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diet L3 lesamy Less is More

L3 Week 37 – The New New Low (that’s not so Low)

Still going downwards, so a new new low. And I avoided a rise due to a night out on Saturday, though less by being sensible and moderate and more by it being only one night with a couple of days to recover before weigh-in.

Not a lot more to say except that I went to bed early last night with a headache so sorry for not updating this then.

Lost: 0.8lbs
Lost so far: 53.8lbs
Average Weekly Loss: 1.45lbs
Weight: 250.4lbs (17st 12lb)

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L3 Week 36 – Back With A New Low

Obviously I’m pleased to be losing weight again, and I’m back at the lowest (official) weight this time around (which is nice). There was an unofficial weigh-in yesterday that was lower but I’ll not mention that.

Looking at my spreadsheet and particularly the ‘odious comparison’ graph, now feels like a key time because this time in Lesamy I was just about to bottom out and then start a rise from which I’d never fully recover (I was never that low again). So even though I’m still well above what I was then I’d like the graph to keep going down. I’m aware that Christmase is around the corner but if I can see in the New Year at 240-245ish then I guess I’ll be happy.

Lost: 5.6lbs
Lost so far: 53lbs
Average Weekly Loss: 1.47lbs
Weight: 251.2lbs (17st 13lb)

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L3 Week 35 – When Nothing is Five

 My goal is to have at least a flat week (no gain)

By Friday morning I was slightly down on last week but I knew with the weekend away I’d go up from that. So by that stage I’d accepted that my “flat” week might be a ~2lb gain. I felt like I mostly behaved as I wanted – which was not dieting but sensible. However obviously I didn’t do as well as I’d hoped.

I know the reasons. Although I kept myself to only having my share of the takeaway on Fri, on Saturday when we went out I had beer and desert and snacks when we got back. And I didn’t have desert on Sunday but I did have a starter. Plus when I got home I ‘extended the weekend’ and ate a whole lot of stuff I had in the house – chocolate and ice-cream and other snacks.

So I’m down on two weeks ago but up more than I’d like on last. I feel I need to be able to have a weekend away and at least hold steady. If not then a 5lb gain is not acceptable.

Lost: -5lbs
Lost so far: 47.4lbs
Average Weekly Loss: 1.35lbs
Weight: 256.8lbs (18st 5lb)

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L3 Week 34 – Told Ya!

I nearly called this post “Nano doesn’t happen” in reference to last week and my lack of progress on that other thing. But then again let’s stay with the positive and the weight-related.

So I pretty much knew I’d lose back the gain. I wasn’t sure it would be this much and I am wondering about the battery in my scales again, though last time I thought that it turned out not to be that.

I’ve got a weekend away coming up so it’s nice to be a little ahead of the game. My goal is to have at least a flat week (no gain) which means sticking to the regime now and being sensible over the weekend. I know I always say that but this time I really am going to do that.

Lost: 6.4lbs
Lost so far: 52.4lbs
Average Weekly Loss: 1.54lbs
Weight: 251.8lbs (18st)

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diet L3 lesamy Less is More

L3 Week 33 – Weight Happens

So. Nearly Nano. Lots to do other than this so I’ll make this brief. Which suits because it’s not great.

I had a cold. I fed said cold. Also stayed in bed (i.e. no exercise). Weight gain happened. It will un-happen this week. See if it doesn’t!

Lost: -3.2lbs
Lost so far: 46lbs
Average Weekly Loss: 1.39lbs
Weight: 258.2lbs (18st 6lb)

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L3 Week 32 – Feed a Cold?

Another good week loss-wise. However today, and just today, I’ve got a cold and I feel a bit crap (not terrible just a bit crap).

Should I indulge in a few extra calories? If so what? I’ve already done my exercise walk – which almost wiped me out. I may just curl up in bed with a lemsip and my kindle.

Lost: 2.2lbs
Lost so far: 49.2lbs
Average Weekly Loss: 1.54lbs
Weight: 255lbs (18st 3lb)

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diet L3 lesamy Less is More

L3 Week 31 – Just Another Week

Usually when I have not much to say it’s because I had a bad week and can’t face a long analysis of it. But this week I lost weight. And it’s not even that I’m disappointed by the amount, I wasn’t expected a big drop after last week so this week’s loss was as it should be and I am pleased.

I just don’t have much to say about it.

Lost: 1.2lbs
Lost so far: 47lbs
Average Weekly Loss: 1.52lbs
Weight: 257.2lbs (18st 5lb)

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diet L3 lesamy Less is More

L3 Week 30 – Ten Weeks Asleep?

OK not actually asleep but not focussing on the job in hand.

First the good news:

Lost: 6.8lbs
Lost so far: 45.8lbs
Average Weekly Loss: 1.53lbs
Weight: 258.4lbs (18st 6lb)

So in a single swoop (week) I’m back down to well over 3stone lost, under 40BMI and my lowest weight of L3. Good eh?

Well yes – and you know this is coming, glass half-empty man that I am – but there’s a big part of me that’s saying “what took so long?”. Because another way to look at it is to say it’s taken 10 weeks to lose less than half a pound. Let’s quickly summarize the last 10 weeks:

Week What happened Result
Week 21 W/e at home plus worry about my Dad put on ~3.5lb
Week 22 Normal Week lost ~3 lb
Week 23 games night + short break with M. put on ~5lb
Week 24 still off work, so stayed off diet put on ~1lb
Week 25 “Friday Pizza” put on ~3lb
Week 26 good week, “lost it” a little at w/e lost ~1.5lb
Week 27 normal week until last 2 days, then “Eat Your Calories” lost ~3lb
Week 28 Week of “Eat Your Calories” stayed the same
Week 29 “Friday Pizza” put on ~1lb
Week 30 Normal week lost ~7lb

I should probably explain what “Friday Pizza” is since I’ve had a couple of those. It’s when I decide on a Friday evening that I’d like to have a night off the diet and have something nice. So in itself not so disastrous you might think, but what has happened is this:

  • I find myself wanting takeaway, Pizza is both nice and easy – there’s one on the way back from work.
  • which makes it easy to order online while I’m still at work and collect it on the way home.
  • obviously I buy something to drink with it – usually a bottle of wine
  • the fact that I walk straight home means no exercise walk
  • drinking means less inhibitions means more indulgence
  • in order to get a nice pizza and sides I end up buying more than I can eat and so Friday night’s indulgence turns into Saturday’s too as I finish it off then.

So I’m thinking that if/when I do this again I need to make sure I get the pizza after my walk and that I stick to a small one.

Anyway looking back over the last ten weeks I see that I under-estimated how long my planned diet holiday was going to be and how long it would take to get back on track. I assumed that I would just have that one week (week 23) and that even after that became 3 that I would lose it back in a couple of weeks. I still think that it was not entirely unreasonable to have a week or two off, taking the longer view, but that having put on 10lbs I needed to lose that back and more before relaxing again. It possibly wasn’t test out an untried theory like MFP’s eat your calories either.

Anyway I feel I need to get a few weeks of normal diet and exercise under my belt again before any major departures.

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L3 Week 29 – Of Plateaus and PONR

Well this was supposed to be the week where going back to my old regime got me back down to something more reasonable. And it was all going so well until Friday. Friday I decided to have a pizza and a bottle of wine. Both of which carried over into the weekend as I couldn’t finish them all in on night. So I find myself having gone back up again.

Which makes the last 3 months a sort of bumpy plateau. Plateaus do happen in dieting and there are reasons why this happens to do with how your body reacts and changes the way it processes food and responds to exercise. But I’ve been here before and I know this plateau. It’s caused not by any of that stuff but by me getting bored/tired and breaking out of the diet regime.

PONR? Well it’s not really a Point Of No Return so much as it is that I’m doing this now, and will be in some form, from now on. That’s good in one way – it means I don’t panic over the slips. In another I need to be wary of always putting off the getting back on the horse and knuckling down to it.

Lost: -1lbs
Lost so far: 39lbs
Average Weekly Loss: 1.43lbs
Weight: 265.2lbs (18st 13lb)

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diet L3 lesamy Less is More

L3 Week 28 – Not, As it Turns Out

…to eating the calories that is.

The simple reason being the numbers below. I can cope with a flat week, I expect them to some extent, it doesn’t devastate me – but only a couple of weeks after a 3-weeks off the diet? I should be losing and losing quite a lot.

Don’t get me wrong, eating the calories was fun and I did like the fact that I was able to go the pub or join in with a work celebration without making it a freebie. A freebie is often too open-ended whereas with this I at least got to have a little extra – a pint, a cupcake – but still have a fixed limit. That felt more in control.

However I am disappointed at not losing weight and I don’t really like the way it skews my behaviour. I’ve pushed myself to do a couple of extra long walks because I know I’ll be able to eat back the calories. I prefer to stick to my limit and do a regular length walk.

I’ll stick with MFP because I like it as a place to record my calories but I’ll stop recording my exercise there so that my calorie limit will be fixed.

Lost: 0lbs
Lost so far: 40lbs
Average Weekly Loss: 1.43lbs
Weight: 264.2lbs (18st 12lb)