I think one of the biggest reasons why I’ve been successful with weight loss this time around, and not in any of my previous attempts, is my new-found ability to change up my strategies. I used to think that if a certain strategy worked in the past, that’s the only strategy that will ever work for me. I remember for 6 months during Freshman year in college I worked out for 60 min on the elliptical at 6 AM. Not that it’s a bad workout schedule, but there was no room for flexibility. If I was sick, or had a late night studying (or partying) or whatever, it didn’t matter - I had to be at the gym at 6 AM for 60 min on the elliptical. I remember one time the gym was closed unexpectedly and I freaked out. It was that rigidness that made it impossible to keep up. It wasn’t a lifestyle - it was a schedule, and a rigorous one at that.
I bring this up because lately I’ve been getting crazy hungry after work because I’ve been waiting until after I work out to eat dinner. But by the time I get home from the gym, I ’ve lost my appetite and end up eating just to eat, which prevents me from trying new things or having fun with my meals. So I switched things up today in order to stay happy and satisfied all afternoon and evening. I had a small snack at the office, then another snack, dinner, then had my workout snack, then worked out. MUCH better! Here’s the breakdown:
Towards the end of the workday, my stomach began to growl. So I had about 7 raw cashews:
Snack was 55 calories, 3g carbs, 4g fat, and 2g protein. That held me over.
Once I got out of work, I ran some errands including getting a polish change (to Galapa-ghost, a peachy-white) and hitting the drugstore. I had a new Lunabar along the way: Cookies n’ Cream Delight:
Snack was 180 calories, 26g carbs, 5g fat, and 10g protein. This was a good flavor! I am LOVING my quest for Luna bar flavors. It makes snacking so fun! :) (Love the deli flowers in the background!)
Once I got back home, I decided to have dinner! And because it was earlier in the evening, I had the energy to try a new recipe! I made black bean burgers from Veganomicon, served on a Ezekiel hamburger bun (seriously the best bun in the history of the world - go and buy some today! You will not be sorry) alongside some blackberries and ketchup for dipping:
Even though I loved loved loved this burger, I realized after the fact that I messed up the proportions of the recipe. Oh well. Mine was still delicious (and actually less caloric!). Dinner was 428 calories, 79g carbs, 3g fat, and 29g protein. I have one of these burgers left…this will definitely be a repeat recipe.
So the last part of my switchup was my workout! A few hrs after dinner I had a slice Cinnamon Raisin Ezekiel Bread with a tbsp PB:
Pre Workout Snack was 175 calories, 21g carbs, 9g fat, and 7g protein.
At the gym, I did half my workout on the step mill, but got bored. So I got off. Switching it up again! Who says I can only do the stepmill? It’s a big gym - I can do whatever I feel like! So I finished up with treadmill with weights, Cardio Wave, and elliptical. Cardio Smorgas = 458 calories burned.
So now I’m home and feeling great. The plan worked!….for today. Who knows if it will work tomorrow? But I do know that my ability to adapt to my changing needs that will keep me healthy for years to come. 
Those cashews look MASSIVE!! Haha, love it :0) And the black-bean burger looks SUPER tasty. Yum!
You’re doing GREAT!!! Keep it up!!!
Switching things up and not being so rigid is DEFINITELY the way to go. I find being super strict just leads to giving up later on. Whereas having that variety and flexibility makes it much easier to carry on good habits for the rest of your life. Woo!
And that burger really DOES look fabulous. I really need to try out these Ezekiel brand breads. I hear about them left and right and have yet to try any of them.
I agree with you 100% about being flexible and congrats on being able to do that! I think it’s a lot harder to do than it sounds and it’s easy to get on a pattern of what’s working/what you’re used to and sticking with that. That’s still something I’m working on, but getting better as well. Thanks for your comment earlier today, I really appreciated it and it seriously made my afternoon much better. Thank you!
I am trying to follow a very specific diet/food plan that I was very successful at losing weight with couple of years ago. I was very rigid about it back then.
This time around I dont get down on myself for eating more than the alotted portion on any given day -I just tell myself to take it easy the next day and promise to not have any of that item (starch or what ever) I went overboard with the next day. I know this is probably not your idea of “flexibility.”
I dont know if my “calculating” ways are working yet as I am only on day 4 so far (http://iwilltransform.wordpress.com/) but I guess I will see soon enough.
However, regarding “flexibility” and “switching things up” I actually find that if I serve myself a lot of the same food item at a meal (instead of a lot of variety) my cravings subside. But of course it does not work if I feel deprived.
I am just browsing around looking for some inspiration/motivation. Thanks for sharing.
You are too cute with your luna quest. I am a total spaz in the gym - I always just do whatever I feel like, it keeps things interesting and I figure as long as I’m pushing myself, things are just fine.
That’s the hardest thing for me too, because I lean toward picking the same exact meals and workout everyday just because I know that it works but then as soon as something changes my schedule, like a weekend, and I’m done!
Great job breaking out of that! It will really mean a lasting weight loss, and it shows that health has really become your lifestyle not a fad thing
yeah, sometimes i need to keep myself from getting bored at the gym- my question tho is how to you calculate the calories for your meals? plus that burger looks amazing- care to share your spin on the recipe?
VG - Thanks!!
Kristie - Re: flexibility comment, You put it better than I ever could, well done! You HAVE to try the Ezekiel breads - they are INCREDIBLE.
Ashley - You’re so right about safety in a pattern. Taking things one day at a time helps me: no pressure, no rules - your health is always a work in progress. Re: my comment, I’m so glad it made your day better! That’s the best possible outcome! (I meant it, too!)
Iwilltransform, it’s great that you’ve got a more realistic view of diet than you used to, but I have to admit, I’m worried about what I’ve seen on your blog. I would encourage you to do some research on how the body works, re: calories in and calories out. 390 calories is nowhere near enough calories to power you through the day. You may be able to sustain that for one or two days, but by the third day, you may eat 3,000 calories to make up for it! And that’s not good for your body or your mind. Try checking out http://www.caloriesperhour.com for some great calculators on figuring out your calorie needs. I would also note that I used to think that a variety of foods would inspire me to eat more, but now I realize a variety of FLAVORS is exactly what keeps me from overeating. Congrats on the blog, good luck with your weight loss! And I hope you keep reading and commenting on WFWS.
I used to see the ’spazs’ at the gym running around from machine to machine and thought, ‘dang, stick to something! work up a sweat!’ Now I realize they had to together. A treadmill can only keep you interested for so long. Mixing it up is essential to keep you going back.
Ari - I think I’m running out of Luna flavors though!
RLS - Thanks dude!! You vocalized exactly what I was trying to get across.
Tra - I use http://www.sparkpeople.com to track all my calorie, fat, carbs, protein, fiber and calcium intakes. My spin on the black bean burger was really just from poor reading. I thought it said 2 cans black beans, and then the other ingredients (tomato paste, wheat gluten, etc), so I used 1 can black beans and halved everything else. But when I went back to read it, I realized it said 2 cups black beans (1 can). So my burgers had twice the beans! (Plus I used granulated garlic instead of fresh.)