Factoring in Exercise

Here's my usual calorie counting round-up:

Date	Food Calories	Exercise Calories	Difference
Monday, July 23	1544	208	1336
Tuesday, July 24	1617	0	1617
Wednesday, July 25	1710	452	1258
Thursday, July 26	1607	0	1607
Friday, July 27	2326	488	1838
Saturday, July 28	2201	479	1722
Sunday, July 29	1987	0	1978
Totals	12992	1627	11356
Averages	1856	---	1624

Evaluation:

• Consistent Tracking: I tracked every day!  I have to admit this is a lot easier with MFP than WW or my paper journal.  Or maybe I'm really really infatuated with this website...
• 1600 Daily Goal: 3 days out of 7 tracked were between 1400 and 1650.  This is the last week I'm going to include this evaluation criteria.  I'm not finding it motivational or useful.
• Weekly Average: 1856 - second highest since I started tracking.  Ouch.
• Monthly Average: 1725
• (New!) Weekly Average w/ Exercise: 1624 - This is a reassuring number.  It is one that I will work to lower, but it is good to know that my overages and exercise are helping to balance each other as I work to figure all this out.

Last week I came up with 4 goals to focus on this week.  I actually debated even sharing those goals.  Strange given that I'm beginning to be comfortable sharing so much here; I can't figure why those bothered me.  Maybe because I'm not sure how they will work.

Goal 1 - Exercise M, W, and Sa.  This was a resounding success.  I even added Friday into the mix after my pipe explosion.  I felt good for all the exercise and will continue with this being my base schedule.  Why Monday - Wednesday - Saturday?  Monday starts my week off on the right foot.  I mentally set the stage for a successful week with a positive active note.  Wednesday is weigh-in day for me.  No point in skipping that.  And Saturday is Junior Fitness.  How on earth can I let my little girl down by not wanting to go to the gym?  Yup - I've totally worked myself into a corner on that one!  The past two week's this has been my schedule and, for the first time since I started all this, it doesn't feel at all forced.  Well...  There might be a little force on Monday, but it is a good healthy coercion.

Goal 2 -Eat 1/2 my exercise calories.  This one scares me.  It is so counter intuitive to eat more when all I want to do is weight less.  However, this got added because I actually have already been eating half my exercise calories.  Actually I have actually been eating all my exercise calories.  On one hand I can say that I succeeded at this goal - I ate them.  Looking at the Difference column in the table up there, I've still got a pretty rocky ride in calorie totals.  That may be fine, but it might also be aggravating the overindulgence on the weekends when I'm more tired, less scheduled and struggling to recover enough to survive the next week.  I'm going to keep the spirit of this goal in the coming week by attempting to eat only 1/2 my exercise calories.

Goal 3 - Roll legs (IT band) each evening.  I think I got 3 out of 7 here - less than 50%.  This is a simple requirement for keeping me pain-free.  Wow is it ever an effective treatment for the pain I've had in my legs for so many years!!!  And so simple.  But. I. Must. Remember.  I have been bad about that until the pain comes back.  Being proactive in this area improves my quality of life.  Done.  This goal stays.  Maybe it will even move to number 1.

Goal 4 - Blog in the evenings.  Ha!  I'm blogging all over the place.  Before work.  At lunch.  After dinner.  In my head during my commute.  This goal is more about time management.  My evenings have been hard lately - I'm so very very tired.  But I need to add some structure there.  Allowing myself to lounge in the evenings isn't as rejuvenating as I would like.  Also, I'd like to start planning my morning workouts for the week so I'm not coming up with them fresh each day.  This goal stays as well (do I detect a pattern of being slow to let anything go?) but in a modified format.  I'm not sure how to say it concisely - I setup for the next day each evening.  Be it writing a blag post, packing a gym back or putting together lunches.  The prep work at night sets me up for a good following day.  I'm going to keep at it.

All in all, I had a good week.  I feel okay to good most days.  I've had at least 3 mothers of older children tell me over the past week that this is a demanding time and it will get better with respect to the exhaustion.  The exercise is helping with that as well the morning coffee I can't seem to give up.  Not only can I do this, but I am doing this.  Every day.  Of that I am very proud.  And hopefully I'll have smaller numbers on Wednesday to show for all this work!