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Priority One – Protein

After my last scan showed muscle loss, I decided that the MOST important thing I would track is my protein intake.  I upped my target grams of protein as well as my calories.  Protein is also good for weight loss because it is so satiating – a fancy way of saying it keeps you full.  I also find that it is pretty hard to overeat protein.  

 So how to get more protein?

One of the easiest ways is simply to increase the portion size of the protein you already eat.  – 5 oz of chicken instead of 4, 1 cup of yogurt instead of ½, add egg whites to your omelet.  You get the idea.  Susan Niebergall, certified personal trainer and strength coach, suggests making a protein cheat sheet to help you plan your protein daily intake.  

Eat a high protein snack instead of a high carb snack.  Chicken of the Sea Tuna Infusions are my go-to afternoon snack.  Pouches of tuna work as well. Turkey roll-ups are another good option.  Cottage cheese - if you like it, I don���t.  Watch the nuts as the calories add up quick!

I also eat protein-enriched pasta, sprouted breads, etc.

I eat yogurt for “dessert”.  I add my own fruit and a bit of honey or eat Oikos triple zero or Dannon Light and Lively.

Protein bars - I eat these as a last resort as most of them are highly processed and very high in calories but if you find one you like and it fits in your calories/points, they can be a life-savor.

Protein Powder – I am not a fan of drinking protein shakes – but I add it to my oatmeal or yogurt.  If you like smoothies, they make a great addition to smoothies.  There are literally hundreds of smoothie recipes online. Just watch the calories.  

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one meal at a time, one day at a time, one workout at a time.  

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Schedule your workouts in your calendar and mark yourself as BUSY.

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Challenge results are in!!

As I mentioned before, I was participating in a “New Year, New You” challenge at my gym.  For me, this was a way to continue the momentum I had during the “Maintain During the Holidays Challenge” where I actually LOST weight during the holidays.  

I was really consistent during this last stretch.  I was tracking my food.  Staying within my points (with weeklies).  My workouts – I felt stronger – particularly some of my weight training sessions.  My home scale showed a steady loss for the whole six weeks.  I was starting to feel, dare I say it, a bit sexy again.  I was feeling upbeat about my challenge results body scan.

 And….

I was soooo disappointed. Of the 6 pounds, I lost according to the scan, only one half – 3 pounds was fat.  The other three pounds was muscle.  Only .5% body fat reduction.  In the previous challenge, I lost 2.7% body fat.  I was so bummed.  I had my scan in the morning and all day I kept fixating on the measly .5% of fat loss. I went to the gym after work as usual, but my heart wasn’t really in it.  

I came home, made some dinner and downloaded my scan data.  I entered it into my spreadsheet and I looked at some other numbers.  Overall, since November 18, I have lost 10 lbs of fat. My body fat percentage is the lowest it has been since I got my first scan at this gym in May of 2019.  I lost 2 inches off my waist, 1½ inches off both my hips and abdomen.  And my clothes reflect that – I am down a whole size – both top and bottoms.  No scan can erase the real accomplishments I made in the gym - the sumo squat with 50 lbs, 100 squats with a 35 lb bar, and chest press using 25lb dumbbells.  With a bigger picture perspective, I realized that one number from one machine doesn’t tell the whole story. It doesn’t indicate failure.  

I would tell my best friend that this is a journey.  And it is not a smooth downhill road.  There will be curves and bumps in the road.  But you don’t stop and you don’t turn back.  You may have to slow down a bit but you keep going.  And that is what I told myself after the initial disappointment wore off.  I will slow down.  I had already decided to go on maintenance calories after the challenge was over.   I need a break. I am going to prioritize protein but not measure everything.  I will exercise because I enjoy it not to lose weight and I will give myself credit for making good choices not making good numbers.  

Are you letting one number – maybe weight, or size or age, or paycheck – tell your whole story - determine if you are a success?  Take a look at the whole picture – all the numbers – all your accomplishments.  

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Butterflies and Caterpillars

“When she transformed into a butterfly, the caterpillars spoke not of her beauty, but of her weirdness. They wanted her to change back to what she always had been.  But she had wings.“ – Dean Jackson

I came across this quote yesterday and it really struck me.  As I work on being more healthy and fit, I am making changes.  What I eat, how I cook and how I spend my free time have all changed.  I have new people in my life – trainer, coaches, and new friends at the gym. There are inside changes as well – confidence, determination, excitement and discipline to name a few.  I am lucky.  I have great support at home.  But sometimes I worry…Are the jokes about how much time I am spending with the new man in my life, “gym” really jokes? How do my coworkers really feel when I don’t partake in the celebration food?

See I know there are caterpillars in my life and probably yours as well – people who don’t want to change and don’t want us to change either.  Why?  Here are some possible reasons:

they have a vested interest in keeping us down – not all our relationships are healthy especially if we deal with self esteem issues that we are now addressing.    

 our new lifestyle shines a light on changes they probably should be making for their own well-being.

they are afraid of losing us

we no longer fit the “role” we played in the relationship – the “heavy one” or the one who was always up for a party or an ice cream run.  

we contribute to the problem by only talking about our journey, being too rigid and saying no too often.

I have had to re-evaluate and, yes, end certain relationships.  I have had to set boundaries with some of my caterpillars. I have had to make an effort to spend time with non-fitness friends.  I have had to learn to just ignore certain remarks.  And I’ve had to learn to temper my own enthusiasm and single-mindedness.   But I still have wings and I can still fly.  I don’t have to turn back into a caterpillar.  

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Teriyaki chicken bowl. #healthyeats #20minutedinner https://www.instagram.com/p/B8utqCmA9Ru/?igshid=18jvb87rm2dyd

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My Love/Hate Relationship with WW

Okay both love and hate might be too strong but I do have some strong feelings about WW (formerly Weight Watchers).  Overall, I think WW is a good program. To simplify, you get a daily points budget plus additional weekly points that you can “spend” on food.  Some foods are free - # of free foods depends on which plan you are on.

 Pros

Fat and sugar raise the “cost” of a food and protein lowers the “cost” of the food.  

Program materials and recipes on the website encourage healthy eating – lots of veggies and lean protein.

Big emphasis on portion control.  Weighing and measuring are part of the tracking process.  

No food is forbidden – you decide what to spend your points on.  

Your daily points allowance and weekly points are calculated based on age, gender and current weight.  

Points calculation is designed to support healthy weight loss

Active support community

Cons

Sugar-free and fat-free items are very low in points despite being highly processed

Formula doesn’t take into account nutrition density of foods or number of ingredients.

Processed foods and food “hacks” abound in “grocery hauls” and online support group discussions.

Healthy fats cost you dearly.

Digital only community may be missing the healthy eating message          

People at the lowest point allowance and those who do not eat any weekly points may be under-eating.

Active support community – sometimes the quality of the support/advise is not so great.

Despite the cons.  I am sticking with the WW formula for now.  I find counting points easier than counting calories. I focus on eating whole foods despite the cost.  I use the pro version of ITrackBites with calories as a secondary metric so I so watch them to make sure I am eating enough. I just stay away from the online support groups and YouTube channels that focus on lots of processed foods.  

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Baked chicken parm with whole wheat pasta and steamed broccoli #healthyeats #20minutedinner https://www.instagram.com/p/B8fFdMJARmo/?igshid=1ufjowzz9vnei

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Turkey burrito skillet. #healthyeats #dinnerin20 https://www.instagram.com/p/B8coahWgu9s/?igshid=1e0xlh44wf1qp

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The hard part is not the plate you use for the workout - the hard part is the plate you use for dinner.

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20 minute dinner #healthyeats https://www.instagram.com/p/B8aEcy9g7b6/?igshid=hpjgn40xhcdm

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Lunch is served #healthyeats https://www.instagram.com/p/B8ZLECFgpC1/?igshid=5wcs54yh90qn

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Update on Weight Loss Progress

I mentioned a few months ago that I was going to give Weight Watchers aka WW a try again.  When I found out that they were going to have more than one plan, I figured it was worth a try and took advantage of a free month offer. I signed up for Green Plan which is the old Smartpoints.  

 At the same time, I was doing the WW app, I was test driving the ITrackBites app using the SugarSmart plan which is comparable to MyWW Green to see if I could still get the same type of experience but save some money.  

So here is the update –

Starting date 11/18 -  lost 10.3 lbs as of 2/5 weighin.  

What App am I using? – ItrackBites  - I did purchase the Pro Plan which also gives me Calorie and Macro Tracking along with Bites (points).  It did take a while to get the hang of the ITB app but honestly, it is fine.  I eat many of the same foods over and over and once you get them in your list, it is easy.  There is an active Facebook Group called ITrackBites Participants that you can join and the admins are very knowledgeable and willing to share tips and tricks. One drawback - It is only an app – no website so you do have to use your phone or tablet.  

 As far as the weight loss goes, I am thrilled.  I do watch my calories as I am on the lowest points allowance for my plan. Very often I’ll hit my points total for the day but not reach 1200 calories.  I usually end up eating all my weekly points to ensure I get enough calories.  I am also counting macros to track my protein intake.  

I will be having another body composition scan done at the end of February and my hope is that I’ve lost fat and not muscle.  

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Eat low on the food chain.  The closer it is to the natural form, the better it is for your body..

Stacy T Sims and Selene Yeager in ROAR

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Starting anew

l've decided to give WW (formerly Weight Watchers) a try again. My weight has been creeping up the past few months even with regular workouts. Just too much food and too much junky food.

They just unveiled the new plan for 2020 - it is called MyWW and you can choose between three plans - blue which is freestyle, green which is the old smart points and purple which is like the old core/simply filing. I chose green because is is most like the plan I was on when I lost a bunch of weight on WW back in the day.

I don't go to meetings - the time and location just aren't convenient for me. I am going to drop the WW app when my next renewal is due and use Itrackbites. I did pay for the pro version so I can track my calories and macros - something I can't do on WW. And it is much cheaper than WW - 36 a year vs 240 a year.

And so the journey begins anew.