I had a bit of rough start to the week, I realised my scales were out and when I had weighed myself last was incorrect. I hopped on the scales after setting it correctly and what I saw made me feel like all my hard work had been for nothing. If I’m honest though, I have no idea what my weight was before I started so I really have no idea if I lost weight. My waist measurements don’t like though, I had definitely lost some centimetres. However, because of the mishap with the scales it put me in a bad mood for the day and I ate whatever I liked and didn’t exercise. This lasted 2 days, on the third day I thought “hold on, you can still lose something, don’t give up now” and I forced myself back on the treadmill. I won’t lie, it was agony, my whole body and mind were screaming at me saying how much it hated walking because my legs were burning. I couldn’t do an hour, but I did 40 minutes. I’ve read that the optimal length of time to exercise to lose weight is 30 to 60 minutes. So anything over 30 minutes is a bonus.
I’m trying not to be too hard on myself, especially because I know I’m entering a depressive low. I think being gentle on myself has really helped me along the way, I’m not beating myself up if I don’t exercise one day or if I have a piece of cake. After all, there is no joy in making your own life difficult.
I’m still sticking with bland foods, although I’m planning to add a bit more fresh fish and seafood to my lunch to stop it getting so repetitive. I have always heard that you should stop eating when you’re 80% full. I’ve found this really difficult in the past, but what I’m doing is working. I’m able to stop myself from overeating and I’m feeling satisfied. I never thought I’d see the day again where I was feeling satisfied.
When it comes to what actual foods I’ve been eating, well I still have the same lunch as I mentioned previously, but I plan to use some fresh fish as my protein. I’m making sure to measure my food every single time. No more than 1 cup of food. I believe my stomach has somewhat shrunk back to what it should be since I had surgery as a lot of the time I can’t eat more than 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup before I’m full.
Dinner has been pretty basic with a lot of meals containing rice or potato. I do have a hard time finding a protein to eat that I’m not getting sick of. I’m finding I get hungry quickly if I don’t include protein and the meal is just vegetables. I try to eat 1/2 cup of protein with each meal. I read somewhere that bariatric patients should always eat the protein first before filling up on other stuff. So that’s exactly what I’ve been doing and I definitely feel fuller for longer. I also eat at very set times because I know how hungry I can get by that time, for example, I always eat 8:30, 12:00 and 5:30, then no more food after that. My body has adjusted to that and I don’t really start getting hungry until close to those times.
Exercising is still a little difficult but I’m doing my best to do some. As long as I get over 30 minutes then I know I’ll feel better. Most of the time I make it between 40 minutes to an hour and I’m pretty pleased with that. Tomorrow is weigh day and measurement day so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I’ve made some progress. Even if I haven’t I know I’ve tried and I’m still making a difference to my body and my health. I’ll keep you updated!
Oh no, it's dinner! 