dianaschnuth

I was listening to the Reasonable Diet’s Six Minutes of Sanity podcast recently, when Sandra Ahten talked about her I-Week diet. The idea is to eat for one week in a way that reduces cravings. I listened to her talk about the brown rice and lean protein and fruits and veggies that are allowed on this one-week retraining of sorts, and the sugar and flour and processed foods that aren’t, and I thought, “I can do that!” After all, it’s not *that* much different from how I eat anyway, and I really don’t have that many cravings. Right?

Wrong.

The I-Week diet is turning into the “I weak” diet for me so far. Monday’s diet log was marred only by imitation crab, a processed food that really should not have been my midnight snack. Tuesday saw some sugar-free preserves, another processed food, but the major departure came when I started craving sweets after dinner. I tried Sandra’s Sweet Spiced Rice recipe, which wasn’t bad… but what was really calling my name was the Rocky Road light ice cream bars in the freezer. Yes, I caved. And then I ate more imitation crab before bed.

Today was on its way to being my comeback, until a surprise pizza party was announced — and who can resist a pizza party? Not me, not anymore. Three or four years ago, in the throes of Atkins, when I thought that any inflated amount of carbs would take me back to 250 lbs (do not pass Go, do not collect $200), I would have eaten what I brought for lunch and the pizza would not have even been a temptation. Now that my attitude has changed, though — one day of being bad won’t kill me — I find it harder and harder to resist yummy evilness. So, I pitched in my two bucks and am eagerly awaiting some BBQ chicken pizza.

Tomorrow is a building-wide informal banquet, and I’m not sure what the Fun Team™ is planning for that. I’m guessing that whole wheat products and lean protein are not on the menu, though. But I’m still going to partake. Friday evening, I’ll be heading down to BG to meet some friends from work. Friday is most people’s last day, plus there are several birthdays being celebrated, so I’ve been planning to join the normal weekly celebration for once.

So, basically, this week is practice. I’m following the Scott Smith rule of “be more gooder than you are badder,” and that’s keeping me from feeling like a total flop.

(Incidentally? I unsubscribed from the Motivation to Move podcast when I started feeling like there were more commercials for the Premium Membership than there was real content. Even the listener e-mails were thinly-veiled commercials for the other products he offers. Once I stopped being motivated and started being annoyed, I unsubscribed. I’m sure he’s doing well enough that one less subscriber to his free feed certainly won’t be noticed.)

While I am proud of myself for maintaining my weight for some time now (within five pounds of 200 for about the past year, after re-losing ten pounds that crept up on me), I’m ready to get down below being on the verge of obesity.

Or am I? Apparently, I’m not ready enough.

Body recomposition is a noble goal.

However, it is no longer a goal of mine. Not a primary goal, anyway.

Matter of fact, I think I’m going to take a breather from attempting active weight loss for a while. I’ll still “eat right,” which is to say that I’ll be eating four or five meals a day, each with an element of protein and healthy carbohydrate, and I’ll avoid sugars and other undesirable carbs, and I’ll drink between 8 to 10 glasses of water per day. I just won’t be following a specific regimen for the time being.

As far as exercise goes, I’m going to wait until I figure out my aikido schedule before I start working out at home again. Aikido seems to be a great lower body workout, and a decent cardio workout, as well (for now). First, I need to determine how sore I’ll be for how long after each class, and whether I can manage both Mondays and Wednesdays or whether I’ll have to choose one or the other, then I’ll plan out some upper body and NordicTrack training schedules at home.

I think my weight is fluctuating due to my swollen muscles, possibly. I think that’s how it works, anyway. At any rate, the morning after the first day I went to aikido, my weight had been down almost to the pre-Japan-trip mark. Granted, I lost my lunch during class, and didn’t eat dinner after, so that could have something to do with it. The following day, I jumped up by a staggering five pounds in one day, back up about the 200-mark. Then, the next day, I gained another two pounds. I’ve been steadily losing again since, but it’s mighty frustrating to be eating right and exercising and not seeing the results I’d like, as fast as I’d like.

So, I need some time to regroup. I have some other things to focus on, and BFL is just going to have to wait. For now, my exercise regimen is aikido, my other main focus is job-hunting, and I deal with other issues as they arise.

(Like tonight’s issue of the Googlebot using up all of the LSM site’s remaining bandwidth for the month in one fell swoop. Thanks, Google. *sigh*)

Time to turn off the computer and start winding down for the night. I’m going to crash good tonight.

Official weight: 199 pounds. Up half a pound from last week. (Today’s unofficial weight was 200.)

I took my body fat reading this morning, too, just because I was curious and didn’t want to wait another week. It started at 31.8%, and kept dropping each successive reading, until by the fourth reading it said 31.2%. I figure I’m below 32%, at least, maybe closer to 31.5%. I seem to be losing body fat, at any rate, which is good.

I’ve been slacking on the diet still, not as diligent about sticking to the Approved Foods List as I was, and that’s obvious from my results. I’ve been slacking a little on the workouts, too, but that’s mainly been since Monday. With my new workout possibility of Aikido, I’ll probably end up making myself a new schedule of exercise that doesn’t conform exactly to the BFL guidelines. (I’m probably not going to be too keen on doing a two hour Aikido practice, then coming straight home and doing 45 minutes of strength training, then promptly going to bed.)

My attitude this week has been pretty overwhelmingly defeatist. I had a super depressed stretch there, and I’ve been really irritable lately, and I’m not sure where this is all stemming from. Maybe it’s The Pill; maybe it’s stress that I’m ignoring; maybe it’s a combination of things. All I know is that I’m tired of being irritable and defensive toward Aaron all the time. Maybe getting back on the wagon will help level out my moods.

I was almost ready to quit the BFL program this weekend until I got my official entry kit in the mail, complete with postcard to send in to confirm my participation in the program. I filled it out and sent it in, kind of half-heartedly. I don’t want to be a quitter, but I do want to see some results. Here’s hoping that next week’s progress photos will provide the results I’m seeking…

This evening, I did something I should have done two weeks ago: a full-body measurement. Mainly for my own record-keeping purposes, here are the results:

Weight: 198.5 lbs
Neck: 14″
Bust (around the fullest part): 43″ or 44″
Chest (below the boobs, not the armpits): 37″ or 38″
(I measured twice, and I came up with different measurements for my bust and chest.)
Upper Waist (the narrowest part): 37″
Lower Waist (where my pants live): 42″
Hips: 48″
Upper Arm: 13″
Lower Arm: 10.5″
Thigh: 25″
Calf: 15.75″

(Just look at those measurements. Hi, I’m the spokesmodel for the Pear Shape. *sigh* BTW, for anyone who doesn’t know me personally, I’m 5’10” tall, so at least I’ve got that on my side.)

For those who might be keeping score, my last official set of full-body measurements was posted in May 2006, almost exactly 13 months ago. Overall, I’ve lost thirteen pounds in thirteen months, plus about an inch off all major measurements. Man, it feels like my hip measurement should have changed more than it did, because I have quite a bit of loose skin around my belly button. Weird.

I’ve been freeforming the diet just a little, not planning everything every day, mainly due to me being a dork and spending too long at the computer at night. I mean to give myself time to write out the next day’s meals and exercise, plus pack my lunch and snacks, but it doesn’t always happen. I haven’t been too evil, though; the worst thing I could accuse myself of is not eating enough protein. My “default diet” seems to be fruit and Ostrims, if I don’t have time to make something proper for lunch.

Cardio is and always has been my downfall. Even back when I was in my best shape ever, I absolutely hated running. I’ve always preferred resistance training to aerobics. Maybe that explains some things. Anyway, I’ve been enjoying the weight training part of the program, and neglecting the cardio. I just can’t make myself go run around the block or drive to the park, and the trampoline is so God-awful boring sometimes. I know. I need to get over it.

This past weekend, while we were visiting the bookstore at the mall (where I bought both Men’s Health and Women’s Health magazines), we swung past the Dick’s Sporting Goods that’s next door. I bought not only the equipment I’d said I needed before — namely, two more 10# plates, new dumbbell bars, and a heavy resistance band — but I also got myself a 75cm stability ball. That thing rules in so many ways. Between that and my new bands (complete with door anchor!), I can do almost all of the exercises I’d poo-poohed before as being impossible without gym equipment. Cable pulls, back extensions, leg presses… yeah. I’m good to go.

I’m not overly upset about the scale only moving one pound since last week’s weigh-in. I *feel* firmer. My stomach feels more solid (to me, anyway). My legs definitely feel more solid. It won’t be long before something kicks in (probably my cardio workouts) and the fat starts to melt off and leave behind the muscle I’m building.

It’s still early in the game, but I feel positive about things. Not just weight loss, but Things In General.

Yeah… it’s all good.

I’ve been completely exhausted for the last two days now, and it’s not casting a positive light on my feelings for my one-week mark on the Body for Life diet. I’ve even resorted to caffeine — Diet Mountain Dew. Add to that a less-than-stellar weight-loss for the week, and little to no change in my body fat reading, and I’m a little disenchanted. That doesn’t mean I’m quitting, though.

This week’s official weight: 199.5 lbs. That’s a one and a half pound loss from my official starting weight of 201 last Tuesday, even though last Wednesday charted me at 200 even. My body fat percentage hasn’t changed much yet: last Tuesday’s reading was just over 31%, last Wednesday’s reading was just over 32%, and yesterday’s one-week reading was 32.8%. Granted, my Omron Body Fat Analyzer is really only good for a guesstimate, so I should probably go easy on the body fat readings and only do them with my monthly photos.

I’ve read online that a lot of BFL participants don’t experience any actual weight loss; the major change is in body composition. Fat takes up five times the volume of muscle, after all, so losing a given amount of fat and gaining the equivalent weight in muscle would make a huge difference.

I do have a couple of visible, non-number-related goals for this 12-week program:

1. To have my thighs not touch at the top when I stand with my feet shoulder-width apart
2. For my upper arms to be the same shape (or close to it) when my arms are raised and when they’re down at my sides (i.e. no more embarrassing arm-fat expansion when my arms are pressed against my sides)

I think those are reasonable expectations for a 12-week weight-training program, really.

We made a run to Dick’s Sporting Goods this past weekend, and got me a couple of 10-pound plates for my dumbbells and a couple of spring-loaded weight collars to replace my lame ones that require tools in order to change plates. I was a big dork, though, and didn’t heed Aaron’s repeated question of “Are you sure that’s all you need?”

I’m planning to go back to Dick’s on Thursday or Friday and buy myself two more 10-pound plates (you need TWO pairs of plates for dumbbells, silly), new dumbbell bars with threaded collars (the clips don’t quite fit on my paint-chipped garage-sale bars), and a stronger resistance band (mainly for leg presses — my quads are getting neglected, compared to everything else). After that, I should be good to go for a while. That’ll give me dumbbells ranging from 5 lbs to 35 lbs, with the plates I already have, and that should be sufficient for my needs for at least another couple few weeks.

The diet has been going well, for the most part. I’m taking advantage of the Cheat Day aspect of the program, and saving all my evil cravings for Saturdays (except the dark chocolate that got the best of me yesterday). I’m eating six small meals a day, which seems like a lot, even though the meals are small. I *am* enjoying getting to eat sweet potatoes and pasta again, even in small portions.

Even though the scale hasn’t seen much action, I still *feel* better (apart from being tired these past few days). I stand taller, I feel firmer, and my muscles are pleasantly sore almost all the time with all this working out I’ve been doing.

I can dig it.