I've never had a weight problem in my life. Until now.
For me, the weight I am now is UNACCEPTABLE! I don't even have the courage to post it. Let's just say I weigh more now than I did when I was nine months pregnant.
I have never been on a diet in my life. And I don't ever intend to go on a diet. Until a few years ago, I chose to eat whatever I wanted but exercised it off. I was a runner and that kept my weight under control for decades. Things started to change in 2007 when I couldn't run due to a knee injury.
It was all downhill from there.
Reasons why I gained:
1) Portion sizes (I would eat large portions of food and go for seconds, sometimes thirds)
2) Wrong food choices (high fat, high calorie foods, high sugar)
3) Less exercise
4) Not really paying attention to what I eat (read or watch TV while eating)
5) Ignorance about how much fat and calories are in my favorite foods
6) Age (does peri-menopause cause weight gain?)
Last week I decided it was time to STOP THE INSANITY!
I put an app on my Kindle to help me lose weight. I logged in my weight goal and how many pounds I want to lose each week. It calculated that I will reach my goal weight on May 30.
I've never been a calorie counter, but I'm desperate. I keep track of my calories now. The app tracks my calories and my exercise for each day. If I stay under the daily amount, I will reach my goal. The best thing is that the more I exercise, the more calories I can consume. For example, my daily calorie intake is 1225. This amount was calculated based on my age, gender, height and how many pounds I want to lose per week. Today I worked out on the elliptical and burned 420 calories. This is added to my calorie total making it 1645.
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| Running = 557 per hour at 12-minute miles |
This is great because it keeps me active. I count the calories lost in all my favorite activities: running, bowling, tennis, yoga, walking, etc.
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| Bowling = 159 calories per hour |
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| Tennis = 557 per hour |
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| Yoga = 119 per hour |
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| Walking = 223 per hour - brisk |
I also like this app because you can create recipes and it calculates how many calories per serving!
Guess what? It's working! I lost three pounds the first week. I think it's because I was under in my calorie total because of exercise. It's not an exact science. I'm probably burning calories right now typing this post, but I won't add it to my daily total.
So what does all this mean? It means I have more awareness of what I'm eating and of my body in general. I feel stronger and healthier and I know that I will reach and maintain my goal.
A New Year -- a new me!
4 comments:
Well done! Starting is half the battle, and you're on the right track. All you have to do is burn 500 more calories than you eat each day, on average. It's slow (1 or 2 pounds a week) but it's effective. Also, your body can adapt to patterns rather quickly, so fudge a little on some days, eat way less on other days. Just be really flexible with yourself and you'll get there!
A tidbit of advice: I found that if I ate less than 1300 calories, I had too little energy.
Hi, Elizabeth: Thanks for the encouragement! It's only been a week and a half...I'm still in the guinea pig phase. LOL
Congratulations! I think you're off to a terrific start! After the initial week or two, plan on more of a 1-2 pound loss per week - the body will start adjusting to the adjustments you've made. Keep working with it. If you reach a plateau you cannot break - you can try this (it sounds crazy, but it can work) a 1-3 day period where you eat nothing but beef (like pot roast style) and leafy green vegetables (literally as much of each as you want for each day - I know, but I'm serious), and one orange per day to offset the loss of carbs. No dark liquids (coffee, soda) - preferably only water to drink. If you do this no longer than three days, it will most likely break a plateau where you keep to the numbers that have been producing weight loss but cannot seem to get any weight off. Best of luck!
Craig: Thanks! Good tip about the meat and salad. I will keep that in mind. I'm already seeing more energy. I'm very wary of the high calories in desserts now. Makes it easier to say "no"!
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