Just got home from the gym, whilst my eating has been hit or miss I have been consistent at the gym. Averaging something like 12 hours a week. However to be fair I count all the time from starting warm ups to finishing stretching. And my workout are not as vigorous as some, a "mild" workout as Llama once called it. However, I don't stop to rest, if there is down time between classes I am always doing something. Only exception is when I work with the trainer, she forces rests between sets to maximize the weight I can lift. Today I did a bit over an hour of my own workout, 45 minutes of circuit training, and then a full hour of Zumba. I am better at stamina and keeping at it than going really hard for shorter time.
The Zumba is new to me, and there is only one class a week that I can fit into my schedule, but so far I like it. The instructor tells me I am the first man she has had in a class. I don't understand why, its just aerobic exercise, nothing particularly feminine or masculine about it. Not that I can see. Makes it nice though she gives me more attention than the women, and the women in the class also pay attention to me. Good for the ego as well as muscles, LOL.
Not gonna lie: those ultra low calorie counts are going to take some getting used to again!
You are a wise lady, but so far I am ok with it. As you know I often do better with a lower calorie diet than anything else. Eating is a binge trigger for me, so the less I do of it the less I binge... for a while anyway. I find the 1,200 to 1,400 calorie range is most comfortable to me, any less and I begin to feel the effect of malnourishment (I think), more and I have more problems fighting off the binges. I know I can't live forever in this low calorie range. What I am thinking is a month or so of this and then slowly start increasing the calories. But then my plans rarely go to plan...
Do you have a sense about what part of weight loss or maintaining weight is giving you the hardest time?
Bingeing, its about 110% of my problem. Gain weight when I do it, crave it when I don't.
I am trying to learn to stop eating when I am full and am trying to weigh in a lot so I see what size meals I should have, because I really don't do well once I stop calorie counting, and I don't want to do that forever.
That makes a lot of sense, my problem however is that I don't really feel full until I hit something north of 5,000 calories in a meal. And true hunger pangs are rare for me. I have accepted that I may have to count calories forever, and I have gotten pretty efficient at it with myfitnesspal. I would hope that is not true, but in the 71 years I've been on this earth the only times I have done well was when I was counting, recording, and sharing my calories. Probably too old to expect that to change...
I also think that being kind to myself with the whole process helps a lot.
For sure!
I tend to overeat when stressed and then not acknowledge my emotional stress and don't take actual care of it, but substitute more food for good emotional care, I think.
I can say the same, sometimes. However I can and often have binged when not stressed, I can binge anytime. And bingeing of course causes stress... Never more than 5 minutes away from one, always have to keep up the fight.
Good to have you back, my friend.
