HalfGEEK's Progress Log

I am beginning this thread to keep track of my progress. I am committed to succeeding on this journey, and I feel a log/journal will help me keep track of the ups and downs I know will come along the way. Comments and advice are absolutely welcome and greatly appreciated. But I also understand if I am boring and no one wants to read. Hahaha!

Background:
- 46 year old female. Married. Mom to 3 boys. Twins and a singleton. Work full-time.
- Grew up very athletic and participated in many sports. Was a Division I college athlete - fastpitch softball. Fit and in great shape.
- Lowest adult weight = 125.
- Began gaining weight around age 26 even though I was still playing softball and working out daily.
- Diagnosed with Hashimotos Disease, Insulin Resistance, PCOS, High BP and Metabolic Syndrome.
- Most of my thyroid was removed due to a cancer scare which (thank you Jesus!) was not cancer.

Stats:
Height = 5' 5"
Highest Weight = 292
Starting Weight = 271
Goal Weight = 135
Started OMAD = May 30th, 2019

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Today is Day 8 on OMAD. My weight this morning was 262. No change from yesterday. I eat my one meal at dinner. I am also doing CICO as I have been doing this for a few months and lost down to 271. I like knowing what is going in my body so I can watch my progress. My goal is to eat less than 1600 calories right now as my TDEE is 2195. I have a desk job so I list my activity level as "sedentary" but I probably get a little more exercise as I have to walk around a lot and climb stairs a lot. However, I do not officially work out at the moment so I am going to stick to sedentary for TDEE calculation right now. Last night, I consumed 1545 calories in one hour. I ate at 7:00 pm. I am not listing my food because, frankly, I eat whatever I want as long as it is under 1600 calories. I know I could choose healthier options, but for now, I am going to focus on OMAD and <1600 calories and see where it goes. I will adjust as I progress along. I have learned if I try to change too many things at once and make things too strict at the beginning, I feel deprived and do not succeed. I want to succeed this time. So keeping things easy peasy for now and evaluate/change as I move along. I weigh myself daily as this has always helped to motivate me for the day ahead. If I am up in weight, it makes me focus more. If my weight is down - well happiness follows and who doesn't like to start the day with a little cheer. Ha! I did start my TOM yesterday (Sorry guys, TMI) so I actually expected the scale not to move this morning. It stayed the same from yesterday. I was very happy that it did not go up. Because frankly - it usually goes up the first couple of days due to bloating and water retention. Thankfully - that did not happen! Yay! NSV for me! I will absolutely take it! Hunger pangs come and go. They get a little better each day I am OMADing. I have not struggled too much with that as I tend to like that feeling. Someone told me years ago that hunger pangs are just my body munching on my fat stores. So as weird as it sounds, I kind of like the feeling as it makes me feel productive in my diet. In 8 days, I have fallen in LOVE with this way of life. I have never ever been on a "diet" this easy. I do not feel deprived at all. I do not obsess over eating or thinking about eating. I feel like I have given ZERO effort yet have received great results. I am praying that I can keep this up and make it my new lifestyle.

Day 8:
HW = 292
SW = 271
CW = 262
GW = 135
 

Jimmy Swartz

Administrator
Staff member
Can't wait to follow and read your updates on your journey @HalfGEEK! Thanks so much for allowing us to be with you in pursuit of your goals. Journaling is absolutely one of the BEST things you can do when you change your eating habits. Most people don't do it, but it's always one the first thing I advise when someone is starting the omad diet. It can make a world of a difference if you ever need to make any adjustments in the future.

I am praying that I can keep this up and make it my new lifestyle.

You CAN do this and I know you will! :)
 
Can't wait to follow and read your updates on your journey @HalfGEEK! Thanks so much for allowing us to be with you in pursuit of your goals. Journaling is absolutely one of the BEST things you can do when you change your eating habits. Most people don't do it, but it's always one the first thing I advise when someone is starting the omad diet. It can make a world of a difference if you ever need to make any adjustments in the future.



You CAN do this and I know you will! :)

Thank you Jimmy! I really appreciate it. :)
 
Today is Day 9. I ate at 8:45 last night. A little later than I wanted. It was weird because when it was time to eat - I really was not hungry. My littlest guy turned 13 last weekend and we typically have a "birthday weekend" for each kid. He didn't get to pick the place he wanted to eat last weekend because we had other obligations. So he wanted to go to Japanese Hibachi last night. He twisted my arm (not at all!) and we went together for dinner. It was so good! But it did not sit well in my tummy last night. Ugh. Won't be eating that again for a very long time. My body did not like all that grease and sodium. It was like a brick in my stomach. Lesson learned! Yesterday, I said that I am not working out right now. When I got home last night, it was cooler than normal and I felt a little energized. So I actually ended up walking my whole neighborhood. Look at me trying to be awesome! lololol It was a really nice walk. I felt great afterwards. I am going to have to start doing that more and more. The scale did not move this morning. Still 262. Gotta admit it was a little disappointing. But I have to realize that hibachi has a ton of sodium so I need to flush that out, and its still that time of month. I am very happy the scale did not go up so I am trying to focus on that. I know the scale will move again. I just need to keep plugging along. I CAN DO THIS!!!! Hope you all have a great day OMADing today!

Day 9:
HW = 292
SW = 271
CW = 262
GW = 135
 
Today is Day 9. I ate at 8:45 last night. A little later than I wanted. It was weird because when it was time to eat - I really was not hungry. My littlest guy turned 13 last weekend and we typically have a "birthday weekend" for each kid. He didn't get to pick the place he wanted to eat last weekend because we had other obligations. So he wanted to go to Japanese Hibachi last night. He twisted my arm (not at all!) and we went together for dinner. It was so good! But it did not sit well in my tummy last night. Ugh. Won't be eating that again for a very long time. My body did not like all that grease and sodium. It was like a brick in my stomach. Lesson learned! Yesterday, I said that I am not working out right now. When I got home last night, it was cooler than normal and I felt a little energized. So I actually ended up walking my whole neighborhood. Look at me trying to be awesome! lololol It was a really nice walk. I felt great afterwards. I am going to have to start doing that more and more. The scale did not move this morning. Still 262. Gotta admit it was a little disappointing. But I have to realize that hibachi has a ton of sodium so I need to flush that out, and its still that time of month. I am very happy the scale did not go up so I am trying to focus on that. I know the scale will move again. I just need to keep plugging along. I CAN DO THIS!!!! Hope you all have a great day OMADing today!

Day 9:
HW = 292
SW = 271
CW = 262
GW = 135

Happy Birthday to your son! Also, give it time for the results to start happening. You can do this! I love walking as well as it is very relaxing and peaceful. I try to walk at least a few times a week around my neighborhood.
 
I have missed a couple of days posting due to an extremely busy weekend. We had three baseball tournaments between two boys so we were all at different parks and driving all over town trying to make it to games and get kids where they needed to be. So sorry for my delay in updating.

Friday was super easy. I find the diet is SO MUCH easier to follow when I am at work because I have something to focus on. I woke up that morning with no movement on the scale - again. Weight was still 262. I stuck to it, though, and had a good day. Ate about 1595 calories that day. Halfway through the day someone offered me a donut. I was actually not really tempted. It kind of looked gross. That was nice to stay strong with doughy goodness sitting right in front of my face. lol. Yay me!

Saturday was a little tougher. Woke up to the scale registering 262. Again. Gotta admit that was a bit frustrating. To not have the scale move at all for four days. Ugh. That is disheartening. I was in a great mindset though and started the day. Then I sat in the POURING rain while my boy played baseball. I was utterly soaked by the end of it. I'd find shelter and the rain would blow sideways - it was literally inescapable. Then I had to feed him. The food smelled SO GOOD in my car. I held strong but it was so very hard. I stuck to my calories that night even though I wanted to demolish everything in sight. I really think the rain and no movement on the scale made it harder that night. The rain had stopped by the evening so I actually went for a walk around the neighborhood again. Twice in one week! <insert happy dance>

Sunday. Well..... the scale finally moved. 261! Woo hoo! Yes! I was so excited! Then I utterly BLEW the day. What in the world is up with that?!? I have zero excuse. I did not eat a ton of food, I just ate all day long. And I really felt it too! I was more sluggish. My stomach was hurting. I woke up today feeling more tired than I have since starting this way of eating. That just sucks. I was very upset with myself last night that I didn't stick to it. But I will not give up.

Monday. So here we are to this morning. I was scared to weigh myself since I blew it yesterday. Guess what? 263. UGH! I worked so hard to lose that 1 pound and then I gained TWO back. Talk about 1 step forward and 2 steps back. I was pretty frustrated with myself as I drove into work this morning. I typically will allow myself to have a diet soda at work but today I am drinking ALL water all day to get myself back on track. I am so much hungrier today as well. I had reached the point where the hunger was not really bothering me very much so that is just sadness personified. Boo me. I learned an important lesson here. The fasting DOES work and it really DOES make a difference in how I feel. So when I am tempted to eat before my allotted time - I need to remember this moment. It just was not worth it at all.

Day 12:
HW = 292
SW = 271
CW = 263
GW = 135
 
I think that we all have days when we just blow the whole thing, but that happens (to me, at least) on all kinds of things that I do in my life, and then I just get back on track the next day, or as soon as possible. It is frustrating, but we can’t change yesterday, only tomorrow.
 
I think that we all have days when we just blow the whole thing, but that happens (to me, at least) on all kinds of things that I do in my life, and then I just get back on track the next day, or as soon as possible. It is frustrating, but we can’t change yesterday, only tomorrow.
That is so true. Thank you for the encouragement! :)
 
Day 13. Weighed this morning and I was back down to 262. Seems to be my new favorite number. Ha! I ended up eating my meal at lunch yesterday because we had a work lunch. Can't say no to free food! Free food is the best food! But man last night was tough! I was so hungry. My kids and hubby kept talking about food and it was like torture. Granted I have three teenage boys so they talk about food ALL THE TIME. I finally went to my room and climbed in my bed. It helped a lot to just escape the temptation. My stomach growled all day yesterday and I know it was because I "cheated" on Sunday. This morning has been much better. No real hunger pangs. I am going to try to fast until dinner which will actually give me a 30 to 31 hour fasting time. Maybe this will help me reset. And it will get me back to a dinner eating window. Good luck to all you OMADers today!

Day 13:
HW = 292
SW = 271
CW = 262
GW = 135
 
Day 13. Weighed this morning and I was back down to 262. Seems to be my new favorite number. Ha! I ended up eating my meal at lunch yesterday because we had a work lunch. Can't say no to free food! Free food is the best food! But man last night was tough! I was so hungry. My kids and hubby kept talking about food and it was like torture. Granted I have three teenage boys so they talk about food ALL THE TIME. I finally went to my room and climbed in my bed. It helped a lot to just escape the temptation. My stomach growled all day yesterday and I know it was because I "cheated" on Sunday. This morning has been much better. No real hunger pangs. I am going to try to fast until dinner which will actually give me a 30 to 31 hour fasting time. Maybe this will help me reset. And it will get me back to a dinner eating window. Good luck to all you OMADers today!

Day 13:
HW = 292
SW = 271
CW = 262
GW = 135


Free food is the worst for me too! I will be at a friends house and they will always be like "just help yourself" lol. It gets me in trouble all the time lol.
 
Day 14. So I stepped on the scale this morning and it was 260!!! Woo hoo! I lost 2 whole pounds. <insert happy dance> I was very excited to finally see the scale move this morning. It followed a really long fast - faster than normal. But I also ate less calories as I just was not hungry last night. So whichever option moved the scale - I am very grateful. I ordered food from Outback last night as that sounded amazing as I was planning my meal yesterday. The driver apparently had an accident or hit traffic - I am not sure which because the restaurant told me both happened. I think maybe they just forgot me or something. Either way - my dinner came really late. Did not eat until almost 9:30pm. That meant I fasted for 33.5 hours. It actually felt REALLY good to do it. Yesterday morning was tough as my stomach was intensely growling for a few hours. But once that passed - I was good. My dinner was super yummy. Alice Springs Chicken and a big salad. Calories were 1390. I have been trying to eat 1600 calories or less. But maybe I will change that to 1400 now. The meal was very filling and I am not hungry at all this morning. I am so excited to be almost out of the 260s. I was doing CICO this past year on and off before I started OMAD. I have spent a LOT of time in the 260s this year. I cannot wait to see the 250s. Hope you all have a great day!
 
I can so truly relate to what you are saying, @HalfGEEK ! I am happy when I see a little improvement, too, and struggling (yet again) to get back. Under that 200 mark. I was doing good, and then my insurance stopped covering my thyroid medication, and it went berserk again, and I stopped losing weight, and starting gaining it back , no matter how little I had to eat.
Now, I have the meds again, also supplementing with extra iodine and thyroid supplement, feeling a lot more energetic , and trying to get my exercise every day.
About , free food, that is definitely an obstacle !
If I know it is going to happen, then I can plan my OMAD meal around that, and have it at that time. Otherwise, if it is one of those things where people will be offended, I either just count it as OMAD for that day, or try to eat a little bit of something that is not going to spike ensuring and totally wreck my fast, and then just get back on target afterwards.
It is not what happens once that makes me fat, it is what I eat every day, and that is the part I can change.
 
Hi everyone! I am so sorry I have been MIA for a couple of weeks. I have been out of town. Traveling with my family. I was in very remote areas with little to no internet access so I have not been able to log my progress. This trip was a HUGE eye opener for me. We drove a total of about 38 hours in all during the trip. Sitting in a car full of people who are eating McDonald's french fries is SO HARD when you are trying to eat only OMAD. At the beginning of the trip - I was so good! I made it about 6 days in before I really started struggling. The hardest days were the days in the car. I never realized how much my family eats when we are on the road. I did not have a scale with me but I could feel that I was still doing fine with my weight while away. Then, I gave in to the freaking yummy fries. I was very upset with myself for "cheating". I went through the whole downward spiral of depression, disappointment in myself, anger, etc... But I had a lot of time on the road to just think. Think about why I "cheated". Think about what set me off. Think about why it was called "cheating" and realizing that it is not cheating. It is living. And sometimes when you live - you mess up. But you pick yourself back up and get back on the horse. So I am back home and I have been back on the program for 3 days now. This morning I weighed and I was 260. Exactly where I was the day before I left on the trip. Look at there. No harm, no foul. All is okay. And it has been easy transitioning back to OMAD. Hunger pangs are stronger like in the beginning but I am okay with it. It just reminds me that I am working towards better health. Interestingly, in the beginning of this way of life I had a few days where I could not sleep. Then it finally passed. Now that I am starting again - the sleep problems have returned. I do not know if that is a hormonal thing that occurs as your body begins to fast. It is very interesting though. Something I need to think about when tempted to jump off the wagon again. :) The most important thing is that I had a fun trip with my family, I did NOT completely blow my new way of eating by going off plan for a month and gaining all my weight back plus 20, I am back on track at the same place I left off, and it has been easy to jump right back on board. I also learned that if I am craving something - eat it. Plan for it, count the calories (since I do OMAD and CICO combined) and have it during my eating window. Because I kept depriving myself of what I really wanted (stupid McDonald's fries!!!) and then when my will power was really low - I had an eat for all explosion. Not good. All of this shows me that I was right when I said that this IS going to work for me. I am going to succeed this time. And this is a new way of life - not a diet! Next stop - Skinny HalfGEEK!

Day 29:
HW = 292
SW = 271
CW = 260
GW = 135
 
It sounds like you had a good trip with your family, and a good learning experience also, @HalfGEEK . I think that sometimes, we just have to go with what is unavoidable in life, and make it through as best as we can, and it sounds like you did that on the trip.
You went on vacation, enjoyed meals with your family, and didn’t gain weight, even with a lot of time spent eating and riding in the car, which is an awesome outcome !
 
The most important thing is that I had a fun trip with my family, I did NOT completely blow my new way of eating by going off plan for a month and gaining all my weight back plus 20, I am back on track at the same place I left off, and it has been easy to jump right back on board. I also learned that if I am craving something - eat it. Plan for it, count the calories (since I do OMAD and CICO combined) and have it during my eating window. Because I kept depriving myself of what I really wanted (stupid McDonald's fries!!!) and then when my will power was really low - I had an eat for all explosion. Not good. All of this shows me that I was right when I said that this IS going to work for me. I am going to succeed this time. And this is a new way of life - not a diet! Next stop - Skinny HalfGEEK!

I could have seriously wrote this myself, it took me awhile to reach this point and it is why I prefer omad to when i was going full keto. when I broke on keto it would throw me into a tail spin think i just fucked up my ketosis and what is the point so i would eat more. My personality does not do well with restriction. Now it is all about living life, go with the punches, keep track the best you can, if something comes around eat adapt let it go and move on. I also believe that this will work for me. I look forward to seeing halfgeek become quartergeek. :)
 
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