Healthy Living in Connecticut Blog

The other day, I wrote about my team in the latest challenge I'm doing for the Northwest CT YMCA. Part of the requirements of the challenge is strength training. Many people do not get adequate protein, but body builders especially need extra protein in order to build lean muscle. Also, if someone doesn't have enough protein, they could lose some of the muscle they already have.

It's difficult to find the right balance of protein that you need. I've seen so many different guidelines but I'm listening to what my trainer advises, which is one gram of protein per pound of weight. Oftentimes, this means having a supplemental protein shake as it would be difficult to get enough protein from food alone.

My suspicions were confirmed.  My jumpstart weight-loss had stalled.  Why? Stupidity on my part. As much as I thought I was following my program I inadvertently introduced elements that were different and it has put a bump in the road. 

Zero Calorie does not equal zero Carbs

I am following a low carb food strategy and I started using Truvia sweetener.  Truvia carries 3g of carbs per packet. Shame on me for assuming it was carb free as other sweeteners I had used in times past.  Truvia IS the healthy way to go... but for now I will hold off on using it until the maintenance phase of the diet.  Since I drink Green tea like a fiend, I was consuming about 35-45 grams of carbs per day alone with Truvia.  That is what I believe is causing the the jumpstart weight-loss to stall.  For the jumpstart program to work, I need to consume next to 55-75 grams of carbs per day for 8 days... (And yes it is not that fun... remember, jumpstarts for any type of diet plan, are to be tolerated... anyone selling "fun" is trying to sell you product, I'd say to save your money.) The rest of the intake is an overload of protein, minimal fats, appropriate amount of salt and a whole lot of water.

I've followed my diet plan 2 other times before in my life. Both times I have lost about 8-10 pounds in the first week of the diet during the jumpstart period.  This go around I decided to try something different by throwing in light cardio exercise.

Things are turning out different.  

The scale is still somewhat static and has not changed much since the start.  So far I am only down about 3 pounds as of the begining of day 5.  Now this could be good or bad.  I am unsure what to make of it at this point.  One fact is I have pounds of food sitting in my system that have not been "evacuated" yet so in another day my weight may shift down again. But on another side, is my daily exercising the reason I am not losing as I did before.  Is the exercise somehow interrupting the fat burning process? I guess a little more time will tell.

Things are moving along! Day 3 of the 8 day jumpstart period completed!

What better way to prove my progress than to take photos of the scale!  It is easy to log and post my weights... but how would you know truth from fiction? I missed photos of the first two days but from here on out I will have photos of the scale every day.  Let's hope it keeps going down! With the type of scale I have I cannot cheat it... it has balance indicators that will not log your weight if it detects that the person is shifting their weight on the scale and little arrows show up on the display to let you know you are cheating!  I love it. 

Launching ahead full steam yet gravity is trying to hold me down!

I've had quite a day today!  I've had a large corporation tell me that I am unrealistic or unlikely to lose 40 pounds in 10 weeks.  Can you imagine that?  I tired to pay them to promote my story... and I was told "Your Post wasn't boosted because it violates Fxxxxxxk's ad guidelines by making claims that are unrealistic or unlikely. The post remains published, but it is not running as an ad."  I am amazed that a complete stranger (ad reviewer) would try to discourage someone from sharing their story!  I'm not even selling anything!! I've contacted the company and I am awaiting a response.  

I've lost 30 pounds in 8 weeks during last fall's Northwest YMCA Weight-Loss Challenge. I was monitored during weekly weigh-ins for 8 weeks straight and I did not even exercise during that challenge.  I did walk "so many" steps per week but always fell well below the 10,000 steps/day they were looking for.  During this new personal challenge I will be exercising and quite sure I will be able to lose 40 pounds in 10 weeks. I am a bit pissed that I cannot even pay money out of my own pocket to try to boost my story to get more followers!