreshing. I read stories about how wonderful people feel once they start losing weight and how things get easier. My experience is the opposite. I have grit but I'm not sure I have enough.

On-plan
3 walks
calorie deficit
ended fast (16 hr)

Add-on plan
1 bike ride
additional calorie deficit

616...

So I was a bit bummed after writing yesterday. I thought I'd look at some non-scale health indicators to feel better about my progress. My BP was up and my FBS was ok but not great. Today my clothing feels tighter. I was on track with regards to a calorie deficit today but my exercise was a little screwed up. I still got plenty of exercise in though as my aching feet tell me. This is paying off somehow- isn't it?


On-plan
2 walks
calorie deficit
started fast

Off-plan
missed 1 walk

Add-on plan
90 min. softball
additional calorie deficit

615....

Boy, my weight really likes me. Even if I adjust for the first bit of calorie deficit to not count at all, I have created a calorie deficit of more than 3500 calories so far this week but my weight won't budge. I had to change out of the shorts I was wearing yesterday because they were so tight. These are shorts I wore last summer 20 pounds heavier with no issue. The only positive reinforcement I am getting is the keto test strips change color. This means I am burning some fat some of the time. Wish it would hurry up and translate into something more tangible (e.g. clothes fit better, lower weight or BP or FBS). I'm still holding on to my magical thinking that one day the scale will jump lower. As of right now, I am 45 days behind my estimate above. ~Sigh~ It is a journey for sure.

During the day I think of interesting things (or at least I think they are) to write about here. Then when the time comes, my mind goes blank. One thing I thought of to add to my list regarding things that are true for other people but not for me.

• The first few bites of something taste the best and you can be satisfied with a couple of bites.
  • So not true for me. The last bites always taste the best to me which is why I would like more.

On-plan
3 walks
calorie deficit
ended fast (14 hr)

Add-on plan
1 bike ride
additional calorie deficit (larger than planned)

614....

Today was a doozy for over eating. I have no idea why I am so hungry. I am still hungry after over eating so much. Very annoying!

On-plan
1 walk (rest day)

Off-plan
over ate

613...

So I've been thinking about eating better so I promptly bought 2 bags of candy and Popsicles at the grocery store. That is how annoying my subconscious is. I ate some but not as much as I wanted. I was able to make my original calorie deficit target and a little bit of my add-on calorie deficit. Unfortunately, I ate so poorly yesterday, I wiped out 2/3 of my add-on plan progress. I did hit my regular plan target though. It is highly unlikely my magical thinking will come to fruition and that I will have a favorable drop on the scale tomorrow morning.

I wanted to really rein it in this week because I am going on vacation on Friday. It is a proper vacation that some would label me as stupid and foolish for unnecessary travel during the pandemic. My response is simply life is too short and the risk can be minimized by following the basic recommendations. Trying to rein my eating in has lead to some adverse behavior so I will return to my add-on plan.

In addition, my appetite is out of control again. I ate breakfast late and then went right to lunch. I had a lovely lunch with good company and plenty of yummy food. My tummy felt physically full but my brain was telling me to eat more, replete with extra saliva production. So strange, it took about two hours for my appetite to calm down. Then when I realized it finally shut off, I started thinking about food again. Definitely no clear guidance on how to get that under control. I spent the majority of the day thinking about food.

On-plan
3 walks
calorie deficit

Add-on plan
1 bike ride
additional calorie deficit

Off add-on plan
additional calorie deficit was smaller than planned

612....

Well, we all know it will take me more than 612 days to reach my goal. ~Sigh~. The more I think about working harder, the more my subconscious rebels. The internal battle has been rough. I am making bad choices. While internally, part of me is objecting, I still do it (e.g. purchasing four types of candy in the last two days). So, I have done some ciphering. Ultimately, doubling my efforts should eventually pay off. Doubling is nearly impossible- I only made it twelve days before it backfired. Now it looks like I need to do my best to continue it. Really not sure what happened between April (second best weight loss month) and May to cause this need to double my efforts.

Long story short, I'm giving myself until the end of July before I recalculate the end date or update my side bar. Hopeful that I can get some traction!

On-plan
3 walks

Add-on plan
1 bike ride

Off plan
calorie deficit was tiny (at this rate would take me 31 years to lose the weight)

611...

I admire those people who know exactly why their weight goes up (e.g. it went up 0.2 lb because I ate an extra orange yesterday). So yesterday, I created the tiniest of calorie deficits but the keto test strip still turned pink. This means at some point during the day I was burning fat. In fact quite often they are pink. I am really confused as to why it is measurable on the keto stick but it never translates to the scale.

I am still struggling through this plateau. Interestingly, my weight is not showing a lot of fluctuation. It stays the same weight for 3 or 4 days. Unfortunately, the ultimate trend is upwards. I've added an extra bike ride in the evening but I'm not sure if I am getting anything from it. I feel like it causes me to eat more so it becomes a wash.

So yesterday, I created the tiniest of calorie deficits

On-plan
3 walks
calorie deficit
started fast

Add-on plan
1 bike ride
additional calorie deficit

610...

Maybe, maybe, maybe....the scale was more cooperative today. Will it stick? Only the Shadow knows! Today the keto strip was dark pink. Tomorrow should be interesting. I feel a bit hopeful- with luck it won't be in vain.

In the weight loss blog I am reading, the woman was stuck at the same weight for nine months. I don't think I could last that long. She was right at the weight recommended by her doctor though. I have nearly 50 pounds to get there.

On-plan
3 walks
calorie deficit
ended fast (19 hr)

Add-on plan
1 bike ride
additional calorie deficit

609...

The scale was definitely more cooperative today. It was at my second lowest weight. Seems like the extra push may finally be paying off. I am holding my breath though because I feel like it is a delicate balance. Tomorrow is a fasting day. Usually, the day after a fast is a good reading on the scale.

Another thing to add to my list of things that work for other people but not me.

• With extended fasting, you do not need to count calories
  • I was really happy when I read this in a book about fasting by a doctor who is considered an expert in fasting. Unfortunately for me, it simply isn't true. I still need to tally what I eat.

On-plan
3 walks
calorie deficit
started fast

Add-on plan
1 bike ride
additional calorie deficit