SandTiger's work in progress thread - starting weight 245

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  • Sand_TIger
    Sand_TIger Posts: 1,070 Member
    New blog entry - I'm exploring two of the topics that were suggested in the comments from the previous entry. Thanks, folks! Good suggestions. :smiley:

    https://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Sand_TIger/view?id=by-reader-request-tips-for-tofu-and-separate-meals-1008452
  • Sand_TIger
    Sand_TIger Posts: 1,070 Member
    New blog entry about saving money on sports nutrition:

    https://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Sand_TIger/view?id=sports-nutrition-on-a-dime-1008816

    I'm still hovering around 150 at the moment and getting ready to lose some more. Have my breakfasts and lunches prepped and that helps!
  • Sand_TIger
    Sand_TIger Posts: 1,070 Member
    Slightly more personal post - but still tangentially weight loss related.

    https://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Sand_TIger/view?id=picking-up-a-paintbrush-again-1009016
  • joans1976
    joans1976 Posts: 2,201 Member
    Such an inspiration! I haven’t started on your blog yet but I can’t wait! I have about 110-120 pounds to lose and have lost 30 so far. My ideas and reasons for losing are constantly evolving, always a work in progress! Thank you for sharing, I know it can be hard to do!
    PS I ❤️ cats
  • sargemarcori
    sargemarcori Posts: 301 Member
    Sand_TIger wrote: »
    Regarding protein, I do have one slight advantage - estrogen has a protein sparing effect so if I'm only eating 80 or so grams in a day it's not the end of the world. I'm not having too much trouble staying in calorie restrictions. My goal is about a half pound a week but I usually do better than that, calorie wise.

    I really struggle with my protein, and I'm doing a medical menopause (was on HRT, now I'm not.) I hadn't heard about this though?

  • Sand_TIger
    Sand_TIger Posts: 1,070 Member

    I really struggle with my protein, and I'm doing a medical menopause (was on HRT, now I'm not.) I hadn't heard about this though?

    It might have been growth hormone I was thinking of with the protein sparing effect, and I'm having trouble finding my reference. Carbohydrate does have a protein sparing effect, and there are some articles and studies to back that up.

    What a woman's body is really good at though is recovery, partly due to estrogen, and I have an article about that ready to hand:

    https://barbend.com/women-training-volume/

    It isn't the article I was thinking of but makes the same basic points.
  • sargemarcori
    sargemarcori Posts: 301 Member
    thank you! I meant to also say something along the lines of how much I appreciate your being willing to share your story and to answer questions, and then I got in a hurry and forgot that part. :neutral:
  • Sand_TIger
    Sand_TIger Posts: 1,070 Member
    thank you! I meant to also say something along the lines of how much I appreciate your being willing to share your story and to answer questions, and then I got in a hurry and forgot that part. :neutral:

    You're very welcome :smile: Sharing helps.
  • Sand_TIger
    Sand_TIger Posts: 1,070 Member
    Checking in! My work situation has changed very much for the better so with a reduced stress load I have more time to be active here. This marks the end of my first week of taking my calorie deficit seriously and prioritizing movement again. The intervening time was spent still paying attention to portions and keeping my indulgences sporadic, so I regaind maybe 10-15 pounds? Not bad considering how much stress I was under.

    I'm also taking the reins of the Time Restricted Eating group, which was pretty much leaderless for a while. I started by accepting everyone who wanted to join and will continue being active in case anyone is interested.

    My current strategy is pretty much what it was before, only eating between 11 and 7 every day so that I can cut my day down to two good meals and a snack rather than three small meals and two small snacks. Since I only get really hungry after I start eating for the day, this is just a tool to get the most satisfaction from the calories I take in. My goal for movement is basically 20ish minutes of activity a day, with a mix of indoor cardio and weight work. I no longer have access to a pool and can't take long walks outside so this is all basic indoor stuff using my own equipment.

    Food plan is, as usual, prioritizing lean protein, vegetables and fruits and reducing grains but not eliminating them. Two tweaks are that I'm eating lean meat instead of protein bars (it's actually a lot cheaper) and having a few nuts every day. As in, 2-4 walnuts that I crack myself. I'm also not taking as many supplements as before and trying to get more of my nutrients from whole foods. So far, so good.

    Anyway, at the end of my first week back, I'm already noticing an increase in energy and a reduction of puffiness in my face. This morning I weighed in at 164. Not much actual weight loss in this first week but I'm not worried about it since my body is feeling different and I know for a fact I'm in a deficit.
  • sargemarcori
    sargemarcori Posts: 301 Member
    good to see you back!
  • chudib
    chudib Posts: 5 Member
    Welcome back @Sand_TIger !
    Love reading your writeups :)
  • Sand_TIger
    Sand_TIger Posts: 1,070 Member
    Thank you both :)
  • Sand_TIger
    Sand_TIger Posts: 1,070 Member
    Also - if anyone would like the TRE group they are more than welcome to, however keep in mind that I don't get notifications for it unless I actually go into the forums. So it might be a little while till I see it.
  • Sand_TIger
    Sand_TIger Posts: 1,070 Member
    Just discovered something cool - taco shells can be found as low calorie as 3 for 130 cals depending on the brand. I have been using my high fiber low carb fifty calorie tortillas (Jose Ole brand) for them but it's cool to be able to have hard shell as well. With taco meat made without a ton of extra fat and plenty of lettuce, tomato, salsa, onions, whatever else you may want, and low fat cheese, I can really enjoy this dinner without going over on calories or macros.
  • Midasgal
    Midasgal Posts: 10 Member
    i just started here and your story is inspiring. I would like to join the Restricted eating group. will look for it
  • Sand_TIger
    Sand_TIger Posts: 1,070 Member
    We'd be happy to have you! The link is here: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/49-tre-time-restricted-eating

    If that doesn't work you should be able to search it under "TRE-time-restricted-eating."
  • beautyandababe
    beautyandababe Posts: 26 Member
    Sand_TIger wrote: »
    Just discovered something cool - taco shells can be found as low calorie as 3 for 130 cals depending on the brand. I have been using my high fiber low carb fifty calorie tortillas (Jose Ole brand) for them but it's cool to be able to have hard shell as well. With taco meat made without a ton of extra fat and plenty of lettuce, tomato, salsa, onions, whatever else you may want, and low fat cheese, I can really enjoy this dinner without going over on calories or macros.

    You can make a soft taco into a hard shell in the oven by draping over the bars of the oven rack! You can search google images to see what I mean.
  • Sand_TIger
    Sand_TIger Posts: 1,070 Member
    You can make a soft taco into a hard shell in the oven by draping over the bars of the oven rack! You can search google images to see what I mean.

    Absolutely you can! You can also make them in the microwavve, and also make tostada bowls by using a regular bowl as a form. The thing was, I'd never bought taco shells before because of this, and didn't know I could actually get THREE for 130 calories (instead of 150 or 180 if I made them myself with my low cal tortillas) and they were just really, really tasty.
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