Tag: exercise

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diet L3 lesamy Less is More

L3 Week 8 – The Tragedy of the Disappointing Cup-cake

I have to admit I was nervous about Monday’s weigh-in. You see I was going out in the evening for a couple of beers with some guys from work. I wasn’t worried about that per se. I figured I deserved a freebie and I knew I would re-lose any gain before next Monday. But why did it have to be a Monday? (Because someone who now mostly works from home was in the office) It meant I wouldn’t have the chance to weigh myself after my walk and before my meal. And although I will take any weighing from the day as the ‘official’ one, that is usually the low point and it can be as much as a pound or more lighter.

Fortunately when I weighed myself in the morning I was at a very respectable – actually virtually indecent 😉 – loss of 4lbs. So I no longer worried about the evening and didn’t plan to weigh myself again at all. So when, going for my regular afternoon coffee only to find the canteen was out of power, I decided that I therefore had some calories in hand and could afford to start my freebie early anyhow.

Which is a long introduction to the fact that I had a cupcake. And it was ok. Just ok. The frosting was nice but the cake itself was a bit dry. And despite the hyperbole of my title this is not really a tragedy, but it is one of the frustrating things about being on a diet: that when you budget for, or allow yourself the indulgence of, a special treat, it better live up to that specialness. If it’s merely ordinarily nice, pleasant or just ok then it’s a bit disappointing.

Which actually I realised is all just a sign that food becomes too important when you’re dieting, even when you’re being successful. Or it can do. And that is a little disappointing. But it also spurs me to try harder. One day I will shrug off my disappointing cupcake as easily as I denied myself it in the days and weeks leading up to it. Then I’ll know I’m in this for the long haul.

For the record the rest of the freebie  I drank a little too much and ate more than I intended – even for a freebie. And the fish and chips were nice but probably not nice enough if you know what I mean. Especially since I seem to be struggling to get back down to where I was on Monday. Still half a week to go…

Lost: 4lbs
Lost so far: 26.8lbs
Average Weekly Loss: 3.35lbs
Weight: 277.4lbs (19st 11lbs)


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diet L3 lesamy Less is More

L3 Week 7 – Nothing then Something

I spent most of the week not seeing the scales drop. I suspect that’s largely because last week was such a large drop and part of it was dehydration – it being so hot then and it being cooler now. But also I guess it proves the thing about weighing yourself every day being potentially de-motivating due to the fluctuations.

In fact even this morning I was still at a point where I would have had a small increase. However due to my walk I did measure a loss in the end.

Lost: 1.8lbs
Lost so far: 22.8lbs
Average Weekly Loss: 3.26lbs
Weight: 281.4lbs (20st 1lbs)


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diet L3 lesamy Less is More

L3 Week 6 – A Night Out and No Blip

It was my birthday on Friday and went out for a meal with M. We went to a chinese buffet place I like and I had 3 plates worth and 3 beers. Also, although I walked to and from the station (equivalent to my lunchtime walk when I’m at work) I didn’t take an exercise walk per se.

Despite this, I still lost a lot of weight this week. So much so that I wondered about my scales again. But I tested them against other scales and they seem fine. Also it’s been really hot this week-end. I suspect a lot of this loss is dehydration. Something I am remedying by drinking more. But not beer, or sugary drinks. Strictly diet squash.

Lost: 5lbs
Lost so far: 21lbs
Average Weekly Loss: 3.5lbs
Weight: 283.2lbs (20st 3lbs)


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L3 lesamy Less is More

L3 Week 5 – Crap! A Stone and a Blister

Warning: the title this week is strangely literal.

Which doesn’t mean that I got a blister because of a stone in my shoe. But I did get a blister – just a day or two after I was thinking, “around about this stage is when I start getting blisters from the walking.”

But no, that wasn’t what the stone was about. The stone is the milestone I just passed – my first stone of weight lost.

And the crap – well when I started out for my walk tonight a bird pooped on my head. Direct hit, full-on splat! I wiped most of it off with a tissue, carried on my walk and showered when I got back. Which actually was nice – warm water on aching muscles.

Anyhow – here’s the numbers kids:

Lost: 4lbs
Lost so far: 16lbs
Average Weekly Loss: 3.2lbs
Weight: 288.2lbs (20st 8lbs)


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diet L3 lesamy Less is More

L3 Week 4 – Steady As She Goes!

You know what? 3rd time around it’s harder to think up witty titles and/or interesting things to write – but I’m opting for something inane/functional now rather than leave it til later in the week.

I will say that I am slightly disappointed that my loss this week has dropped to the more reasonable longer term rate that it has. Why?

a) because it’s happened relatively quickly and I have NOT strayed AT ALL from the path lo these last three weeks!

b) because a loss equivalent to last week would have put me at my first stone lost.

Still I can’t say I’m really that bothered. A loss is a loss and it’s not a trivial one.

Lost: 1.4lbs
Lost so far: 12lbs
Average Weekly Loss: 3lbs
Weight: 292.2lbs (20st 12lbs)


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diet L3 lesamy Less is More

L3 Week 3 – Loose Trews

Well my trousers are feeling looser so I must be doing ok.
(no I don’t know why I’ve apparently gone Scottish)

Lost: 3.4lbs
Lost so far: 10.6lbs
Average Weekly Loss: 3.5lbs
Weight: 293.6lbs (20st 13lbs)


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L3

L3 Week 2 – Big Week

Lost: 7.6lbs
Lost so far: 7.2lbs
Average Weekly Loss: 3.6lbs
Weight: 297lbs (21st 3lbs)

Well I knew that I’d have a better week than last week – mostly because I’m being strict on the counting and on the exercise – but I never realised it would be this good. That’s my largest single weekly loss ever. It puts me back under 300lb, which is nice. That was my first milestone target.

Still a long way to go and experience suggests it’ll slow down quite quickly but I can’t deny I’m happy with that.


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L3

L3 Week 1 – Counting Counts

So, a little late, here’s the results of week 1 of L3. The reason for that is that I made a concerted effort to finish Under the Dome this week and so most of the time I’ve either been reading or certainly not feeling like updating the blog.

Lost: -0.4lbs
Weight: 304.6lbs (21st 7lbs)

Not great eh? Well it’s partly the fact that I started off a bit slack – in my own mind I was ‘easing back into it’, I was eating up the remainder of any treat food I’d had left over. Most of that I probably could have absorbed but by the end of the week I slipped into an over indulgent weekend.

What I realised was that I needed to get tough with myself again. Having a week like that – well the early part of it – is ok when you’re a few months into a diet, but if you start off that way and you slip, well the place to slip to is more extreme.

So I’m back to a tougher regime:

  • actually counting calories (including measuring) and not relying on what I know looks right
  • sticking rigidly to limits – once I start allowing myself to go a little over my daily allowance, or skip exercise, then it’s a slippery slope.

The good news is – early unofficial week 2 reports predict I’ll be looking at a healthy loss.

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lesamy Less is More

L3 Week 0 – The New Normal

*sigh*

Seriously.

*really big sigh*

OK. I’m back at the point where I want to start trying to lose weight again. And having just eschewed flubbage another cute term for the project isn’t necessarily consistent, but who ever said I was that? Still “L3” is nicely cryptic and terse.

Plus I couldn’t think of anything better.

I’m writing this mainly to register my weight at this new starting point. Which is 304.2lbs. (At least I think so – my scales seem to fluctuate more than they used to – but then maybe I’m nearer the edge of their tolerance)

Anyway I about a stone lighter than I was two and a half years ago when I first tried this. In other words I’m nearly back to what I was. And I feel uncomfortable and I get out of breath easily. So sooner or later I felt I had to re-start the diet/exercise.

So it’s become the new normal, the new default position. At least for what I should be doing. Once I didn’t really think about it and ate what I wanted. Now, even if I do that, I’m doing it as someone who feels I really should be dieting. I’ve become the kind of person I used to feel sorry for – someone either denying themselves or feeling guilty for not denying themselves.

But I feel I don’t have a choice – as I said it’s uncomfortable being this overweight.

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Less is More

Less is More Week 16 – Grumpy on the Knife-Edge

Lost: 0lbs
Lost so far: 34.1lbs
Average Weekly Loss: 2.1lbs
Weight: 260.6lbs (18st 8lb)

I’ve spent most of the last 2-3days feeling very grumpy because pre-official weighing suggested that I would put on weight. Given that I’ve stayed as I was I’m mildly relieved and less grumpy – but I’d already thought up the title and liked it.

The reason behind these numbers isn’t a complete surprise to me. Friday night I had a pizza and a bottle of wine, after having been to the pub Friday lunch-time. Also on Saturday whilst I stuck to my calorie limit I didn’t do my walk – which is equivalent to another 800calories.

So if I had splurged in this way I shouldn’t be surprised and grumpy right? Well yes, except that in the past I have gotten away with more and still lost weight. But it’s not even that, it’s the fact that it feels like I can’t even have one day off without it having an impact. Imagine I’ve hit my target, imagine that I’m trying to maintain that weight – then this week’s result is telling me that I can at most afford to let my resistance slip for a few hours or the odd meal. That I must keep up the exercise and diet at a similar level.

Actually if I was at that level I would probably allow myself to go a pound or three up before I started to worry. Although what it does remind me is what a knife-edge I’m on. The first few pounds will go back on as quickly and easily as the first few fall off.

Ultimately I kept going – forcing myself out for a walk on Sunday and keeping to the diet – because what’s the alternative? Even if I decide I don’t want to lose weight do I want to go back to growing ever larger and finding clothes hard to find? to getting out of breath walking up the stairs? No. And the effort in maintaining this weight is an awful lot like the effort needed to lose just a pound or so a week.

In any case, that’s what I’m currently telling myself. I hope it’s working.

This week I have a regular social event on Thursday which involves a take-away and beer. I shall indulge but with one eye slightly on the quantity. I shall also be aware that I shall need to get back on the diet straight away and that that ought to be enough time to allow for a small loss by next Monday. (One of the other things I keep telling myself is that I can ‘absorb’ a single night/day’s excess and still lose weight but there’s a timing element – Friday can be too close to Monday to make it back – I bet I’m down by tomorrow night.)

Anyway with that I’ll sign off. Not so grumpy as I could be.