I started Tina’s Designed to Fit program last week.
Someone who commented here nailed it on the head — they knew themselves and knew they were susceptible to gaining weight after losing a parent. I’ve gained some weight in the past year/years, and know/am afraid of the potential of sliding further.
I “know” how to eat healthy. I lost 50 pounds a few years ago (and then gained about 20 of it back).
I’ve just gotten out of the habit. I lie to myself and tell myself I eat “healthy enough” but the truth of the matter is, I really like my wine and it leads to crappy eating choices, or I don’t plan and eat health halo foods at work.
Where Designed to Fit comes in: Tina provides my macros based on how active I am, etc (there are different levels for workout days and non workout days) as well as recipes and a general meal plan.
I’m only a week into it, but I’m currently attempting some sort of hybrid: making as many of the recipes (or similar ones) as possible but being really good at tracking my macros. As a busy single New York professional, there’s a combo of free food, being busy and being social that can distract from eating my own food. To be honest, I wasn’t making much at home AT ALL for a long time, so this is as much about re-establishing healthy habits as it is losing weight.
…that said, I texted Tina this morning really frustrated that the scale had gone up. I tracked almost everything last week and thought I did OK (I know there’s room for improvement), so why the hell did the scale go up? Tina sent me back a long WhatsApp message reminding me it could be everything from building muscle to where I am in my cycle to the wine I had over the weekend. I do need to remember a few things:
1. I didn’t gain the weight overnight; I won’t lose it overnight.
2. I’m not as young as I was when I lost the weight the first time; my metabolism is different now.
3. I’m still eating healthier than I was a week ago; this is a process, and I’m still improving.
4. I need to take some before pics…as much as I don’t want to right now.
Here’s some of the things I’ve been cooking — a mix of Tina’s recipes and others.
BLT Pasta from Cooking Light — so good! I cooked this just before I started the plan. It’s not super bad for you, but I’d maybe sub in some brown rice pasta now for a little extra nutrition/to maximize my macros.
My variation on this
I posted this on IG last night and you all asked for the recipe! Here it is, and it’s so good.
Here’s to another week of: me learning better how to fit within my macros, me attempting to be somewhat gentle with myself and not spiral when I don’t see results right away and another week of not burning down my kitchen.
Any tips from y’all on maximizing macro-based plans?
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Free food at work is my downfall. Free brownie? lemme have 3. another coworker and I just started an accountability plan this am, and no joke, another coworker walks by and says there is free cookies outside another office. sigh.
Good luck with the new eating plan. I know that struggle really well, I'm also trying to get back on track and I also lost my mom last year. So, I understand the struggle between trying to survive and get through the day vs. doing the best for myself with eating and exercise.
By the way, the link for the recipe didn't work for me. I'm curious, it looks yummy.
Glad/sorry to hear you understand. And, I fixed the link!
Losing weight (in the city! ha!) is hard! I'm kind of stuck in a plateau - have been for about a year, i should really try harder (but just lack willpower, or emotional stamina!)
Have you considered working with a nutritionist instead? I follow Tina's blog, and worry that they lack qualification to provide meal plans. A nutritionist would be better positioned to give you advice, and could help creating a mealplan including wholesome ingredients which might be better than the DTF mealplans. I have read on her website a lot, and find that the mealplans include a LOT of processed food. Losing weight takes a while, but usually week 1 results are good because you start with a "bang"! I do think it could just be water weight, but sadly I'm not sure you've built a ton of muscle in a week! (oh how i wish I did!) - sorry to be a downer!
I started tracking macros in April and am down 22 pounds since then! I'm about 7 pounds from my ultimate goal weight. I hope that sharing that feels a little motivational for you. My coach made me promise to not weigh myself the first two weeks, and I ended up being down 5 pounds after those two weeks. So maybe you're still in an adjustment period and will see the results on the scale soon!
That said, I also wonder about Tina's program. It always sees like a lot of processed foods in the meal plans. My coach stresses hitting your macros with whole foods and also keeping a focus on micro-nutrients. Good luck! I look forward to following your journey.
I had a friend who tried the DTF plan and she also gained weight. She actually said it was worse food than she was eating before (like hash browns) - but I live in NYC too and my bagel with cream cheese in the morning is probably a worse choice than hash browns.... haha! I like how you said you are eating better than you had in the past, so that's a win. My friend ended up going with a nutritionist who had more knowledge about nutrition in general and was qualified to give advice. Always an option!
I started with Working Against Gravity, which is a similar program that gives you your macros and coaching and then you kind of figure it out from there. I am 40 and joined in April and have lost about 10 pounds since that time -- which is sometimes frustrating because my weight has pretty much stayed the same since June. I was getting frustrated with my results and then I did signed up for a couple of DEXA scans, which tell you your body fat percentage, muscle, etc. In the month between my scans, I think I lost about a pound, but I had gained muscle and lost a fair amount of fat and my overall body fat percentage went down. Anyway, this confirmed for me that the scale does not tell the entire story, so it might be worth seeing if you can find something similar -- I'm sure they do DEXA scans in NYC. It was a little expensive but was definitely worth it. Good luck!
uff da. I'm at 200 right now and hoping to lose 30 eventually. I'm not at the point of tracking and macros yet. But I am going to the gym regularly, versus claiming to work out. We can do this!
Not gonna lie, I kind of love seeing iphone pictures of food on your blog again. Reminds me of the old days! And is maybe the inspo I need to lose the weight *I've* put on in the intervening years. As usual, thanks for sharing your journey with us!
I definitely know how your feel. I finally got serious, cleaned up my diet, kept up with exercise and the stubborn 10 pounds that I've been trying to lose for 3 years haven't budged. On the bright side, I have more energy when I eat better. Anyways, if you ever want to vent, I'm here to commiserate. that BLT pasta looks bomb by the way.
It was! And it really wasn't terrible for ya either