So I promised myself I would do some reflection:
1. My heart rate has reduced dramatically from giving up smoking so this will reduce the number of calories I burn each day. I still want a 2k target so I’m going to have to do something else. One option is to do 30 Day Shred on days I don’t go to the gym and I should probably commit to cleaning something in the house each evening even when I’m tired - this is a difficult commitment for me.
2. Eating too many cals on UDs. I hear this settles over time. I don’t want to be inputting my calories forever but will do for at least 12 weeks. I hear there can be a plateau at this point too so maybe I will do it for 24 weeks. Since I have surgery planned in January I need to make sure this is working for me and if it doesn’t or I’m not quite there then a couple of weeks on Exante will be in order.
3. I wanted to cut sweeteners and low calorie, low fat options. I didn’t realise the difference to calories this makes and as I am also a greedy person, I can’t have it all. So the full fat Greek yogurt will have to go and replaced with low fat. Coleslaw is getting binned off completely. Meals out will be what I want regardless of content but these shouldn’t be too frequent. It’s a shame but I can reduce calorie intake so much by doing this and still eat the same quantity.
4. I’m not comfortable with 4 UDs in a row but I hear adding a third DD doesn’t do much for most people. I’m not going to knee-jerk even though that seems the most obvious option. I will review at the beginning of August when I retake my measurements and have done a good few weeks.
5. At least two UDs at the weekend will end up being quite high. For this WOE to be sustainable, this needs to remain the same. So it’s reducing week UDs (which is also not recommended) or increasing my burn. See point 1. I intend to try the latter first. If I really have to adjust then I will do it slowly and by 100 cals at a time.
6. I find DDs relatively easy. Not necessarily enjoyable though but I do like the reset it gives. I have noticed that if I wasn’t busy at work, this will be harder. My holiday in September will be a good test. Even now I’m thinking drop it for the holiday. Yes I can lose the weight when I get back and there will probably still be weight to lose as I’ll drink and all sorts but at least I would limit damage and I need to be serious with myself that this WOE is forever (it’s easy to do because it isn’t a diet) and not to be dropped for any reason.
7. I’m not sure if alcohol stalls me. I suspect it probably still does and perhaps without the drinks on my night out, I might have lost a bit this week? Difficult to say but I don’t plan to reintroduce regular drinking since I haven’t drunk alcohol regularly for a few years - no need to start now.
8. I need to find a way to at least curb greed. I don’t expect to eliminate it but I have the ability to eat until stuffed. I can now tell when I’m full and generally don’t need to eat for quite a few hours after breakfast, but if something is available, I’ll have it. I need to stop treating myself like a human dustbin. Was it worth eating the cheap chocolate that came in the (expensive) pick n mix last night? No, I didn’t enjoy it. I would be better off buying a quality chocolate bar, some nice crisps and some sour sweets. Still high calorie but at least I would have enjoyed it all and a bonus would have been it would be easy to account for - pick n mix is too difficult and so it’s a guess.
9. Some positives. I’m not binge eating - not mentally speaking anyway. I do eat too much sometimes and like point 8, I need to be more selective about what I eat but I’m not secret eating or binging which is great. I drink sparkling water through choice now. I don’t drink flavoured water at all. I should try and switch to plain water but this water thing is unheard of for me. I just don’t have the taste for Diet Coke and other flavoured drinks anymore. I went to a pub for a drink yesterday afternoon to kill some time and had a slimline tonic. That was a nice change. I have given up smoking and I don’t think I have replaced with food - I do suck lozenges a lot though. It’s been over two weeks now. I am seeing more muscle definition. Not as much as I would like but at 10st 7lbs plus, it’s not going to be really obvious. I hope by September I will be fluctuating around the high nines-low tens. Seems unachieveable right now.
10. Just to make it a round number and also because I can’t be bothered to scroll back up to number one. I should consider adding 15 minutes of cardio to my gym sessions. Yesterday I burnt 142 cals during 14 minutes of a routine I do on the stair master. That wouldn’t kill me and would boost my cal burn and strengthen my heart which I probably shouldn’t ignore. If only I had one of those at home
Maybe I could devise a short HIIT circuit at home? That’ll be on the back burner for now but food for thought. I’ll see what 20 mins of 30 Day Shred does for me first in terms of burn.
