I stayed on-plan. It wasn't easy but I did it. I do wonder if this will ever get any easier. If it doesn't, long term success seems unlikely.

I ordered some clothes for skiing and ordered a couple of things in a smaller size. I was very happy that they fit just fine. However, I do have this very pessimistic part of me whispering that I wasted my money and they will be too small before I know it. Self-doubt is awful!

And repeat (553 more times). I stayed on-plan. It wasn't easy but I did it.

Tomorrow will be more of a challenge since I had seconds at dinner tonight. Today for lunch I had... Don't judge me; well, this is the internet so some folks will totally judge me. Today for lunch I had a hard boil egg and half of a serving of potato chips. I had more calories available but I saved those for a snack later. I think the really important thing is I did the calculation before eating my lunch. This helped me stay on-track at least for today.

So the exercise pants I wore today are too big. I wore them skating and they were almost dragging on the ice. It was a little mystifying when I found a bunch of snow on the inside of my pants cuff when I was resting between laps. It took me a moment to figure it out. The ironic thing is I had rolled up my pants when I was out walking earlier to keep snow off of them. Also, it highlighted the differences between my bad foot and my worse foot. My bad foot, the better of the two, had a lot more shaved ice stuck in it.

And repeat. I stayed on-plan. It wasn't easy but I did it.

Quite proud of myself for making it through another day on-plan. Three in a row. The scale has been at my posted weight, -30.5 pounds, for the last three days. Tomorrow should be a little better today. Work was not great today.

The sidewalks a have been snowy and icy here. I fell twice in the last two days. Luckily, I was not hurt. I am worried enough about falling again that I have been wearing my wrist guards.

On-track another day in a row. The scale was the same as my starting weight for the month, -32 pounds. I really hope I see a good number tomorrow. I could use some positive reinforcement.

Apparently, a hard boiled egg and potato chips with a fiber supplement thrown in makes a good diet lunch for me. Go figure.

I've also have a new bedtime snack that also seems to be helping. In addition, I have been wearing my belt a lot.

This! The link below is to an article that describes my exact issue. I've been complaining about how my metabolism is slowing faster than I can cut calories. In this study, someone's metabolic rate dropped by 700 calories per day. The average was 50 calories per day.

I am closer to the 700 cal/day. I think mine has slowed by 500 calories per day. My plan is for a 250 calorie a day deficit and it has an additional 250 calorie a day deficit built into it. I am barely maintaining and to me, that is how I got to the 500 calorie per day number. Although, since I am not perfect, it could be a little lower.

For what it is worth, I was on-plan today.

Metabolic Adaptation

On-track- six days in a row. Today was the toughest one. It doesn't help that the scale jumped up 1.5 pounds. I ate completely different yesterday and made specific choices in the hopes this wouldn't happen. It did anyway and it seems likely I'll never really understand why.

To be honest, I really need a win on the scale tomorrow, "official" weigh-in day. This week I've really buckled down and worked hard. I first saw the weight (unofficially) I am trying to confirm on October 29. It seems unreasonable to take three months to do this.

Today is a ticker changing day and I was able to confirm a half pound loss. I will update my ticker (really I mean my sidebar) to -31 pounds from -30.5. This was a close one. The very first weight of the day was disappointing at -30.5 pounds which meant no change. Then I waited about an hour or so and got the better result. After the first weigh-in, I also had to dig out my lightest weigh-in clothes which are literally just a couple of ounces lighter.

Usually I am pleased with this type of result but this week was so hard. Me and myself are still angry about staying on-plan and honestly, are turning a bit bitter. There are so many success stories out there where folks have done far less than what we are doing. Me and myself are also mad because I told them if it was as bad weigh-in they could have some of the stuff they missed out on during the week. Well, it ultimately played out differently. With the end of the month tomorrow, I am keeping them on the straight and narrow. We'll see what happens on Tuesday. If there is not an overall loss for the month, we are having a Whopper for lunch. If there is a loss for the month, it will probably be a hard boil egg and potato chips again.

I should be happier because I am 30 days into my 90 day red zone and am not gaining. For whatever reason, I tend to gain weight in the first quarter of the year and I call this my 90 day red zone.

We are taking our beautiful Christmas tree down today. It is still holding its needles really well but it is almost February.

For my monthly weight change tally, I take either the weight on the last day of the month or the weight on the first day of the month. When I was feeling somewhat confident, I would take the one that would give me the biggest loss. That was then, this is now. Now I pick the one with that gives me the smallest difference whether it is a gain or a loss.

Anyway the first option for January is available. If I took today's weight, I have gained a pound this month. This is so disappointing. I have worked very hard and it all feels like it was for naught. I was off-plan here and there but not enough to be posting a gain. I don't know what to think about tomorrow. The likelihood of it being something that will show a loss is laughable. Not quite impossible but very close.

Me and myself are thrilled if tomorrow is a bad weigh-in, they're going to have a great lunch. They are already bugging I about going out to breakfast too.

Based on the data I have, I need to cut calories by an additional 400 calories per day to get below the metabolic adaptation (slowing) I seem to be experiencing. This is so hard for me to do. For reference, my calorie target today is five calories lower than yesterday and it was really hard. I was on-plan though and still hoping for the improbable good weigh-in.

Pipsicle, I really understand your frustration. I know I now eat far less but healthier than I used to eat but still I keep bouncing in the same weight range. Like you, part of me wants to just forget it and eat what I really want, but I have this deep seated fear of regaining what I have lost so far. I also don't understand the success stories...what are they doing that I'm not doing? I've been doing this for so many years I should be an expert. But we don't quit. We keep going.

Hi Piipsicle,
you are not alone in this boat. I am having a scale that defies my efforts. Just wondering if instead of lowering your calorie intake by an additional 400 per day, can you find a way to increase your calorie expenditure by 200 t0 400 per day instead? I have a recumbent bike and I don't go hard enough for it to be cardio but I can burn up 200 calories in a 30 minute session. I am struggling and I hate to decrease calories by any more as I am afraid I will get to a point where there is nothing left to cut. Sooner or later I will have to eat more and then probably gain. Just a thought,

Hi Gone Astray- The one thing I've done well is work exercise into my day. I exercise an hour and twenty minutes five days a week, at least an hour and forty minutes an additional day and rest on the last day of the week. At this point it would be hard to work in more. I also have an energy envelope I need to stay within. I appreciate the thought.

So my choices for January are a half pound gain or a full pound gain. ~Sigh~ I guess I didn't make it out of the first month of my red zone unscathed after all. I looked back at my past years of tracking and February is by far my worst month. All I can do is to try my best.

It's a snow day here! So I took a day off of my plan. Not really intentionally but that is how it worked out. The rec center was closed due to the weather (10" of snow, 10F temperature). I also ate a dessert I bought yesterday was I was pouting about my weigh-in. I was tired of saying no to me so I gave in. I still did all of my walks though despite the snow and cold. I was also dressed in my workout clothes and ready to go when I learned the rec center was closed.

One day off; one day on- that will not get me far. It's looking good for tomorrow though. I just need to keep my self focused, especially during these next thirty days. This month is where I have struggled the most in the past.

I have a very busy four day weekend plan and will be post on Tuesday.

Well, my busy weekend evaporated. We were suppose to take a little trip but my daughter was sick. Thankfully, it was not Covid but worrisome enough everything had to be postponed. I decided to take the little break from posting though.

Although, the most astute of you may have noticed I changed my ticker weight on Sunday. I was able to confirm a half pound loss and updated it to -31.5 pounds (from -31 pounds).

This week has not been going well calorie wise. Weirdly, the ketone strips are still in my favor.

Here we are and over on calories. Also, it seems likely we'll be over on calories tomorrow. I know as an average person it is odd to used the plural. Here's out I've been breaking it out.

I is the part of me that recognizes that my health needs improvement and one of the best things to do is to bring my weight into a better range. This is the part that is trying to keep us on plan.

Myself is the part that would much rather sit on the sofa than take a walk.

Me, well, me is the part that prefers cookies to carrots and generally leads us astray.

Me has been running the show the last few days and I needs to show up tomorrow!