FAQs

Who are you?
I'm Jen!

What is the purpose of this blog?
Since starting my current journey to lose weight I began collecting a lot of healthy information and tips along the way. I put the information into notebooks, saved them to my computer, printed charts, etc. I finally decided to gather it all together and organize them in one place...Blogger! It just makes it easier for me to have everything in one place.

Because I am still learning and still researching, some of the information may not be complete. This is why I definitely welcome any visitors to share their knowledge, experience...and even correct me on any misinformation I may have gathered.
I am definitely not an expert. I'm just someone who thrives to know everything I can about topics that interest me.

I will also use this blog to track my daily/weekly/monthly progress to my goal weight...and to my life beyond the weight loss.
I am tired of being tired.
I am tired of losing weight. I look forward to getting to my healthy weight and staying there forever - with lifelong energy (...or JENergy!) and good health.

So, how am I currently losing weight?
I am counting calories - food calories and exercise calories. Plain and simple.

What tools do I use to count calories?

• The Daily Plate - an awesome web site for tracking food and exercise.
• A generic food scale. Soon to be this one.
  
• Polar 6 Heart Rate Monitor
• FreeDieting.com - to calculate my calorie goals.
• Nutrition Data.com - I use their search engine to get food information and for estimated glycemic index ratings for the food I eat.
• A bathroom scale for daily weigh-ins. (Soon to be upgraded to a Tanita Digital scale.)
• Burn The Fat, Feed the Muscle e-book. I love the information in here. I have read this a lot and I incorporate so much of it into my diet.
• The Hacker's Diet. I use this web site to record my daily weigh-ins. It keeps track of my weight loss trends and my weekly deficits based on my weight. I find it so much better at giving me a larger picture of my weight loss and whether I am actually on a losing trend or a gaining trend.
  

What are some of the basic things I do to lose weight and stay healthy?

*I try to lose 1% of my bodyweight per week. (EX: If I weigh 150, I try to lose 1.5 pounds per week.)
* I base my calorie intake on the Mifflin-St.Jeor equation.
*My food choices are based on the Low-Glycemic Index/Load lists.
*I eat 5-6 meals a day - every 3 hours or so.
*I exercise 30-45 minutes 4 to 5 times/week.
*Strength train 2-3 times a week.
*My macronutrient ratio is : 40-50% Carbs, 25-35% Protein and 20-30% Fat. (Usually 45-30-25)
*Sodium under 2500 mg every day.
*Protein with every meal.
*Cup of white tea every day.
*A MUFA (monounsaturated fat) serving with my 3 main meals.
*Attempt a 2:1 ratio of Carbohydrates to Protein at every meal. (EX: 30 grams of carbs to 15 grams of protein)
*80-96 ounces of water every day. (5 or 6 of those 16oz water bottles)

My Weight Chart: