January 2009 Basics Challenge - Day 30: TGIF!

[gitfiddle]

In everything, the ends well defined are the secret of durable success.
Victor Cousins
Here we are, sliding into home plate! Considering the season, I should probably say lunging for the goal line. Were you able to define your goal and work towards it this month? I think that definition is important or we are wandering around aimlessly. With your path clear ahead of you you can choose new actions to add to your established program that will keep you moving in your chosen direction.

Looks like we didn't get our four inches of snow last night, for which I give thanks!

Breakfast will be a mango shake, lunch a salad, dinner beef and green beans.

Have a great Friday, y'all! :)

[BeccainSC]

Morning Carol (and all to follow).

Well for January as a whole, I didn't do too well. That's why I started February early so to speak. But I'm back on track at least, will see how the weekend holds up.

Breakfast is a chocolate shake; have packed for work some cheese for a snack and a roast beef/turkey wrap and carrots for lunch. Dinner is to be fajitas and I'm sure I'll have my tuna and almonds this afternoon. Normally I try not to have more than one "bread" item (even if LC) per day, but I had to juggle the dinner menus and with my DS back at home leftovers are a thing of the past, so 2 tortillas today. Should still be in my limits, just don't like having that much bread.

I'm curious about something I've noticed in the posts this month. Bearing in mind that I haven't been "active" in quite some time. Why all the emphasis on calories? I see a LOT of people posting calorie totals in their daily reports, just not something I'm used to seeing. As I said, just curious.

'becca

[LBJ]

Good morning ladies thought i would check in before i go to bed. My goal is to keep up with my workouts and keep my carbs under 40. Had a steak and some green beans for breakfast, lunch will be a dreamfields with ground turkey and supper will be chicken salsa cut up and put in a salad with bacon and ranch dressing. Need to take some meat out tonight for next weeks menu. I really only keep track of my protien and carbs those two are more important to me than the fat and calories.

[Belfrybat]

Yes, Carol, I am lunging towards those goals, the end of which, at times , seems rather elusive. I had well defined goals and am on the way to meeting them.

'Becca, I can't speak for anyone else, but if I want to stabilize my weight, I have to keep calories within a fairly narrow range (1600 give or take a bit). My tendency is to drop too low since I've been used to that in the weight-off stage. I'm now trying to raise them without going overboard. So as I find my ECC level for life, I also take note of calories. If you haven't already done so, check out Dr. Mike's blog entries on calories a couple of weeks ago. Really good reading.

Breakfast was a CarbMaster yogurt and a slice of turkey. Lunch will be a chef salad with turkey and cheese. Supper will be my favourite cauliflower-sausage-mushroom casserole. As usual, I'll be snacking on nuts, dark chocolate and an apple. Perhaps wine this evening.

[Ammy]

Well, this month I started at 202.5, and today I'm at 198.5...yea I think it was a good month for me.
4lbs? Yep, good month!!

Becca, I have been stagnant for a long time and noticed I was eating between 2200 and 2400 calories a day. Now that I reduced to just under 2000 (on a non-workout day, just over on a workout day), I seem to be losing again. My carbs have been stable for quite some time, but couldn't lose. That's why I talk of them. They are the LAST item I factored in now that I am so close to my goal weight. Definitely did NOT pay attention to them for my first 100lbs lost!

Meals are planned, and exercise will happen today. I finished my Dexter video, so no need to rush home tonight. I have to return it today, so I had to watch 8 episodes in two evenings. I LOVE to sit and watch episode after episode of good shows, but two nights in a row is enough. I need to be ACTIVE today. I started by cleaning the kitchen this morning before work. I had a pork roast with onions in the Crockpot over night...it was so tender this morning when I was dividing it up in containers for my busy weekend. Mmmmmmmmm

I have been having weird scary dreams. Not "wake up screaming" dreams, but just underlying scary. Maybe I shouldn't watch shows about serial killers for four hours before going to bed:rolleyes:...and the cats can be so loud sometimes that it sounds like there is someone in the house :eek:...but there isn't...they are just that loud!

Okay food:

7am almond scone
8am caul-sausa casserole (man, this is STILL so good!)
11:30am lc lasagna, 2 med zucchini
2:30pm 1.5oz mixed nuts, iced latte
6pm 6oz country spare ribs, 1/2 box frozen veggies.

Pro: 138.7
Ecc: 41.3
Fat: 175.1
Cal: 2147

I WILL go to the gym tonight, nice long relaxed workout. Fridays the gym tends to be quiet! I like that.

[maxlharris]

I'm curious about something I've noticed in the posts this month. Bearing in mind that I haven't been "active" in quite some time. Why all the emphasis on calories? I see a LOT of people posting calorie totals in their daily reports, just not something I'm used to seeing. As I said, just curious.

Fitday reports it and my report feels like as just protein and carbs. I'm not doing exercise at present and I'm not taking supplements and I drink the water so easily it's not something I track.

More than that though, from past observation of Fitday, I lose well when I keep cals between 1400 and 1800. Over 1800, and I don't necessarily gain anything, but I do not continue to lose. This week, I made short ribs, I ate them and they were very calorically dense (and salty). I had a one day quick gain from 224 to 227. I am down now to 225, but like to track the cals.

Today: Filing, conference call of doom, Maybe early lunch or maybe chicken holocaust while on the CCoD. Early leaving, I think. Have to figure out my timecard. I can either bank some time off or leave at 3 or 3:30 today. I think I'd like to leave early. Been a less than stellar work week and next week is going to be hellish, I predict.

[Puddin]

Just walked in the door from visiting a friend who tried to fly but found out that she still wasn't quite able to get off the ground...slipped off a landing and collided with some really slippery gravel and some really hard cement. The surgeons in ER did a really good gravel removal and stitching job. She's not too swoolen and has definitely decided that she should put in the last piece of railing.

Always good to keep your goals in mind. I don't get hung up over them anymore but I do keep a little list in the back of my mind. After the visit of the Whoosh Fairy the other day and the 5 pounds which floated off I must admit I am really a happy camper.

Calories are something which I have to be careful about because with only about 15-18 pounds to lose (still not sure how many I should take off because I'm already fairly 'boney' DH says) I can't afford to go too high. I'm hovering at about 1600-1800 considering the amount of galloping in the country I do. So far I feel great so I guess it's OK.

Today was a great meal day - again

Breakfast - scone (always) and a little piece of leftover quiche
Lunch - very thin pork chop (no bone), a nice serving of turkey on some lettuce with 1/2 tomatoe
Dinner - roast turkey and salad with fennel bulb
Snack - had a kiwi and a half (ooops for the carbs but at 4:30 I'm only at 14 for the day sooo) my bedtime chocolate for sure (that's a rush, to suck a nice chunk of 85% chocolate while reading)

Great rest of Friday folks. Off to read some other stuff. Will look for the blog article on CALORIES.

[gitfiddle]

Becca, it looks like everyone has give you very good answers to your question about calories. It becomes a factor when you get close to your goal, which Dr. Mike said even way back in Protein Power. I look at it as one of those tweaks that might give us a little more mileage, but I sure don't make plans calorie-wise. Do read Dr. Mike's recent blog, though, for his latest take on the subject.

Today has been good except that I didn't get to the cafeteria before it closed for lunch. I checked the can of chicken in the bottom of my file drawer and it expired in 2007. Okay......my last hope is ordering something from the restaurant to eat in my office and hope the budget meeting doesn't happen for a while longer. :p

[BeccainSC]

Thanks for your inputs on why you're posting your calories. I was always under the impression that as long as you were losing (or maintaining) then tracking them didn't really matter. I've been reading his blogs, but short of things along those lines (and to avoid "empty" calories) I haven't seen much about them. Maybe I'm just blind. :rolleyes:

I know that if you're not losing like you should that things to check are 1) carb creep; 2) excess calories from nuts and cheeses; 3) excess calories from going over (way over) your protein minimums. I think I even saw a reply to a comment to the effect that it was okay to go way over on your protein as long as you were still losing. Maybe I misinterpreted.

I know when I was doing Fitday before (Fall '06) that if my calories dipped below 1700 for more than a day or so during the week that my loss would grind to a halt. I actually seem to lose faster if I eat more.

I guess seeing the menus posted and the calories puts the thought in my head of "where's the rest of the food"?

Since I still have about 60 pounds to go I guess I'm okay for now. :)

I've changed the dinner plans from fajitas to Texas Roadhouse. I'm really craving a steak and when I go there I get the Big Caesar with steak and LOVE it. We'll do fajitas tomorrow night instead.

See everyone later!


'becca

[lisanurse81]

Becca, the only reason I track cals, is 'cause I wasn't losing, as soon as I started to keep them under 1800, I lost again... but I only have 8 lbs to lose to reach a bmi of 25 - though I want to lose more than that, I realize I am really close to my goal.

Today was another busy day... exciting things are happening, I will let you all in on the secret in a little while...

Here are my totals for the day.. Early I know, but I just finished dinner, and have praise-team practice tonight.. so ate early, and don't plan on eating anything later. (Not like I would be hungry - the amount of food I ate was ridiculous...I think I'm eating so much b/c of pms...) Of course I will have a cup of sleepytime before bed.

Calories 2,864
Fat 194.9
Carbohydrate 33.6 (Ecc 19.1)
Dietary Fiber 14.5
Protein 231.4

[Karole]

my daily: Protein 93 ecc 36 calories 1581

[blueriversam]

Calories: 1777
Fat: 142
ECC: 22
Protein: 95

I'm still hungry and thinking about eating something else, but I have a sore throat, which is making me feel like not eating anything... I know, I'm such a DQ!

[Ammy]

You know...come to think of it...I started watching my calories because i wasn't eating enough! and it was causing a horrible stall (and complete annoyance)
I was trying the Thin So Fast approach...it just was NOT enough food.

Forgot about that til just now!

[BeccainSC]

Am stuffed from dinner, but in a good way. Of course I'm having to approximate my numbers... one of the reasons I don't like Fitday cuz I can't just say "okay I was on plan" I have to KNOW what I ate. Did the best I could with that.

So for the day:

Protein: 141
Carbs: 51
Water: 100


The ladies in the office I work with are constantly going on about calories and how little they eat and don't lose weight. They're all about calories and fat, I've tried and tried to tell them different, but they won't listen. Hopefully this time I'll stick to things long enough to SHOW them. They're both huge fans of Lean Cuisine and Diet Coke though, may be hard to break them.

BMI I totally ignore as according to the "chart" in order to not be overweight I'd have to get down to 159.6. Considering that my LBM is 143 I don't think that's gonna happen... I'm not a teenage gymnast with 10% BF. I know it doesn't factor in muscle and such, but it gets depressing at times to be told by software and websites that my "goal weight" isn't low enough. :(

Trying to decide if I should weigh/measure tomorrow or wait til Sunday the 1st. Guess I'll see how I'm feeling in the morning. :)


'becca

[BeccainSC]

Just after posting my end of the day report I went to check the blogs. I think the picture Dr. Mike used for today's blog sums up my BMI feelings exactly :D


'becca

[blueriversam]

When I was 18, I weighed 115 lbs and I was anorexic and a size 4. When I was 25, I topped out at a size 14 and weighed 165. Now I weigh 150 and a size 6-8 depending on what I'm wearing. I have to believe that this is due to muscle mass, and a lot of it. I don't think I will ever get below 140 again, although a small part of me would love to be 125, just because that number sounds so good.

[gitfiddle]

Just after posting my end of the day report I went to check the blogs. I think the picture Dr. Mike used for today's blog sums up my BMI feelings exactly :DI just found it, too. Very interesting! And I know what you mean about Fitday. Brutal. Especially when I've overdone something. :paranoid:

[Ammy]

Final report

Water 90+oz
supps yes
exercise yes
Pro: 139.4
Ecc: 44
Fat: 176
Cal: 2170


Full day tomorrow...meetings all day, pre-party for appetizers, out dancing.

It will be fun, but FULL.

[Belfrybat]

From what I've read and experienced, only those who are insulin resistant need to worry about having too much protein, unless you are so far over that your weight stalls. I've learned that my liver loves doing the gluconeogenisis "thing" so I try not to go over 20% more than my calculated protein needs. But I'm diabetic, so that makes a world of difference. "Normal" folks don't need to worry too much about that, and calories seem to only come into play when you are close to your goal.

I ended the day at 1580 calories, 83 protein and 58 ECC. And I got a head start on sunshine as yesterday was warm enough for shorts and sleeveless blouse. :)

[Ammy]

I think my body TELLS me when I need to up the protein. And I think it happens in spurts.
Like last week...MAN was I hungry - fighting constant hunger for three days!! I finally gave in, had a crazy amount of protein in one day, then havent' felt the hunger (other than the normal hunger at mealtimes) since. AND although I had a slight jump for one day, I dropped it all and more the next.

I do think I, personally, can have too much protein, however I am a fan of the fatter high caloric protein. Not sure how that would be if I were eating leaner meats like chicken or fish. It never sounds good to me :o. So it probably isn't the "protein" but the fat and calories that come WITH my chosen proteins.:o

[maxlharris]

I just found it, too. Very interesting! And I know what you mean about Fitday. Brutal. Especially when I've overdone something. :paranoid:

I think that's part of the point.

For the day:
PRotein: ~130
Carbs: ~15
Water: no problem
Cals: acceptable range (I think my experience is different from others, which causes me to go lower on cals that others report stalling on and needing to stay above... I think I will just go with Over or Acceptable... I cannot foresee going Under... I am who I am).

[gitfiddle]

I think that's part of the point.
:D Absolutely. I have a love/hate relationship with authority figures.