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Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Progress Report

I didn't have a good weigh-in last week.  I was up .8 lbs. (.4 kg.) despite no big changes in my eating or exercise habits.  What's more, I had been bouncing around the same weight give or take a couple pounds since the end of November.  "Plateau!", I announced. 

I tried to decide how much it bothered me.  Certainly the gain was a problem, but it was over Christmas and New Year's so perhaps I could attribute it to extra holiday eating.  I decided I was okay with staying at the weight I'm at.  I didn't want to gain, but I was willing to maintain.  I also decided I would track my food for awhile to see if I could identify any issues.  In addition, I tried to add more protein and exercise for the week, just to see what that did.

I am enlightened.

I thought I was eating 1,200 - 1,300 calories a day.  That's about where I was when I last tracked my food on a consistent basis (ya know, back when I was losing weight every week).  In the last seven days, I only fell between those numbers ONCE, on Thursday last week when I ate 1,270 calories for the day. Oops!  My per day average for the week was 1,540 calories.  Yep, some days I ate more than that! 

Was this an unusual week?  Sort of.  I had two beers while watching the University of Oregon Ducks' football game on Monday.  We went out to pizza last night for a basketball trophy party.  TOM came to town so I wanted to (but didn't) eat everything that wasn't nailed down.  I'm going to keep tracking my food to see how unusual this week was.

I did manage to drop the .8 lbs. that I was bitching about last week so I'm back to my weight from 12/22.  So stay posted!

 

12 comments:

Angela said...

It's amazing how off track I can be with calories and have no idea. Tracking every once in a while is a great reality check!

Kristin said...

Your methodical ways are wise, Amanda. Good job identifying the culprit. You really are doing a fantastic job.

Bonnie said...

Plateaus suck. I feel your pain.

Annie said...

Tracking can be enlightening! I need to start doing that too- keep up the good work, and you are sure to see the results you deserve!

Something About Kellie said...

I am having a bandster hell period plateau at the moment - I am trying not to stress over it too much! Glad you have sourced your possible problem - I am hoping my fill on the 29th will kick start me again :)

Sarah said...

I started tracking calories recently - it's crazy. No wonder I was only losing 1 pound or less a week! I hope paying attention to the calories gives me a push.

~Lisa~ said...

I've been tracking calories and fitness for the past four months - it truly is eye opening when you see it all layed out before you in black and white...

Banded Mommy (Angie) said...

Thanks for the post! With me just starting it makes me realize that counting really counts. Hope all keeps going in the right direction!!

Stephanie M. said...

It's WAY too easy to let the calorie control slip away. I know it has happened to me, for sure. I just started tracking on Daily Plate a few days ago and I'm already down over a pound. Amazing how that calorie thing works, huh? :-) I LOVE my band for making it a whole lot easier to stick to 1200-1300 calories, but I have learned that I need to pay attention too.

Jess said...

I know! I either eat too many calories or too little never just the right amount.

The Cozy (not crazy) Coconut said...

Good for you for tracking. I've done the same - I"m trying out myplate.com and I'm amazed at how quickly I tear through the calories - I was eating way more than I should have also. Good luck staying with it!!

Rhonda said...

It's not so bad to splurge once in a while. If you're in maintenance mode it's normal to hover around a 5 lb range (from what I hear). :) Though it IS eye-opening to see what and how much we're really eating when we count calories. I haven't to this point and I've been banded almost a month. I'm too scared!