The idea was that I would make the last huge leap of trust in my trainer's advice and eat back my exercise calories, and especially dinner. My mind has been convinced for months that taking in more than 1500 calories a day, even though I work out 1 - 2 hours a day, would cause me to gain a great deal of weight and that all food needed to be consumed no later than 3:30. And if we are all being just real, real honest here - if 1500 calories = weight loss, well then, what would 1200 equal? or 1100? or ...well you get the idea.
Let me stress that I did not read this advice anywhere, nor did anyone tell me to do this. My mind simply created this scenario. However, someone with way more expertise said differently - over and over.
Experiment with food. Can I do it? Challenge accepted.
Who was right?
Turns out, she was.
Turns out, she was.
Every day in the month of July, I documented every speck of food/liquid and every minute of exercise, with a particular goal to eat dinner every day. Every morning, I weighed myself and then recorded the weight so that I could see any patterns.
At first, I DID gain a few pounds and honestly, I almost quit right there, but my intentions were set. Besides, part of me did see me taking a detailed chart to her and exclaiming, "See!! I'm UNUSUALLY special!! I told you this would happen!!"
But then, the weight started to come off - not much - some days an eighth of a pound, or a quarter pound, until - from the beginning to the end - 5 pounds down. I haven't lost 5 pounds in a month since February. And this loss came with eating pretty well, dinner every night, calories somewhat dependent on the exercise for the day.
Wow, just wow.
Lessons learned? Well, quite a few actually.
I don't know everything.
Eat - it's okay, it's really, really okay to eat.
Trust those that God has placed into my life
Don't let my mind make up silly rules
Did I mention, I just DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING?
Am I a true believer in the science of eating and weight loss? I'd love to say unequivocally yes, but the stubborn part of me that refuses to let go of old habits and ways of thinking wants to hedge this experience. But, let's say that the grip has certainly slackened. Give it another month.
And maybe, those old patterns will fade into wry memories.
Thoughts to take with me today: Eat to be healthy; eat to live; eat to be happy.
Keep up the hard work! One thing I’ve found to be extremely helpful and useful as a supplement to my current diet/exercise plan is Fullbar (www.fullbar.com). Their products (Fullbar shakes) have helped me lose weight and learn how to maintain that weight-loss.
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