What a dramatic change in temperatures! Quelle surprise! I guess not entirely; I did know we had a cold front coming through. I just hadn’t anticipated how quickly things would cool off after yesterday’s heat. I hope that means I can get a few things done today.
One thing I NEVER worry about is macros. I don’t even look at them when I’m planning my meals, and I still think that it is unnecessary to focus on them too much when eating foods that are already pretty healthy, but I’m about to shift into looking at them a lot. Justin, my housemate, has asked for some assistance in making him a meal plan to help him lose weight. There are a few hurdles when it comes to Justin that I’ll need to address. The easiest thing would be to just have him do the plan I’ve been doing….obviously it is working. But I eat a lot of leafy green vegetables and while Justin claims he enjoys vegetables as well, he means that in a two or three times a week sort of way. He also has a love of, and fear of losing, a few foods I would consider junk foods. And while I’m not going to eat those things anymore, I would like to work them into a plan for him because I don’t want him to be doing something that feels like he will eventually stop. I want to design a plan that incorporates what he loves, but paying attention to the calories. Because of his specific needs, I think I will be recording macros for his meal plans, which will make me aware of them in general, so I might just record them for a while just out of curiosity. For Justin, I think it will be important to make sure he feels satiated throughout the day. I don’t worry much about that for myself. My foods are both low in calorie density and high in nutrients, so if I feel hungry I know I can just eat more. But with foods higher in fat, the limits need to be the limits. It isn’t that he couldn’t do what I do to fill the belly; it is that he wouldn’t. He’d have more fries, another sleeve of crackers, a little vegan ice cream. Those calories add up quickly. I think if I focus on making sure he’s getting adequate protein in his day, he should feel full without having to drastically change what he eats. OR, he could just drastically change what he eats and get over it! I’ll get it together by tomorrow.
I had wardrobe issues yesterday, and I had them again this morning. The sweatpants I was wearing while walking did not want to cooperate with me, or else they are some sort of practical joke enthusiast waiting for a good moment to drop in front of a passing car. Nobody was out early on a Sunday, so they never had their moment, and I kept fiddling around with the ties trying to cinch them up enough to stay up, but I’d get another hundred feet or so and feel them slouching and slipping slowly down again. I had planned on 250 lb. being when I was allowed to buy some new clothes, but I might have to get some pants before then, or quickly get comfortable with the neighbors knowing what kind of underwear I wear.
[Walk #84]
So, as I had predicted September was not as euphoric as August had been. Part of that was due to my own dabbling in various ways to see what would and would not work in terms of adding back in foods that aren’t terribly compliant (as well as using up some foods already in the house), but some was a general bit of frustration when either my weight loss seemed to have slowed or more notably when exercise felt difficult.
I’m planning to focus on food costs in October. I want to see how much I can lower my grocery bill and still feel just as satisfied. It will be similar to September, but I already know that my walnut milk might have to be replaced by soy or almond. I might need to switch from lemonade to water, especially seeing as I go through so much these days. What I want for this next chapter in my life is to simplify everything. I want to live cheaply and gently.