Weight: 86kgs
It is now officially week 3 of this weight loss and nothing has changed.
Naturally I have fallen into a pit of despair and am now eating poorly again ….
This what I would have done 2 months ago. But instead I’m getting angrier.
Why the hell isn’t my weight going down?
This is a post of frustration more than anything else. What am I doing wrong?
I understand that losing your weight is hard in your 30s, but it shouldn’t be this difficult.
Where is the dip to show that something is working?
I have been hitting the gym for 4 days in a row. I am eating less.
But nothing has moved.
It’s time to shake things up. I don’t mean changing drastically anything I am doing, but I need to start collating more data on what isn’t working for me.
I need to start calorie counting. I also need to track my sleep, which I suspect 6 hours is simply not enough.
I like to think that my level of intensity and exercise is enough, but perhaps it’s also time to start using my standing desk more frequently, instead of just after lunch.
So, let’s work backwards, and start analysing what the hell I am doing and what I can do to improve things.
I typically get up at 0800 to prepare for work. The only issue with this is, my typical bed-time is 1.30am.
I need to fix this and get a solid 7 hours of sleep. Sleep is one of the most crucial factors in losing weight and I’m not taking it seriously at all.
From 0800 to 1200, I only eat one protein bar, which does a decent job at filling my stomach. I don’t drink coffee, tea or anything except a few chugs of water.
I think consuming more water will also help with my dieting. Coffee apparently would help also, however, I dislike the taste and am generally not keen on getting hooked on caffeine.
At midday, like clockwork, I typically prepare lunch. I think one of the biggest mistakes I’ve made in the past, is loading too much rice or pasta in my lunches. They are unnecessary carbs that don’t do me any good. For the past two weeks, I’ve been trialling peri-peri chicken wraps, with plenty of greens and they make me feel noticeably lighter.
However, I feel like consuming two of these wraps is too much food, especially because my office work is so sedentary. I need to cut it down to one wrap and consider eating another protein bar at around 2.30pm.
After those wraps, I will eat 4x Hi-Chews, which is my small fix of sugar, before I try and cold turkey it, to 1830, where-upon I normally try to hit the gym for at least 1 hour, before heading home and eating my dinner at 2000.
Then from 2000 to 0100, I try not to eat anything or drink anything. Its nothing but water till I go to bed.
One of the extra things I’ve been trying to add in, is using my standing desk more after lunch. I feel like it helps not to sit down after lunch and properly digest.
Looking at my daily routine as a whole, it’s obvious what I need to fix now. But I still want to collate the data.
The 4 keys to weight loss has always been …. calorie deficit, good sleep, maximising protein and regular exercise.
I can sense that I’m not working on all four of those things. I’m not reducing my calorie intake in relation to the amount of exercise I do. I think one hour in the gym isn’t going to cut it. I feel like I need to do more.
This means I need to use my standing desk at least 3x a day, for a minimum of 3 hours in a day. A good number to aim for in terms of steps, is 7000 to 10,000. I need to stick to a strict regime of activating my standing desk more frequently and thus forcing me to actually take small steps to get to that daily step count.
The next biggest thing is reducing the number of wraps I eat and swapping it out for another protein bar. I think my morning protein bar at around 1030am is good. Lunch at 1200 and then another bar at 1500. I shall take photos of all my food and add them to a calorie tracker.
This also helps remind me to stand after I consume any food and regulate this habit in.
I also desperately need to fix my sleep. I need to aim for 0030 or 0100 latest. Even if its just crawling into bed and relaxing there, I think it’s better than sitting at my computer, playing games or typing away.
Reduce my screen time, thus create better sleep.
The final thing, maximising protein is the step I am least eager to take. I’m not very big into gym culture and can’t see myself huffing down protein powder.
That said, I need to do something to create some actual change in my weight, otherwise it’ll have been a month with no progress.
And I can’t think of anything more depressing than that.
Still, I’ve created this game plan. Eat, stand, move.
Let’s hope next’s week DA is more positive.
~Damocles.
Damocles' Journal 