I didn't do much differently this past week than I did the week before, but there was a little less sleep, a little more stress, a few more carbs & one missed exercise day on the treadmill. So I suppose this shows the importance of getting a full night's rest & the impact stress has on weight loss.
But I still feel accomplished, because the scale is not bothering me at all this time. Last week was exhausting for me. The husband actually worked 4 nights, which meant that I was up and moving from 6:30am to 9pm every day, Mon-Fri. I was super tired and exercise was an effort.
Some nice inch loss on measurements, though I'm puzzled by the half-inch gain in the waist & hips. Muscle, perhaps? My clothes are starting to look pretty loose, which is exciting. So is the inch loss on my thigh. My thighs have been the bane of my existence even at my skinniest, so any loss there makes me happy :)
Food - My goal was 1,590 - 1,790 calories a day. I think there was one day that I didn't hit that goal, but I was only over by 100 calories. I did notice that most of my days were in the 1700s, which was a little higher than the previous week.
I was also too focused on carb percentages than carb amounts. While I was hitting my carb percentages, I went way higher with grams, most days over 230.
Exercise - 2 days of 45mins on the treadmill, 6.5 incline, more 2.5mph than 2. Skipped Monday due to exhaustion, but made up for it on Friday when I went 15 minutes straight at 2.5mph.
Strength training & Yoga 3 days out of the week, and my Tae-Bo tape 1 day. And 28 laps in the pool on Saturday with a boost in speed to try to add some intensity.
Mood & Energy - Another blah week. I was exhausted most of the week, and had to take a nap Sunday. Stressed over all the same old things...money, school, new dog, etc. It was a real effort to exercise this past week.
Upcoming week: Try to pull my calorie intake down to see more 1500-1600 days, with a little more zig-zagging of calorie intake. Also reduce number of carbs to less than 220. Treadmill exercise is getting ramped up, a 7% incline going at 2.5mph for at least 35 minutes. Will also push to do more daily walks at work & endure the heat. Will push a little harder during Saturday's lap swim.
This morning was a good morning. I got my treadmill exercise in and feel pretty good. Am hopeful this week will be better than the last.
Upcoming Week
Calorie range: 1500-1800
Treadmill (with 7% incline) @ 2.5mph - 3x a week, 35mins
Tae-bo/Yoga videos - 2x a week, 50 min (also 30 min Yoga on Sunday)
Energizing Yoga - 3x a week, 20 mins
Calisthenics - 3x a week, 2 sets of 15
Swimming - 1x a week, 32 laps total = 6 breast stroke, 6 paddleboard, 10 crawl, 10 backstroke
I think people often over-estimate the effect that stress has on weight loss. If you're stressed out of your mind for an extended period - sure - your body may produce extra cortisol which makes it easier to gain weight. Day-to-day stress and lack of sleep may encourage you to reach for sugary snacks for energy, or produce a lacklustre workout. But I don't think regular day-to-day stress will inhibit your weight loss.
ReplyDeleteI was going to say, "Don't stress over it", but I won't! ;-)