Week 1 of operation drop 10 lbs. is in the books. To hold my feet to the fire and keep me accountable, I’ll be logging my progress, or lack thereof, here every week.
Despite my best intentions…mostly…the week ended up mediocre at best. Mostly because I failed to plan sufficiently.
Like most, I started out with enthusiasm, and a fridge packed with fruits and veggies. I prepped a few things, made more of others so I’d have leftovers, but it wasn’t enough.
What went well: The first few days were solid:
- I roasted veggies
- Squeezed four different types of greens in my salads.
- Stayed sugar free and got over that hump where the sugar cravings make you wanna chew off an arm.
- With the exception of a single Larabar, I managed to be totally whole and unprocessed.
- I’ve stayed out of the kid’s cereal boxes.
- No more spoonfuls of mac n cheese or sandwich crusts either.
- I prepped some food. Planned some meals. Some being the operative word.
- I’m batting 1000 on the water-before-coffee rule
- I’m feeling pretty darn great. I haven’t been overstuffed or had indigestion.
What did not go well:
- I’d be lying if I told you my meals were holding me over cuz they don’t always.
- I didn’t have anything to eat within an hour of waking in the morning. Just coffee and water.
- I get over-hungry, stabby and am caught standing in the pantry on more than one occasion wondering what the hell I can eat.
- I went to my niece’s birthday party last weekend fully planning to partake of a slice of cake. The proponents of “everything in moderation” would be so proud. There was pizza and pita chips with crab dip too. I didn’t gorge myself by any means, but these really aren’t the kinds of foods I want to be eating right now. This day brought back my sugar cravings and made Sunday especially tough.
- The Caveman never gets home from work before 7:15. Many times it’s 8pm before we have dinner. It’s very tough to wait so long and I don’t want to eat much so late.
Changes I’ve made going forward:
- Meal prep is still a work in progress. Sometimes I don’t make enough. Sometimes someone else eats from my stash. I’ll figure it out. I’m doing way more than I was though, which was zero.
- I’m tracking food and workouts on My Fitness pal. I think I’ve got a 3-day streak going, which is huge for this seat-of-the-pants, non-tracking kind of girl.
Week 1 weightloss:
Weight: -0.3
Fat: -0.2
Muscle: +0.1
BMI: -0.1
According to my new scale, I managed to nudge all stats ever so slightly in the right direction. It was a tenuous start at best, but I’ll take it.
Is weightloss one of your goals for the New Year? What are your tips for sticking with a healthy diet?
Hi, I found your blog a while ago and enjoy reading so I wanted to comment 🙂 I lost weight last year, slowly but surely. I’d like to lose a few more, so yes, its a goal, but I don’t know how hard I want to try at this point! Not a ton left to lose now. The most helpful things to do for me are to just buy lots of produce/whole foods and to keep up with workouts, especially weights.
Losing weight is hard. But having said that, I’ve lost a bit in the last few weeks and I’ve worked out it’s because of the heat. It’s been too hot for me to want to bake so I haven’t and I, coincidentally, haven’t been taste-testing sweet little morsels of whatever I’m baking until I’m feeling sick. Not sure that I’ll be giving up baking forever but at least it’s given me a head start on the year and my weight is back to its pre-marathon level.
Any weight loss is GREAT progress! Seriously.
Weightloss is always my goal. I would just like to lose 5 lbs — sure I could stand to lose more, but 5 would be plenty. My weight tends to back & forth a lot, and some of that is just hormonal & truly out of my control.
This year, I am trying to find a balance with not overindulging on sweets but still eating everything in, you guessed it, moderation. Because much as I love chocolate, I know that every day consumption will not help me with my weight loss. It doesn’t have to go completely, but for me, for right now, every day isn’t moderation.
You CAN do this — you are one determined lady!
Good for you…You’ve got a plan and you’re sticking to it. Weight loss is tough.
BTW, I just read an article about a new weight loss pill trial at Massachusets General Hospital…they sampled fecal material from thin people and made a pill? Thinking that transferring some of the organisms from a thin person to a person who needs to lose weight will be the thing? Can you say ewwww?
I love that you assessed the first week in a logical way! I’m glad that you keep planning. 🙂
I think that’s a solid first week! I feel like one of the toughest things about weight loss is figuring out a system that works for you, and then fine tuning it to work all the kinks out. Even though the scale may not have moved as much as you would have liked it to, you’ve analyzed the good and bad which will help out a tonne in the long run!
Agh, it is so hard! Keep plugging away and give yourself credit for making progress. I get home late from work too and it makes having a good dinner really hard. I try to cook ahead so I just have to re-heat something.
great job being accountable! I had a rough week last week getting over my sugar cravings but they are pretty much gone now! 🙂 I made myself a green smoothie (just greens and milk) when I was craving sugar so at least I was getting more veggies in me and it seems to have worked
I think that small, measurable progress is the best kind and it sets your up for continuing success (I think huge number changes set you up for failure later down the road when that kind of loss isn’t always maintainable.) I love that you’re breaking it down and assessing what went well/badly so that you can change it up!
I am so feeling the sugar cravings, I had gotten into the habit of a piece of chocolate a couple times a day. I got like 3 packs of the dark chocolate balls for Christmas! Ugggh, I feel like I can’t just throw them away. Ok so I’ve done pretty good about drinking my water on the way to work before I have my coffee. Like you, I had gotten into the habit of sipping on coffee all morning and neglecting my water. Congratulations on the progress!
I just found your blog today, and I plan an binge-reading the rest of your posts!! I love your honesty as I am going through the same exact process! I am headed on my first cruise in 25 days, and I was hoping to really focus on clean eating and getting my exercise each day! Thanks for the inspiration!
How exciting. It does sound like you are getting what you want done and good luck with your weight loss journey!
Sounds like a great first week, to me!! Keep up the great work!
Accountable was the perfect word for you this week! Good for you for making it public to hold yourself even more accountable. It looks like all of your numbers are going in the right direction, and even baby steps will get you where you want to be!
Thanks for linking up!
Sounds like you did really well and made some positive changes, so definitely give yourself credit for that.
Its tough. I tend to overeat in the evening, either due to stress or because I didn’t eat enough in the day. I find making an effort to eat more protein or healthy fats holds me over from one meal to the next. We go through avocados in my house like crazy…
I always have a ton of nuts (healthy snacks) and don’t buy the things I know I overeat on. If its not in the house I usually won’t eat it. Might crave it, but won’t eat just anything. Usually.
The list of things that went well for you this week went REALLY well. Hang in there – the first few weeks are always the hardest when you’re trying to train yourself to function and operate in different ways. You’ve already made visible progress in the right direction! (I had weeks of Weight Watchers where despite being very good about my eating, I’d weigh in and see the numbers go the wrong direction.) Our bodies are not machines and there are so many factors to consider! You’re doing great already!
I know people love to eat together but for me, I started this way way way back when. Hubby & I just have different eating schedules. We accepted that we would eat at different times. Taking care of me even in my younger years on the food front. 🙂 I know not everyone can do it but I had to eat when I was ready to eat.
I just started an operation weight loss myself. Here we go!
I am a snacking maniac, so that’s usually my problem. 🙂
I think it’s great that you’re recording how you did, even on a not so great week. And honestly, who can resist crab dip at a party? I know I can’t.
You’ve got this Marcia. It’s only week 1 and I’m betting it will get easier.
Hang in there! Sounds like you got a lot right, it is just so darn hard.
Honestly, I have been trying to lose 10 lbs. for 3 years now. I finally gave up and made five pounds my goal and I hit several times this past year but the second I get there I gain it back…it is just so hard to maintain.
I envy those who never fight this battle.
I am fan of tracking 😉
I have no weightloss goals for this year. I live by the pencil skirt. When it gets to tight I cut back on the wine and snacks and it loosens right back up! Good luck!
Sounds like a great first week! When I wanted to lose weight, I found that logging in everything I ate on MyfitnessPal helped a lot. Looks like you are on the right track and have a great plan. Keep it up!
I’m on the weight loss wagon too and I know it would help to track what I eat, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. I think you had a great first week!
I’m right there with you. Laura’s reset isn’t going so well for me this time around. I’m a slave to stress eating and with this GRE prep and trying to get my act together to apply for school stress is in full effect. Add lack of sleep from working nights and it’s a recipe for disaster. Hoping to start fresh tomorrow!