So, it seems this pandemic will be lasting longer than we thought. The number of positive cases have been increasing, and California has had record new cases in recent days. If you’ve gained the COVID-19 in pounds, it’s time to get your health back on track! This new way of living will not be changing anytime soon. Let’s strengthen our immune systems and bodies while we adjust to the reality of a likely 2nd wave of this virus.
A few weeks ago, I shared my health goals and wanted to give you an update on how my diet reset has been going for me.
My diet-lifestyle goals
- Cutting down drinking to 4 glasses of wine a week
- Logging food on the macro plan in My Fitness Pal with focus on non-processed foods
- Intermittent fasting
- Logging my water intake
The good news: I lost about 4 lbs over the past two weeks and have been drinking so. much. water. Struggle: I’m having a HARD time limiting wine to just 4 glasses a week.
Cutting down drinking
A typical glass of wine is 5oz. Do you know how little that is? I’ve been measuring my food and wine via ounces. And wow. 5oz of wine is half a glass in my book. First week, I was good and only had a glass of 5oz four times. Second week, I had a 6oz glass each day. And this past weekend, I allowed myself 2 glasses on Friday and Saturday.
I decreased my allotment of calories for food accordingly. And guess what happened? The scale barely moved for the past 5 days. I have been sacrificing calories with nutrients for empty calories with alcohol. If our bodies don’t get enough nutrients and calories it starts to think we are starving and therefore slows down our metabolism.
So my dilemma. Do I really need a glass of wine each day? I know the answer, and will have to get back on track this week.
It’s especially hard during this pandemic life! Can you relate?
Logging food into My Fitness Pal
My husband continues to lose weight as he is still logging into My Fitness Pal each day (I’m not affiliated w App in any way). He needs to stop now as he is starting to get too thin. Men! They make it look so easy.
While at first it felt like a chore to log in each thing I ate and drank, now I am used to it. It only takes a few minutes each day. The app is so efficient and easy to use, there really is no excuse to miss any days of logging.
I set the macro goals to give me a 30/30/35% ratio of fat, carbs and protein. I need 90 grams of protein each day to meet my goals which I’m finding difficult to meet. I am trying to eat more protein rich foods like chicken, tuna and shrimp to meet my protein goals, but it’s not easy!
Also, I’ve become obsessed with dried “Just Mangos” from Trader Joe’s which I also loved during my Whole30 Diet a few years ago. I will switch to frozen berries for dessert, as my husband and son love them!
Intermittent Fasting
I mentioned in my last post that I’d be eating during the hours of 12-8 with the exception of coffee in the morning.
This has been very easy for me to implement! And I love how I can save most of my calories for dinner if I want and eat much larger portions as a result. Doing it this way makes me feel much less deprived. After a few days of intermittent fasting, my body got used to it and just naturally wasn’t hungry before 1pm.
Logging in Water
I have been so good with water! It makes me happy because I know I am helping to flush out my system and making my skin more vibrant with the extra intake. When water feels boring, I drink a La Croix or add a tiny bit of juice to my water bottle to get some flavor.
It’s amazing what just a few pounds of weight loss can do to make us feel more healthy! I even wore a bathing suit at the beach for the first time this year and walked around without a cover-up! Ha! Soon I shall strut around in a bikini.
I recommend all the above to re-set if you need one. For me, other than the alcohol, it hasn’t been too difficult. I prefer it much more than the Whole30 or Keto diets I’ve done in the past. It’s a lifestyle shift we need to practice. Just like the effects of this virus that has uprooted us all!
Stay safe, stay healthy. And happy!
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