Operation MILF: Week 6: Know You

I’ve been thinking about my diet philosophy, and the more I think about it the more I like it. Well, I’m not saying I’m the Aristotle of weight-loss or anything, but I have lost the same 20 pounds like, 3 times, so I THINK I know what I’m talking about. :p  And honestly, I only know what I’m talking about in terms of ME. What I do is what I’ve done in the past and what works for me, at least to a point. It’s important to know and realize what is realistic for YOU. Is your diet program something you can sustain? Is it something you will stick to FOR-EV-ER (in Squints’ Sandlot voice)? I understand doing something a bit more drastic or limiting when you’re trying to lose weight, but if you’re cutting out sugar or bread or dairy or what have you for the sole purpose of weight loss and plan to reintroduce it when you’re at goal – or (*cough*) binge on it in a weak moment during your weight loss journey – it may not be the best tactic. Now, I’ve gained the weight back a couple times, but it’s because I stopped doing anything healthy. I didn’t work out and/or ate whatever the hell I wanted day in and day out, and when I did “try” I stuck with it for a few days at best.  My “diet” is actually pretty simple – eat whatever, so long as I’m under my calorie limit for the day. Requires counting, but it’s not that hard- I used to do it in a notebook before these fancy smartphones.

I know myself, and cutting out bread or chocolate or dairy or bacon or whatever is just plain not gonna work. I wanna enjoy my fun size Twix and occasional bowl of ice cream, or a nice juicy burger.  And there’s nothing wrong with that. By allowing myself these things I don’t feel guilty when I have them, and I can eat them without thinking my whole day is shot and falling off the wagon.

I cut out a lotta cr@p while I was nursing my son. It blew. But I did it- funny how I have willpower of steel when my kid’s poop is at stake. I craved cheese and cupcakes the whooooole time. I ate a LOT of corn chips and salsa during those 3 months, and lunch meat, and apples and peanut butter. At my low I was 12 lbs under my pre-pregnancy weight – thanks to my breast-feeding diet and nursing, plus a lil bit of not having time to eat sprinkled in. But as soon as I threw in the towel on that whole mess my first meal was fried mozzarella sticks, buffalo wings with ranch dressing, fries, and ice cream for dessert. I quickly put on 12 lbs of what I lost after I got rid of those first 7 lb 10 oz in November and was back to my pre-pregnancy weight (which I know is still awesome for just 4-5 months post-partum since I was a healthy weight to start with). I know that cutting things out completely is just not my thing- I won’t stick to that unless my kid’s poop depends on it.  If you can 86 the dairy like you’re lactose-intolerant without or kick gluten to the curb like you have Celiac’s Disease, more power to you because your willpower is impressive. You’ll probably be successful. If you plan to cut out cheese but have wet dreams about nachos, maybe re-think it. If you tell yourself no ice cream but you’d shave your head for a Klondike Bar, perhaps explore other options.
Know what works for you and do it. Fad diets & cleanses can keep you interested for a minute or two and maybe even help you drop a few pounds, but are they sustainable? Will you keep the weight off when they’re over?

Here’s my weekly update below. Friend me on MyFitnessPal: Roach621. 

Saturday 8/22– weighed in at a 4.4 lb total loss since I started.  I’ll be happy when I can say I’ve lost 5…which seems like a teeny tiny amount to be happy about actually. Oh well, the positive is I didn’t have 50 or even 15 to lose.  I was aiming to lose between 5 and 10 and get some muscle back. The last few pounds are always the slowest, right? Got my nap time workout in (Insanity: Plyo, 30 min)- thanks, Shaun T! He seems happy about it, too. Hallelujah!  

Sunday 8/23–  weighed in 0.8 up from yesterday…dumb. 10,000+ steps with a trip to the Sedgwick County Zoo here in Wichita. I feel like I’ve eaten light, however, I was over on calories by about 100. Hm. Considering I’m rarely ever at 1400 or below I’m even less excited at the prospect of lowering my limit to 1300. Back in the day I was doing 1500 and plateaued then dropped to 1300 and voilà- weight loss ensued once again. Maybe I’ll see what a solid week of 1400/day does for me. Well a solid week minus today…and minus Saturday, because that’s the Pub Crawl for Cancer and food is a must when you’re dealing with that much beer. 

Monday 8/24– so I’ve found the secret to weight loss! DEHYDRATION! I know I lay the sarcasm on pretty thick and it should be obvious that I don’t recommend dehydrating yourself for weight loss, but I’m gonna anyway. Totally sarcasm. I was thirsty when I was up late working on some CMAs and listing paperwork, but I was too lazy to get up and get some water. Didn’t think I was 2 lbs short, though. I’m sure I’ll be back up to a 4 lb total loss tomorrow. 😛  Insanity: Pure Cardio, 25 min.  My food intake is lowwww. Not intentionally, just kinda how today went. The morning started a lil late due to a teething baby’s need to wake up and eat at an unusual time so he slept a lil later this morning (not really complaining)…had afternoon and evening listing & buyer appointments so grabbed a salad mid-afternoon at Whole Foods by my office (totally guessed on calories but I think 350 would be high)…got home late so just made an egg & cheese English muffin sandwich for dinner (quick & easy)…and picked up my pops from the airport late so I wasn’t sitting around thinking about snacking (thumbs up). So I’m under 1,000 calories for the day, which I don’t condone. It just kinda happened today without me trying. And MFP gets maaaaad… 

 Tomorrow’s a new day, MFP…I’ll be back to my old self soon. No need to yell.

Tuesday, 8/25– weighed in at a 6.2 lb total loss today (up 0.2 from yesterday).  Insanity: Cardio Power & Resistance, 25 min. Had to take a diaper-changing, bottle-making break part way through, but ended up finishing.  Kept to 1400 calories and made an effort to drink more water today. 

Wednesday 8/26– Weighed in at a 6.6 lb total loss. Yay! Kinda crazy. The last few days have been a lb or 2 lower than I’ve been for weeks. Not exactly sure why, but I’ve had a pretty decent week in terms of diet and exercise so maybe I’ve let my weight recover from last week’s debacle. Whateva, I’ll take it. 🙂 I kept the boy outta daycare today, and was able to get my workout in at nap time. I went for a Month 2 Insanity: Max Interval Circuit, 44 min (usually a 60 min workout, but I skipped the stretches and I subtracted time for the 30-sec rests and Shaun T’s long first set explanations). D@mn, I forgot how much crazier month 2 is…more & longer rounds, heavier breathing, and drippier sweat. Felt good! Stayed at 1400 calories today, but dinner was pasta and it’s sitting like a lump in my stomach right now.

Thursday 8/27– up 0.8 lbs today. Slept through my time to workout, so I guess I’m taking a rest day. The boy even slept through the night like a CHAMP (7:45p-7:15!!!…never thought I’d see the day…) and I still couldn’t muster the energy to get up early enough to workout. Oh well, I’m a fan of the rest day. Even though I feel like a fatty.  After eating dinner I’d only eaten about 800 calories (not planned!), but I kept snacking and drank a couple Jack & Cokes and got up to 1200. There’s only so much snacking you can do between 8-10 pm.

Friday 8/28– 6.6 lb total loss since start of week 1. Woo! I think I’m finally past the 4 lb loss plateau. 20 min on the treadmill + leg day. Slightly over calories, but only by a drink. :p  Tomorrow is the pub crawl soooooo….my celebration may be short-lived. Because Imma eat, drink, and be merry. Cheat day! And I think “cheat days” are silly.