Ok, that was hard, holidays always are. I had a lot of parties and I'm still experiencing the fallout from leftover halloween candy. Also the snow, cold and end of daylight saving time messed with my system, but I think I'm now back on track. And I have new help!
My dear friend has started a "Biggest Loser" challenge with her family. They've all added 30 dollars to the pot and whoever loses the most by the end of February gets all the money and the glory. So to help her stay accountable to someone, she is texting me her daily calorie intake at night and also her exercise and I'm doing the same. It really helps so much having someone to own up to and to support you. Yeah!
So if anyone else wants to get in on this action let me know. You can text me and I'll text you. It really helps! As always good luck.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
Overdoing it and underdoing it.
Often when I tell people who are interested in losing weight about my program I get one of two responses. Either I hear that's good, but really to lose weight I'm going to need to cut my calories more than that. I'm going to need to cut back to 1200 calories a day. Or I hear that's nice but I don't need to count my calories I'm just going to "watch what I eat." While both of these methods may help you lose weight for a time, they both have problems.
I was talking to a lady yesterday and I noticed she was wearing a Bodybugg (a little device you wear on your arm that calculates how many calories you've burned). So I started talking to her about weightloss and how I've lost weight through counting calories and by starting to limit myself to just under 2000 and then more lately to 1800 calories a day. She insisted that to lose weight you had to eat no more than 1200 calories a day just like the women do on The Biggest Loser. I tried to tell her that I have successfully managed to lose 40lbs and have never once eaten as little as 1200 calories a day, but she wasn't having any of it.
The problem with eating so little is that it is not sustainable. The Biggest Loser is a rigorous 3 month show where they try to lose huge amounts of weight in a very short period of time. It reflects almost a sped up reality, no average person with a job and other responsiblities can lose weight like that. After a month or two of eating only 1200 calories a day you will not be able to continue with this program, it is just too taxing and also there is no where to go caloriewise after, 1200 is rockbottom. It is best to start at a number just below what you regularly burn in a day and then slowly drop that daily calorie limit throughout the months. You need to keep your body from getting used to a set number of calories.
On the flipside, just watching what you eat is not enough either and is actually harder than just counting your daily calories. First of all, you may deny yourself a lot of things you could actually have or overindulge in others because you don't know the exact calories of certain foods. You may say "I can never eat ice cream," when maybe you can eat a certain kind of ice cream that has lower calories than another kind or because you have consumed less calories today than another day. You may also go over on your calories because you don't realize how many calories are in a certain food. A salad may have a huge amount of calories with salad dressing and breaded/fried chicken but it's a "salad" so it must be good, right? Wrong!
Also this method gets very tiring because the results are often lacking. It's not an efficient way to lose weight. When you count your calories you know exactly what you can and can't have in a day, it also lets you stagger your calories in a week if you happen to go over your limit one day. And when you just watch your intake you don't know your limit, you have no boundaries; you're just guessing and that is really more frustrating than just keeping a daily food journal. Also calorie counting is a great way to learn the calories of foods. You are sometimes suprised what you can and can't eat. Another great reason to have a food journal is you can go back and look at your eating trends. How do you do on certain days of the week and what do you need to adjust? My food journal includes not only my calories but occasionally my weight and measurements so I can track progress and my physical exercise for the day. I also write the things I did that day, so it is truly more than just a food journal!
Ok I know this has been along post, but to my friends who are really wanting to lose weight there is no substitute for keeping track of all of your calories, you don't need to over do it or under do it. In the end it will make the whole process easier and more acheivable than you ever imagined. Good luck!
I was talking to a lady yesterday and I noticed she was wearing a Bodybugg (a little device you wear on your arm that calculates how many calories you've burned). So I started talking to her about weightloss and how I've lost weight through counting calories and by starting to limit myself to just under 2000 and then more lately to 1800 calories a day. She insisted that to lose weight you had to eat no more than 1200 calories a day just like the women do on The Biggest Loser. I tried to tell her that I have successfully managed to lose 40lbs and have never once eaten as little as 1200 calories a day, but she wasn't having any of it.
The problem with eating so little is that it is not sustainable. The Biggest Loser is a rigorous 3 month show where they try to lose huge amounts of weight in a very short period of time. It reflects almost a sped up reality, no average person with a job and other responsiblities can lose weight like that. After a month or two of eating only 1200 calories a day you will not be able to continue with this program, it is just too taxing and also there is no where to go caloriewise after, 1200 is rockbottom. It is best to start at a number just below what you regularly burn in a day and then slowly drop that daily calorie limit throughout the months. You need to keep your body from getting used to a set number of calories.
On the flipside, just watching what you eat is not enough either and is actually harder than just counting your daily calories. First of all, you may deny yourself a lot of things you could actually have or overindulge in others because you don't know the exact calories of certain foods. You may say "I can never eat ice cream," when maybe you can eat a certain kind of ice cream that has lower calories than another kind or because you have consumed less calories today than another day. You may also go over on your calories because you don't realize how many calories are in a certain food. A salad may have a huge amount of calories with salad dressing and breaded/fried chicken but it's a "salad" so it must be good, right? Wrong!
Also this method gets very tiring because the results are often lacking. It's not an efficient way to lose weight. When you count your calories you know exactly what you can and can't have in a day, it also lets you stagger your calories in a week if you happen to go over your limit one day. And when you just watch your intake you don't know your limit, you have no boundaries; you're just guessing and that is really more frustrating than just keeping a daily food journal. Also calorie counting is a great way to learn the calories of foods. You are sometimes suprised what you can and can't eat. Another great reason to have a food journal is you can go back and look at your eating trends. How do you do on certain days of the week and what do you need to adjust? My food journal includes not only my calories but occasionally my weight and measurements so I can track progress and my physical exercise for the day. I also write the things I did that day, so it is truly more than just a food journal!
Ok I know this has been along post, but to my friends who are really wanting to lose weight there is no substitute for keeping track of all of your calories, you don't need to over do it or under do it. In the end it will make the whole process easier and more acheivable than you ever imagined. Good luck!
Monday, October 12, 2009
Weight Loss Worry
I know it's been awhile since I've posted anything, but the reason is I would have felt like a bit of a hypocrite writing a weight loss blog when I wasn't losing any weight! From the beginning of September until the beginning of October I was just losing and gaining the same pound over and over again. It wasn't until this last week or so that I've been able to make some good progress again.
It wasn't all in vain though. I think I've learned a few things about weight loss. The biggest thing I realized is that stress can play a big factor in weightloss. I was very stressed this past month with moving into a new house among other things and just not seeing any progress on the scale was stressful too! I was getting discouraged. I was still counting calories, but had quite a few way over the calorie limit days and some stress eating too. But now I think I'll be better prepared and ready for stressful times. If I know I'm going through a stressful time I'm just going to recognize that my weight loss will probably suffer and just ride out the storm.
I'm happy to report now that I have lost almost 35 pounds in total since beginning this program in May and it's totally been worth it, even with all the ups and downs. So get out there and get working on it. You can do it too!
It wasn't all in vain though. I think I've learned a few things about weight loss. The biggest thing I realized is that stress can play a big factor in weightloss. I was very stressed this past month with moving into a new house among other things and just not seeing any progress on the scale was stressful too! I was getting discouraged. I was still counting calories, but had quite a few way over the calorie limit days and some stress eating too. But now I think I'll be better prepared and ready for stressful times. If I know I'm going through a stressful time I'm just going to recognize that my weight loss will probably suffer and just ride out the storm.
I'm happy to report now that I have lost almost 35 pounds in total since beginning this program in May and it's totally been worth it, even with all the ups and downs. So get out there and get working on it. You can do it too!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
A Few of Resources
One book that I've found interesting is Eat This, Not That. It gives good ideas on healthier food substitutions.
Also I found this site the other day: http://primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/jumpsite/calculat.htm. It helps you figure out how many calories you've burned for a certain activity. Kind of interesting.
One more thing: I like the magazine, Prevention. I think you can sometimes get free copies at the pharmacy. It has good short articles on weightloss and healthy living. http://www.prevention.com/cda/channelpage.do?channel=weight.loss
Discouragement
Whenever you are trying to improve yourself, in any way, you are bound to have setbacks. I have gotten discouraged several times throughout this weight loss process. Usually this happens when I go drastically over my calories (4-500 or more) or when I reach what feels like a plateau and I'm not losing as much as I think I should. But the only thing I have be able to do about it is to just forget about it and keep going and the weight eventually comes off.
In July I went on vacation and for 4 days I didn't count any calories. By the end of the trip I had gained two pounds! But I didn't give up, I got home and started keeping my food journal and dropped those pounds and more. I've found that vacations, holidays, barbeques, potlucks and even just eating out are hard times to keep calorie control. Sometimes I have to label a day as a "free day" or eat less the next day to compensate for what I ate the day before. This is called zig-zagging and it's also a good way to keep your weight from plateauing too. Instead of keeping your calories consistent each day (which is nigh unto impossible to do) you eat more some days and less others in a week. This helps your body not get into a routine.
I think they main point here is don't beat up on yourself for setbacks, just call that day or two a wash and move forward. It's so worth it. Good luck!
In July I went on vacation and for 4 days I didn't count any calories. By the end of the trip I had gained two pounds! But I didn't give up, I got home and started keeping my food journal and dropped those pounds and more. I've found that vacations, holidays, barbeques, potlucks and even just eating out are hard times to keep calorie control. Sometimes I have to label a day as a "free day" or eat less the next day to compensate for what I ate the day before. This is called zig-zagging and it's also a good way to keep your weight from plateauing too. Instead of keeping your calories consistent each day (which is nigh unto impossible to do) you eat more some days and less others in a week. This helps your body not get into a routine.
I think they main point here is don't beat up on yourself for setbacks, just call that day or two a wash and move forward. It's so worth it. Good luck!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
More on Calorie Counting
I try to think of my daily calories like I do the hours in my day. Just like I don’t want to waste the 24 hours I have in a day, I don’t want to waste the calories I am allotted in a day. One of the hardest things to do is put down and stop eating something that you’re not really enjoying or you don’t think is worth your calories, but it is so important! If I’m eating a brownie that isn’t great I try to give it or throw it away, instead of wasting the calories.
For me I try to allot my calories this way, adjust for yourself as necessary:
Breakfast 300 calories
Snacks 100-200 calories
Lunch 400-500 calories
Snacks 100-200 calories
Dinner 500-600 calories
Snacks 100 calories
This puts you between 1500 and 1900 calories per day, which is great. It is better to spread your calories out through the day than to eat a lot at one time. This way you can burn your calories throughout the day, instead of them going straight to fat. So those snacks are important! Any snack that is 100 calories or less and is bigger than a tablespoon is good, that way you can have two if you need them between meals.
When counting my calories at the end of the day I have to do a lot of guessing, when I can’t find an exact calorie count. When I do have to guess I always overestimate a bit, just so I’m not consuming more calories than I think I am.
Ok that’s all for now. Best of luck.
For me I try to allot my calories this way, adjust for yourself as necessary:
Breakfast 300 calories
Snacks 100-200 calories
Lunch 400-500 calories
Snacks 100-200 calories
Dinner 500-600 calories
Snacks 100 calories
This puts you between 1500 and 1900 calories per day, which is great. It is better to spread your calories out through the day than to eat a lot at one time. This way you can burn your calories throughout the day, instead of them going straight to fat. So those snacks are important! Any snack that is 100 calories or less and is bigger than a tablespoon is good, that way you can have two if you need them between meals.
When counting my calories at the end of the day I have to do a lot of guessing, when I can’t find an exact calorie count. When I do have to guess I always overestimate a bit, just so I’m not consuming more calories than I think I am.
Ok that’s all for now. Best of luck.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
For Teresa: Before and After
Teresa wanted me to post before and after pics. Hopefully there will be a few more in the coming months.
January 2009 vs. August 2009-I've still got a ways to go, but good progress!
January 2009 vs. August 2009-I've still got a ways to go, but good progress!
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