Losing and Learning

I've noticed over the last year that I need to change my diet up regularly. This means either dropping or adding calories needed per day, decreasing sugar and fats again or more often and increasing protein.

Even when having a trainer put together a Nutrition Plan together for me, I cannot succeed unless I understand truly what works for me. I have been in a slump with my fat loss for the last few months. I would eat to a T what my trainer said and drop a few pounds ( generally the lowest I got was 269) and then I would get frustrated or off track due to work/ travel. Then I would be up to about 278 lbs again.. a weight I could not bare to see again! Maybe even higher!

Once I got back from my holidays I decided ENOUGH is ENOUGH! My pants are loose but not LOOSE enough! So I played with my diet... increasing protein .. decreasing carbohydrates and tried to decrease stress while increasing diligence. I finally got down to 269 again. Well that's great.. but then the yo - yo came up and down up and down. PURE FRUSTRATION!

I asked for help on Myfitnesspal.. contacted my trainer.. asked for ideas on Fitocracy. And got the same answers " you're eating to much... you're eating to little.. you drink to much juice ( on a week where I had one Booster juice) .. You eat to many sauces - I'm sorry but I hate plain salad"

So I just sat between 266 - 269 lbs.. hovering and pissy!

I reached out to a local fellow on MFP who has lost 85 lbs and has started a new Personal Training program. He advised me to discontinue the Intermittent Fasting.. stop eating after supper and only have a protein shake and up my workout intensity. Within 4 days of this.. BAM 262 lbs! OK fantastic! Finally the change I needed to become motivated!

I signed up for a 5km race on May 25th, ran my first ever 6 kms in 54 minutes down! ( Woulda been faster if I hadn't had to sludge through mud, snow and water to stay on trails) and I have signed up for my 10km on July 1st.

I have realized that change in diet is something I must understand. I get that I need to decrease this or decrease that. But I truly do not even know the amounts I should be eating. There was a thread on MFP about free online classes surrounding Nutrition.


Well I signed up! I am taking a 6 week course Nutrition, Health, and Lifestyle: Issues and Insights instructed by Jamie Pope through Vanderbuilt University. The first week was to take a look back into your food logs and find out what you really are eating. i.e.) are you eating enough protein, carbs, fats .. are you eating to much sodium or not enough fiber. If you aren't eating the proper amounts why is that.. what can you do to change it.. or is it working for you .

One of the comments Jamie Pope said was that " it is easier to do one's taxes then pay attention to their diet" and I thought heck yeah it is! There's no macro or micro nutrients .. there's no sodium mg's to pay attention to . However, my taxes won't make me fit and healthy!

So here I am.. taking a Nutrition course. I hope it assists in  my continued success!

Starting Weight: 288 lbs
Current Weight: 262 lbs

Loss to date: 26 lbs.. only 62 to more to go!

CHEERS!


What are you doing to make sure you eat properly? Do you know what your proper caloric needs are? How about that dread sodium... do you eat less than 2400 mg a day?