As I mentioned in the last post, weight loss had slowed down for me in April. As this happened I responded by cutting more calories and exercise more. Then I would gain weight! Argh! Over a couple of weeks this was the pattern. I got my daily calories to less than 1000 per day and was actually gaining weight.
My trainer at Curves thought that my metabolism was slowing down and my body was going into 'starvation mode' in response to my continual low caloric intake. She convinced me to try to eat 2000 calories that day and continue at at least 2000 calories until my metabolism was 'reset.'
That day I got my calories up to 1868. When I stepped on my scale the next morning I dropped .8 lbs! That day I ate 2020 calories and next morning was down another 1.4 lbs. That day 2035 calories, next morning dropped 1.8 lbs. I continued to eat at least 2000 per day for a total of 14 days. By the end of those 2 weeks I stopped dropping the pounds but didn't gain any back.
This was enough to convince me to follow the Curves Weight Management Plan calorie shifting guidelines. I am doing "Phase 1" right now which has me eating 1200 calories per day for 7 days. Then "Phase 2" will be 1500 calories per day for 23 days. Finally back to "Phase 3" which is 2000-2500 calories per day for 14-30 days. Then cycle back to Phase 1 and continue this pattern until I reach my goal. This should prevent unwanted plateaus and keep my metabolism up.
When I reach my goal, I can live at Phase 3 full time and only temporarily shift to Phase 1 if I gain 3 lbs.
I know that the thought of keeping track of calories like this might be overwhelming to some of you but I have been journaling my food for almost a year now and I am really used to it. Following these guidelines isn't adding any new difficulty to what I have been doing. Though, I believe it is giving me healthier boundaries.
At every Phase I am trying to get the really good food that I have been learning to love and crave :)... lean meats, bright colored veggies, non-fat yogurt, berries, legumes, etc.
I attended Women of Faith (as most of you know) and had a great time, with no weight gain. This was during Phase 3 calories so that was a good thing! I loved eating at Chipotle's for dinner on Friday and was even able to find a delicious and healthy dinner on the Cracker Barrel menu on Saturday. I had their "North Atlantic Haddock" with carrots and green beans. It was really good! As I am writing about it, my mouth is watering :) This is a far cry from what I used to get at the Cracker Barrel: Chicken & Dumplings with more Dumplings and Corn on the side... LOL. It is no mystery as to why I was obese :)
On Friday night at Women of Faith I got to meet Mandisa. It turned out to be pretty emotional for me because of how God used her testimony in my mental/emotional/spiritual transformation. Generally I am not big on meeting celebrities or getting autographs but this was truly a special experience for me :)
I also want to mention that I had lunch at Panera with Debbie Evans on Monday. I had a wonderful time with Debbie! And was able to eat a yummy lunch that was healthy and within my calorie guidelines (even during Phase 1!). I really recommend that whenever you plan to dine out, check out the restaurants nutrition info online first. It really helps to have your plan before you even enter the restaurant :) Panera's online nutrition tool is really cool.
Weight loss status...
Started June 3 268.0 lbs 39.58 bmi "obese" (body fat 44% "poor")
Today May 14 174.0 lbs 25.69 bmi "overweight" (body fat 28.9% "fair")
94 lbs down!
(only 5 lbs until goal #2)
GOALS REVIEW (updated)...
1st goal (lose 65lbs) 203 lbs 29.98 bmi "overweight" ACHIEVED Jan 17, 2010
2nd goal (lose 99lbs) 169 lbs 24.96 bmi "healthy" by July 2010
3rd goal (lose 111 lbs) 157 lbs 23.18 bmi (qualify for the 100 lb Club at Curves)
4th goal (lose 121lbs) 147 lbs 21.71 bmi by Dec 2010
5th goal achieve "Very Good/Fit" body fat % (22%-26%)
PLANS/GUIDELINES (added the calorie phases)...
1. Never Skip Breakfast! (well-balanced & trying for 1/3 of my daily calories before noon)
2. take good nutritional supplements every day
3. eat 5-9 servings of fruits and veggies per day
4. eat at least 25 g of fiber per day
5. continue Curves 3 times per week
6. Water only when out to eat... and minimum of 64 oz water each day
7. Daily monitoring myself with Fitclick.com
8. Follow Curves WMP calorie phases
9. no eating after 7:00pm (with a few exceptions)
That day I got my calories up to 1868. When I stepped on my scale the next morning I dropped .8 lbs! That day I ate 2020 calories and next morning was down another 1.4 lbs. That day 2035 calories, next morning dropped 1.8 lbs. I continued to eat at least 2000 per day for a total of 14 days. By the end of those 2 weeks I stopped dropping the pounds but didn't gain any back.
This was enough to convince me to follow the Curves Weight Management Plan calorie shifting guidelines. I am doing "Phase 1" right now which has me eating 1200 calories per day for 7 days. Then "Phase 2" will be 1500 calories per day for 23 days. Finally back to "Phase 3" which is 2000-2500 calories per day for 14-30 days. Then cycle back to Phase 1 and continue this pattern until I reach my goal. This should prevent unwanted plateaus and keep my metabolism up.
When I reach my goal, I can live at Phase 3 full time and only temporarily shift to Phase 1 if I gain 3 lbs.
I know that the thought of keeping track of calories like this might be overwhelming to some of you but I have been journaling my food for almost a year now and I am really used to it. Following these guidelines isn't adding any new difficulty to what I have been doing. Though, I believe it is giving me healthier boundaries.
At every Phase I am trying to get the really good food that I have been learning to love and crave :)... lean meats, bright colored veggies, non-fat yogurt, berries, legumes, etc.
I attended Women of Faith (as most of you know) and had a great time, with no weight gain. This was during Phase 3 calories so that was a good thing! I loved eating at Chipotle's for dinner on Friday and was even able to find a delicious and healthy dinner on the Cracker Barrel menu on Saturday. I had their "North Atlantic Haddock" with carrots and green beans. It was really good! As I am writing about it, my mouth is watering :) This is a far cry from what I used to get at the Cracker Barrel: Chicken & Dumplings with more Dumplings and Corn on the side... LOL. It is no mystery as to why I was obese :)
On Friday night at Women of Faith I got to meet Mandisa. It turned out to be pretty emotional for me because of how God used her testimony in my mental/emotional/spiritual transformation. Generally I am not big on meeting celebrities or getting autographs but this was truly a special experience for me :)
I also want to mention that I had lunch at Panera with Debbie Evans on Monday. I had a wonderful time with Debbie! And was able to eat a yummy lunch that was healthy and within my calorie guidelines (even during Phase 1!). I really recommend that whenever you plan to dine out, check out the restaurants nutrition info online first. It really helps to have your plan before you even enter the restaurant :) Panera's online nutrition tool is really cool.
Weight loss status...
Started June 3 268.0 lbs 39.58 bmi "obese" (body fat 44% "poor")
Today May 14 174.0 lbs 25.69 bmi "overweight" (body fat 28.9% "fair")
94 lbs down!
(only 5 lbs until goal #2)
GOALS REVIEW (updated)...
1st goal (lose 65lbs) 203 lbs 29.98 bmi "overweight" ACHIEVED Jan 17, 2010
2nd goal (lose 99lbs) 169 lbs 24.96 bmi "healthy" by July 2010
3rd goal (lose 111 lbs) 157 lbs 23.18 bmi (qualify for the 100 lb Club at Curves)
4th goal (lose 121lbs) 147 lbs 21.71 bmi by Dec 2010
5th goal achieve "Very Good/Fit" body fat % (22%-26%)
PLANS/GUIDELINES (added the calorie phases)...
1. Never Skip Breakfast! (well-balanced & trying for 1/3 of my daily calories before noon)
2. take good nutritional supplements every day
3. eat 5-9 servings of fruits and veggies per day
4. eat at least 25 g of fiber per day
5. continue Curves 3 times per week
6. Water only when out to eat... and minimum of 64 oz water each day
7. Daily monitoring myself with Fitclick.com
8. Follow Curves WMP calorie phases
9. no eating after 7:00pm (with a few exceptions)
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