Day 20

Ok something is not working and I need to re-evaluate what I have been doing. The whole point of this experiment I am doing is to eat as healthy as possible, to work out and focus on all areas of fitness, and see what happens. BUT...today I am so hungry I can not handle it. I am exhausted. Irritable. Feel like crap. Have a raging head ache. Want to curl up and sleep for days and days.

But mostly...I am hungry.

Not the "I just want to eat junk" kind of hungry. Not the "my emotions say eat but my body and stomach say 'no thanks we're fine," kind of hungry. The kind of hungry where my stomach feels empty and is grumbly, where my hunger cues are firing off in every direction, the kind where I feel...well...see the above description.

I know experiencing hunger is ok, and to be expected when one very much needs to get ones health, body fat percentage and weight under control. But this feels wrong. Something is off. Not sure what it is but I can tell I need to re-evaluate how many calories and what nutrients I am getting a day vs. how many I am using during the day, as well as where they are coming from.

Hunger doesn't mean "give up" to me. It doesn't mean "grab the nearest semi-edible object and ingest it no matter how horrible it is for you" either. Generally I tolerate a little bit of hunger between meals and snacks just fine. But today and yesterday, I could tell something was wrong. Today especially.

So, I'm off to have a snack of plain yogurt and fresh berries (which I actually really do love) while I review what I have been eating, where my deficits are, and what needs to change so I can reach my goals without being the irritable, exhausted bitch I have been today. Not fair to me or others. Plus, part of the reason I am doing this is to learn to pay better attention to my body and what it is telling me I need, to learn self-care. I think this is an excellent moment to practice this particular skill in which I have been lacking pretty much my entire life.

*Later that same day....

Ok so I checked with a friend of mine who is going to school to get her degree in nutrition (a serious passion for her) and here's what I learned....

To maintain ones weight, follow this formula: your weight in lbs/2.2 (which equals ones weight in kilograms) x 20-30 = number of calories to eat in a day. Higher end for more active, and even higher if super-duper active. (Example: 150/2.2 = 68.18 kg. times 20-30  = 1704-2045 calories a day. Aim for the lower end if less active, the higher end if more active.

To LOSE weight, -500 calories a day to lose a lb a week. The main thing is, don't go to low and don't get too hungry. Less than 1000-1200 calories a day is enough to making ones thinking go haywire and less that 900 a day, well, you can't even support normal body functioning.

Make sure to include enough fiber and protein to stay satisfied, and remember, you can pretty much never eat too many veggies.

This explains a LOT. For the past couple of days, my NET caloric intake after working out has been hovering around 1000 calories a day. I figured, if cutting some calories is good, cutting more would be better. WRONG!!!! I need to up my caloric intake. Who'duhthought...

The other thing I did really well with for the first ten days of this little "anti-super size me" experiment was making sure I had fat, protein, carb and fiber every time I ate anything, snack or meal. I really have let this slide the past few days and need to get back on it NOW. Also? Have not been taking my multivitamin. I am remembering the vitamin D (of which I was severely deficient a couple months ago) most days but the multi I keep forgetting. Time to readjust. NOT time to give up. I don't believe that time will ever come :)

How feeling now? MUCH better about this overall. I was really discouraged earlier today. So grateful for friends, information, and the where with all to ask for help.

Back in business!