Ten things that have helped me lose weight:
1) This has been most important for me, and is most important for anyone. Just ask someone who has tried an extreme diet or workout plan. Ask them how long it has lasted and how much weight they lost...
a) My goal is to make long-term, sustainable changes. I don't "diet". I modified my diet. I'm not on a weight-loss journey. I'm on a health and fitness journey. I'm not aiming to lose 50 pounds in 6 months. I don't work out for 3 hours, 7 days a week. None of that would last. It's unrealistic for a large percentage of people. I also didn't just outline weight-loss goals. I mean, sure. I'm vain. That's part of it. I want women to jealously watch me as I walk by and say "skinny b**ch". I want my husband to not be able to control himself :) I want to like what I see in the mirror (I love what's inside, that's no problem. I'm pretty much awesome. I want to look as awesome as I feel like I am! :) ) I digress.
I outlined weight, inches, clothes size goals for sure. I also outlined flexibility goals (forehead to knee in hamstring stretch), endurance goals (walk a 15-minute mile at 3.0 elevation), fitness goals (be able to do 10 burpees, be able to do a 1:00 plank), etc. If I give myself more than just weight/ size to measure, I'm more likely to see progress and be motivated to continue. And I'm really becoming healthier and not just skinnier.
I also modify my goals. As I grow close to accomplishing one goal, I make it more challenging. For example, my first endurance goal was to be able to walk a 20 minute mile at 0.0 elevation (which sounds really sad to some of you, but even at my healthiest point in life I have never been a runner/ fast walker). I wrote it down in my fitness notebook, and when I met the goal I put a big checkmark beside it. After I met that goal, I upped the elevation to 2.0, and did that the next day. I then modified (or really I suppose it's like adding another goal) that to a 15 minute mile. Once I meet a goal I don't consider that I'm finished. I just make another more challenging goal.
b) So, I set reasonable, attainable, measurable goals. I would love to lose 50 pounds in a month or two. Unless I get really sick, that is not going to happen no matter how much I work out and change my eating habits. I have to set goals that are slightly challenging, or I'll never change and grow, but not impossible. They also have to be measurable. Weight is measurable. Inches are measurable. How fast I walk a mile is measurable. We'll only stick to goals that are realistic and attainable.
c) I have to take it easy on myself sometimes. If I go way over on my calories one week, I don't 1) give up or 2) beat myself up. I'm human (partly. Part human, part super-human). It's a journey. I'm gonna mess up, or not meet a goal, or be weak. If I miss a day at the gym, I go the next day. I don't hate myself. I don't say mean things to myself. I move on. Especially the first couple of months, I had to forgive myself more. Now I'm more disciplined and it's easier to stay on track. But if I don't, it's not the end of the world.
d) I took "Before/ Start" pictures, weights and measurements. It's really the only way to know how far you've come. And I can tell you, when I saw the results from my last picture/ weigh-in, I was stoked! I could choose to focus on how far I still have to go, but I could see such a change from the first pictures, even from last month's pictures, that I couldn't help but be excited about the obvious differences in my physique. The measurements are exciting too, just as exciting as the weight. And, the closer I get to where I want to go, the prouder I'll be as I look back at the reminders of where I was!
These next few things are what I have found helpful. Not everyone will need to do all these things, and not everyone will want to do them. And that's fine. This is my journey and I'm finding what helps me. You'll have to do the same thing. I hope some of these help, or at least give you a starting point.
2) I quit drinking soft drinks. I drank at least 3 canned sodas (Ginger Ale, Coke) a day. At least. I quit all at once for the most part, and started drinking water instead. I allow myself a soda every once in a while, but honestly, I don't crave them like I thought I would. And if I am out somewhere and think "I'd really like a Coke", I get one. (Except recently when I got a soft drink for lunch and ended up drinking, ohhh, about 8.) I would say I have maybe 12 ounces of soda every 3 or so weeks.
3) I cut back on my coffee intake. This has been a personal goal for a while anyway. I love coffee. Mmmm coffee. The flavor (mmm), the warmth (ahhhh), the whole experience of drinking it (divine). But I went from 2.5-ish cups a day to just 1 (sometimes 1.5, sometimes not even a whole cup). I did it so I'd be less reliant on caffeine, to lower my sugar intake a little (i use a tablespoon of sugar per cup, so I eliminated at least a tablespoon. It's just a little, but that's 60 calories right there), and because coffee is just dehydrating. I did not do this cold turkey. It took me about a month to wean myself off. This was a personal choice and not requisite for weight loss in my opinion. My goal was also to get down enough to make the transition to green tea without noticeable effects from decreased caffeine. I love coffee, so I have not been agressive about making the transition.
4) I drink a LOT more water now. I drink around 30 ounces of water when I work out, then I drink lemon water for the rest of the day. I drink ice water. I can't stand water that isn't ice cold. I'll go thirsty rather than drink water that is not perfectly cold. That was key for me when I made the transition. Even when I fill my Nalgene to take to the gym, I fill it half full with ice. I keep water in front of me constantly. I'm always thirsty, so I don't have to remind myself to drink, but a lot of people do. There's also some benefits to lemon water. It doesn't add significant calories, but it has lots of nutrients or something like that. I dunno. Look it up.
Also, I drink more water when I lift weights than when I just do cardio. I easily drink 36 ounces on days when I lift. I think muscles use more water than lungs do during exertion, maybe.
5) I eat a little better.
a) Eating has never really been my problem with weight. I'm very utilitarian about food. I eat it because my body needs it to survive and because I get a rumbly in my tumbly, not because I savor the experience. I don't enjoy eating the way some people do, and I know that's a blessing. There is rarely something that is so good to me that I want to eat more of it than I should. By rarely I mean...once a year??? If that. The other night we ate Indian food and I got some really good Chicken Tikki Masala and I thought "I could eat this whole plate". But I didn't.
b) The only exception to that is sugar. I love sugar. I love it in my coffee, I love fruity candy (MMMM SOUR PATCH KIDS. I ate a whole bag of 5 servings - you know, like 900 calories - recently and couldn't even be mad at myself), I love ice cream every once in a while (and I eat it every once in a while), I could eat molasses by the spoon full. Grape soda. Lucky Charms. Popsicles. I pretty much love all things sugar. The only exception I have found, the only thing that is too sweet usually, is Mountain Dew. Sugar is the hardest thing for me to cut out, so I haven't really. I've cut back, but for me to try and cut out sugar would seriously last a day. And habits that aren't sustainable...well, I won't sustain them. If me losing weight past this point required me cutting out sugar, I'd just have to stay right here at 191.
c) The thing that has counteracted my love for sugar (and any other beloved food) my whole adult life is I eat like a bird. A teensy silly sparrow. Or maybe a robin, since sparrows are ? seed-ivores. I would not live on just seeds and nuts. Regardless, I eat small portions. If you've ever eaten with me, you know I rarely finish my whole meal. Part of that is intentional; I'm mindful that my stomach is about the size of a fist so I don't try to put more than that in there. But I also I hate being overfull/ stuffed. It is an awful feeling to me so I just don't do it. It is a blessing, actually, because if I didn't hate the feeling so much, I would have started my weight loss journey significantly heavier. I thank God frequently that overeating is not one of my vices. Anyway.
I eat a ~350 calorie, high protein breakfast at about 7:45, a mid- morning snack (Greek yogurt or something like that, or half of a fiber one bar on the way to the gym if i go mid-morning), a sandwich and yogurt for lunch at noon, 2 afternoon snacks of about 130-150 calories each, a ~400-500 calorie dinner at about 6:30 or 7:00, a mid-evening snack, and then usually half a banana with 1T pnb or a string cheese and some reduced fat wheat thins (i think they taste better and have a crispier texture than the regular ones) before bed (or else I'm starving as I try to fall asleep). All that is about 1800 calories. I didn't change what I eat for the most part. I'm a Southern girl. I love soul food. Heavy, comfort food. But I don't have to eat an entire plate of roast beef and gravy. A teeny portion is fine, with some veggies and a salad. Small portions is key.
d) I don't get seconds. If I'm at home, I serve our plates, finish what I have on my plate (usually) and don't get anymore. We actually eat in the living room, so I serve our plates in the kitchen and bring them into the living room. If you eat in your kitchen, serve your plates from the stove/ counters and sit at the table across the room. Don't get back up to get more unless you really are hungry. And if you're hungry, eat. But don't eat just because it's there. If I'm in a restaurant, I've started pushing part of my food to the side and planning on taking it home in a box. I'm able to be really disciplined about eating so this "barrier" works for me. If it doesn't for you, go ahead and get the box when you get your food and put part of it in there before you start. I really think putting a physical barrier between you and your food makes a big difference.
e) I try to drink some water after every couple of bites. I feel fuller faster that way, and my body needs water to digest. It's a win-win. I eat sort of slowly so the full-ness level of my stomach can keep up with my mouth and mind.
f) I am a carnivore. I LOVE meat. If god didn't want us to eat animals, s/he wouldn't have made them out of tasty, delicious meat! Muscles need protein. You can't build muscle without protein. Which in my case is meat, for nearly every meal. Studies have shown that people who eat an egg (protein) with breakfast are thinner/ weigh less than those who don't. I have been trying to eat more lean meat. I would say the meat I eat most is chicken, but I do love beef A LOT, and pork occasionally. They're not as good for you, but in moderation they're just fine.
Keep in mind, muscle burns more calories than fat. So when you build muscle, you burn more fat. All day long your muscles are just burning away that fat. Muscle is also roughly half the size of fat. So if you're more muscle than fat, you're going to be naturally smaller. Build muscle, eat protein. If you don't eat meat, eat lots of beans and eggs and Greek yogurt. If you're not a lacto-ovo, or if you're a vegan, I dunno. You're limited to beans or you're just screwed I guess.
g) I have to be more intentional when I go out to restaurants. I can't control what goes in my food, and I can't measure what's in there as accurately either. So usually, if I know I'm going to be going out, I allow myself extra calories that day. I also try to decide/ find out where I'm going ahead of time and look up the nutrition information on-line. If it's a local place or something like that, one that does not have on-line nutrition information, I try to look for similar menus at chains or places that do have their info online. It may not be exact, but it's better than having no idea at all. If I can't find anything helpful at all, I just steer clear of really saucy, creamy, cheesy things, or if I opt for that type dish (which, let's face it, is sometimes why I go eat at a particular place) then I estimate the best I can (read: overestimate) and allow extra calories for the day. I kinda feel like if I go out for lunch, I don't want to eat a dry chicken breast on some plain ole lettuce. I want pizza (*drool) or eggplant parm (*gulp) or fettucine alfredo (*there can be no more delicious, unhealthy food on the face of the planet!!! well, i mean there can. but shhhhh. I wanna think about creamy saucy noodles.) So I get what I want, and adjust portions and calories later in the day.
6) I count calories. A lot of people say this method is too rigid, but I find a lot of freedom in it. It helps me to make better choices, and it helps me to not eat if I'm not hungry. And, I realized that I can live and be sated on about a thousand less calories than I was consuming.
(Here's a formula to use to calculate how many calories you actually need (Basal Metabolic Rate):
Women: BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )
Men: BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.8 x age in year )
Then you take that total and use this equation (Harris-Benedict equation):
If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.37
If you are moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports/physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9
That is the number of calories you should eat a day to maintain your weight. To lose 1 pound per week by dieting, cut 500 calories per day from that number.
Here's a link to that - http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/bmr-formula.php
You can find lots of calculators on-line, and all of them will tell you something different. I don't have any idea what all those 4.7s are or why you multiply by them, but I have been going by this one and it seems to be helpful.)
I measure and write down EVERYTHING. Because my body is the most accurate journal for how many calories I've taken in, I don't try to "cheat" when I'm writing stuff down. Not helpful. I literally measure a cup of cereal, 1/4 cup milk. 1 T sugar. 1 cup broccoli. You get the point. For meat, I put a portion the size of a deck of cards on my plate. That's about 4 oz. I use caloriecount.about.com if I am unsure about the calories in a particular food. It requires a little effort but I'm such a control freak that I enjoy being almost completely in control of that one part of my regimen. I'm even considering buying a kitchen scale, because not only can I use it in my thriving herbal pharmaceutical business, but I can also use it to accurately measure meat and other things by weight.
(You can certainly lose weight just by dieting, though it is a little slower. And there's just all sorts of reasons to do workouts if you have time and space to do so. If not, there's other things you can do. You know them all. I always park a little further away than I have to when I go somewhere. If there's stairs, I take them. Stuff like that.)
7) I work out (look at that body, girl look at that body, I'm sexy and I know it, I work out. So forth and so on.) As I mentioned earlier, food and eating are not my Goliath. My thorn in the flesh. My reason for weight gain. Genetics (geez, thanks Mom and Dad! ;) ) and a too-sedentary lifestyle are my problem with weight gain. I am naturally lazy. And as hard as I fight against that, sometimes the laziness wins. Just look at my house. No, don't. It's embarrassing. BUT. My point is, I can be waaay too sedentary.
a) I had to find workouts that work for me. My workout of preference is actually doing something like hiking or tennis or karate. But I can't do that every day, so I have to find something else that works. For me that means variety. I can't do the same thing every day. It also means something that's not too easy - I like to know I'm exerting energy, but it can't be too hard. Especially with cardio. I don't jump on the elliptical and do 20 minutes on level 10. It's too much. I'd do that once, have the EMS transport me home, and never go back to the gym. I had to start enjoying my workouts. If I didn't, I wouldn't go. So I do lots of different cardio and weight-lifting. And on the weekends or whenever possible, I supplement gym workouts with some of those other activities I like to do, like hiking.
b) I work out 5 times a week. I started out trying to average 3 times a week. But the truth is, 5 is way better when possible, and I just love the feeling I get during and after a work out. Some days I am SOOO mad and grumpy and grumbly as I dress and get in the car and drive to the gym because my mind is stubborn and lazy and has to be forced into submission. My legs are like "heeeey let's go" and my mind is like "if you don't shut up you bettah" (my typing teacher used to say "Cathy, if you don't quit talking you better" I liked the phrase and my brother had her too and we use it sometimes). But,despite the protests of my mind, I go. That's the thing. I go. When I first started, I could do about a 10 minute cardio workout. I literally had to start some weight training for my legs to be able to sustain any sort of cardio. But I went, I did my 10 minutes, and I was proud! And now, I do 30 minutes to an hour of cardio 5 days a week, in addition to 45 minutes-1.5 hours of weight lifting. On my "off days", which are usually one weekend day and one week day, JP and I have started doing hiking, or disc golf one day, or I walked 5.5 miles with my mom last week (ha. that's an off day? that's more than I walk at the gym!). Some people can work out 6 or 7 days a week, but my body can't handle it. I have a lot of fatigue issues, and so I need at least one day of rest.
c) I work out hard in the gym. I get out of it what I put into it. If I'm going to put on all those layers of bras and compression shorts and socks and what not, and drag myself to the gym, I'm going to give it 100% while I'm there. There's no magic formula. There's no pill to take to lose weight (at least not long-term, and not in a healthy way). I sure wish there was! I went into it knowing I was going to have to work for it. And that I was going to have to make permanent changes. Working out and cutting calories are the only way to take it off and keep it off. There are no short-cuts, no easy ways out. You get out of it what you put into it. I work out 5 days a week, like I said, and I'm usually there for an hour and a half on cardio days, and two or two and a half hours when I do arms, legs, or core. When I first started, I worked out for a half hour, which gradually stretched to an hour. Now that's just not enough time. (When I start working I will probably cut back. But for now, while I have the time, I'm going to work out as long as I can.) I circuit train, so I start with cardio and stretching, then between sets of weight lifting, I do jumping jacks or box steps or burpees or high knees. And once I get going, I don't want to stop. I also aim to be pretty exhausted by the time my workout is over. When I do legs, immediately after my last set, I worry that I won't even be able to drive my stick shift home. That's good. Because after I cool down and stretch, I'm fine, but I know I've worked my muscles adequately. I know I'm going to get multiple benefits out of working hard in the gym.
d) I do 5 different workouts a week:
1) Cardio (all cardio, one hour) and stretches;
2) Lower (20-45 minutes of cardio, then every muscle group in my lower body - sometimes lower back, glutes, hamstrings, quads, calves, ankles) and stretches;
3) Upper (20-45 minutes of cardio, then every muscle group in my upper body - mid- and upper-back, chest, shoulders, arms) and stretches;
4) Core (20-45 minutes of cardio, then 3 sets of 20-30 reps of about 10-15 different ab and lower back workouts) and stretches;
5) Whole body (20-45 minutes of cardio, then exercises that work each muscle group, at least 2 at a time - for example, overhead presses/ ball squats or one-legged bent-over rows, so I can hit every muscle group in the allotted time) and stretches.
Since fat burning and weight loss is more my goal (as opposed to bulking up or muscle toning) I do a little more cardio now than I may if I was already at a lower body fat percentage, and just looking to get some muscle definition. I lift to build muscle to burn fat, to get stronger, to build muscle density, and so eventually my fat will get out of the way and there will be glorious, sexy, defined muscles!! But cardio is a little more important right now.
d) I stretch before and after every work out. Except I forgot once. I do 5-7 minutes of warmup then about 10 minutes of stretching at the beginning of my workout, then 5-7 minutes of cooldown and 15 minutes of stretching post-workout.
Stretch. The end.
e) Women have to lift weights. For one thing, as we get older, our bones get less dense. It's gonna happen. But lifting weights at least twice a week significantly reduces the amount of density we lose as we age. But there is also no other way to build muscle. Cardio burns fat, which you have to do to lose weight; but lifting weight builds muscle (and protein feeds it). If you just do cardio, you will plateau and you also aren't going to be holistically healthy. It can actually be bad for you if you're extreme about cardio and don't do strength training.
f) I keep my muscles confused. Just as I am in a perpetual state of confusion about all that goes on around me, I like to keep my muscles in the same state of disequilibrium. See, our muscles are really really smart. They can easily figure out the most economical and streamlined (read: easy) way to do things so they have to work less. Lazy things. So after a few times of doing the same things in the same order, your muscles work way less. You gotta keep em guessing. Make them do it the long way. I do my workouts in a different order every week, different cardio every day/ week, and the exercises within the workouts in a different order every week.
8) I weigh daily. Another one of those things that a lot of people don't do and can't do. Some people get crazy obsessed about their weight. So it may be that daily weighing isn't a good thing for you. And that's fine. I actually weigh a couple of times a day. This is more because I am a bit of an analyst. I look for patterns, spikes, etc. I usually weigh 3 different weights per day. Obviously I get a little heavier as I go throughout the day. I usually consider my lowest weight of the day my actual weight for that day. As long as I'm consistently using the same time of day, I think it doesn't matter. When I step on the scale and I've lost a pound since the day before, it makes me feel immediately like putting on my gym clothes and going to the gym (and sometimes I do!). If I am the same or a little heavier than the day before, it motivates me to keep trying. It works completely the opposite for some people, however, so know yourself and your motivators.
9) I track everything and keep it all in one place. I have what I call a fitness notebook. Some people track stuff on-line, but I prefer a cute notebook. I'm on my second one now. My first was flowery and purply pink. This current one is purple and sort of sparkly. Cuteness matters to me because I look at this notebook a hundred times a day. I write down all my calories every day, my workout routines, it's where I keep my weight/ measurements and goals. I track how much water I drink during a workout (this is the statistician in me, kind of), how much weight I lift for a particular exercise, roughly how many calories I burn during cardio...everything. I religiously write it all down.
10) I plan ahead. That is sort of redundant. If you know me. If you don't, know this: I am a planner. I find more freedom from planning than I do from spontaneity. (I know. It sounds crazy. But I'm an enigma. Mystical. Magical.) The more I plan, the more spontaneous I can be. But, it has been just as necessary for me as being realistic.
a) I don't plan a week's worth of meals out on Sunday necessarily, but going into the week I have a pretty good idea of some things I'd like to cook. It helps with eating better and calorie intake, and I know when we might go out for lunch and I plan a lower calorie meal for dinner. (Also, if I'm going to have a pork roast, I can't take it out of the freezer the morning of and expect it to thaw in time for me to cook it for dinner.)
b) I plan my workouts before I even get in my car to go to the gym,sometimes the night before. If I don't have a plan, I'll go in and do 7 minutes on the treadmill and go home. If I DO have a plan, I know what I'm doing and I don't meander and skip to and fro about the gym, and it's also like I'm making a contract with myself. If I write it down, psychologially, I can't NOT do it. I can modify it sometimes, or if I accidentally write out a 2.5 hour workout and I only have 1.5 hours, I sorta have to modify it. But once it's written down in the notebook, I must see it to completion.
c) If I go out to eat, I try to plan ahead what I'm going to eat. I look up nutrition information before I go if I can. If I can't find the nutritional information, I try to think about what I can eat that will be a healthier option.
Stuff works for some people that does not work for others. Sometimes I find something that works for a while, and then it doesn't work anymore. It's a process.
Here's some other pictures:
December 31, 2011
~211/214 pounds
March 25, 2012
~205 pounds
April 23, 2012
~194 pounds
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