| With the passage of time, since I started this exercise (not the website) in June 2014, I have discovered knowledge that would have been useful (but not essential) to know at the outset. Now I am setting down some notes so that others may benefit. These notes read from the top of the page, new notes being added to the bottom of the page. The notes will be modified as required in the light of experience and all comment is essentially subjective (in other words only my opinion):
Body weight
Body weight difference between night and morning weigh-in will vary. Perfectly normal. Nothing under this heading stays constant. The difference usually influenced by the time when a last drink was taken at night and the length of sleep. I have also noted that the trend of difference between night and morning body weight can vary around 1kg. Lower usually noted during hot weather when it seems to me the body stores more fluid by default. Nothing to worry about as this always balances out if you stick to your kcal threshold. My weight fluctuates within a 1kg range, the same one it has for years.
Exercise
After hard days out, you might expect body weight to drop significantly, without additional kcal. Well this does happen but the effects of such exercise will not usually be noted before about 24 to 36 hours have passed. Conversely, too much kcal consumption may not be noticed in weight for 24 to 36 hours. Exercise is great (my delight is walking) but not if it is unpleasant.
I see people jogging passed my window year in and year out, clutching a water bottle, hoping to lose weight. I am no better than they are. I have no more will power than they do. I once tried a gym and caught an infection in that ill-ventilated environment. It was only when I stopped to study the now obvious science and developed a spreadsheet, that my life changed for the better. Pour 100 litres of fuel into a 70 litre fuel tank and 30 litres will spill out. With humans the fuel tank simply expands.
It is easy to restore weight if any is lost following significant unusual exercise but losing an equal amount of weight due to over-consumption is far more challenging. The reason(s) I do not fully understand yet.
Numbers
The best and indeed only guide always is the numbers or kcal data. Always be guided by the numbers and success is absolutely guaranteed. In theory, with this principle, the only variation noted should be a drop in weight following unusual exercise. Such drops can be managed by a top-up of choice.
Flavours
Because I only consume ultra low fat cheese, over time, the strength of cheese flavour has also boosted so I don't feel deprived of flavour or taste.
Energy
My really major fear in the early days was that being deprived of sugar, I would experience a substantial drop in energy levels. That never happened. Complete fantasy on my part, owing to ignorance of facts. Food provides all the energy I need. My consumption of raw sugar since 2014 has literally been nil. My consumption of products containing added sugar is deliberately almost nil.
Some foods seem to cause me to store more liquid at night. This kind of knowledge only arrives over time. If you appear to have gained a little you actually have not and the figures will (must) pan out. As always keep to your baseline (benchmark) numbers (kcal). |
