I sometimes wonder if I've bitten off more than I can chew with my approach, but I know I was most successful when I was tracking everything I ate. Even if it included going off budget every weekend.
The first thing that is going to help is cutting alchohol, which was one of the leading reasons I went off budget during the weekends. I went all of 2022 without an alcoholic beverage and I remember how good my body felt. Sometime around Valentine's Day in 2023 I lost my streak. :'( On the bright site, with how many great non-alchoholic options there are now, it's become so easy to go out and socialize without feeling pressured to drink!
The plan is the same was in the past, reduce the number of calories I eat and meticulously track what's going into my mouth while balancing my macronutrients. My calorie goal is 1200 and my macro focus is 35% carbs, 35% protein, and 30% fat. I worked with a personal trainer the last time I was working on losing weight and this is roughly the deficit and split she had recommended then. This time around I'm adding in 16:8 Intermittent Fasting to my plan. I've had a bad habit of snacking late at night and I think having an eating window will help me stay on track.
It feels a bit like I'm cheating because I have the time and desire to plan out my meals. Thanks tech layoffs!
Wednesday, January 10th
After a little over a week in and things are going great! I've been on budget every day and have mostly hit my macro goals. I remembered some of my go-to foods to get protein in and am having fun discovering new sources! Who would have thought I'd come to enjoy tofu as much as I do?
Yesterday's Meals: ~1171 calories total
Breakfast: Black coffee, my go to. <3
Lunch: 35g carb, 23g fat, 16g protein - 400 calories
- 2 cups (200g) of Costco's Sweet Kale Chopped Salad Kit
- 3.0 oz. of soft tofu that I picked up from the HMart across the street from me
Dinner: 40g carbs, 14g fat, 63 protein - 577 calories
- 6.0oz of pan cooked skinless lemon garlic chicken breast
- 150g cooked chickpeas
- 150g gala apple
Snacks: 27g cargs, 2g fat, 19g protein - 194 calories
A personal favorite of mine, greek yogurt with granola and fruit
- 170g non-fat greek yogurt
- 50g raspberries (or other favorite, blueberries)
- 12g granola
- 4g (about a teaspoon) honey
I use MyFitnessPal Premium for tracking my calories and fasting window. I was on the free plan last week but got annoyed with having to type in barcodes. It's more expensive than it used to be, but they have added more features and functionality, which is really nice to see.
Goal: 2-3x week
I'm going to run a marathon this year!
I've done couch to 5k in the past for one of those run for your lives zombie 5ks, but that was a while ago and I'll admit I'm out of shape.
Much to my surprise getting back to running a 5k took a lot less time than I though. As in, a week. Mind blown! It's amazing how quickly your body can go back to something it's done before. (Reality check: this also means it's just as easy to get out of shape as it is to jump back into things.)
Last week I ran 3x for a total of 9.6 miles! I ran on Monday for 3.2m and am going to run again today for another 3.2m. This weekend will be my first long run of 4.5m and I'm excited to see how I do.
Being laid off during the tail end of summer in 2023 was just one more thing added to list of things I disliked about the year. When I went back to visit my hairdresser I had to apologize at the end because after I'd verbalized everything I'd gone through, it felt like a therapy session.
I chose to spend the rest of the year spending quality time with my friends and family. My family has had some very serious health issues to deal with so I wanted to cherish my time because very rarely do you get the opportunity.
But here we are at the start of the new year and I'm ready to move onto the next chapter in my life. I've been applying for jobs and feel like it's been successful so far.
My biggest focus right now, interview preparation!
Being a better me!
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