So, it’s technically not Monday, but it’s weigh-in day. The usual routine is that I get up, eat or drink nothing until I weigh-in. This is usually about an hour after I’m up. I decided this is probably best done on a Sunday, when I’m not in a rush to do anything. I’m really going to try to get my cardio in early with this new routine, so I thought Sundays were best. Also, I’m changing my eating plan today (higher protein), so it seemed like a good idea as well.

The morning’s weight was 325.4 - which is what I weighed on Thursday. It’s a 2.0 pound loss from last Monday. I think sometimes that the daily weigh-in isn’t such a good thing. I mean, I know I didn’t lose 1.2 pounds between Monday and Tuesday, yet I still think there’s a little disappointment when you go down a little, then back up. I have a sneaking suspicion that I’m into another mini plateau just because I can see how the curve is going, but we’ll see. It’s almost like every 10 pounds down my body holds for a little while before dropping more. I’m going to keep weighing daily for a little while longer (I think I originally thought 6 months), but trying hard not to let the daily changes affect me. I’ll remind myself that I’m down 32.8 pounds overall, which is 2.47 pounds a week. This is more than I expected, so why worry about it. I think it’s the constant media attention to weight loss. I mean a plan isn’t good unless you can lose 9 pounds in 11 days, or some such nonsense. Shows like the Biggest Loser tell us that a one or two pound loss isn’t good enough. It’s kind of sad really, because I wonder in the end if it makes expectations so high that more people are doomed to fail.

This morning for some reason, I’m hungry. I’ve had my breakfast and I hate to admit it, I’ve already dug into my AM snack. It’s just noon, but usually lunch isn’t until almost 2pm. I don’t battle hunger pains that often really, but some days are just worse than others. I should keep track of it, maybe it’s Sundays. Usually at this time of the day I’m on the treadmill, doing my morning exercises. It keeps my mind off food. Perhaps my rest day is making me worse. Nah, take the rest day. I’ll likely have to shovel my way to the barbecue to cook tonight’s meal, so it won’t be a complete rest day.

On the exercise front, I’ve got my log all ready and I’ve even found an inexpensive weight set at Canadian Tire (I know, it’s not where you would think of buying one). However, it’s a brand I’ve heard of (York), although I think it’s a very intro set. I see two reviews that call it a ‘good starter set’ and ‘good for beginners/intermediate’. Perhaps the guys would call it a sissy set. However, the barbell with all of the weights will top out at 78 pounds, which I think will probably be enough for me for a while. For fun I’ll probably post what I’m doing with each workout here on the blog. If nothing else, it will keep me accountable. I’ll have to dig into my (mainly) buried knowledge of html code and see if I can reproduce some kind of table.

Well, I’m still slightly hungry, but I think I’ll live until 2pm. The problem with eating earlier is that I’ll just end up hungry in the afternoon. Perhaps I should go and clear some snow instead….

Well, in the light of day I do feel kind of stupid. Partly because I know it’s not a formula, even though I try and deal with it that way. The only decision I made was to change the 1800-2000 to 1900-2100. With the fruit salad being off and not counting the spray I was doing close to 2000 (1994 in Jan, same to date in Feb). I’m going to change my breakfast to include a piece of whole grain bread and jam that I make. I generally give away more than we use ourselves.

I will likely drop the calorie count a little on Sunday, my planned rest day. I’m am mindful of the fact that I usually only use the treadmill, and that’s why I made a point to add 90mins of other exercises in the week. So far, I’ve met that. Outdoor exercise isn’t likely going to happen for a while. In April we’ll open the pool and I’ll enjoy that. Right now there’s too much snow. Even being born and raised here, I really don’t like it.

On the treadmill - I am aware that my body may get used to the exercise it provides, although I usually play with the incline to make sure my heart rate is getting into the right zone. When I started it was all done on a 1% grade. Now I vary that, sometimes with intervals, sometimes with increasing, then decreasing grades. I may, later, play with the speed, although I have to remember that I’m heavier than I was the last time I was into the treadmill and watch my one knee.

So no real changes for the moment, until after my next TOM. Only the small changes already mentioned. That was what I promised myself, so I’m going to stick with that.

Oh - and this was all decided last night before I finally went to sleep. This morning I got a 334.0 on the scale (I’ve been bouncing between 335.4 and 336.4 for about 16 days), so it’s actually nice to see a different number this morning. Even if it changes tomorrow I will stick to my plan. Thanks for the reality check people. I very much needed it.

justdeb - my problem is that I’m not patient, never have been. Maybe if I’d watched how slowly I gained weight (30 lbs took 6 months) I wouldn’t be so bad. Of course if I’d actually been watching I likely wouldn’t have gained it, right?

neverperfect - the rational side of me knows that 16 days does not make a stall, but sometimes the irrational part of me takes control for a while.

brandie - the best advice is to keep doing what I’m doing and hold on for a bit. Someone on the forums suggested that I try calorie cycling (where you pick a number, say 2000, and average it over a period of time, 7-10 days). I might try that eventually, but for now I’m just going to wait for a couple of weeks.

Thanks again for the feedback, even though I know it’s slightly nuts, having people remind me of that is a good thing!

Okay - I know that I promised myself that I wouldn’t be overly concerned with my recent stall. I know it happens, and I can say that I don’t care, but I do. So I did what I would advise anyone else to do - verify calories in and calories burned. Any help, or observations, would be appreciated. Please forgive the slightly manic use of numbers (especially in the exercise section), but I’ve been playing around with it all day, trying to make sense of it all.

Calories in (1800-2000, monthly average - 1920)

I looked for hidden calories, and about the most I found was about 80 calories a day. I make my own fruit salad, which I was just using a generic number for. So I figured out that it’s more like 151/cup instead of the 125. I usually take 1-1/2 cups a day (40). The other items are the canola oil spray I’m using on my roasted veggies (30) and the single packet of Crystal Light (10). Everything else is spot on since most meals I make are done in batches and I do weigh/measure everything to put into FitDay. I even tend to enter brand name items that I use all the time (ie. the canned tomatoes, the balsamic vinegar, etc.) There are even areas I’m high with on purpose, but are likely lower. For example: homemade salad dressings that I log 1/8 of that sometimes go 10 or 12 servings. So, for now, let’s assume that I’m eating 2000 calories a day.

Calories burned:

This is where I feel like pulling my hair out. Using fairly conservative activities FitDay tells me that with this lifestyle I burn 2,650 (roughly) a day. So, eating what I’m eating should bring me a little more than a pound a week. Then you add in exercise. This is the problem. Trying to figure out roughly how much you burn.

If I walk 2mph on a zero grade my treadmill says I’ve burned 90 calories. Fitday says 113, which does make sense as the treadmill doesn’t adjust for weight. It’s saying that I expend approx. 25% more than the treadmill says. I’m willing to accept this. I see other sites that give info on the same exercise, which factor in weight, and they run from 120 - 330. I’m not buying the 330. The only reason that this is important is that I never walk on a zero grade. I do a couple of different programs that I’ve come up with to raise my heart rate. They average either 3% grade or 5% grade depending on the mood I’m in. So today I actually let the treadmill run while I did a calorie/incline study.

Did I mention that process improvement (quality) was my area of expertise?

So, 30 minutes at 3% and 30 minutes at 5% give me numbers of 126 and 150 calories burned respectively. Adjusting them up 20% (I’m being cautious) I get 150 and 180. So I’m doing (usually) 480 calories burned on the treadmill daily. I’ve also been using weights and a few other items, but only about 15 mins a day. The (possibly) more accurate method doesn’t make a huge difference, about 150 cals a day. Again, from what I see I’m erring on the low side. Going back only until Feb. 1st I’ve added in the treadmill info for the incline (the home version of FitDay allows you to add custom exercises). It shows that I have a calorie difference of over 1200 a day.

I guess I’m trying to decide what to do. I don’t want to drop the exercise, but I’m a little leary about adding calories. Yet I know from past experience (dieting myself into the hospital) that I have to give my body enough fuel to burn efficiently. I suppose what I’m trying to do is rationalize adding calories or doing nothing. The logical person says I should add those 200 calories now (watching them on the days I don’t exercise, or dial it back). The irrational, usually unsuccessful dieter in me says ‘no no, drop them’.

I’m welcome to any and all opinions. Including those that tell me I’m over analyzing this and that maybe I need another kind of professional help!