JD got me a FitBit One for Christmas. It's basically a fancy pedometer plus altimeter. It keeps track of your steps, your mileage, and your elevation climbed. If you wear it on your wrist at night it'll keep track of how often you moved at night. The FitBit folks have done a really good job with this gadget. I clip mine to my bra and leave it on all day, and it's unnoticeable to me except when I'm doing exercises on my belly.
I'm kind of in love with my FitBit. Mostly because I've started losing weight again since I got it. I have long suspected my problem was not eating enough, but nutritionists and the internet and pretty much everybody told me that A) Eat Less and Exercise More is The Way! and B) my body would just reach into my fat reserves on high burn days. I.e. not eating more when you're burning more is just fine.
However, my experience with diets over the last several years has been that I lose weight precipitously for two weeks, and then it stops. For months. Until I finally give up. I lose weight a lot faster than predicted in those first two weeks. I.e. I'm probably burning more than expected. Apparently two weeks is how long it takes my body to go into starvation mode and crash my metabolism.
The FitBit solves this problem for me. FitBit has a website that uses the information from my FitBit (uploaded automatically anytime I'm near my keyboard, which has a Bluetooth gadget on it that talks to my FitBit - it's a USB gadget provided in the FitBit kit. ) And so I check the website and it says "hey, you walked 13 miles today, you should eat 2500 calories rather than 1500!" And then I go have more to eat and in the morning I've lost weight. It's like magic.
The thing is that I'm not exercising more, here. I'm eating more. That's the only thing I've changed. I eat more when the FitBit says to. And I've lost four pounds in the last two weeks. Which, give the previous month of calorie restriction without weight loss, feels like a miracle.
Of course, most folks probably have the opposite problem. Not enough calorie burning. And the FitBit will help them too, by pointing it out. And by saying "You sat and watched tv today, you should eat 1200 calories rather than 1500." But my way is probably more fun.
The FitBit has some other fun features which make me enjoy it, but which don't help my weight loss directly. Like, occasionally it flashes something on its little screen. Like "Smooches". Or "Go Amy!" Which is fun. And the "dashboard", the section of the website that keeps my stats, compares the number of flights of stairs I've climbed to other objects in the world. Like tall giraffes. Or the Eiffel tower. It's always amusing to see what I've "climbed" that day. Yesterday it was the world's tallest bridge.
If you are having frustration with exercise vs diet vs weight loss, I'd recommend giving this gadget a try. It's working for me.
Showing posts with label dieting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dieting. Show all posts
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Saturday, March 10, 2012
The results are in, and they're unimpressive
I'm calling this experiment over. The four pounds I lost in the last month are not sufficient motivation for me to continue a diet with which I'm not particularly happy. I have no issue with egg whites and low fat cheese and lean meat, but I don't want to eat them to the exclusion of so many other things that I like. And I'm tired of not eating "healthy" foods such as carrots and brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes because they dare to have too many carbohydrates in them.
Am I going to eat precisely the way I did before I tried low carb? No, because I liked some of the things I tried. Blackberries and blueberries in my yogurt? Delish! Spiced pumpkin seeds? Totally yummy. Spinach salad? Surprisingly, now a regular thing. Which I like. Do I want to add rice or potatoes to my dinner? Not particularly. Do I wish to eat cereal instead of eggs in the morning? Yes I do.
Mainly I want things like apples and bananas (and mangoes, in season) back in my diet.
Some observations:
1) On a low carb diet, my blood sugar (or rather the observed effects, as I wasn't poking my finger hourly) seemed more stable. Although I prefer cereal in the morning, that egg white omelet does serve me better. As does the spinach in it, probably. But you know what? I don't like cooking in the morning. I just want my dang bowl of high protein, high fiber cereal. Or oatmeal with flaxseed meal in it.
2) For endurance activities, low carb just doesn't do it for me. I started supplementing my activities with higher carbohydrate snacks (or mixes such as trail mix, which have both sugary dried fruit for short term energy and proteiny/fatty nuts for long term energy) if they were going to last more than about 90 minutes. And as you might have noticed, some of my activities last a LOT longer than 90 minutes. 8-10 hours is fairly normal for me on backpacking days. 14 hour days happen.
3) Even with all the vegetables I was eating (A LOT) I had a hard time getting in enough fiber. Whole grains and beans are key, for me. And those flax muffins? Edible, but not enticing.
4) I liked the extra veggies. I intend to keep having them.
5) It can be very difficult to avoid both real sugar and artificial sweeteners. Upon carefully reading labels, I find sucralose and aspartame in almost everything. Even in foods that are also sweetened with real sugar (or high fructose corn syrup).
So, with a heartfelt sigh, I am going back to just counting calories and eating a more normal ratio protein/carbohydrate/fat. And probably not losing weight. And trying not to feel bad about it. And the REASON I'm trying to not feel too bad about it is that 8-10 hours of hiking. I figure, if I can do that and feel good, then I'm pretty much okay.
Next up, probably? How annoying it is to try to figure out how much food you're eating when you're not eating something prepackaged.
PS: Remember to change your clocks tonight.
PPS: I might ride a horse tomorrow.
PPPS: Backpacking next weekend woo!
Am I going to eat precisely the way I did before I tried low carb? No, because I liked some of the things I tried. Blackberries and blueberries in my yogurt? Delish! Spiced pumpkin seeds? Totally yummy. Spinach salad? Surprisingly, now a regular thing. Which I like. Do I want to add rice or potatoes to my dinner? Not particularly. Do I wish to eat cereal instead of eggs in the morning? Yes I do.
Mainly I want things like apples and bananas (and mangoes, in season) back in my diet.
Some observations:
1) On a low carb diet, my blood sugar (or rather the observed effects, as I wasn't poking my finger hourly) seemed more stable. Although I prefer cereal in the morning, that egg white omelet does serve me better. As does the spinach in it, probably. But you know what? I don't like cooking in the morning. I just want my dang bowl of high protein, high fiber cereal. Or oatmeal with flaxseed meal in it.
2) For endurance activities, low carb just doesn't do it for me. I started supplementing my activities with higher carbohydrate snacks (or mixes such as trail mix, which have both sugary dried fruit for short term energy and proteiny/fatty nuts for long term energy) if they were going to last more than about 90 minutes. And as you might have noticed, some of my activities last a LOT longer than 90 minutes. 8-10 hours is fairly normal for me on backpacking days. 14 hour days happen.
3) Even with all the vegetables I was eating (A LOT) I had a hard time getting in enough fiber. Whole grains and beans are key, for me. And those flax muffins? Edible, but not enticing.
4) I liked the extra veggies. I intend to keep having them.
5) It can be very difficult to avoid both real sugar and artificial sweeteners. Upon carefully reading labels, I find sucralose and aspartame in almost everything. Even in foods that are also sweetened with real sugar (or high fructose corn syrup).
So, with a heartfelt sigh, I am going back to just counting calories and eating a more normal ratio protein/carbohydrate/fat. And probably not losing weight. And trying not to feel bad about it. And the REASON I'm trying to not feel too bad about it is that 8-10 hours of hiking. I figure, if I can do that and feel good, then I'm pretty much okay.
Next up, probably? How annoying it is to try to figure out how much food you're eating when you're not eating something prepackaged.
PS: Remember to change your clocks tonight.
PPS: I might ride a horse tomorrow.
PPPS: Backpacking next weekend woo!
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Pumpkorn would be a good name for a band
Do you ever have days where you never really wake up? I'm having one of those days. Even though I have cooked and hiked and driven and done dishes, I'm not really awake. I caught sight of myself in the rear view mirror and I have pouches under my eyes, as if I had just spent 48 hours awake. When in fact I got 10 hours of sleep last night.
I'm on day 5 of trying to eat fewer carbohydrates, and so far I have irritated everybody who has ever been born, and also some zygotes. For instance they say "Would you like a brownie?" And then their brows furrow with consternation as I explain that I'm eating low carb, and I'd rather have a bunch of spinach. And some almonds. Eating different food from everybody else is a little bit trying. I suppose I've just given myself a valuable life lesson in what it's like to be a vegan, strict kosher, gluten free, or other strict diet type eater. I'm sorry, y'all. I'm sure it's hard for you. And you're probably not just doing it on a whim, either.
The thing is that my whim is working out pretty well. It's easier to eat less when I'm eating a lot of fat and protein. More satiety. Also, in the last 5 days I've lost 2 pounds. That might not seem like much to you, but I've spent much of the last year not losing ANY pounds while eating a low fat, low calorie diet, and exercising vigorously. So to me this is a minor miracle.
It is an unnatural way to eat, for me. I couldn't do it at all if I didn't have supplemental enzymes to take with meals. (Because of my nonfunctional digestive processes, I can't eat very much fat without pain. Say, six grams at a time. Supplemental enzymes fix that. ) But I do, and I am. And so far so good. I guess I'll see what happens in the next few weeks.
I'm trying different foods, and of course not eating things like bread and pasta, so my plates sure look different. For snacking I picked up some Pumpkorn, which are yummy spiced pumpkin seeds. I got Adobo Chile flavor and they're so, so good. I also tried a recipe for a homemade MIM (muffin in a minute) microwave muffin. It was horrible. I'm going to try another variation tonight, because the idea is enticing. I suppose if it is also horrible I will give up. Which would be sad, because it's a nutritional powerhouse.
Oh, also? It would appear that Uncle Sam has done something odd with taxes, because JD and I have been withholding the same way for years, and this time we owe very much when normally we don't. Or perhaps it's not Uncle Sam's fault, but the point remains that we are going to be handing over a large chunk o' cash to the IRS soon, and we are not best pleased. And we need to change our withholding.
I'm on day 5 of trying to eat fewer carbohydrates, and so far I have irritated everybody who has ever been born, and also some zygotes. For instance they say "Would you like a brownie?" And then their brows furrow with consternation as I explain that I'm eating low carb, and I'd rather have a bunch of spinach. And some almonds. Eating different food from everybody else is a little bit trying. I suppose I've just given myself a valuable life lesson in what it's like to be a vegan, strict kosher, gluten free, or other strict diet type eater. I'm sorry, y'all. I'm sure it's hard for you. And you're probably not just doing it on a whim, either.
The thing is that my whim is working out pretty well. It's easier to eat less when I'm eating a lot of fat and protein. More satiety. Also, in the last 5 days I've lost 2 pounds. That might not seem like much to you, but I've spent much of the last year not losing ANY pounds while eating a low fat, low calorie diet, and exercising vigorously. So to me this is a minor miracle.
It is an unnatural way to eat, for me. I couldn't do it at all if I didn't have supplemental enzymes to take with meals. (Because of my nonfunctional digestive processes, I can't eat very much fat without pain. Say, six grams at a time. Supplemental enzymes fix that. ) But I do, and I am. And so far so good. I guess I'll see what happens in the next few weeks.
I'm trying different foods, and of course not eating things like bread and pasta, so my plates sure look different. For snacking I picked up some Pumpkorn, which are yummy spiced pumpkin seeds. I got Adobo Chile flavor and they're so, so good. I also tried a recipe for a homemade MIM (muffin in a minute) microwave muffin. It was horrible. I'm going to try another variation tonight, because the idea is enticing. I suppose if it is also horrible I will give up. Which would be sad, because it's a nutritional powerhouse.
Oh, also? It would appear that Uncle Sam has done something odd with taxes, because JD and I have been withholding the same way for years, and this time we owe very much when normally we don't. Or perhaps it's not Uncle Sam's fault, but the point remains that we are going to be handing over a large chunk o' cash to the IRS soon, and we are not best pleased. And we need to change our withholding.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
All that and a bag of chips
My dinner tonight is two beers and a bag of chips. Three beers if I get all crazy, and I can face the hangover tomorrow. On a workday. Possibly I should stick with two. The problem is that beer interferes with your judgment. By the end of two beers it might seem perfectly reasonable to have three beers. And so on.
In theory this is in honor of being part Irish but really I just like beer. Especially this beer. Also, my mom likes it so you know it's good. Is there anything better than a mom endorsement?
The chips are the result of poor judgment and beer. I should have had vegetables and lean protein. But I'm a rebel. I crave fried potato products, dammit. And fried other things. Cabbage. Sweet potatoes. Snickers. Hot dogs. Mac and cheese (if you are at a Renaissance Festival.) (Actually I don't like mac and cheese that much, but they do fry it.) Also tempura fried veggies.
Ah, that was a nice trip down gustatory lane. I'm not having any of those other things, but I enjoyed thinking about them.
I'm not having them because I'm on a diet. I didn't think I was actually losing weight, but actually it was just happening so slowly that I didn't notice. Turns out I'm losing about half a pound a week. I suppose that's good and healthy-like. It is frustratingly slow, though. I like to exercise and I have a very hard time losing weight while doing so. The other option is minimal exercise and quick weight loss. That would quickly result in a skinny but insane me.
Pluto's progress has slowed way down. He still has a lump. It's less than golf ball sized, but larger than grape. And I can't get in touch with the vet to ask about his bloodwork. I am frustrated on the veterinary front.
But soon I will be in the woods where I hope to evade my frustrations. Yay for weekends and backpacking!
In theory this is in honor of being part Irish but really I just like beer. Especially this beer. Also, my mom likes it so you know it's good. Is there anything better than a mom endorsement?
The chips are the result of poor judgment and beer. I should have had vegetables and lean protein. But I'm a rebel. I crave fried potato products, dammit. And fried other things. Cabbage. Sweet potatoes. Snickers. Hot dogs. Mac and cheese (if you are at a Renaissance Festival.) (Actually I don't like mac and cheese that much, but they do fry it.) Also tempura fried veggies.
Ah, that was a nice trip down gustatory lane. I'm not having any of those other things, but I enjoyed thinking about them.
I'm not having them because I'm on a diet. I didn't think I was actually losing weight, but actually it was just happening so slowly that I didn't notice. Turns out I'm losing about half a pound a week. I suppose that's good and healthy-like. It is frustratingly slow, though. I like to exercise and I have a very hard time losing weight while doing so. The other option is minimal exercise and quick weight loss. That would quickly result in a skinny but insane me.
Pluto's progress has slowed way down. He still has a lump. It's less than golf ball sized, but larger than grape. And I can't get in touch with the vet to ask about his bloodwork. I am frustrated on the veterinary front.
But soon I will be in the woods where I hope to evade my frustrations. Yay for weekends and backpacking!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Four cats are trying to prevent me from typing.
I stayed home from work today. I'm not very sick, visibly, but I have a definite "run over by a truck" feeling. I got dressed, put my shoes on, ate breakfast, packed a lunch, took a dayquil, and waited to feel well enough to drive. And after half an hour I realized that wasn't going to happen so I emailed in sick. I did a little bit of work from home, but eventually gave up and went back to bed.
I woke up thinking that I must have sweated a lot, because the bedroom had that distinctive beef taco smell. You probably have no idea what I'm talking about unless you're a hiker. But sweaty unwashed human smells a lot like beef taco.
As my head cleared a little I realized that the smell was not coming from me. JD was cooking. I dragged downstairs and found not beef taco, but pepper crusted beef tenderloin. Yay! What a pleasantly tasty surprise. ( And far, far better than what I had imagined five minutes before.) He also cooked up roasted brussels sprouts and some mashed potatoes. What a delight! And he wrote everything out for me in ounces so I could add it to Sparkpeople. How did I get lucky enough to marry a guy who's a good cook AND kind enough to help me with my dieting at the same time?
I'm still trying to get a handle on this dieting thing. The doc asked me to cut back on carbohydrates, especially refined carbohydrates, to get my A1C level down. But I went too far the other direction. I ended up having both a bowl of cereal and a bag of popcorn after dinner to get up to the minimum level of carbohydrates according to Sparkpeople. Then their nagging software said to stick to over 120 grams a day, and I was actually at 170, so I guess I could have skipped the cereal. :)
The house is nearly de-Christmased. By the weekend we should have all the external lights in boxes and maybe even have the boxes back to the basement. We always miss a few things and end up with a small stash of Christmas paraphernalia that sits on a shelf upstairs all year, and generally we forget it by the following Christmas. So I guess on average my house is getting more Christmas-y every year.
I woke up thinking that I must have sweated a lot, because the bedroom had that distinctive beef taco smell. You probably have no idea what I'm talking about unless you're a hiker. But sweaty unwashed human smells a lot like beef taco.
As my head cleared a little I realized that the smell was not coming from me. JD was cooking. I dragged downstairs and found not beef taco, but pepper crusted beef tenderloin. Yay! What a pleasantly tasty surprise. ( And far, far better than what I had imagined five minutes before.) He also cooked up roasted brussels sprouts and some mashed potatoes. What a delight! And he wrote everything out for me in ounces so I could add it to Sparkpeople. How did I get lucky enough to marry a guy who's a good cook AND kind enough to help me with my dieting at the same time?
I'm still trying to get a handle on this dieting thing. The doc asked me to cut back on carbohydrates, especially refined carbohydrates, to get my A1C level down. But I went too far the other direction. I ended up having both a bowl of cereal and a bag of popcorn after dinner to get up to the minimum level of carbohydrates according to Sparkpeople. Then their nagging software said to stick to over 120 grams a day, and I was actually at 170, so I guess I could have skipped the cereal. :)
The house is nearly de-Christmased. By the weekend we should have all the external lights in boxes and maybe even have the boxes back to the basement. We always miss a few things and end up with a small stash of Christmas paraphernalia that sits on a shelf upstairs all year, and generally we forget it by the following Christmas. So I guess on average my house is getting more Christmas-y every year.
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