Week 3 – Friday Fitness and Weight Loss Update

updownflight
Week 3 visual total weight loss equivalent-001
~7.4 lbs (3.36 kg) of products (my total weight loss after 3 weeks)

I just finished week three of my fitness and weight loss journey! I’m so proud that I’ve remained committed to this endeavor. Actually, after getting past the first two weeks, tracking and staying on plan is getting easier. It’s like less effort, and comes more naturally. Though I know not all weeks will yield weight losses, so far I have lost weight every week since my journey’s start. See this week’s results below, followed by reflections, a statement of my updated interim goals, and a link to my plan details (for those who’ve not read them).

Week’s weight change:  -1.8 lbs (-0.82 kg)

Total weight loss to date (over 3 weeks):  -7.4 lbs (-3.36 kg) – See photo above to see what this represents if all products are full

Week’s exercise (above & beyond):  120 minutes (25 mins above current interim weekly goal)

The beauty of planning meals in advance is that I can be sure to stay within not only my calorie goals, but also fat, carb, fiber, protein, total sugars, cholesterol, and sodium goals. Sometimes I struggle to meet them, not just exceed them. I rework my day’s meals and snacks appropriately. Sodium is actually an issue for me. Not too much, but rather too little. I’ve never been into salty snacks. I have to deliberately salt my food to be sure I get enough in my diet.

Despite pre-planning meals, I do occasionally make sudden changes. Like last Friday, I confess I had a little mini “binge” and ate 3 Kind nut bars in a row. Eeek! Luckily that was a one-off this past week. That day I exceeded my calorie goal by about 700 calories, but that was far from being a tragedy. That day’s calorie intake was still in a weight loss range. Or even if it hadn’t been, the next day was a new day. Then another day I spontaneously decided to go out for lunch. There were few truly low-cal options at that restaurant. I chose one of the better ones (eating only half), but had to modify my dinner accordingly to reduce the daily calories.

After my mini “binge” last Friday, my hunger actually started to reduce. My late night/early morning snacking also stopped. Hmm? Was it because of better meal planning? Because my monthly period ended ? The weather? Finally getting used to lower portions and better foods? Better food choices in general? Who knows! Probably a mix of these things.

I’ve found that for me, true success on a weight loss program requires that I cook a lot and put a lot of thought and love into it. The food must taste good, be adequately filling, and be healthful! To make things easier, I try to make enough for multiple meals on occasion, freezing portions if necessary. Definitely if I make a diet-friendly sweet treat, I have to either freeze excess (to avoid the urge to eat too much of it), or make smaller numbers of servings in the first place. Convenience in food preparation, for some meals, is important on days I lack motivation to cook. Healthful diet-friendly options must be as easy and quick to prepare as higher calorie options.

Interim goals:  This week I met my interim goal of getting into a lower “weight bracket”. By “next weight bracket”, I mean like going from the 130s to the 120s. Again, no, I’m not in the 120s yet. That’s just an example. As for exercise, unlike last week, I exceeded the amount of exercise I did in my first week.  So what are my new interim goals? They are reaching a 10 pound total weight loss, and continuing to increase my weekly exercise, even if by just a little. I’m not setting any date requirement for reaching the 10 pound loss interim milestone. I’m only committing to reach it eventually.

Recipe share

As promised, I’ll share a few diet-friendly recipes (with photos) of meals I ate during the week. See them below along with approximate nutrition information (calculated using MyFitnessPal recipe calculator). To see the recipe, click the recipe name hyperlink.

Sun-dried Tomato Chicken Italian Sausage & Spaghetti (yields 6 servings)

JpegApprox. per serving nutrition info: 386 calories, 15 g total fat (3 g saturated fat), 43 g carbohydrates (4 g dietary fiber), 18 g protein, 3 g total sugars, 45 mg cholesterol

Super quick and easy to make!

Greek Shrimp Tomato & Herbs with Feta (yields 6 servings)

Greek Shrimp Tomato Herb FetaApprox. per serving nutrition info: 196 calories, 9 g total fat (2 g saturated fat), 8 g total carbohydrates (2 g dietary fiber), 28 g protein, 4 g total sugars, 158 mg cholesterol

Low carb, or goes great with a side of brown rice, Israeli couscous or crusty bread, like French baguette.

Quick Crispbread Guacamole Snack (6 snack servings)

Guacamole on Crispbread snackApprox. per serving nutrition info:  51 calories, 4 g total fat (1 g saturated fat), 3 g total carbohydrates (2 g dietary fiber), 1 g protein, 1 g total sugars, 0 mg cholesterol

Quick and filling healthful snack. There’s no need to add extra fat to the avocado guacamole.  Sometimes I eat two servings, along with extra raw veggies as a light lunch.

 

To read about the weight loss plan and tools I chose for this effort, click My Fitness and Weight Loss Plan Described. You can also read my very first post introducing this effort at Long haul healthy weight and fitness efforts – creation of a Friday post series.

48 thoughts on “Week 3 – Friday Fitness and Weight Loss Update”

  2. celtics345 April 27, 2018 / 5:07 pm

    Congrads I lost 16 pds since January. I cut out ordering out. I am looking to lose more weight to help my A1C drop from 7.4 to at least 7.0. I will be doing the suggestions my dr gave me to counter the little junk I eat. I look forward to reading more about your weight loss success.

    Liked by 3 people

    • updownflight April 27, 2018 / 5:18 pm

      Thanks so much, celtics345! And congratulations on your loss! It’s amazing how making one or two positive changes in our diets can make such a difference.

      Good luck lowering your A1C. I”m aiming to lower my cholesterol. My other levels are fine. Certainly my diet will keep them normal.

      Liked by 2 people

      • celtics345 April 27, 2018 / 5:25 pm

        good luck with your cholesterol i got a great reading on mine but was bad on triglycerides 300 yikes. like you said in your blog the first two weeks are hard but after that you settle into the diet. it is not hard. i think taking my insulin first thing in the morning will lower all my high numbers and give me a good a1c. good luck to both of us we can beat this. keep blogging about it you are an inspiration to all us fighting the battles of weight loss

        Liked by 1 person

    • updownflight April 28, 2018 / 12:42 pm

      Hi Stoneronarollercoaster! I read your post and would be happy to contribute. Give me a little time today to carefully decide on an appropriate post or two, then I’ll respond in your post.

      Thank you for helping to fight the stigma!

      Liked by 1 person

  4. JumbledRambles April 30, 2018 / 8:46 am

    Well done lovely – sounds like things are going really well! And as for Kind nut bars, well it’s okay to waiver occasionally – the important thing is not give up and to get back on the healthy eating. Which you did..so yay!

    Liked by 3 people

    • updownflight April 30, 2018 / 11:46 am

      I really appreciate your support, my friend! Hope you are enjoying the spring!

      Liked by 1 person

      • JumbledRambles May 3, 2018 / 3:15 pm

        I know support and encouragement can make such a difference so happy to provide some ❤ Spring seems to have abandoned us here in the UK for a quick return of winter right now!

        Liked by 2 people

    • updownflight April 30, 2018 / 3:02 pm

      Thanks, Ellie! You’re right. I really am striving for a well-rounded healthful diet. I’m not completely denying myself any major healthful food group, but rather keeping my consumption in balance according to official Dietary Guidelines. Since my cholesterol is high, I particularly try to stay below that maximum for the day. I’ve found myself eating a lot more fruits and veggies again, eating more whole grains, and choosing more healthful preparation methods for proteins. The tool I’m using even lets me know how much I am getting each day of certain nutrients.

      Liked by 1 person

    • updownflight May 22, 2018 / 1:54 pm

      Thanks, crunchfitnessblog! And I will check out your post.

      Like

  8. Pingback: Week 3 – Friday Fitness and Weight Loss Update – Bird Flight – SEO
  9. -Eugenia June 1, 2018 / 1:49 pm

    Congratulations on your weight loss and thank you for sharing this useful information. Thank you for following BrewNSpew.

    Liked by 2 people

    • updownflight June 1, 2018 / 1:54 pm

      Thanks, Eugenia! I have actually been struggling a little since my week 3 update. I’ll write about that today. I look forward to reading your latest posts. I’ve fallen a little behind for various reasons.

      Liked by 1 person

    • updownflight June 7, 2018 / 4:33 pm

      Thank you, Holistically Katie! So far this update of mine has the most likes and views of any of my Friday Fitness and Weight Loss updates. I guess the weight comparisons and/or maybe the recipes (to a lesser degree) contribute to that. I’ll be posting week 9 soon, and yet this week 3 is still attracting views. May I ask how you found this post?

      Liked by 1 person

      • holisticallykatie June 7, 2018 / 4:36 pm

        I simply searched “fitness” in the WordPress search bar and your post showed up!!! It’s something I’m really into and fascinated about

        Liked by 2 people

      • updownflight June 7, 2018 / 6:35 pm

        Thanks for answering my question, holisticallykatie. I guess that and/or other keywords I chose are popular. Good luck with your fitness efforts! The fitness part of my journey is what I need to work on more. For me, the diet comes easier.

        Liked by 1 person

  11. Alina Smith June 8, 2018 / 4:33 am

    wow! that’s amazing because I have tried a lot but couldn’t decrease my weight, you are lucky, congrats dear. stay blessed.

    Liked by 2 people

    • updownflight June 8, 2018 / 11:32 am

      Thanks, Alina!

      So you know, some weeks have passed since writing this week 3 update. I went on vacation to Europe, and that set me back on my weight loss journey. It took some time for me to get back on track. It’s now my week 9 and I’m finally back to the weight I was at week 3. From this point on I want to start losing again. I’ll be more conscientious about my eating, and track daily.

      I visited your blog briefly and read about the fascia. I’m going to return in a bit and read more. It’s very interesting.

      Like

  12. bryansworldofwheels June 9, 2018 / 3:11 pm

    Keep going! You are getting into the zone now, and the weight will keep coming off. Peristence pays!

    Liked by 3 people

    • updownflight June 9, 2018 / 9:54 pm

      Thanks so much! I am still going.

      Like

  13. fungergirl June 13, 2018 / 4:07 pm

    Love the recipes! Thanks 🙂 Well done on your loss.

    Liked by 3 people

    • updownflight June 13, 2018 / 4:17 pm

      Thanks so much, fungergirl! I’m actually going on my 10th week. I had a little hiccup during a vacation in Europe, but I’m back on track.

      Like

      • fungergirl June 13, 2018 / 5:36 pm

        Ah, can’t holidays just do that…. Well done for dusting off and getting back on it. That’s not always easy! 💪

        Liked by 2 people

      • updownflight June 13, 2018 / 6:25 pm

        I’m so glad I got back on the program, too.

        Like

  14. thebrightside247 June 23, 2018 / 4:54 am

    Off to a great start…good for you! I’m starting my own journey…wish me luck! 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

    • updownflight June 23, 2018 / 11:41 am

      Lots of good luck on your fitness and weight loss journey, too, thebrightside247!

      I’m actually on my week 12 now. I had a real set back during a recent vacation, but got back on plan.

      Liked by 1 person

      • thebrightside247 June 23, 2018 / 3:40 pm

        Thank you…and we will all have those days…good for you for getting back on the plan. I am so pumped; my first week, and I have lost 7 pounds.

        Liked by 2 people

      • updownflight June 23, 2018 / 3:56 pm

        Wow! A 7 lb loss is amazing! That certainly helps with motivation.

        Liked by 2 people

    • updownflight June 28, 2018 / 10:59 am

      Thanks, keisha! I look forward to visiting your blog. I’ll do so in a little while. I’m writing this rather early in the morning.

      Liked by 1 person

  17. aestheticvogue July 31, 2018 / 8:18 am

    Good luck on your journey!!

    I have a new post up on my blog if you’d like to check it out aestheticvogue.com 💗

    Liked by 2 people

  18. Apparently I'm Obdurate August 1, 2018 / 11:36 am

    Really good post. I have struggled with motivation regarding this recently. I actually just did a post and would love to hear your feedback. I will make sure to follow you now.

    Liked by 1 person

    • updownflight August 2, 2018 / 6:37 pm

      Thanks! I look forward to reading your post.

      Like

  19. itsamomslife550575916 August 1, 2018 / 10:25 pm

    I’ve come to realize that healthy eating doesn’t have to be that expensive or difficult at all if you do it right. There is a group that I have mentioned in my blog post called ladyboss lifestyle and the girl who runs it give all kinds of recipes, tips, inspirational videos on how to eat healthy and most of her recipes are cheap and delicious too. I love it.

    Liked by 1 person

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