How many times have I read that?! Lose 40 lbs in 40 Days, or Your Guide to Total Health and Weight Loss, or The Complete Weight Loss Guide … at a glance, weight loss seems pretty simple … eat less and move more. But as we all know, it’s a lot more complex than that. Some medical site I was on recently said that weight loss is 70% diet and 30% exercise. You can work out like crazy, but if you eat badly, you will not lose weight. On the other hand, if you don’t exercise at all but eat less, you will still lose weight. To maximize the full potential of your weight loss, you have to incorporate both. (duh)
Which brings us to the lifestyle change that is … The Plan. This isn’t some 3-month crash diet, only to regain the weight when I go back to eating like I did before. I really am after creating healthy habits for life. But I’m not going to lie: this weight loss thing is hard. Sticking to this is one of the hardest things I’ve tried to do in my life. I say that because food and your body are with you ALL of the time. If you have a bad day at work, you can go home and chill. If you have a fight with someone, you can find ways to fix that. Most issues or challenges have answers that can be implemented externally. And most great life challenges don’t have a goal somewhere out in the nebulous future. But weight? It’s with you, it’s in your face (literally), in your mirror, in your entire day, in your plans … everywhere. It’s also the reason if you have a set-back, you have to keep on pushing. Through the last 100 days (has it really been that long?!) I’ve laughed, and cried, and cursed, and celebrated, and sometimes wanted to give up. But in my heart, I know the effort will be worth it.
My Goal: unchanged. But I think I have to be a little more realistic about this. I only seem to be getting a little more than 1 lb off each week. That’s not a bad thing, mind you, but much less than I’d hoped. My ultimate goal weight is still any three-digit number that begins with a 1! That may seem pretty silly to thin folks, but it’s a dream to me! The problem is that in order to get that accomplished by the time we travel, I do have to step up the pounds per week.
Calories: did you know that one pound of fat is 3500 calories? So that means I have only reduced my daily intake by about 500 calories per day – therefore the 1 lb each week. But according to my plan, I should be consuming 750 less. I’m thinking that I’m just not keeping track accurately … or measuring, or weighing … something. Time to be more serious about this aspect. I said I would earlier, but I didn’t. Now I will, I promise.
Things I am doing: No junk food. Minimize processed food. No liquid calories. Whole grains instead of white grains. Extras or snacks in moderation (no binging). Lots of fruits and vegetables. Eat good sources of protein – chicken, turkey, beef, fish, eggs, legumes, and nuts. Always eat breakfast. Keep a food journal. Never eat from the bag or box (put things in a bowl).
Things I’m not doing: Drink 8 cups of water a day (I get in 6, but 8? – I can, I just don’t – I will!). Eat slowly. Turn the TV off when you eat (oy). Use a smaller plate. Measure out what you’re eating (okay, okay). Control mindless eating (while watching the TV, on the computer, etc). Starving (I know people do this but it’s not likely to happen here).
Don’t think of food as something you need to eliminate.
Food is just food. It’s not your friend, nor is it your enemy.