Wednesday Weigh-In

Not surprisingly, there was no move on the scale this week for me! But, my body is under 'stress' from being sick, I am on medications galore: (Flovent inhaler, Albuterol inhaler, antibiotics, steroids....) so despite my basically liquid diet of the last few days, I've got nuthin to show for it on the scale! It's OKAY though...I am always preaching about The Big Picture, so today I will step back and look at the last 30 days. Since my weigh in on 9/17, I have lost:

Chest - 1/2"
Waist - 3/4"
Hips - 3/4"
Thighs - 1/2"

That's two and 1/2 inches 'less' of me. 2 1/2" that make my pants pretty saggy in the rear and thighs, as well as make them 'longer' lol. This same 2.5 inches amazingly translates to ONLY two pounds lost in 30 days? That's crazy science, but if I'm shrinking, I'm not complaining. (yet, lol) When I first started this journey, I had grand plans of losing 2 pounds a week, 8 pounds a month, reaching my 30 pound loss by about the end of November. Alas, I've only lost 2 pounds in 4 weeks. I'd be kicked off The Biggest Loser by now!

Since Wednesday posts always seem to be about numbers, I thought I'd share a little formula I came across this week, that sort of raised my eyebrows. I picked up some back issues of Runner's World from the library last week and have been reading through the April issue, which was the 'Weight Loss Special Issue'. They featured 4 people who wanted to lose various amounts of weight, from 5 to 25+ pounds, and outlined training and nutrition plans for each to help them reach their goals.

The woman who wanted to lose 25+ pounds and to 'stop a lifelong gain/loss cycle' of course matches my goals. The formula for calculating the calories I need daily in order to reach my goal is this:

1) Multiply goal weight by 10. (130 x 10 = 1300)
2) Add 20% to that number if you sit at a desk all day (1,560)
3) Add the number of cals burned during your workouts (300 x 3 = 900 + 1560 = 2,460)
4) Reduce the total by 15% (2,091)

So to keep it simple, this formula says I need 2,000 calories a day???? That seems like a lot to me. I would say I am currently taking in way WAY less than that. Hmmmm....dare I say it? What would happen if I actually INCREASE my calories closer to 2000 per day? I would say I average somewhere around 1600-1800 cals based on a quick review of my log. Sure, some days maybe I do get close to 2,000, other days it's way less. I'm at 22 points for Weight Watchers, but I would probably say, I am way too low on 'good fat' intake, and based on the formula above, not getting enough calories, especially given the still relatively 'new' demands I am putting on this body. Case in point, my average daily breakfast usually has TWO grams of fat. TWO.

It's a risk, but I'm going to try it for the next week. I've never been a calorie counter - points yes, calories no. But, I am curious about this whole 'make-sure -you -eat-enough' concept, so I'm willing to try it. What's the worse thing that can happen? I maybe gain a pound? Big deal...the only way I'm going to figure it out is by trial and error.

The food plan assigned, based on this formula is this:

Aim for four small meals a day that are about the same number of calories. Have at least 3 types of food in each meal...fruit/vege, grain, and lean protein. 55-65% of calories should be from carbs (whole grain, fruits), 10-15% protein and 20-30% from unsaturated fat (yikes). I will try this and report my result next week.

Aside from all this, I am starting to feel better, but not well enough to run. Maybe tomorow I will do a run/walk on the treadmill. The ER doc who treated me Monday afternoon said I likely have a 'reactive airway' type asthma (reacting to colds and virus)- and it can be allergy related too (indicated by my difficulty running outdoors on some days). Basically I need to schedule a follow up with my GP and get a plan in place to treat the sporadic asthma symptoms and of course, always have an inhaler available (note to self: don't let the inhaler expire or get buried in some junk drawer somewhere). I don't think I need long term daily treatment for asthma, but maybe a daily or seasonal allergy med, and the inhaler available as needed for the outdoor runs on high mold count days - which around here is pretty much between July and November.

I do feel as if I've done 1,000 sit ups in the last 4 days - my abs, back - my whole core is killing.me. Does coughing count as working my core? ;-)

Cheers!