Since 2021, my weight has slowly creeped up a few pounds each year. Winters are especially noticeable because I tend to eat more mindlessly when it’s dark and cold outside. Generally what happens is I’ll pay attention and try to eat less for a few weeks until I get back to an acceptable weight.
That weight has been ~ 140lbs during the past three years.
At 140, I don’t have a six pack, but my clothes fit well, my pants aren’t too tight, and I am relatively lean.
After my sciatica injury in November and during the long road to recovery, my weight crept up to 145. Then to 148. It felt like I was eating the same amount, but for whatever reason, I couldn’t get those extra pounds off.
If anything, I felt hungrier whenever I sat down for a meal and was eating more.
It all came to a head for me this week when the weather finally warmed up enough for me to wear my favorite lightweight prana pants that fit me perfectly in the fall. They were too tight.
And I was pissed off.
I got on the scale and was 148.
I reviewed my daily logs and saw that back in Spring of 2021, I had dropped down to 130-132 lbs before settling around 135 for the next year. At 135, I was lean, my clothes fit great and I felt fantastic.
No wonder I feel off! I’m almost 15 lbs over my ideal weight.
I’m not kidding myself either – it’s not 15 lbs of muscle that I gained.
The good news is I know what to do. I need to eat less.
I evaluated the amount of food I’ve been eating and did a calorie count. I am eating nearly twice as much as I did in 2021!
No wonder I put on 15 lbs.
I immediately cut the amount of food I eat by almost half.
Surprisingly, I’ve not had any negative side effects. I’m not lethargic, low energy or even hungry. I’m sleeping well and my workouts feel more energetic.
I’ve dropped a few pounds already but know from experience that my daily weight will fluctuate. In time, my weight will drop until my caloric intake balances with my energy expenditure.
There’s no mystery here for me anymore. I know what works and am doing it. Barring unforeseen circumstances, I expect to reach my goal weight by summer so I can enjoy being lean and wearing my favorite pants comfortably again.