Weight: 166.6
Mood & Energy: Excellent
I'm trying to be relaxed about eating this weekend, not counting calories or carbs, but also not eating sugar, wheat, or corn if I can help it. The result has, so far, been wonderful, with no-fat greek yogurt and a few blueberries for breakfast, a salad of greens from the farmer's market with olives, feta, and spanish olive oil, and some stir-fried chicken with lots of onions and bell peppers. I have more energy already, and walked to and from the farmer's market, shopped with my daughter for over an hour, and mowed the front lawn.
I calculated my ideal weight at the Dukan website, and it suggests 149. I find that to be a little bit of a depressing number, though I would be happy today if I were at it. In fact, one of the dangers I face is getting done to a rare-to-me weight (like 155) and being so happy I stop losing!
I think one of the things which keeps me heavier than I ought to be is my desire, always, to be strong, and my tendency to lift heavy weights to build muscle mass. I tend to get distracted from weight loss by an obsession with strength and fitness, then I eat too much to fuel my workouts, and finally just eat too much in general. This habit has gone on for six or seven years! I do think I am probably strong enough already and need to get over this.
This summer, however, all my energy will go into getting to a reasonable weight, with my exercise simply to serve that purpose and to make me feel energetic and fit, not to increase strength. To that purpose, I've really been considering giving up weights for a while and doing body weight exercises, pilates, and cardio classes. It would be fun to try a different approach and see where it leads me knowing that when I have lost the weight, I can work out in the weight room to my heart's content and probably look so much better for it.
The Dukan website suggested three days of attack with a cruise phase lasting until July 11. I think I could do all of that pretty easily. I do intend to time eating carbs around workouts and other activities, and to use flax seed along with oat bran to keep from having low mental function from lack of healthy fats. Because I work with my brain, I need to stay as sharp as possible, even while losing weight. For this reason, despite sort of hating fish, I will make sure to eat plenty of tuna.
I think I am curiously stubborn about some rules, and lax about others. For example, I'm pretty convinced that sugar and grains are poison to me, but I am not so convinced about such a dramatically low fat diet. I do see why cutting fat can help with weight loss, but it is definitely temporary, and something which might need to be adjusted. I love cheese, but think it is probably the primary food that keeps me overweight, so am willing to give it up entirely as required. I will not be above eating a berry now and then before a workout, and certainly think if I am going to cheat, eating in season fruit from the farmer's market will be the way to do it. It seems a lot better to plan these cheats, rather, than fail totally and spend days eating truffles and potato chips.
Overall, though I am so looking forward to this! Often I think diets are enjoyable just to test a method, see if it works, and how effectively it does so.
Mood & Energy: Excellent
I'm trying to be relaxed about eating this weekend, not counting calories or carbs, but also not eating sugar, wheat, or corn if I can help it. The result has, so far, been wonderful, with no-fat greek yogurt and a few blueberries for breakfast, a salad of greens from the farmer's market with olives, feta, and spanish olive oil, and some stir-fried chicken with lots of onions and bell peppers. I have more energy already, and walked to and from the farmer's market, shopped with my daughter for over an hour, and mowed the front lawn.
I calculated my ideal weight at the Dukan website, and it suggests 149. I find that to be a little bit of a depressing number, though I would be happy today if I were at it. In fact, one of the dangers I face is getting done to a rare-to-me weight (like 155) and being so happy I stop losing!
I think one of the things which keeps me heavier than I ought to be is my desire, always, to be strong, and my tendency to lift heavy weights to build muscle mass. I tend to get distracted from weight loss by an obsession with strength and fitness, then I eat too much to fuel my workouts, and finally just eat too much in general. This habit has gone on for six or seven years! I do think I am probably strong enough already and need to get over this.
This summer, however, all my energy will go into getting to a reasonable weight, with my exercise simply to serve that purpose and to make me feel energetic and fit, not to increase strength. To that purpose, I've really been considering giving up weights for a while and doing body weight exercises, pilates, and cardio classes. It would be fun to try a different approach and see where it leads me knowing that when I have lost the weight, I can work out in the weight room to my heart's content and probably look so much better for it.
The Dukan website suggested three days of attack with a cruise phase lasting until July 11. I think I could do all of that pretty easily. I do intend to time eating carbs around workouts and other activities, and to use flax seed along with oat bran to keep from having low mental function from lack of healthy fats. Because I work with my brain, I need to stay as sharp as possible, even while losing weight. For this reason, despite sort of hating fish, I will make sure to eat plenty of tuna.
I think I am curiously stubborn about some rules, and lax about others. For example, I'm pretty convinced that sugar and grains are poison to me, but I am not so convinced about such a dramatically low fat diet. I do see why cutting fat can help with weight loss, but it is definitely temporary, and something which might need to be adjusted. I love cheese, but think it is probably the primary food that keeps me overweight, so am willing to give it up entirely as required. I will not be above eating a berry now and then before a workout, and certainly think if I am going to cheat, eating in season fruit from the farmer's market will be the way to do it. It seems a lot better to plan these cheats, rather, than fail totally and spend days eating truffles and potato chips.
Overall, though I am so looking forward to this! Often I think diets are enjoyable just to test a method, see if it works, and how effectively it does so.
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