The experiment - week 1 results

I seem to have some interesting results from my experiment. As I mentioned last week, I was going to eat as I normally do and track everything in spark people. I was suspicious that I was eating either too little or too much.

Happily I found out that I am eating slightly under but not that much under what is recommended (1400 calories). Not that eating too little is a good thing, but I guess its better than finding out you are eating too much. I also found out that I dont always eat enough protein, and I often do not eat enough carbs either. So that is all really good information to have and I plan to make some changes with what im eating to get more of both in my diet.

I also found that the creamer I use in my coffee just on weekends (use the office creamer while at work) is really high in calories and contributes a lot more than I was thinking it was, even with just 4 servings. So I cut back on that big time. I liked that I was able to see that and make changes accordingly.

I actually went from 159 to 157.6 last week which was pretty awesome, and then I had a sneaking suspicion that I have fallen victim to what many people do - they stop measuring and weighing their food, and they are actually eating more of it than they realize. I think the simple fact that I started doing that again really helped and my weight definitely reflected that. I would say that this was enough to get me on a roll again, but today I was back up to 159. I was disapointed by that as I have been diligently weighing and measuring everything thinking that was the culprit, but apparently not. Not that I plan on stopping, but I was hoping that was the culprit. I guess it could still be and I just am bloated today from TOM approaching or something else.

In any case, I feel a lot more knowledgeable than I was before about what im eating, and Im also glad to see that what I am eating is for the most part, the right thing. At least when I see that Im getting enough fat for example, I know that its the right kind of fat. Those were the mistakes I used to make a long time ago when I struggled to lose weight. I thought, as long as I eat X calories, X fat, X carbs, I will be fine. And I would fill those numbers with whatever I wanted and they were not healthy choices. Now I am eating the right foods and staying within the right ranges, and that feels good.

In the exercise department, I feel like I am kicking ass. I completed the Jillian Michaels 30 day Shred which feels amazing. I remember on Day 1, I struggled to get through it as it is a pretty good workout for a 25 min. workout. Now I have much better endurance and strength, and I moved on to her other 2 dvds which are Boosting Metabolism and Trouble Spots. Both are more difficult than the 30 day shred and I feel like that better prepared me to take on these beasts. I am sore all over from 2 days of both, but its a good feeling. I also got an early xmas present which was the Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2010 for the Wi, and it is pretty awesome too. Not quite as good as some of the moves in the dvds using weights, but I did a ciruit on the game and it worked me out pretty good. I highly recommend it as I had heard negative things about the 2009 game, but much better things about this 2010 game and I have to agree.

Now I just need to hope all this hard work pays off and I start to see the changes that i want. If only it wasnt Christmas and facing all sorts of temptations over the next week while I am at home in PA. I always do the best I can and that will have to do while I am gone. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!