The end of August! It’s almost the end of summer. The first half of this year, practically speaking, I didn’t lose any weight. It was The Great Pause. It started before the Corona Virus lockdown. Then suddenly in June I found I was able to lose weight consistently. However, even though I was eating the same as before (1800 calories per day) I was losing very slowly – less than a pound per week. Why did I stop? How did I start again?
Then, I found out how to lose more than a pound a week again!
My food intake and calorie count
Breakfast – beef and broccoli (315); rice (50);
- 365 calories
Lunch – 2x bratwurst (260); Ole wrap (50)
- 570 calories
Dinner – 12oz sausage and bean chili (420); braised snap peas (60)
- 480 calories
Snacking – tea with half and half (80);
- 80 calories
Total for the day: 1480 calories (limit 1700)
Why stop?
I stopped controlling my food intake in December 2019. First I was ill, then I was on vacation away from home and my food scale, holiday food, and lots of other excuses. I didn’t even get on a scale in December!
But by January 11 2020 I had gained 8 pounds from my November, 2019 low of 237.4 pounds. At the start of the year I tried to come under control again. And again, and again. I couldn’t get it together for more than a couple weeks, it seemed like.
On the good side, I didn’t gain any more weight after January. I stayed in the mid 240s for several months. That’s a kind of progress, that I didn’t go back to my old habits and keep gaining and undo all my work. I wasn’t in total control but at least I wasn’t totally out of control either.
At the time, I was pretty unhappy even with that silver lining. I was used to losing 2 pounds a week and feeling pretty good about myself. Looking back at my calorie counts and eating patterns during that time, it’s clear that I was eating too many calories to lose weight. (Today, I see that as good information. How many calories a week does my body need to stay at a consistent weight? I can use that data to get an idea.)
Suddenly, in June, I started to lose weight consistently. But that part of the story will be told another time. Keep track of your calorie count!
-The Doctor