When I last wrote about my regain of last year, it was nearly a month ago. It feels funny to talk about regain the day after a success story article was posted, but I am coming to terms that which can be done can be undone. It might just take more work. Since posting about the 15 pound loss, I had three weeks with no further progress. In that time, I had running distances of 29 miles, 39 miles, and 38 miles. I did have my 40th birthday and perhaps overate around those days.
The good news is I maintained the same 15 pound loss, and this week added another 4 pounds on top of the initial 15. I am still eating early OWL rungs for the most part during this time. My guidelines on how I eat daily have not changed much:
- Small breakfast almost every day (for example ham, cheese, pickle)
- Lunch – hot dog/kraut, beef sticks, cheeseburgers (onions, lettuce, mayo, mustard)
- Dinner – Generally a good-size low carb dinner
- Drinks – I would love to say I was drinking all my water, but I am probably drinking more diet soda than water. Recommended, no, Reality, yes.
My overall carbs per day is between 15-25g net carbs. I am still running 5 days a week often at night after dinner. My weight loss has often occurred on my mornings after days off running rather than the mornings after running late at night. I don’t doubt my runs contribute to the lower weight, but this is just a reminder that the body needs rest as much as it needs the run.
Hey there, I am a new fan of yours. I am assuming you’re talking about weight loss in terms of lbs(?) and I know YOU know that’s doing you a disservice. I’ve seen you talk about inches as the almighty indicator and I would say it’s time to forget the scale. I mean, there is no earthly way to determine what that weight actually is. I’d say toss it out forever and just see how your inches are, or how your clothes fit or even how you feel. There is also no way to determine why the body reacts as it does on any given day, and just assuming you ate too much and it’s fat, or your fault in some way, without any clue as to whether the extra calories have gone to build muscle, organ repair, your heart for example, or have influenced water intake in your body…I’m not saying anything you don’t know. And I know how great the scale can be when it drops, but is it worth to also have to deal with the disappointment of it going up? You’re awesome in any case…
Yes, measuring only in pounds is a bad thing, and measurement is actually the best way to know. However when your clothes are fitting tighter, you aren’t lifting more, running faster, the number on the scale is probably a pretty good clue on which direction your body is heading. My weight will bounce around for the reasons you describe especially after a hard workout, but when that weight remains and another 15 or 20 pounds are added on top of that, it is pretty conclusive that additional weight was excess fat and the associated water.
So I absolutely agree that if I could tell the body fat percentage drop I also had, it would be even more powerful story. The unfortunate part is part of me didn’t want to know the exact damage in terms of BF% or increase in numbers. I can definitely say my jean and especially the thighs were on the edge of being unwearable prior to this losses, and now I am having to wear a belt again which feels nice.
Hi I have found this blog and really need some help/tip’s.
I was 304 pounds when I initally started Atkins in 2010. I got down to 230 pounds and all hell broke lose. My mom passed away and then 6 month’s later my sister in law died very suddenly leaving behind my brother and there 3 yr old son. I became caregiver to the lil man and didnt care about ME anymore and just went back to my old habits.
Atkins worked for me and I was so much happier while on the program.
I weighed myself yesterday for the first time in 6 months and I was horrified I am now 295pounds and enough is enough.
I am starting my journey again today March 05 2012. I went out yesterday and bought all the food and charged the ipod that has been sitting in my drawer for the past 6 months and will be starting my walking routine again.
Please send me some words of wisdom. Im scared and I really need to lose this weight.