Are you aiming at 1600-1700 cals per day? Or are you trying to hit a certain deficit daily. I too cannot for the life of me work out what maintenance is. These past 2 weeks at 1800 I was pretty sure that would be aorund maintenance but with a gain of over 4 pounds I need to go back to the drwaing board Like you I clearly burn much less than any estimates. I am really desperate to find a way to get Gofitwear and am hoping than the poster from Austria in the thread has success as then I can go that route.
I do hope your dog hasn't a urinary tract infection, sounds like she has already suffered a lot
My target is 1500 to 1700 calories. RD recommends 1650 for me and in the past have lost some weight on that. As far as blood sugars go I can actually eat whatever I want when I want to as long as I adjust the insulin correctly but in reality it's easier to deal with blood sugars if there's a little consistency from day to day. Right now I'm not aiming for a specific deficit actually looking to just get an average.
Are you sure the 4lbs you gained isn't just a normal variation or water weight? Not trying to belittle how you feel I know it's hard but it may not be as bad as you think. Before you started metarepair how much would your weight tend to vary during the month?
I know for me I'm trying to be patient as according to the scale I haven't lost any weight this month which I should have according to the deficit. I keep telling myself that water can mask a lot.
I'm sorry the gowearfit isn't available yet internationally. Hopefully that will change soon.
Sorry everyone is sick, especially the dog. The pets are somehow worse because they can't tell you how they're feeling (or that water is good for them). I hope everyone is on the mend today - and that you manage to stay well!
Todays post will just be a summary of the past few days and I am taking the calories in with a grain of salt as I did very little weighing of food and didn't always have time to log as I ate so some of the entries were done at the end of the day. I did try to log everything though. I'm not going to do yes/no as my priorities were more with my sick family and dog though rather than hitting any specific targets. But I still wanted a ballpark figure. It gives me an idea of what goes on when I'm not paying as much attention to food intake daily.
January 21 through 24th.
Calories: 1311 to 2212. I'm not sure about the 1311 as there's no lunch logged for that day. But I remember taking a nap that day and then having to rush to do errands late afternoon and being starving while cooking dinner so I think I probably really did forget to eat lunch. Macros: all over the place. GoWearfit burn: 2259 to 2643 Average deficit past 4 days: -646????? I'm not sure I believe this as I would have expected the past 4 days to be maintenance. Although given the increased carbs also I would have expected a rise in weight if I'd been eating maintenance--(musing to myself as posting....) Training: none and some days very few steps also.
Scale weight is still not budging which I'm starting to get frustrated with even though I keep telling myself this happens quite frequently for me. I was hoping to see a little drop by now though. On the other hand though there has not been a gain in weight and very little fluctuation regarding water weight which usually means I'm losing. Or so I keep telling myself.
Everybody seems to be on the mend though. Jackie (the dog) was so sick though and although she turned the corner Friday night she still lost a lot of weight and is skin and bones right now. We're still feeding her fat free chicken and rice rather than her regular dog food but at least it's staying down and she's drinking and playing some now. My hubby still doesn't feel too well but is somewhat functional and is also keeping stuff down now. Daughter is doing better and was the least sick of anybody. Friday night I slept 12 hours. So far my stomach is just fine so knock on wood I dodged this round of germs. And our other dog has not been sick either. It's nice to be more or less back to normal though.
Calories: 1822,
Macros: Yes, protein 116, although fat a little high
Training: Yes, weights plus 30 minutes low intensity cardio
Gowearfit burn: 2857
Deficit: -1035
January 26th, 2009
Calories:1888
Macros: Protein 106 Yes
Training: off
Gowearfit burn: 2440
Deficit: -552
January 27th, 2009
Calories: 1456
Macros: Protein 105, Yes
Training: weights, +30 min cardio
Gowearfit burn: 2485
Deficit: -1028
January 28th, 2009
Calories: 1473
Macros: Protein 88 No
Training: No skipped workout appts today took longer than expected so missed workout.
Gowearfit and deficit don't know yet.
Busy day today busy week actually. Hubby and daughter being on the mend ended up being pretty short lived however both are still sick. Turns out hubby has diverticulitis though not the stomach flu. Dr is letting DH stay at home for now but will hospitalize him if he doesn't respond to the oral antibiotics or if he gets worse.
Not sure about daughter although I'm reasonably sure it's safe to assume she doesn't have diverticulitis. She's been able to go to school the past two days but not much else.
Dog seems fine though she's full of beans and has been a handful. I know they say 2 year old dogs are adults. That may be true physically but at heart they're still puppies. Worse actually more like toddlers. She's conked out now though thank God.
"As far as (healthy) eating, either do it, or don't. Same issues repeated over and over is just insanity. We either commit to the endeavor or pay lip-service to it. This is the hardest part of the whole process, and it needs to be practiced more than the actual physical training. It's mind training." ~ Matt Thorne
"The reason that most people fail instead of succeed is that they trade what they want most for what they want at the moment."
Are you sure the 4lbs you gained isn't just a normal variation or water weight? Not trying to belittle how you feel I know it's hard but it may not be as bad as you think. Before you started metarepair how much would your weight tend to vary during the month?
funnily my weigth fluctuates very little normally. eg when I was doing the anabolic diet (like TNT) with a big weekend carb up i would gain between 0 and 1.5lbs.... I have asked an American friend to order gowearfit for me, I do think it may help
Quote:
Originally Posted by dianas
Dog seems fine though she's full of beans and has been a handful. I know they say 2 year old dogs are adults. That may be true physically but at heart they're still puppies. Worse actually more like toddlers. She's conked out now though thank God.
That's quite a nice deficit you are showing.......no movement on the scale at all??
There's finally been a drop on the scale in the past few days. My challenge starting weight was 251 and by January 21st my average weight was still only 250.3. But the past 4 days I've consistently weighed 248 or 248.5. I believe the 248 puts me down 3 lbs from challenge starting weight and 5 lbs from my highest January weight but I'll have to double check my challenge stats first.
Good timing for the whoosh. I'd hate to be posting stats showing a half pound of weight lost in the first month!!!!
There's finally been a drop on the scale in the past few days. My challenge starting weight was 251 and by January 21st my average weight was still only 250.3. But the past 4 days I've consistently weighed 248 or 248.5. I believe the 248 puts me down 3 lbs from challenge starting weight and 5 lbs from my highest January weight but I'll have to double check my challenge stats first.
Good timing for the whoosh. I'd hate to be posting stats showing a half pound of weight lost in the first month!!!!
Here are the photos January hopefully will be first then February followed by my stats.
January photos:
February photos:
Goals progress:
1. Food logging--100%
2. Food: Yes calories monthly average 1650 aiming for 1500-1700. Macros no. Although I'm improving I still tend to be too low on protein. My fat intake is also a little higher than I'd like.
3. Training: Monthly total 7.5 hours cardio, 4 hours of weight training. Ended up missing a few days here and there when my family was sick but overall I'm fine with this months activity.
4. Personal fun time: Nope
Goals for February:
1. Continue food logging, go wear fit.
2. Nutrition: Continue to aim for 1500-1700 calories, but need to improve my protein intake and watch the fats.
3. Continue weight training/cardio: 2-3 weight sessions weekly, cardio 3-5 times weekly.
4. My blood sugars have been tending to run higher actually on the increased protein and lowered carb intake so I'm pretty much 99% sure that I need to adjust my insulin to cover protein. It's all trial and error so need to do more testing to figure out how best to do that.
5. Spend a little time this month sewing or reading.
I wanted to post a little summary of information that I didn't include in the challenge update.
Calories eaten: Monthly average 1646 Calories burned: Monthly average 2504 Average daily deficit: -843
Expected weight loss: 6.25 lbs. Actual weight loss: 5 lbs from highest to lowest weight during January. My challenge weight loss was 3 lbs due to dates and normal variations.
Training: totals 7 1/2 hours of cardio, 4 hours total weight training. I've ended up with more off or rest days than intended but they were all perfectly reasonable. I really need to try and increase my overall activity outside of exercise if my ankle tolerates. In winter the ankle doesn't feel so well and so if activity decreases I'm going to try and at least get in a little stationary biking at low intensity steady state to help compensate.
I do like the gowearfit. It's definately enlightening and is helpful to see the day to day variation in both activity and food intake. So far it's still spot on to Leigh's activity quiz results which put me between 2300 and 2500 roughly. We'll see if it helps me with weight loss goals. I also like the graph for weight with the trend line. It helps to see progress even when things are moving slowly or are bouncing around like typical. I wish I'd started using it earlier. Oh well. Such is life.
Tomorrow morning hubby has a followup with dr. I'm not sure how he's doing as most of the time he says he's fine but he's acting real punk. He certainly hasn't had that dramatic turnaround you often get 3 or 4 days into the antibiotics but neither is he screaming for morphine either. I have no experience with diverticulitis in the outpatient world and it's been quite a while since I've seen this in inpatients as a nurse so I don't have a strong frame of reference to judge by. Hopefully he's doing ok enough that he won't need to be hospitalized or need surgery. Should know more tomorrow.
Diana - those numbers look good. I probably missed it, but are you liking your current diet?
So far so good. There are certain things I look for/want regarding diet long term.
1. I have a very strong preference for a more balanced moderate approach and what I'm doing definately fits that bill. For me it makes adherence easier and I also figure that 30 years down the road it'll be ok. I figure having a little bit of everything I'll be pretty close long term with whatever is the current nutritional thinking down the road. So I'm currently aiming for 100-120 grams of protein, 100 to 150 grams of carbs, about 50 grams of fat and whatever's left over is a free for all. If things are a little off here and there I don't sweat it either.
2. I'd also as a general rule don't want to go so low on carbs that I deplete liver glycogen on a regular basis. Since I'm totally dependent on insulin I prefer having that backup in place. Per my pump my 31 day average carb intake is 117 grams daily. Total carb intake will be a little higher as I'll subtract higher fiber amounts before bolusing. That seems plenty to get some of the carb foods I like in.
My blood sugar average on this diet though has gone up. It's about 150 right now. So this month I need to do some fasting testing and then I was thinking about trying Lyle's RFL for a couple weeks to better see what I need to do insulin wise for the protein. I've been adding a couple of extra units to meal dosing but actually need to test it instead of winging it. So interestingly enough my insulin dosages are not lower may actually end up being higher all together. We'll see.
3. I don't like yours and mine cooking or being a short order cook. In other words a healthy diet for me is also a healthy diet for the whole family. So I tend to like whole foods and will incorporate a variety of foods also. As far as food goes I believe nothing is totally off limits and there's nothing you have to eat either. The key is portion control and moderation.
4. I also don't want to be obsessive about this. I think it's healthy to give up my diet on occasion to accomodate my family. It's about give and take. But you also need to get the job done. A little extra here and then there can really add up too and you get no where. I do think though that this is where having diabetes really helps. I mean you are never ever done with blood sugars and dealing with how food affects things. So unless you want to be dominated by all this you make it a part of your daily routine. You don't have to think about habits you just do them. The trick is substituting good habits for bad ones and learning to make better choices.
Anyway probably more than anybody wants to read but there's my 2 cents and food philosophy.
"As far as (healthy) eating, either do it, or don't. Same issues repeated over and over is just insanity. We either commit to the endeavor or pay lip-service to it. This is the hardest part of the whole process, and it needs to be practiced more than the actual physical training. It's mind training." ~ Matt Thorne
"The reason that most people fail instead of succeed is that they trade what they want most for what they want at the moment."
Just catching up - sorry to hear about the hubby. I think your 2 cents are definitely good, especially the one about not being a short order cook. I always think the most successful women (who have families) are the ones that ensure that everyone is eating healthy. I've served a couple of my favourite 'diet' meals to friends and family, with usually little to no changes. They always go over well.
Crap!!!! I cannot type today I've had a detailed progress note typed up and lost it into cyber space by accidentally hitting the enter key instead of shift. And I did it twice!!!!
[IMG]file:///Users/diana/Library/Ca ches/TemporaryItems/moz-screenshot-2.jpg[/IMG][IMG]file:///Users/diana/Library/Ca ches/TemporaryItems/moz-screenshot-3.jpg[/IMG][IMG]file:///Users/diana/Library/Ca ches/TemporaryItems/moz-screenshot-4.jpg[/IMG]So I will just summarize February so far. Calories have been between 1533 and 1800 something. Deficit has been between -400 and -900 something. Since February 1 I only hit my planned macros on Monday but I'm not too concerned about it. For now food choices are being driven by hubby's temporary diet needs during this acute stage which means low fiber, limited spices, and also some meats really bother him. Fortunately this is all temporary as I typically do cook things that are lower in fat and higher in fiber.
Last night we ended up grabbing a burger and I ended up with some emotional eating coz I added bacon and fries which I didn't need to. But it was nummy and as long as this only happens occasionally I'm ok with that too.
I only worked out one day had to abort yesterday due to low blood sugars. Today I'm doing a fasting morning basal rate test and my sugar is holding steady in the 140's. Yesterday I was frequently dropping down below 70 even though I was eating and it was higher carb intake also. And activity level hasn't changed much either. So right now I guess I'll assume yesterday was a fluke. It's annoying as heck though as lows make it hard to keep calories in check. I'm sure that may have played a part in why I caved to the bacon cheeseburger and fries. Oh and did I say it was really nummy???
Hubby seems to be on the mend. Dr's office screwed up though and scheduled him with wrong dr on Monday. So of course that means a slightly different take on things and this one ordered a CT scan which may be totally unnecessary. But it can't hurt and it may give us info regarding the likelyhood of a reoccurance. But at least the acute phase seems to be over with. He's gradually resuming his normal diet which means I won't have to try to think of low fiber foods to fix.
Calories: 2225
Protein: 98
Training: none
Don't know the burn yet but deficit will be minimal or none.
So everything gets a no today.
Today has been a crappy day food wise. I made a slight adjustment to my pump settings based on last months too high blood sugars. Had another low blood sugar at lunch time. And I missed it at first as this sensor was reading high. Took 45 grams of sugar to get my sugar up to 80 and then ended up making poor choices for lunch I was so hungry and feeling terrible. (Not an excuse just the day) Of course that 85 grams of additional carbs at lunch also kept my blood sugar up. Highest reading after that carb fest was 155 so I guess I needed it. But still crap regarding calories and macros today. And I was again down in the 70's before dinner again. I still have a raging headache and it's been several hours since the low.
And all that with only a 1/10th of a unit per hour increase in the basal rate for the morning!!! Crap. It shouldn't be doing that a 1/10th of a unit shouldn't amount to a hill of beans. I just love it when diabetes doesn't make sense. (not)
So I guess tomorrow I'll try a 0.05 unit per hour decrease from today and see how that goes. This is crazy.
But it is good I'm tracking this better regarding the food intake. Before I'd just treat and move on. But it can certainly add up and blow your deficit right out of the water.
Some of those lows can give you the 'hungers' like nothing else, as well as other odd symptoms. What's the mechanism that makes you resistant to glucose after a low? I have heard it mentioned before, but never experienced it. For me pretty much 4-5 pts increase per gram. I am having great fun getting Lispro dosages down (not). Anyway, sympathy. Those non-linear reactions are the pits.
Some of those lows can give you the 'hungers' like nothing else, as well as other odd symptoms. What's the mechanism that makes you resistant to glucose after a low? I have heard it mentioned before, but never experienced it. For me pretty much 4-5 pts increase per gram. I am having great fun getting Lispro dosages down (not). Anyway, sympathy. Those non-linear reactions are the pits.
I'm not totally sure what makes one reaction harder to treat than others but it basically has got to boil down to how much insulin you have on board and how long that insulin lasts. I also find that lows from a basal problem tend to be more stubborn than a miscalculated food bolus or activity. Morning lows tend to be more stubborn for me also I'm assuming it's because I have a strong dawn phenomenom. My basal rates are:
The pump delivers those dosages each hour until the next time frame. So for 7 hous there I'm needing a whole lot more insulin than the rest of the day so figuring a 3 to 4 hour duration (I'm using Apidra) I still have a lot of insulin on board late morning which most of the time works well. Also yesterday's low affected my brain a little bit as I didn't figure out I was low right away. If I'd treated it earlier it may have resolved quicker. Or could be gremlins. Kind of hard to say sometimes.
If you're having trouble with Lispro you might ask to try Apidra. It supposedly has the same duration as Novolog and Humalog but quicker onset/peak. I haven't really noticed much difference personally but it's worth a shot. Are you just covering carbs for now? One thing I've noticed also is if your sugar is still higher than you like 4 hours after eating then it's probably a dosage/ insulin to carb ratio problem. Or higher protein/fat is affecting your sugar in which case splitting the dose or trying Regular insulin or a combo of Regular and Lispro may work better. If you're too high 1 or 2 hours after eating but back in goal range by 3 or 4 hours then your dose is right it's a timing problem. In that case taking your shot a little before eating may do the trick. Or trying Apidra.
Good luck with it. Figuring out the dosages needed can be a pain in the neck but it's nice when you have it sorted out. Till the next bump in the road comes along that is.
Much better day today. I still find it amazing that such a small change in insulin dosing can make all the difference in the world.
Calories: 1633 Macros: Not a priority today but overall balanced. GWF burn: 2605 Deficit: -972 Training: Off due to recent lows. It's easier to make insulin adjustments if I'm only dealing with a few variables at a time. I was busy though, more steps today.
Hey, I totally missed your log so far...duh. Nice consistency the first month though...sorry about the recent insulin difficulties, but I'm glad today was better...
I've decided the Lispro problem is most likely matching the bolus dose to my very low carb, higher protein, and fat diet. By the time the protein is converting to glucose the Lispro is all gone. So I am back to using Regular for bolus. If I forget, and have to use Lispro I need to do it in two injections about 2 hours apart. Or at least that is my current theory. I am a little eccentric in how I control. I do not count carbs or protein grams. I rely on eating two meals a day, with about the same micro breakdown and amounts, and a standard dose of insulin. My basal is enough for my two smallish snacks. I am astounded, as are you, by the huge variation you got in the small dosage change. Maybe it was something odd and quirkish which will not occur again. If treating diabetes were a science, they would give you a huge battery of tests, and a definitive medication regime. We should be so lucky!
Much better day today. I still find it amazing that such a small change in insulin dosing can make all the difference in the world.
Calories: 1633 Macros: Not a priority today but overall balanced. GWF burn: 2605 Deficit: -972 Training: Off due to recent lows. It's easier to make insulin adjustments if I'm only dealing with a few variables at a time. I was busy though, more steps today.
So today gets a yes.
Wow, I only now realise you are diabetic. In which case I think you do an even more wodnerful job of being consistant with diet and exercise when you have to constantly juggle these insulin doses too and how you feel. What a challenge!
I love your approach to balancing your goals and family priorities
Wow, I only now realise you are diabetic. In which case I think you do an even more wodnerful job of being consistant with diet and exercise when you have to constantly juggle these insulin doses too and how you feel. What a challenge!
I love your approach to balancing your goals and family priorities
Quote:
Originally Posted by nutbar
Not at all! I've just sat here the past few minutes, catching up on your log, and completely enjoying your thoughts!
Your progress is great, by the way. I'm a big fan of reasonable & steady (over the trend, not day-to-day).
Quote:
Originally Posted by realcdn
Just catching up - sorry to hear about the hubby. I think your 2 cents are definitely good, especially the one about not being a short order cook. I always think the most successful women (who have families) are the ones that ensure that everyone is eating healthy. I've served a couple of my favourite 'diet' meals to friends and family, with usually little to no changes. They always go over well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GinnyLou
Hi there! I agree with Diane. I love reading your thoughts and analysis on getting it all figured out. It isn' easy, but you have a great plan.
How's the hubby doing? Better?
Thanks everybody. Hubby is doing better seems to be over this acute bout of diverticulitis. But the cat scan showed he has a lot of diverticuli so it's possible this can happen again. Not much more he can do though about it as he normally eats a high fiber diet. (One big advantage of trying to serve healthier foods to the whole family.) It sounds like he'll have to limit stuff like sunflower seeds though. He's pouting. But he is doing better.
Thanks also for all the thoughts on my musings about food and whatnot. I go back and forth on this sometimes though as I think Leigh also has a point about get in get out regarding weight loss as opposed to being on a diet for years. I'd probably get more done if I'd be more diligent regarding the calories. On the other hand there is no get in get out when you live with diabetes and you really do have to make food and activity a lifestyle change not a diet that you're done with after you take off x amount of pounds. At least not if you want to keep your eyesight and kidneys etc.
You guys are right though I find consistency a lot easier all around. Although I think that's come about because of the diabetes rather than in spite of it. I know some of you have commented that the diabetes makes things harder I don't know that that's the case necessarily. I've been doing this for 20 some odd years now and so I'm used to it and while there are constant changes and day to day adjustments most of that is just a habit and I don't think about it to much I just do it. It does limit what kinds of diets or macros I'm willing to try though. I find some of the calorie and cycling schedules interesting but I sure as heck don't want to try them out.
Things have been going so so this month so far not great but not too terrible either. I notice my calories in average has crept up a little bit (about 1700) and calories burned are a little lower (2400 something) and a bit more day to day variability than I'd like so need to buckle down and do a little better.
Thanks everybody. Hubby is doing better seems to be over this acute bout of diverticulitis. But the cat scan showed he has a lot of diverticuli so it's possible this can happen again. Not much more he can do though about it as he normally eats a high fiber diet. (One big advantage of trying to serve healthier foods to the whole family.) It sounds like he'll have to limit stuff like sunflower seeds though. He's pouting. But he is doing better.
Thanks also for all the thoughts on my musings about food and whatnot. I go back and forth on this sometimes though as I think Leigh also has a point about get in get out regarding weight loss as opposed to being on a diet for years. I'd probably get more done if I'd be more diligent regarding the calories. On the other hand there is no get in get out when you live with diabetes and you really do have to make food and activity a lifestyle change not a diet that you're done with after you take off x amount of pounds. At least not if you want to keep your eyesight and kidneys etc.
You guys are right though I find consistency a lot easier all around. Although I think that's come about because of the diabetes rather than in spite of it. I know some of you have commented that the diabetes makes things harder I don't know that that's the case necessarily. I've been doing this for 20 some odd years now and so I'm used to it and while there are constant changes and day to day adjustments most of that is just a habit and I don't think about it to much I just do it. It does limit what kinds of diets or macros I'm willing to try though. I find some of the calorie and cycling schedules interesting but I sure as heck don't want to try them out.
Things have been going so so this month so far not great but not too terrible either. I notice my calories in average has crept up a little bit (about 1700) and calories burned are a little lower (2400 something) and a bit more day to day variability than I'd like so need to buckle down and do a little better.
I think you have a very level-headed and realistic approach about what works for you and that is a very good thing. Consistency is key, I totally agree with you on that.
__________________
Ginger
"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." ~ John Bingham
Like you I clearly burn much less than any estimates. I am really desperate to find a way to get Gofitwear and am hoping than the poster from Austria in the thread has success as then I can go that route.
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