It’s the start of a whole new week. The past is behind us and we can forget about (but, of course, learn any lessons that need learnin’!). For some people, week 2 is a critical week: the excitement of starting a new plan has worn off; real life gets in the way or maybe they’re not seeing any results. If they’re not seeing any amazing, dropped-a-gazillion-pounds progress by the end of week 2, they give up. As the owner of a weight loss website, I see this happening, especially in January!

We need to remember that fat loss is like a marathon — a slow, steady pace with course corrections along the way will get you to your goal — and then it’s on to the next goal (or at the very least maintaining). We’re not in this to race to the finish line of weighing some number on the scale.

Okay, lecture over! LOL! Like I said, it’s because I’ve seen it happening. But not my Weight Loss Warriors, right? You guys are in it for the long haul, right?

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Getting back on track after getting stressed and eating for comfort on Day 4 and 5. It seems to me my week-end eating was a lot worse in the past. Lots of big meals, with sauces involved. It’s amazing how eating healthy can become such a habit, if you give it a try. I used to eat spaghetti 3 to 4 times a week — and I’m not talking 1 cup serving sizes! Now, it’s maybe once every couple of weeks.

So, don’t believe the stories that you tell you yourself, that there’s no way you could something. I used to tell myself I was a pasta fiend and there’s no way I could stop eating pasta. You know that attitude. Well, I was kidding myself. I didn’t need to give it up completely, but I was perfectly capable of putting it in its place and not let it rule me. You can, too!

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Well, it happened. I let work stress get the best of me! Had major technical issues starting at around 3:00PM on Thursday; worked all the way until midnight. Got back up early (after only 4 hours of sleep) and kept back at it until around 4:00 PM on Friday. By that point, I was so tired and wanting to decompress that I didn’t hesitate when Terry said, “Let’s order out Indian food!”

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If you read yesterday’s blog , you’ll remember I was talking about not going to bed hungry and how you don’t want to wake up in the middle of the night ravenous. Well, guess what happened to me! I wasn’t hungry when I went to bed, but I did notice my calorie count was low (around 1300). I decided to eat a little something extra (but could have made a healthier food choice) and at least bring my count up to 1500.

Woke up at 3:00 AM! I wasn’t feeling particularly hungry, but I was tossing and turning trying to get to sleep for a bit. And then the hunger came. I’m rarely that hungry so early in morning (and I’m an early riser at around 4:00/5:00 AM).

I’m going to have to figure out a healthy snack for my 3rd snack. It seems I need one!

Here’s what I ate on day 3. I did end up having a beer at supper time, but I counted it in with my calories.
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Day 2 went very well! But doesn’t that usually happen in the beginning, when you’re trying to lose weight? Ha!

An interesting thing happened yesterday. A couple of hours after supper, I was surprised to find that I had only eaten 1400 calories and I wasn’t hungry at all. I checked and re-checked to make sure I hadn’t forgotten to log anything into my tracker.

But then 9:30 PM came around and… *grumble grumble* I was feeling hungry! Now, “they” always say don’t eat after 7:00 PM or you’re going to gain weight, right? But what “they” forget to tell you is that they mean overeating and snacking on unhealthy, calorie-laden food. If you’re hungry in the evening — and I mean hungry; none of this “Oh, I feel like nibbling” kind of thing — then you need to eat. Your body is telling you it hasn’t had enough. If you go to bed hungry, what’s going to happen is you’re going to wake up in the middle of the night, VERY hungry, unable to sleep — and chances are you’re going to head for something unhealthy. You’ll most likely be tired and grumpy the next day, which usually triggers cravings (especially for processed carbs).

Listen to your body…

Here’s what I ate yesterday and details on the cardio workout I did.

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Week 1 – Day 1 Stats

Things went pretty well! I stuck to my calorie goal of 1700 calories but went on the high side of protein and fat. Not a big deal for me, but if my carbs get too low I get cranky. (And you don’t want to see me cranky! Ha!)

I worked out in the morning, using a workout from The New Rules of Lifting. I like these workouts because they’re pretty short but involve all the muscles. It was a bit weird doing it that way, but I had previously started these workouts and saw improved strength.

I forgot to re-read my goals and affirmations! Need to set up a reminder for that or print them out and put them on my desk. (Um, note to self: clean desk first!) I did drink 6 8oz glasses of water. I’m not a huge fan of the 8 glasses of water a day thing, but I was surprised I got that much in.

So, here are the numbers
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Tomorrow (Monday) I’m starting my 12 week program/challenge/cycle, so today I weighed and measured myself. I’m going to use those measurements to set goals and to track my progress.

Weight: 138.8lbs
Thighs: 22 1/2″
Hips: 38 1/2″
Waist: 30 1/4″
Body Fat %: 22.30% (10mm) (using Accu-Measure – you can use my body fat percentage calculator)

Note on the body fat percentage: Personally, I feel I’m actually at a higher percentage. But unless you’ve got a real good reason, the actual number doesn’t matter as long as you use the same method each time to measure your body fat. This way, it will still track any progress you’ve made.

Also, notice that I haven’t set a weight goal.
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Hey there! Thanks for joining me on this little journey! I’m going to share with you everything that I go through when I set to mind to losing a bit of fat and get more in shape.

I’ve never been athletic and I love eating — not a very good combination, obviously. I’ve weighed as much as 165lbs and as low as 120lbs through adulthood. My most perfect weight — where I was lean and strong and full of energy — was when I first got into weight training. I was a lean 135lbs and I loved it. Much better than being 120lbs and flabby!

But I’m not perfect. Life (excuses) get in the way: too tired, too busy, too stressed, got things to do, need to work instead of exercising. Believe me, the irony is not lost on me that running a weight loss website has caused me to gain some weight because I’m sitting down all the time. Like a lot of people, I know what to do but I don’t always do it.

And then I get fed up — and I get real serious. This is one of those times. I set a date and then get ready…
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