It has been 7 months since I have posted anything. It has been a struggle - I have not lost any more weight but I have made exercise a daily part of my routine. I now walk home from work every day which is 5.5 km. I also still walk/jog but over winter that was reduced to maybe once a week.
I had to stop weightlifting in October 2017when I pinched a nerve in my neck. I had 5 weeks of severe nerve pain running down my shoulder and into my hand with numbness in my thumb, index and middle fingers. I was hesitant to lift weights because I was afraid to injure myself, Had a CT scan done last month because I still have numbness in my fingers. CT results showed that I had a slight bulging disc in my neck. I booked an appointment with a physiotherapist for next week to get advice on exercises I can do and things I should not do. I hope that she can provide me with a weight routine that will help build up my strength in a safe way.
I have struggled with my diet through this whole process. It is very hard for me to eat healthy and the right amounts of food. I have tried many different things over the course of the last 1 1/2 years. I am now trying Macros. With macros the focus is on eating the right balance of protein, carbs and fats while staying within your daily calories. I first learned about macros on January 13. I joined the Facebook group Macros Inc. and they provided the following breakdown for me:
1950 calories
120g protein
70g fat
210g carbs
I started tracking my macros January 29 and to be honest I really haven't been successful with being consistent. The biggest change in my diet has been to increase my protein by 50g per day. It has helped to fill me up and reduce cravings. My biggest issue though is still staying within my daily calories. It is so easy to say "I will worry about it tomorrow" which is why I am not seeing results.
I know it takes time. I used to be a total couch potato and would exercise maybe once per week. Now I want to exercise every day. I need to have that shift for my eating as well. It is getting easier. I am able to follow my diet more often but I really need to reduce or eliminate the days that I overeat.
Fat to Fit
Friday, March 9, 2018
Saturday, August 19, 2017
1 Year Anniversary
It has been a year since I started this post. There have been setbacks but there have also been accomplishments.
The biggest accomplishment wasn't losing weight. It was becoming healthier and building the habit of exercise into my day. Before I started this journey I pretty much sedentary. I might have gone for a walk once or twice a week but there were a lot of weeks that I did absolutely nothing.
Fast forward to today and it is the complete opposite. Now I exercise almost every day and have only 1 or 2 days per week that I don't do anything.
Total changes in my body haven't been as much as I would have liked for a year of work.
Total weight loss: 15 pounds
Inches lost:
Chest: 2.5 inches
Ribs: 2 inches
Waist: 3 inches
Hips/Ass: 1.5 inches
This past year has been more about building a solid fitness foundation than it has been about losing weight. I no longer have lower back pain and I have not put out my back or my neck all year. The only time I have experienced pain has been when I have upped my exercise routine too quickly and have strained my muscles.
The main struggle this year has been my diet and knowing how many calories to eat per day. I found over the last couple of months that I hadn't been losing weight but I was working out everyday and only eating a maximum of 1,500 calories. I was walking 5 kms plus lifting heavy weights on gym days. On off days I was either walking 6.5 kms or I was doing interval training to build up my jog times.
Yet I wasn't losing any weight. Started researching it and the problem MIGHT be that I am not eating enough. One suggestion was called "reverse dieting". For a month you eat anything that you want so that your body can get out of starvation mode. You will gain weight. Once your weight is steady then you start dropping the calories per day that you eat until you start losing weight.
Recommended daily calorie intake for me was 2,500 calories. For the first couple of weeks I was eating 3,000+ and I gained 6 pounds. Then I dropped my calories to 2,4000 and I lost 2 pounds. Now it is a matter of observation to see how many calories I should eat on light workout weeks and how many calories I should eat on weeks that I work out a lot.
I am still using the LoseIt app to monitor my calories but I am no longer using it to monitor workouts. I think putting in my exercise calories used was skewing my results because it is very hard to estimate how many calories I actually burned in my exercise. I could think that I am burning a lot of calories because my workout feels hard but in reality I am just having an off day.
Another struggle has been getting enough protein in my diet. I eat quite a lot of meat but still don't get enough protein. I can have protein shakes but it is a fine line between getting enough protein and not going over my calorie budget. Suggested protein intake is 1 gram per 1 pound of body weight. For me, that should mean eating 210 grams of protein per day. I am lucky if I can get up over 100 grams. I am looking at finding high protein recipes that I can make to try get my protein up to at least 125 grams.
Finally, my goal to learn to run has not been going well. I am only able to run for 2 minutes then walk for 1 minute x 7 sets. Most days my legs have been hurting so bad that I have to stop. Last week it was my calf muscles that were killing me. Last month it was my shins.
I have put my gym membership on hold for the next month to see if my leg problems are do to overwork. Maybe it was too much exercise to walk 5 kms, do weight training for my legs and then the next day expect to be able to run.
I plan to cut back my exercise to 3 days per week to start. If I am able to increase my run times without pain then I will slowly start incorporating some walks in. After the month is up, I will go back to the gym and start lifting weights again but I might not do deadlifts which work my legs. I will just focus on my upper body.
Speaking of which, one of the reasons I decided to put my weight training on hold at this time is because I hurt myself again. I was doing really well. I was doing 30lb dumbbell chest presses and 20 lb flyes prone on the recline bench. Then I upped my routine by doing incline flyes with the bench in a semi-reclined position, started doing push-ups instead of the chest presses and started doing triceps dips.
The incline flyes were so much harder that I had to drop the weight from 20lbs to 15. After doing the push-ups for 2 days I developed a burning pain behind my left scapula. It didn't hurt while I was exercising but developed 2 days after my gym day. It has been hurting now for 2 weeks. Some days it is very painful and I have to ice it and take ibuprofen. Other days it just slightly aches.
I will also be taking a yoga class for the next month. My muscles are so tight and stiff even with stretching. I think that now is the time to try yoga to try to get limber.
I have gotten so used to exercising everyday that I am feeling kinda antsy. I just want to go out and do something which is a far cry from how my life was over the last 10 years. I am happy that I have developed the habit to get up and move which in the long run is going to keep me strong and healthy.
Now moving forward, it is time to listen to my body. I can get advice from trainers and websites but I really need to learn for myself what works and what doesn't. I need to learn when to step up my workouts and when my body is saying I need to slow down.
The biggest accomplishment wasn't losing weight. It was becoming healthier and building the habit of exercise into my day. Before I started this journey I pretty much sedentary. I might have gone for a walk once or twice a week but there were a lot of weeks that I did absolutely nothing.
Fast forward to today and it is the complete opposite. Now I exercise almost every day and have only 1 or 2 days per week that I don't do anything.
Total changes in my body haven't been as much as I would have liked for a year of work.
Total weight loss: 15 pounds
Inches lost:
Chest: 2.5 inches
Ribs: 2 inches
Waist: 3 inches
Hips/Ass: 1.5 inches
This past year has been more about building a solid fitness foundation than it has been about losing weight. I no longer have lower back pain and I have not put out my back or my neck all year. The only time I have experienced pain has been when I have upped my exercise routine too quickly and have strained my muscles.
The main struggle this year has been my diet and knowing how many calories to eat per day. I found over the last couple of months that I hadn't been losing weight but I was working out everyday and only eating a maximum of 1,500 calories. I was walking 5 kms plus lifting heavy weights on gym days. On off days I was either walking 6.5 kms or I was doing interval training to build up my jog times.
Yet I wasn't losing any weight. Started researching it and the problem MIGHT be that I am not eating enough. One suggestion was called "reverse dieting". For a month you eat anything that you want so that your body can get out of starvation mode. You will gain weight. Once your weight is steady then you start dropping the calories per day that you eat until you start losing weight.
Recommended daily calorie intake for me was 2,500 calories. For the first couple of weeks I was eating 3,000+ and I gained 6 pounds. Then I dropped my calories to 2,4000 and I lost 2 pounds. Now it is a matter of observation to see how many calories I should eat on light workout weeks and how many calories I should eat on weeks that I work out a lot.
I am still using the LoseIt app to monitor my calories but I am no longer using it to monitor workouts. I think putting in my exercise calories used was skewing my results because it is very hard to estimate how many calories I actually burned in my exercise. I could think that I am burning a lot of calories because my workout feels hard but in reality I am just having an off day.
Another struggle has been getting enough protein in my diet. I eat quite a lot of meat but still don't get enough protein. I can have protein shakes but it is a fine line between getting enough protein and not going over my calorie budget. Suggested protein intake is 1 gram per 1 pound of body weight. For me, that should mean eating 210 grams of protein per day. I am lucky if I can get up over 100 grams. I am looking at finding high protein recipes that I can make to try get my protein up to at least 125 grams.
Finally, my goal to learn to run has not been going well. I am only able to run for 2 minutes then walk for 1 minute x 7 sets. Most days my legs have been hurting so bad that I have to stop. Last week it was my calf muscles that were killing me. Last month it was my shins.
I have put my gym membership on hold for the next month to see if my leg problems are do to overwork. Maybe it was too much exercise to walk 5 kms, do weight training for my legs and then the next day expect to be able to run.
I plan to cut back my exercise to 3 days per week to start. If I am able to increase my run times without pain then I will slowly start incorporating some walks in. After the month is up, I will go back to the gym and start lifting weights again but I might not do deadlifts which work my legs. I will just focus on my upper body.
Speaking of which, one of the reasons I decided to put my weight training on hold at this time is because I hurt myself again. I was doing really well. I was doing 30lb dumbbell chest presses and 20 lb flyes prone on the recline bench. Then I upped my routine by doing incline flyes with the bench in a semi-reclined position, started doing push-ups instead of the chest presses and started doing triceps dips.
The incline flyes were so much harder that I had to drop the weight from 20lbs to 15. After doing the push-ups for 2 days I developed a burning pain behind my left scapula. It didn't hurt while I was exercising but developed 2 days after my gym day. It has been hurting now for 2 weeks. Some days it is very painful and I have to ice it and take ibuprofen. Other days it just slightly aches.
I will also be taking a yoga class for the next month. My muscles are so tight and stiff even with stretching. I think that now is the time to try yoga to try to get limber.
I have gotten so used to exercising everyday that I am feeling kinda antsy. I just want to go out and do something which is a far cry from how my life was over the last 10 years. I am happy that I have developed the habit to get up and move which in the long run is going to keep me strong and healthy.
Now moving forward, it is time to listen to my body. I can get advice from trainers and websites but I really need to learn for myself what works and what doesn't. I need to learn when to step up my workouts and when my body is saying I need to slow down.
Saturday, August 12, 2017
How Many Daily Calories Do I Really Need?
I have been exercising almost every day. Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday I go to the gym and lift weights. On the other days I have been jogging. I have been watching my diet and eating only 1,500 calories per day. I should be losing weight. Yet my weight and measurements have not changed for a long time.
Part of the problem is that I really do not know how much I should be eating in a day. There is so much conflicting information. So I decided to search the internet for reasons why I might not be seeing results. One common problem people experience when they start working out a lot is that they don't eat enough to fuel their body. The body then hoards all calories and fat so that it will have energy for the next workout.
There is a concept called "reverse dieting" which helps to evaluate how many calories you need to eat in order to lose weight. Basically you stop dieting and you eat normal for a couple of weeks until you start to gain weight. At that point, you start dropping the number of calories that you consume each day until you reach a point where you are maintaining your weight. Once you have reached that stage you can then start dropping the number of calories consumed by 100 per day until you start losing weight.
My LoseIt app was telling me that I should be eating 1,270 calories on days that I did not work out and up to 1,600 calories on days that I did work out. It basically would add food calories to my day to make up for the exercise calories I was burning.
Most of the fitness articles were suggesting that I should be eating 2,400 calories per day.
I have found that I maintain my weight at 2,500 calories per day.
Now, it is time to start dropping the number of calories I eat per day until I find the zone where I start to lose weight.
I am adjusting the calories in my app to 2,400 per day for 1 week and I will see what that does for me.
I am also going to stop tracking my exercise in the app. I feel that I make food choices based on how much I am exercising. Maybe if I have it just showing total calories not net calories that it will alter my eating habits.
Part of the problem is that I really do not know how much I should be eating in a day. There is so much conflicting information. So I decided to search the internet for reasons why I might not be seeing results. One common problem people experience when they start working out a lot is that they don't eat enough to fuel their body. The body then hoards all calories and fat so that it will have energy for the next workout.
There is a concept called "reverse dieting" which helps to evaluate how many calories you need to eat in order to lose weight. Basically you stop dieting and you eat normal for a couple of weeks until you start to gain weight. At that point, you start dropping the number of calories that you consume each day until you reach a point where you are maintaining your weight. Once you have reached that stage you can then start dropping the number of calories consumed by 100 per day until you start losing weight.
My LoseIt app was telling me that I should be eating 1,270 calories on days that I did not work out and up to 1,600 calories on days that I did work out. It basically would add food calories to my day to make up for the exercise calories I was burning.
Most of the fitness articles were suggesting that I should be eating 2,400 calories per day.
I have found that I maintain my weight at 2,500 calories per day.
Now, it is time to start dropping the number of calories I eat per day until I find the zone where I start to lose weight.
I am adjusting the calories in my app to 2,400 per day for 1 week and I will see what that does for me.
I am also going to stop tracking my exercise in the app. I feel that I make food choices based on how much I am exercising. Maybe if I have it just showing total calories not net calories that it will alter my eating habits.
Thursday, July 13, 2017
Feeling Accomplished - Reach a Goal
In spring I decided that this was the year that I would learn to run. I have always been so impressed by people who run. They always seem so strong and healthy. It has been on my bucket list for many years but every time I started I always quit because my legs hurt so much.
This year though the changing factors for me was getting stronger through weigh lifting and learning how to roll out my muscles. Those 2 things combined meant that it didn't hurt as much when I ran.
For the last couple months I have been working on this interval training program from this book:
There is no way that I can increase the run times every week so I have just been sticking with each week as long as it takes to be able to easily run those times. Week 1 I could do no problem. Week 2 took me a couple of weeks to be able to do easily.
Week 3 though has been a hard slog. Until this week I haven't even been able to run 1/2 the times it suggests but after taking a 5 day break from running I was finally able to complete the whole thing. So happy! I didn't think I would ever be able to do it!
I have still been going to the gym 3 times per week. I do various dumbbell exercises and have started doing dead lifts. I use weights that are heavy enough that I can just complete the 8 reps. When I can easily complete 8 reps and feel I could do more then I up the weight again.
Chest Press - 27.5 lb dumbbells - 8 reps x 3 sets
Dumbbell Flys on Bench - 20 lb dumbbells - 8 reps x 3 sets
Bicep Curl to Overhead Press - 15 lb dumbbells - 8 reps x 3 sets
One Leg Deadlift - smallest kettlebell (don't know the weight) - 12 reps x 3 sets
Deadlift - 5lb plates - 8 reps x 3 sets
Tricep Dips - 8 reps x 3 sets
Seated Row on Weight Machine - 75 lbs - 8 reps x 3 sets
I am feeling a LOT stronger and healthier but the kicker is I haven't lost ANY weight or changed my body shape. My measurements are all the same. What's up with that??
Right now I don't care. I feel strong and I really like that feeling. So I am not focusing on weight loss but rather lifting heavier weights and being able to run for 20 minutes straight.
This year though the changing factors for me was getting stronger through weigh lifting and learning how to roll out my muscles. Those 2 things combined meant that it didn't hurt as much when I ran.
For the last couple months I have been working on this interval training program from this book:
There is no way that I can increase the run times every week so I have just been sticking with each week as long as it takes to be able to easily run those times. Week 1 I could do no problem. Week 2 took me a couple of weeks to be able to do easily.
Week 3 though has been a hard slog. Until this week I haven't even been able to run 1/2 the times it suggests but after taking a 5 day break from running I was finally able to complete the whole thing. So happy! I didn't think I would ever be able to do it!
I have still been going to the gym 3 times per week. I do various dumbbell exercises and have started doing dead lifts. I use weights that are heavy enough that I can just complete the 8 reps. When I can easily complete 8 reps and feel I could do more then I up the weight again.
Chest Press - 27.5 lb dumbbells - 8 reps x 3 sets
Dumbbell Flys on Bench - 20 lb dumbbells - 8 reps x 3 sets
Bicep Curl to Overhead Press - 15 lb dumbbells - 8 reps x 3 sets
One Leg Deadlift - smallest kettlebell (don't know the weight) - 12 reps x 3 sets
Deadlift - 5lb plates - 8 reps x 3 sets
Tricep Dips - 8 reps x 3 sets
Seated Row on Weight Machine - 75 lbs - 8 reps x 3 sets
I am feeling a LOT stronger and healthier but the kicker is I haven't lost ANY weight or changed my body shape. My measurements are all the same. What's up with that??
Right now I don't care. I feel strong and I really like that feeling. So I am not focusing on weight loss but rather lifting heavier weights and being able to run for 20 minutes straight.
Friday, May 12, 2017
Yo-yo Weight Loss Sucks!
Over the last couple of months my weight has fluctuated between 205 and 209 on an almost weekly basis. I will eat healthy and exercise and get down to 205 but then something gets in the way. I twinged something in my back and hip and didn't go to the gym for 2 weeks and gained 5 pounds.
Then I really focused on eating healthy and going on the elliptical 4 to 5 times per week and lost the 5 pounds. Then I got a bad chest cold and couldn't work out and stopped watching my diet because I felt so crappy and just wanted to feel better. Up my weight went again.
When I started to feel better I also started eating better but then I had a week were there were lots of parties and socializing. Gained 5 pounds again.
Now I am back to faithfully exercising - I have gone to the gym 2 times this week and jogged 3 times but I am finding it hard to stick to my diet. I just want to eat good food and not always eat salad or super small portions. I am feeling tired and stress and I am turning to food for comfort.
It really sucks.
Then I really focused on eating healthy and going on the elliptical 4 to 5 times per week and lost the 5 pounds. Then I got a bad chest cold and couldn't work out and stopped watching my diet because I felt so crappy and just wanted to feel better. Up my weight went again.
When I started to feel better I also started eating better but then I had a week were there were lots of parties and socializing. Gained 5 pounds again.
Now I am back to faithfully exercising - I have gone to the gym 2 times this week and jogged 3 times but I am finding it hard to stick to my diet. I just want to eat good food and not always eat salad or super small portions. I am feeling tired and stress and I am turning to food for comfort.
It really sucks.
Sunday, March 26, 2017
I'm Baaaaack!
It has been 2 months since my last post. I had taken the time off from the gym because I tweaked something in my back and hip and thought it would be best to let things heal before lifting weights again. I continued to exercise on the elliptical in the evenings.
I discovered that my LoseIt app was overestimating the amount of calories that I was burning lifting weights. I have changed the setting to light weightlifting and dropped 10 minutes off my total time working out. That seems to have worked and my weight loss was maintained.
I also changed my diet and started eating bread/pasta/rice again every day and discovered that it was much harder to lose weight. This week, I made my Mexican Beef & Black Bean recipe and haven't had bread/rice/pasta for the last 3 days and I lost 1 pound. I read somewhere that if you exercise when on a lower carb diet that your body uses your stored fat for energy and you lose more weight. I certainly seems to be true for me.
Now it is time to get back into my gym routine and my carb routine. I had gone 8 months without missing a day and now it is time to back on schedule. This week for my diet I am planning to take salads to work for lunch and only eat rice/bread/pasta on my gym days.
To date I have lost 18.5 pounds.
I discovered that my LoseIt app was overestimating the amount of calories that I was burning lifting weights. I have changed the setting to light weightlifting and dropped 10 minutes off my total time working out. That seems to have worked and my weight loss was maintained.
I also changed my diet and started eating bread/pasta/rice again every day and discovered that it was much harder to lose weight. This week, I made my Mexican Beef & Black Bean recipe and haven't had bread/rice/pasta for the last 3 days and I lost 1 pound. I read somewhere that if you exercise when on a lower carb diet that your body uses your stored fat for energy and you lose more weight. I certainly seems to be true for me.
Now it is time to get back into my gym routine and my carb routine. I had gone 8 months without missing a day and now it is time to back on schedule. This week for my diet I am planning to take salads to work for lunch and only eat rice/bread/pasta on my gym days.
To date I have lost 18.5 pounds.
Sunday, January 22, 2017
Taking a Short Break From the Gym
My right hip is still incredibly sore. I worked through the pain for the last two weeks but maybe it is time to take short break so that the muscles can heal. I plan to do stretches and walk every day. Hopefully with a few days rest I will be back to normal and able to resume my workouts.
I recently read an article that stated contrary to popular belief exercising more does not increase your metabolism. From what I understand, this means that our bodies adjust to whatever level of exercise we are doing to maintain a basic level of metabolism. This means that you could go to gym and work out like crazy but your body just adjusts to the new normal. Diet plays more of a role in weight loss than exercise.
This shifts my mind-set on the matter. I have been diligent about going to the gym and lifting weight because I thought that it would increase my metabolism and make losing weight easier. The more that I worked out the less I would have to worry about sticking to my diet.
Now, I think that going to the gym will be more about staying strong and healthy. It increases my balance and mobility which will reduce the likelihood of injury. Since I started lifting weights I have not had any lower back pain. I am able to touch my toes and balance on one foot. I can squat to pick up something from the floor. I can run up a flight of stairs. I want to increase that strength and agility so I will keep with my exercise schedule.
I looked back over the my stats for the last 6 months and the weeks that I lost 3 - 4 pounds were the weeks that each day I stuck to my calorie budget. Plain and simple, I need to eat less calories!
I recently read an article that stated contrary to popular belief exercising more does not increase your metabolism. From what I understand, this means that our bodies adjust to whatever level of exercise we are doing to maintain a basic level of metabolism. This means that you could go to gym and work out like crazy but your body just adjusts to the new normal. Diet plays more of a role in weight loss than exercise.
This shifts my mind-set on the matter. I have been diligent about going to the gym and lifting weight because I thought that it would increase my metabolism and make losing weight easier. The more that I worked out the less I would have to worry about sticking to my diet.
Now, I think that going to the gym will be more about staying strong and healthy. It increases my balance and mobility which will reduce the likelihood of injury. Since I started lifting weights I have not had any lower back pain. I am able to touch my toes and balance on one foot. I can squat to pick up something from the floor. I can run up a flight of stairs. I want to increase that strength and agility so I will keep with my exercise schedule.
I looked back over the my stats for the last 6 months and the weeks that I lost 3 - 4 pounds were the weeks that each day I stuck to my calorie budget. Plain and simple, I need to eat less calories!
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