Today marks the beginning of week 2 in my 12-Week 30-Pound Challenge, so it’s time for the first recap!
Week 1, By the Numbers
On Wednesday, when I hit 184.9, I was really excited. As you can see, by the end of the week, I was back to 186.3. If I was going by the weight numbers alone, I’d be pretty discouraged. But as you can see from the fluctuations, if the fat mass numbers are to be believed, I’m down 4.5lbs. in terms of fat. That’s not bad!
The lesson here is that fluctuations are really common when measuring weight, and even more common when trying to measure body fat using electrical impedance (the technique used by the scale that sends a weak electrical current through your body). Had I not weighed myself every day, I wouldn’t have seen the low point, and would have probably felt worse thinking that my week of hard work only equated to 0.3lbs. of progress.
In order to help me track my progress more accurately, I’ve decided to measure the circumference of my waist around my belly button (at rest, not sucking it in!) on a weekly basis. I took my first measurement today: 43 1/8″. I’ll post progress weekly.
What Went Well This Week
- I made it to the gym all five weekdays! That’s the first time in 6 years or so that I can recall successfully keeping up that habit. I also did a 6-mile hike around Stanford, which kicked my ass, but it was great.
- I cooked at home a lot, and discovered that coconut oil is excellent for frying eggs and sausage. I’m not sure why they taste so much better, but they do. Also, pouches of Starkist albacore tuna are a convenient godsend for lunch.
- Eating and staying low-carb were both fairly easy this week, and my ketosis tests prove it. I stayed in the dark-purple range most of the week.
What I Can Improve On Next Week
- I’m still not drinking as much water as I’d like to. I bought some large bottles of Smart Water to hopefully make that easier.
- My gym time has been later in the evening, usually around 9:30pm. I think that may be interfering with my sleep, so I’m going to try to go after lunch this week instead.
- Although I took the front and profile pictures I committed to capture most days, I missed a day or two. I’m going to try to be more diligent about getting those done, because I’d like to make a time-lapse movie at the end of 12 weeks, and more frames will make it better.
See you at the beginning of week 3!
congrats!!!!! those keto strips I’m obsessed with going for the purple
coconut oil stimulates the thyroid as well so theres
an unexpected surprise as well !
The best thing to cook eggs in is bacon grease. Or duck fat, if you can get it. In fact, if you’re low carb, the best thing to cook anything in is bacon fat or duck fat. Also, if you’re not low carb. mmm…duck fat.
I struggled with low carb until I just let somebody else do all the cooking for me and switched to Diet To Go where they just make the food for you, and you pick it up twice a week. The shopping was the hardest. The bakery sections of grocery stores smell way too good when you’re dieting. I would float toward them like a cartoon character following the scent of pie.
Good luck!