A few blog posts ago, I said that my plan was to prioritize protein and move more. I’m working on both – I have protein with every meal, and I’m exercising consistently and trying to be more mindful of moving more in general during the day, such as using the “standing” position of my standing desk more often at work, doing deep squats at the water cooler (super embarrassing if someone catches me), and finding reasons to walk around the office more. Still, my weight will not move. I think I know what I need to do. I need to start tracking.
I have gone through phases in my weight loss journey. Sometimes I am a super tracker and I record every little thing I eat. Other times I can’t mentally handle the thought of trying. I’ve used apps and spreadsheets and what I have found is that I don’t think it’s the best thing for me. It tends to make me too obsessive about calories and macros, and can make me feel to stressed, especially in situations where I don’t have control over what I’m eating. Going home for a weekend to visit my family shouldn’t fill me with anxiety over what I’m going to eat and how much weight I will gain because of it. I want to be able to just enjoy spending time with my family.
That being said, I have decided that I want to start tracking protein intake, at least until I get a better sense of what my daily protein goal looks like. I have heard a couple of guidelines for protein intake:
The first is 1g per pound of body weight, however if a person is overweight or obese, it’s better to eat according to the goal weight, or lean body mass weight.
Thanks to my eufy Smart Scale P2 Pro, I know that my lean body mass weight is around 125 pounds, so that’s where I will start. Let us begin the process of googling “what does 100g of protein a day look like”!
I will be focusing mostly on animal-based protein sources, because I also want to eat fairly low carb. One source will be a daily protein shake, because with that I can get 1/5 of my protein needs in an easy and delicious way. I am currently trying Good Protein, which I quite enjoy:
I also often buy SunWarrior and Garden of Life protein powders, to have some variety.
Prioritizing protein will be the foundation of my diet plan. As for the rest of it, my plan is to focus on a variety of healthy foods without being too restrictive. I have found that restricting too much eventually leads to a binge, so while I want to reduce my sugar intake significantly, I’m not going to say “Zero Sugar” or tell myself that I “can’t” have a cookie or a piece of cake. I don’t want to just lose weight, I want to heal my toxic relationship with food so I can get to a place where I can freely enjoy eating anything in moderation without it leading to a binge and a downward spiral of hating myself. My goal is health. Not restriction. Not perfection. Just health.
❤ Lola
lolaandmela 