After months off track, I hit a frustration point over the weekend. By Saturday night I was utterly run down, and we went to bed around 9am. The next morning, I still felt terrible. It could have been food poisoning, or it could have been a cumulative load of stress and crud that maxed me out. I wouldn’t call it “rock bottom” but it was a floor of sorts, and it prompted a change.
I hovered near the bathroom all day Sunday, determined that things needed to change.
So, I weighed myself Monday morning – 467; ouch – and made a couple of commitments: No energy drinks. Fill out my food diary. Aim for 2000 calories intake, with macro skew toward protein.
A lot of Monday was spent drinking as much water as I could stand, and making a lot of bathroom breaks, flushing out most of the weekend bloat. I finished the day with 2000 calories on the dot. “Clean eaters” would take issue with some of my choices, but I kept the goal simple. 2000 calories isn’t starvation, but it’s well below where I’ve been eating as I’ve packed on the pounds.
The next day I aimed for the same. I did too well; I had under 1600 calories, and didn’t feel all that hungry. I’ve noticed this tendency – when the Sugar Pit isn’t in control, my appetite is lower, and hunger doesn’t necessarily mean a desire to eat.
Yesterday I weighed myself, and was under 460. I’m well aware how much of that was simply flushed waste, but even the reduction in solid and liquid waste backlog made a difference in how I felt. I was over 2000 calories yesterday but we were out doing errands – DMV, adoption interviews – and our earlier meals weren’t really enough. We stopped for dinner to avoid traffic, and ended up at a gourmet hot dog place. I had mac & cheese and a big hot dog. What put me over the top was the soda, but not by much. I stuck with sprite and root beer, though. All in all, I’d consider it a three day streak on the new push. Today I’m on a good pace to finish near or under 2000 calories.
I haven’t put activity on my week’s goals; I didn’t feel ready to do that. I do hope to hit the pool tonight, but as with my push last April, I started with dietary changes for a few days first. Shakeology is back on the menu. Monster is out.
I’m not sleeping well – eating less often does this to me – but for the moment it’s a small price.
450 is a key weight point for me, I’ve noticed. Above that, and I struggle with some daily activities. Below that, and things feel easier. It’s less than ten pounds away, and feels like a good first goal. I haven’t seen the south side of it in weeks, but I believe I can break that number in about four weeks. 17 pounds sounded hard, but 9 pounds in four weeks is a reasonable pace.