I was up half a pound, likely from Eli's special day yesterday. I had some salty popcorn at the movies, and we ate out at La Pita. Eating out always makes me retain some water weight. My calories were very similar to the previous week, so I don't think it's a "real" gain.
Average calories per day for the week was 1899, which was nearly spot-on with my plan of about 1900! I wasn't consciously focused on eating 1900 per day, but I deliberately ate just a little more than last week, and it ended up being right where I'd planned. Since I lost half a pound last week, and gained half a pound this week, I'm guessing that around 1900 is probably about my maintenance level. I'll have to continue for a few more weeks at this calorie count to know for sure. I'm going to aim for roughly the same amount this week, and see what happens, then adjust as necessary.
A few people have asked if I am going to change my goal weight, since I'm now 10 pounds under my goal. I may end up changing it in the future, but right now, I'm still figuring out a good maintenance plan. I really like the way I look and feel at this weight, so of course I'd like to maintain it; but if it becomes too difficult, then I won't be upset to gain 5-10 pounds back. I'd like to give it six months or so to see how I feel about it. Summer is the most difficult time of year for me to NOT gain weight, so right now, my biggest goal is to stay at or under my goal weight of 133 through the summer.
It feels so strange that I can eat 1900 calories a day and not gain weight. Logically, it make sense; but all these years of dieting have ingrained in me the idea that I have to eat much less than that to lose or maintain weight. I really think that being consistent has paid off. I gave it enough time to really work this time. In the past, I may have undereaten for a little while to lose weight (probably 1400-1500 calories, thinking that was necessary); felt very deprived; binged; and then started over. So, I wasn't eating at a particular level for very long to see real progress (except for when I lost the weight in 2009-2010).
(I'm still getting a lot of email with questions about calorie counting--this post explains pretty much everything. I really just keep it very simple--count my calories, try to keep them reasonable, and eat what I enjoy.)
Anyway, as far as my long term goals this week:
Stay binge-free: Today is Day 204! I think this is my longest streak since 2010. My longest streak ever was 365 days, so I am determined to beat that. Interestingly, it's getting easier and easier. Sometimes I still get binge urges, but I don't really entertain the thought of it anymore. The less I think about it, the easier it is to resist. So, if the thought pops into my head, I immediately try to think of something else. It's been very helpful!
Try one new recipe weekly: This week, I made this recipe for Italian Breakfast Casserole. Holy smokes, this was so amazing! It was really fast and easy to throw together, and despite having eggs, it was even good reheated the next day. Jerry and I both loved this! The kids liked it, but didn't eat the crescent roll crust--the best part, in my opinion ;) (I used cheddar cheese instead of Italian cheese, but that's what I had on hand).
It's basically layers of crescent roll dough, ham, salami, scrambled eggs, peppers, onions, and cheese. We ate it for dinner (I love breakfast for dinner!).
My running was good this week, as well.
I did a couple of afternoon/evening runs, which I really enjoyed. I may start doing some more like that. I ran with Joey a couple of times as well. On Monday, Jerry and I took Joey to the state park for a run, which was actually really fun. We saw about a dozen bald eagles while we were there! There were a couple of people with fancy cameras there photographing them (I didn't even bother taking a pic with my phone, haha). But Jerry got a cool picture of Joey and me at the end of our run:
I don't really have much going on this coming week, so let's hope I have another good week on maintenance! :)
Several readers have asked me recently about doing some sort of accountability group for Wednesday Weigh-ins. I created a group this morning called Runs for Cookies Wednesday Weigh-ins on Facebook, and if you are looking for accountability and/or support, you are welcome to join! It's a closed group, so only the people in the group will see your posts. You can post weigh-ins if you'd like, and share your success, struggles, etc.
The only "rules" of the group are: 1) No selling/promoting anything, and 2) Keep the comments positive (I don't want anyone to feel hurt or upset by comments, because the group is about support). Also, I would appreciate if you don't just go to lurk--please introduce yourself, share what you're comfortable with, and support others! Here is the link if you'd like to join. (By the time this post goes live, I will likely be sleeping--I've been going to bed by 9:00 each night!--but I will approve the requests to join in the morning.)
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