If you have been reading some of the past blogs recently, you’re aware that I’ve been in the process of tracking my food/exercise to drop some extra fat. Here are my results of food tracking for 28 days.
If you need a refresher on what’s happened so far, check out this blog post HERE <=== 21 days of tracking.
Results of Food Tracking for 28 Days
Well, I saw 198 on the scale Saturday night, but…
…I’m not counting it.
Let me explain.
Last week started great, but then life happened. I missed a workout, overate multiple days, then was out all day in the sun on Saturday (only getting in less than 1000 cals that day).
Let’s just say NOTHING went to plan last week.
Honestly, I think two days were on point with my workouts and calorie goal; the other days were misses by overeating or missing workouts.
So while YES, I did see 198 on the scale, but that was AFTER an unusual day, so because that day was not a typical Travis day, I’m not going to count it.
I want my weight/fat loss to be a true representation of my day-to-day life, NOT the act of a one-off day where I was not prepared and didn’t eat much at all.
That would be like a person not eating for several days just to see a particular number on the scale; then once they see that number, they go back to their normal way of living.
So to me, I can’t count that unusual day.
What changes did I see?
If you remember, last week I was 205 on my Friday weigh-in day. Well, this week on my weigh-in day (which I moved to Saturday) was 201, which was about the same weight as I was last week AFTER I gave my body some rest.
Side note: If that statement and math confused you, I STRONGLY recommend that you read HERE <=== you’ll see what I mean.
In a nutshell, no changes.
My Thoughts
Right off the bat, even though I’m a coach, remember I AM human too. I do have those “life happens” situations that will derail me on occasion, but I’m not upset by it. I came into the process knowing that eventually, it was going to happen.
Weight loss maintenance is just as essential as weight loss. I didn’t gain anything, nor did I lose anything; I held pretty close to the same weight.
PLUS…
…I use other metrics to track my progress, not just the scale.
I tracked my workouts (which I was stronger in all my lifts, not to mention faster in my runs), AND when I looked in the mirror, I saw more definition than I did the previous week.
Actually, I was pretty happy with my progress last week despite what the scale said.
Side note: The scale tells one part of the whole story, so this is why we at RTC have people track more than just their measurements; we have them track their workouts (are they getting stronger, faster, can they workout longer, etc…) and importantly we track pictures. Most people are concerned about how they look at the end of the day, not what the scale says.
Weight loss is NOT a linear process. Even on weigh-in days, you’ll have some days that you gain weight, some days that you’ll maintain weight, and others where you lose weight.
When you step back and look at a weight loss chart over the course of weeks or months, you’ll see that it looks like a stock market chart; there are ups and downs, but overall you’ll see a trend in a particular direction.
I had an off week; it happens.
I give myself some grace and become thankful that I get to try again next week, taking the lessons I learned from last week 🙂
One last point…
I want to stress here that I’m in no rush; I’m working on finding a new way of living that allows me to enjoy life.
I’ve done the diets for photo shoots and competitions, and while yes, that is fun to a degree to see how lean you can get at a certain point, that level of conditioning will dictate your life. At this point in time, I’m not in that spot; later this year, yes. Now, no.
Right now, I’m enjoying life. I’ll still go out to eat with my family, I’ll still have a few drinks, and yes, I’ll still eat a piece of cake or a few cookies; I just don’t go all ham on it and eat the entire sleeve of Oreos 😛
The philosophy we follow here at RTC is UNLESS someone has a hard deadline for something (a photoshoot, stepping on stage, or some other event); we teach how to find a healthy balance that doesn’t involve living a life of deprivation. A life of always saying no to the foods they love but, instead, learning how much they can have and what kind of life they need to live to eat those things.
What Will I Do Now?
I’m not going to make any changes; there is no need. I just need to get back on track and take things from there. If I see no changes next week, then I’ll make adjustments from there 🙂
Times like this, when the numbers don’t add up, and you are confused about what to do this is when it’s great to have a coach to guide you. I’ve been here before, so I know what to do and what’s going to happen next, but maybe you’re new to this world, and things are not making sense. If you need help and you live in the local area, CLICK HERE <=== fill out the info and let’s chat 🙂
In Health,
Travis
P.S. And if you’re looking for something more tailored to your goals, we’re here to help. You can take a look at our Personal Training Programs HERE or click the Get Started button below to book a free chat with our expert coaches!
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