Goals - August 2008

---------- GOALS for AUGUST----------
[ ] Get clearance from my doctor to begin running again.
[ ] Drink more water...6 water bottles a day.


Below you can see my goals from JULY and my Long-Term Goals. Items in red are the ones I successfully completed since my last 'Goals' post.

---------- PREVIOUS GOALS for JULY----------

[] Add an abs workout to my weekly exercise.
(Once I am back to my regular workout routine, I will finally add abs back in.)

[X] Inquire about a fitness test from my local gym.
(Will sign up for fitness test in winter when I join the gym for 3 months)

[] Revamp my weights workout
(I've been lax about my weight lifting overall - will have to revamp it when I actually strength training again.)

[] Drink more water every day. Fill up 6 water bottles and drink them all!
(Still not sticking with this one. Will have to try again!)

[X] Find a new bedtime snack (I'm getting tired of the one I keep eating!)
(I've been mixing it up - egg whites, different fruits, Greek yogurt, etc. )

----------LONG-TERM GOALS----------
[*] 137 lbs. (COMPLETED 4/14/08. 10 lbs. lost since my January restart.)
[*] 134 lbs. (COMPLETED 4/27/08. 30 lbs. since 2007)
[*] 132 lbs. (Normal BMI)
[*] 127 lbs. (20 lbs lost since January)
[*] 124 lbs. (40 lbs lost since 2007)
[ ] 118 lbs. (My college weight!)
[ ] 114 lbs (50 lbs. lost overall)
[ ] 112 lbs or Size 3/4 Jeans
[ ] 50+ HDL cholesterol level
[ ] Compete and place well in a 5k race
[ ] Get my daughter to join me in regular exercise
[ ] Healthy Waist to Hip Ratio

WiiFit : A Workout That Works

Okay, I've had some really awesome results with the WiiFit. Specifically, the Aerobics portion of WiiFit.

To give you a general idea of calories burned, I record all my WiiFit Aerobics sessions with my HRM (Polar 6 Heart Rate Monitor) and I currently seem to be burning about 4-7 calories per minute on average. I am getting better at burning more calories, too. I am adding bigger movements and more enthusiastic motion to each of the activities and I have seen an increase in my calories burned as the weeks have passed. I try to ignore the stares of my family as I wildly swing my hula-hooping hips or punch my imaginary punching bag.

As for which exercises are most effective, I definitely burn the most with the Hula Hooping and the Running. With the running, I actually run around a little and not stay in one place. I take a nice tour around my living room and sometimes travel into the dining room and kitchen, too.
The Advanced Step Aerobics gives me a moderate burn (but it's so much fun, so I do that one a lot.)
Boxing provides me with the lowest burn rate, so I save that one for last as sort of a cool-down activity. I'm working on ways to increasing the burn, but for now, it remains the least effective.
As a side note, I like the Free Step, too. I modify my step to include semi-lunges and that has been bringing my heart rate WAY up (about 75-80% of my maximum heart rate.)

Here are some examples of my burned calories for the past few weeks to give you an idea. I'm female, 33 years old and 127 pounds...so it will definitely be different depending on each person's stats. I have been exercising regularly for the past 6 months, so I am in decent shape, too.

These are all for aerobic-only activity sessions.

53 minutes = 202 calories burned
43 minutes = 223 calories
97 minutes = 390 calories
70 minutes = 356 calories
23 minutes = 171 calories
80 minutes = 489 calories
67 minutes = 407 calories
and...for a strength-only session...30 minutes = 70 calories.

All in all, I am very pleased with my WiiFit. I have continued to lose weight even after I substituted a few of my outdoor running days with my WiiFit workouts.

I really really wish they had a way, though, to string strength training and yoga exercises together instead of having to click through a bunch of menus to get to each one. That really breaks the entire flow of the workout. For that reason alone, I usually just stick with aerobics and just ignore the rest of the program.

I just found out that Wii Sports can give a pretty good workout, too. So, I think I'll have to try that on my next rainy day. After this, I have one more 'game' to buy - Yourself Fitness. It's for the PS2 or XBOX and it received pretty good ratings. I need all the variety I can get. I never want to get bored with exercise.

Goals - July 2006

Okay, here are my current goals.

---------- GOALS for JULY----------
[ ] Add an abs workout to my weekly exercise
[ ] Inquire about a fitness test from my local gym
[ ] Revamp my weights workout
[ ] Drink more water every day. Fill up 6 water bottles and drink them all!
[ ] Find a new bedtime snack (I'm getting tired of the one I keep eating!)
-----------------------------------------

Below you can see my goals from May (I forgot about June, so I only have May's goals) and my Long-Term Goals. Items in red are the ones I successfully completed since my last 'Goals' post.

----------PREVIOUS GOALS for MAY---------
[] Drink more water every day. Fill up 6 water bottles and drink them all!
(I didn't do so well with this one, so I'll try again this month)

[] Stick to my new weights routine. No more than 2 days in between.
(I think I need to revamp my entire weights workout...it bores me to death!)

[X] Break this weight loss stall/plateau!
(After 3 weeks of stalling, I fiddled with my diet and I started losing again...phew!)
----------------------------------------------------

----------LONG-TERM GOALS----------
[*] 137 lbs. (COMPLETED 4/14/08. 10 lbs. lost since my January restart.)
[*] 134 lbs. (COMPLETED 4/27/08. 30 lbs. since 2007)
[*] 132 lbs. (Normal BMI)
[*] 127 lbs. (20 lbs lost since January)
[ ] 124 lbs. (40 lbs lost since 2007)
[ ] 118 lbs. (My college weight!)
[ ] 114 lbs (50 lbs. lost overall)
[ ] 112 lbs or Size 3/4 Jeans
[ ] 50+ HDL cholesterol level
[ ] Compete and place well in a 5k race
[ ] Healthy Waist to Hip Ratio
----------------------------------------------

Taking a Break - Maintenance

Well, I have been dieting continuously for almost 6 months. Now some people think I'm not supposed to refer to this as a 'diet.' It's supposed to be called a lifestyle change; a permanent alteration to my habits in the direction of lifelong health and weight control.

Well, the truth is these lifelong habits are currently being used to lose weight. When I finally reach my goal weight, I will continue these habits. The difference is that I won't be counting calories and exercising in order to lose weight. I will be doing those things in order to maintain my weight and stay healthy forever. That will be my permanent 'maintenance diet'. In the meantime, though, I am still on a 'weight loss diet'. I use the word 'diet' here to signify my eating and health habits...not in the sense that this is a fad.

With all of that being said...I am a little tired. A weight loss diet puts stress on the body - mentally and physically. The body likes to have things stay the same. It likes steadiness and consistency. When we are losing weight, we are constantly forcing it to change. We force it to work a little harder. So, after six months of this, I decided to step back a little bit and do a little bit of maintenance. I am still counting calories and staying active (although, I will be honest and say that my exercise has dwindled a bit, but my foot injury and bad weather are to blame for this) but I am eating at my maintenance level of calories and I have not attempted to lose weight for a few weeks.

I figured this would be a nice way to let my body get used to my current healthy weight (127 lbs, thank you very much!) before I attempt to tackle the final 10-15 pounds.

How is it going so far?

Pretty well. I have stayed steady at this weight for nearly 4 weeks now. My injured foot has healed nicely and I am about ready to resume next week with increase my exercise to my previous level and consuming the calories needed to lose my 1 pound a week again.

In essence, I basically spent the past few weeks practicing what I will be doing forever...keeping my calorie intake at the level my body needs to maintain my current weight. Of course, if I had been more active these past 3 weeks, I would have been able to eat a lot more (because the more we exercise, the more we can - and should - eat!) But, I am glad I took it easy on the activity because I was really overworking my foot injury and possibly heading towards some long-term problems. (That's what I get for running with the wrong type of sneaker!)

In any case, I just thought I'd share my experience on 'maintenance dieting' and how I fared in my attempt to take a break from 'weight loss dieting.' Honestly, calorie counting has changed how I will eat forever. It just makes the most sense to me...calories in, calories out (for the most part.) It's not an exact science, so it always require tweaking, but I'm obviously doing something right because I have lost nearly 40 pounds this way. Wish me luck for the final 15!

Fueling My Body

I've been reading up the past few days on glycogen stores and how to ensure we have enough fuel to do a proper workout. The reason for this is that I was noticing a huge amount of fatigue during my daily run.

When I began to assess what might be causing this problem, I realized that my calorie intake has been decreasing a little lately. I was also doing double workouts on some days...running and then a round of WiiFit in the evening. Overall, I think my poor body just wasn't keeping up.

From what I have read, when we eat carbohydrates our body uses what it can at the moment and then stores the rest away. It converts the food into glycogen and packs that glycogen away in our liver and muscles for later use. Our body can hold about a half a day's worth of glycogen at one time.

Eating small, frequent carbohydrate meals will give your body a nice constant supply of glycogen for you to use throughout the day. You don't want to eat too many carbs at one sitting because whatever can't be stored as glycogen is then stored as fat. Don't restrict, but don't overdo. Low carb dieters tend to complain of fatigue. This is because they aren't filling their reserves. What is worse is that they will then try to exercise, too, which will very quickly deplete what is left of their glycogen stores. This is partially good because the body will then turn to their fat stores for energy, but the body will also start converting protein for energy, which can have an adverse affect on our muscles.

So, what I decided to do was take a few days off from exercise and just recharge myself a little. By the end of two days, I was able to run a good 4.5 miles...and still feel like I could run some more. I am now making sure I feed myself after I run, too. This has given me the energy I need to recover for my next workout. More energy also means a better, longer, and more effective workout. The duration of a workout really is key when it comes to weight loss. I feel like I finally have the energy to make each of my workouts really count.

WiiFit

Well, we got the WiiFit this week and I am loving it. The running and the hula hooping actually raise my heart rate into my aerobic zone - about 145-155 beats per minute. That's about the same as when I go for a light jog. The step aerobics brings me into what some call the 'fat-burning zone'...about 125-135 beats per minute.
That is more than enough to keep me happy when the weather it bad outside.

My calves are seriously...seriously...sore. I am shuffling as I walk. I also did some of the WiiFit strength exercises and my arms are sore. This is after I have been doing strength training with dumbbells for months. Obviously the WiiFit is hitting muscles I haven't used before...or is working them harder.

The balance exercises...eh. I stink at those. But, I have dropped another pound this week. I used the WiiFit for about 3 and a half hours in two days and burned about 600-700 calories (according to my heart rate monitor.) That makes me happy. Especially since is was so rainy in PA this week.

The yoga? I haven't really tried that part yet. I was more interested in the ones that keep my heart rate up. I like the running a lot. I think that is what killed my calves. I am definitely going to invest in a step and get a good step aerobics tape. I forgot how much I like that kind of workout.

So, my weight today? I saw 131. Very very nice. I am 4 pounds away from officially losing 20 pounds since January. That's about a pound a week. Slow and steady wins the race. :)

Almost 120s

Okay - looking good. I saw 132 twice in the past 7 days. In a few weeks, I'll be in the 120s. That will be sooo nice.
I am babysitting my friend's daughter today for a few hours and hopefully the sun will still be out by the time she heads to preschool. My Tony Little Gazelle is just not giving me the indoor workout it used to. I need to run!

Green Tea/White Tea

So, I picked up some white tea the other day. I have cut down on my coffee so much since starting this new eating plan in January and I have been switching to an occasional cup of tea. The reason I cut down on coffee is mainly for the calories. I don't put any sugar in it, but I love my half and half. I was able to even cut that down to 1/8 cup of half and half and 1 tablespoon of fat free creamer, but the amount of calories (70) and the lack of healthy nutrition isn't enough to allow myself to have it more than once a day. On my non-exercise days, I usually consume about 1325 calories and I need those 70 calories to spend on healthier foods.

So, anyway, I have been drinking green tea mostly, but saw some white tea in the store and vaguely remember Dr. Oz mentioning it on Oprah recently and thought I would buy some.

After a few days of drinking it, I began to wonder what the difference actually is between the two teas. The taste seems the same to me, personally, so what about the benefits?

Green Tea Benefits

1. Rich in antioxidants or polyphenols (specifically, EGCG.)
2. Lowers LDL cholesterol.
3. Inhibits abnormal blood clotting.
4. Kills bacteria.
   

1. Polyphenols are chemicals that have the possibility of fighting against some of our common health issues and may also inhibit certain signs of aging. They act as antioxidants in our bodies. When molecules in our bodies break down they have the possibility of breaking down in an unstable manner. They them roam the body as "free radicals" - atoms with missing electrons.
As they attempt to 'steal' electrons from other cells, these free radicals can cause damage to the body. (Stealing is just plain wrong!) This problem has been linked to cancer, aging, problems with the immune system, etc. Antioxidants fight free radicals. They 'donate' one of their electrons to the free radical and have the ability to remain stable by doing it. In turn, the free radical is also returned to a stable state.
The polyphenol most associated with preventing the growth of cancer is EGCG, which is found in all teas, but large quantities are found in green tea. Research has shown, however, that white tea has a significantly higher concentration of antioxidants than green tea. So, if this is your primary reason for drinking tea, you might want to switch to white.

2. As far as cholesterol is concerned, LDL is the bad cholesterol. (HDL is good..I remember it by saying "H" is for "healthy.") LDL is the 'oxidized' form of cholesterol. As explained above, oxidation causes free radicals. Therefore, the anti-0xidant properties of Green Tea can help inhibit the LDL oxidation.

3. It has been known to inhibit abnormal blood clotting (which can lead to heart attacks and strokes.)

4. Supposedly, green tea can kill bacteria. Bacteria in our foods, in our mouths (to help with bad breath), and a certain antibiotic-immune strain of the staph germ.


White Tea Benefits
Supposedly nearly everything green tea can do, white tea does better.

1. Greater concentrations of polyphenols (antioxidants)
2. Possibly better anti-bacterial properties than green tea.
3. Strong potential for fighting cancer.
   

1. As explained above, polyphenols are antioxidants. Antioxidants (especially the extremely powerful EGCG) can aid in the prevention of cancer. White tea has the higher levels of EGCG than green tea.

2. Pace University did a study in 2004 that provided evidence that white tea can provide protection against certain germs and viruses, including the harmful bacteria causing staph, strep and pneumonia. ¹ They stated that green tea had already been proven to stimulate the immune system, but white tea can actually destroy some of these germs as they are forming. White tea was more effective

3. Researchers at Oregon State University discovered that white tea may have the strongest cancer fighting properties of all the teas they have tested. ² The reason for this actually ties in with the fact that (as mentioned above) white tea has higher levels of polyphenols than the other teas. These polyphenols inhibited cell mutations, thereby reducing a person's cancer risk, more effectively than green tea.
Oregon State also discovered that the consumption of white tea reduced the tumors in lab rats from 30 to about 13. The rats who actually consumed cancer-reducing drugs decreased their tumors from 30 to about 6. The fact that the natural properties of tea was able to make such a difference has definitely caught the attention of the medical community.


Other Notes

• When drinking green tea or white tea, it has recently been discovered that adding a little bit of citrus juice can allow the antioxidants to remain available for absorption even after the tea exits the stomach. The reason for this is that some of the antioxidants chemicals become unstable when they are not in an acidic environment. After leaving the acidic environment of the stomach and entering the intestines, fewer of the antioxidant properties are available for further absorption. By adding citric juice (such as lemon or orange juice) it travels with the tea into the intestines and allows for better absorption. A Perdue University study found that citrus juice increased the tea's antioxidant levels in the intestines by more than five times.³
  

All in all, I have switched to drinking nearly all white tea, with an occasional cup of green tea from time to time. (Mostly because green tea is a little less expensive and easier to find than white tea.) Since the studies on white tea are still new, I am always keeping an eye out for new updates and information about the tea. In the meantime, it sounds like there is enough positive to make it worthwhile to treat myself to a cup everyday.

References:

1. American Society For Microbiology (2004, May 28). White Tea Beats Green Tea In Fighting Germs. ScienceDaily. Retrieved June 8, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­/releases/2004/05/040526070934.htm
2. American Chemical Society (2000, April 13). Cancer-Preventive Potential Of White Tea. ScienceDaily. Retrieved June 8, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2000/04/000410084553.htm
3. Purdue University (2007, November 14). Citrus Juice, Vitamin C Give Staying Power To Green Tea Antioxidants. ScienceDaily. Retrieved June 8, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2007/11/071113163016.htm

Sleepy Day

Well, my weight is holding steady at 133-134. It's been slow going for the past 4 weeks. As long as I'm still losing, I'm good, I guess. I just got spoiled with the 1 pound a week loss I was having. :)

Today was a weird day. I slept in. Really slept in. I woke up at 9 and then went back to bed until 1PM. The rest of the day has been sluggish. It's rainy and chilly and I've been vegged out on the couch for the whole day. Not my usual routine, but it's nice to have the day off.

Because I woke up so late, there is no way I am getting all my calories in today. No matter. It just evens out the week from my high calorie Mother's Day.

Not much else to report. I started on Prilosec again and hope that will hold me over until I get back to my gastro doctor for Protonix. I have been trying to steer clear of things that will aggravate the acid reflux, but seriously - I am already trying to stick to low-glycemic, low saturated fat, all natural...and then to through in foods to prevent acid reflux. It's exhausting to keep trying to eat foods that will not conflict with all of my health issues.

Well, right now I'm in the middle of a "V" marathon - that old '80s miniseries about aliens coming to earth. Fun. Brings back memories - my brothers and I watched that soooo many times when we were young.

Shopping Day

Okay, so mom and I went out food shopping today.
I swung by the health food store to pick up some chia seeds. I already added them to my protein shake today...just a small change from my usual flax seeds. No special taste or difference - just added health benefits, so that's good. :)

I also picked up some cauliflower for the first time. I am trying two new recipes with them.
The first is just Mashed Cauliflower. Basically, steam or microwave the cauliflower until it is soft. Then mash it with a fork and add your own spices. Today I tried garlic, chives, salt and pepper. Very very yummy. If you like mashed potatoes (which I don't) this might be a nice alternative for you.

The second recipe is Popcorn Cauliflower.
Basically I took whatever cauliflower I had left after trying my mashed cauliflower (about 1/3 of a head.) Broke it up into a bunch of little florets. Mixed it with 1 tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and 1/2 Teaspoon of powdered garlic (I didn't have fresh garlic or I would have used that.) Baked it on a baking sheet at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes.
This is the basic calorie information.

I just finished it and it tasted good. I'm not sure if the calories are worth it, though. I am going to try a full head with 2 TBSP of olive oil next time. Because I am getting closer to my goal weight, my daily calorie goal is getting smaller and smaller and I need to start making strict choices with my daily calorie content.

The last thing I am doing today is marinating my salmon. I have been using a honey mustard glaze recently, but want to try something different and with slightly fewer calories. So, today is Lime Marinated Grilled Salmon.
I am not known for my cooking skills, but I think I can handle marinades.

Okay, while I'm at it...the rest of my dinner is my favorite. I have this all the time and I love it. It's my Tofu/Pepper/Onion Mix. (I think I'm going to come up with a catchy name for it one day.)
Basically...

I chop up 5 asparagus spears, half of a pepper (sometimes more), 1/4 cup of red onion, (and sometimes garlic, if I have it) I spray my wok with some cooking spray and start cooking the veggies. I season it...I have tons of different combinations I use, but it usually includes garlic. I add some sesame seeds sometimes, too. Then, at the end, I add my sesame oil for taste and shred some of my Cabot 75% cheddar cheese (so low in fat!) to melt on top.
The firm tofu gets added in the middle (I don't know why I add it then...I'm just a haphazard cook.) It picks up the onion flavors, the seasoning flavors and especially the sesame oil flavors at the end. I make sure the tofu pieces sit directly on the pan and turn them so that each side gets brown.
I have this side dish about 3 times a week (I have to or the tofu goes bad! I don't like freezing my tofu...it turns weird when I do that.)

This is probably how I get most of my vegetable servings. I really don't like vegetables that much, so the fact that I have 4 of them in one recipe is pretty darned good!

Well, today is a 'no exercise' day. I couldn't really fit it in this morning and I am tired now, so the exercise would be rather half-hearted. Plus, Grey's Anatomy will be on tonight and I need to stay awake for that!
So, tomorrow is an exercise day, for sure! It'll be raining, so it's just me and my Tony Little Gazelle. :P

Net Calories vs. Total Calories

Okay, since I started using an online site to track my calories, I was introduced to the concept of Net Calories.

Total Calories consumed - Exercise Calories Burned = NET calories.

I have dieted a lot in my life. A lot. I have only tracked calories with two of those diets. (Once a long time ago with Weight Watchers...which, yes, is a calorie counting program disguised by a Points System) and once again last year. Neither plan included Net Calories.

This January, I started at The Daily Plate and noticed the Net Calories feature.
Basically, when you track your exercise you eat those calories back. It took me a few weeks to understand the logic behind it. It is highly prone to accuracy errors and I think that is the main reason why it doesn't work for every one. Also, I think people may be using it incorrectly.

Below is my basic understanding of it. I am fairly certain I have the general idea of how it works.

1: What to do and how it works.

When you calculate your daily Calorie Goal, you need to select your activity level and how much weight you want to (safely!) lose per week. Seriously...unless you are obese - don't try to lose 5 pounds in one week!
Okay, the important thing here is if you want to 'eat back' and track your exercise...pick the correct activity level!

For instance, I get my daughter ready for school, I work at home on the computer, I drive, I do light housekeeping (very light - wash dishes, make a bed, wipe counters, etc.) I do college work, I watch TV, I read, etc. That is my typical day. Boring...yes!
But, on average, my day pretty much falls under the "lightly active" category.

First, the calorie calculator starts with the number of calories burned in a 'lightly active' lifestyle on a typical day...let's say 1800 calories and subtracts a deficit from that. In my case, I want to lose 1 pound a week, so it subtracts 500 from 1800 and gives me 1300 as my Calorie Goal. (I am going to assume everyone understands how consuming fewer calories than your body burns will bring about weight loss.) So, I now know that I can consume 1300 calories and lose 1 pound a week because of that 500 calorie deficit.
Now, there are 3 ways to maintain that deficit:

1: Food Restriction. (Eat 500 calories fewer than 1800/day. i.e. Eat 1300 calories/day.)
2: Exercise. (Eat 1800 calories a day...and exercise off 500 calories)
3: Both. (Ex: Eat 1500 - which is only a 300 deficit - and burn off the extra 200 to make the deficit 500)

So, I start my day and eat 1300. I have my 500 calorie deficit.
Then, I decide to exercise and burn an extra 200 calories.
My NET calories are now 1100.
1300 (total calories consumed) - 200 (exercise calories burned) = 1100 NET.

Another way to look at it is that my deficit is now 700.
500 from the food restriction deficit we made when we ate 1300 calories...and 200 from the exercise we just did.
500+200 = 700 deficit.

One final way to look at it is I no longer just burned 1800 today. I busted out of my Lightly Active lifestyle and I burned 2000 calories.
If I still want a 500 calorie deficit, I now have to eat 1500 calories (2000 - 500 = 1500) instead of 1300 to get my 500 calorie deficit.

So, yep...to do that I have to eat back my 200 exercise calories.
This makes my deficit 500 again.
My NET is now 1300 and the total I consumed for the day is 1500.

1300 (food eaten) - 200(exercise) = 1100 NET + 200 (eat back) = 1300 NET.
and
1300 TOTAL (food eaten) + 200 (eat back) = 1500 calories TOTAL.

I still have my 500 calorie deficit. I just changed how I got it. Instead of just food restriction, I used a combination of food restriction and exercise to get to a 500 calorie deficit.
This is why people 'eat back'. If you track it right and use the right activity level, it does

2: What not to do.

Here's what I think I did wrong in the beginning.
I told the calorie calculator that I was 'Moderately Active' and I ate back.
The calorie goal given to me for 'Moderately Active' already included my exercise calories.

The calculator started with the number of calories I burn due to an moderately activity level that included my exercise sessions....it was about 2100 calories and then subtracted my deficit (500) to give me a Calorie Goal of 1600 TOTAL. I wasn't supposed to track exercise and 'eat back' because my calorie intake number already included my exercise. The 2100 calories (and thereby the 1600 Calorie Goal) already had those burned exercise calories in there...to track them again would be redundant!

3: Finale

So, the two choices are...choose an activity level for just your day-to-day activities and track exercise separately/'eat back'. Or just choose a higher activity level to account for your exercise and just eat and know that your Calorie Goal will give you a deficit that already includes your exercise calories.

Remember it's not all exact. The calorie calculator estimates - it doesn't really know exactly how many calories you are burning. (How helpful it would be if it really did!)
Keep all this in mind as you track your calories.

Which one do I personally do?

I do both. I switch every 3 weeks and do one or the other. When I use the higher activity level, I actually calorie cycle (change the amounts I eat each day, but still end up with the same total by the end of the week.) Also known as 'calorie shifting', 'zig-zag dieting' or 'The Wendie Plan' (for those of you on Weight Watchers.)

When I "eat back", I track my exercise with my Heart Rate Monitor and eat back most of those calories. I have personal rules about how many exercise calories I actually eat back. I do this mostly to allow room for inaccuracies with counting calories.

I like doing both. It gives me a fresh start every three weeks. I have been successful (so far) with both, so I'll keep doing it for now.

Hitting the Calculator Again

I'm back up to 134.5 today.
So, water weight? Maybe. I have been drinking a lot (which is supposed to help) so that I can avoid water weight fluctuations and get a good picture of whether my new techniques are breaking me out of my 18 day stall. If it isn't water weight, then it means I might be missing something.

Time to look at the numbers.

Let's start with March and go all the way to May.
My weight is the weight at the END of that week. That makes more sense because it reflects how my Total and Net calories affected that weight for that week.

3/2/08: 142lbs. Total: 9808 (1400/day) Net Cals: 1269/day.
3/9/08: 141lbs. Total: 9702 (1375/day) Net Cals: 1278/day.
3/16/08: 140lbs. Total: 9464 (1350/day) Net Cals: 1276/day.
Average Exercise for three weeks: 736 calories per week.

3/23/08: 139 lbs. Total: 10500 (1500/day) Net Cals: 1390/day.
3/30/08: 140 lbs. Total: 10567 (1509/day) Net Cals: 1396/day.
4/6/08: 138 lbs. Total: 10971 (1567/day) Net Cals: 1380/day.
Average Exercise for three weeks: 957calories per week.

4/13/08: 136 lbs. Total: 10115 (1445/day) Net Cals: 1250/day.
4/20/08: 134.5 lbs Total: 10210 (1458/day) Net Cals: 1250/day.
4/27/08: 134 lbs. Total: 10078 (1440/day) Net Cals: 1220/day.
Average Exercise for three weeks: 1450 calories per week.

5/4/08: 133 lbs. Total: 10746 (1535/day) Net Cals: 1369/day.

That May 4th weight of 133 was only seen once - on that day only (so I don't know what happened to it. I'm blaming my cheap scale on that one.)
Today is May 14th and I am back at 134.5.
I have been seeing 134 and 134.5 since April 20th. Almost 4 weeks at the same weight. That's about as plateaued as I can get. I think.

Granted, I have changed how I track my exercise, so my Eat Back weeks may be a problem now. The accuracy of calories burned may be under/over estimated and pushing my body closer to my maintenance or closer to "starvation mode" (if I want to subscribe to that particular viewpoint. The jury is still out on that one.)

How has my exercise tracking changed? Well, I don't count all my exercise calories and I don't count all exercise the same way.

Old Way # 1

All exercise counts - cardio, yoga, weights, etc.
I tracked only 90% of any of those calories burned.

Old Way #2

All exercise counts.
If my average BPM (beats per minute) at the end of any exercise was:

1. above 140, I ate back 90%
2. between 112 and 139, I ate back 85%
3. anything below 112 was not counted.

Current Way

Exercise has to last longer than 20 minutes.
Any cardio over 129BPM: I subtract 1 calorie per 1 minute of exercise to account for my RMR.
All cardio between 120 and 129BPM: I count only 50% of those calories.
Any cardio under 120: not counted.
All non-cardio (such as weight training) over 125 BPM: I count 70%.
Any non-cardio under 125: not counted.

Am I underestimating?
Should I be counting any and all activity? Is my NET actually lower because I am really burning off significantly more than I am tracking?

Bah!

I seriously like my 'eat back' weeks. I start each day with the calorie intake for someone who is lightly active (which describes my life apart from exercise.) I then track all my exercise and eat back those calories. This has worked for me for quite a while, so I have no idea what is going wrong now.
Okay, before I panic. I am still in the middle of my Plateau Busting Plan. So, I will give myself to Sunday until I begin to really worry.

In any case - I had a really good workout today. Almost 5 miles. I was exhausted! Rain is coming on Friday, so I'm going to try to head out tomorrow and give myself Friday off.

Fluctuations

11:10 AM: Okay, I suddenly jumped from 132.5 to 134 this morning.
Darned weight fluctuations! Seriously. I dislike those aplenty.

In any case, I am up for a heavy duty exercise session in about an hour. It's beautiful here in PA and I am working on a good 3.5 to 4.5 mile walk/run. I'm not good enough to run the whole time, but I am noticing huge differences in endurance over the past month. I love running.

As for everything else, my brother just decided that he wants to hop on the health train, so I hope I might be able to pass some of what I have learned down to him. Our family has a slew of heredity medical diseases - cardiovascular disease and diabetes being the worst of them - and we have to work extra hard to avoid them.

4:00 PM: Well, my workout went awesome. About 4 miles at 414 net calories (after I subtract my RMR from it) and then 121 calories from my strength training. It was Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps today. That's my favorite workout. I only count 70% of non-cardio workouts over 125BPM. Yes, I have strict rules about what actually counts as exercise.

I am eating slightly less than my normal calories today because I am trying to make up for my Sunday binge-fest. :) Holidays are a pain to recover from - I have to really work on making them not so crazy in the future.

9:00PM: Eh. My acid reflux is sooo bad these days. I feel like I have something stuck in my throat all the time. I think my poor esophagus is all irritated. I have to read up a little on this and figure out what to do about it. Or...just go back to the doctor and get my Protonix prescription refilled. I just really dislike taking medication.

BMI - Body Mass Index

As I get closer to my goal, I am finding myself more and more interested in knowing my actual body fat percentage. Initially, I was all for the weight loss being measure by the numbers on the scale. Then, I because interested in the inches lost around my hips, waist, thighs, biceps, etc. Now, I kind of want to know if I am really lowering the fat, while keeping most of my muscle.
So, how do I find that out, I wondered?

Well, the first of my goals was to get my weight down into a healthy weight range as indicated by the BMI (Body Mass Index) chart below.
GREEN is Healthy Weight. YELLOW is Overweight. RED is Obese.
I am 5'1" and I am 132.5 pounds...ALMOST to 130, which will put me in the healthy weight range! (Actually 132 will get me there, but either way...the medical community will soon consider me to be at a healthy weight.) I started my weight loss quest at 164 pounds...I was actually considered to be obese then...that boggles my mind.


What is the History of the BMI chart?
Well, about 10 years ago, NIH (National Institutes of Health) released its new healthy weight guidelines. The purpose was to find a uniform method that the medical community, insurance companies and the general public could use to measure body fat and healthy weight. One interesting thing that happened back then is that they actually lowered the overweight threshold from a score of 27.5 to 25. That meant that quite a few people who were once considered to be at a healthy weight range were suddenly overweight. There are quite a few BMI calculators and charts online to help determine your BMI score quickly and easily.

How accurate is it?
The chart is best used as a screening tool - not as a definitive calculation of your body fat percentage or your overall health. One of the reasons for this is that it does not account for a person's age, gender or the amount of muscle mass they have. Football players, for instance, might score high on the BMI chart when really their fat percentage is low. It's the weight of their muscle that skews the results for them.

So, the BMI chart may be a starting point for a person or a medical provider in trying to determine a person's health weight and body mass, but there are better ways to test for actual body fat. For me, once I get myself into the healthy zone, I am going to look into getting tested for my actual body fat percentage (probably via a skin-fold measurement test.) They sell calipers online and if used properly, I should be able to get a very accurate idea of my fat loss success.

HEALTHY LINKS

1. WebMD - BMI information.
2. BMI calculator
   
3. TopEndSports.com - Information about the Skin Fold Measurement test for body fat.
4. Accu-Measure Fitness - Purchase calipers to measure body fat
   

Down I Go

Okay, so I weighed in this morning...132.5 thankyouverymuch!
Oh, my weight loss, where have been? I have been waiting for you for weeks!

I exercised late last night - aerobic dancing and a full back/biceps and legs workout. My aerobic dancing was 33 minutes long with 239 calories burned at an average of 142 BPM. My strength training was for 26 minutes-174 cals burned - 137 BPM.
It had been 3 days since my last workout routine, so I definitely welcomed it.

I am now just on the very edge of normal body weight. As indicated by the BMI - Body Mass Index chart. I am in the middle of composing an entire post dedicated to body fat calculation based on the research I have done about it. The BMI chart is not always accurate when it comes to determining a person's body fat, but I'm still quite happy to know that the medical community will soon consider me to be in the healthy weight range. Yay, me!

I just finished my Kashi Lime Cilantro Shrimp dinner. Yummy and all natural. I will definitely be buying that again. Okay, that's it for today! It rained all day, so no exercise for me, but the next 4 days will be run, run, run!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!

We have some good food planned for today...brownies being the one thing I am looking forward to, definitely! I will still be tracking calories today, but I can't guarantee how accurate it will be. I don't care if I go over my calorie goal for today, but I still like to get an accurate idea of what I ate. I'm going to do the best I can with that.

I have been fighting a 15-day weight loss stall and I just saw the scale begin moving downward yesterday and today. It looks like those changes I made last week actually worked.

April 26th - May 8th Plateau Busting Plan - Dietary Changes

1. Drink more water - at least 6 water bottles a day. (I have been slacking on that recently!)
2. No processed dinners for a week.
3. Keep sodium at the recommended level.
4. Change my macronutrient ratio.
5. Eat more.
6. Change my regular bedtime snack.
   

The most important changes I think were the last two. I haven't made a post outlining how I count calories, so I will just give a basic explanation for those two steps.

Basically, my exercise routine in the past few weeks has increased. I found myself exercising harder and more often. The problem (I think) occurred when I ended up adding all that extra exercise, but never increased my calorie intake to properly cover it. I think I was actually under-nourishing myself.
I suddenly saw my weight stall. 15 days at nearly the same weight. So I decided that increasing my calories might be a positive change to make.

The other big change was my bedtime snack.
My bedtime snack is almost always the same (Skim cottage cheese, a pear, 1 piece of dark chocolate and 1% cheddar cheese), nearly always the same amount of calories (250) and nearly always at the same time (9:00-9:30PM).
So, I changed my snack. I made it 100 fewer calories and now I eat it a hour sooner.

I can't be sure if one change or a bunch of changes made a difference, but I believe my weight loss stall/plateau is over. I finally dropped a pound after 15 days of waiting.

This coming week, I will stick to the same plan and I will reassess by the end of the week. If the progress is not what I am expecting, I will start with exercise changes. I figured I would try dietary changes first and save the exercise changes for last.

Sometimes the body just doesn't want to keep losing weight. I've been restricting calories since January 27th and I think it feels that enough is enough! I still have quite a few tricks up my sleeve, so I'm not too concerned. I can wait. I'm patient. If I am at a calorie deficit and if I am nourishing my body and not pushing it into the legendary "starvation mode" then weight loss will occur! It just gets slower sometimes and needs a little push. Which is what I am doing.

In any case, I am on the right track. A lot of weight (35 pounds!) has been lost and I am feeling good so I must be doing something right!

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!

Calculations: Part 3

I know my Maintenance Calories...now what?
Well, this is the final step in your calculations.
You now know how many calories you need to eat in order to maintain the same weight.
I calculated that number to be 1942.
If I eat 1,942 calories, my body will use all those calories to fuel all of its bodily functions and all of the activities I perform. It won't need to use any of my fat stores or muscle stores because I gave it all the food fuel it needs. That is great if you are at a healthy goal weight...but if I want to lose weight, I need to eat below my maintenance level. I need to give myself a deficit every day.

If, for instance, I eat only 1500 calories a day, my body will use that 1500 to fuel itself, but because it burns 1942, it needs more than that. So it will then begin to use our fat (and muscle) stores to make up for the missing calories.
This is how we lose weight.

Just remember that it is important to choose a healthy, safe and steady deficit that will promote weight loss without harming our body.


How did I decide on my weekly weight loss goal/my deficit?
The general rule of thumb is to shoot for either 20% below your maintenance number or to try to lose only 1% of your body weight per week. Both of these options seem to provide a person with a safe and steady weight loss.

I chose the latter option because it gave me a larger deficit, while still keeping me above my BMR (which I think is really important. The body should at least get enough fuel for its basic bodily functions!)
So, one percent (1%) of my body weight is 1.3. I rounded that number down to 1 and made that my goal. I want to lose 1 pound a week.

I won't go into to much detail here about choosing a goal that brings about too rapid a weight loss. I'll just say that I personally think it is usually unnecessary, unhealthy, and counterproductive in the end. Always discuss with your doctor if you are planning a diet that severely restricts your calories.

Again, I think never going below my BMR is the rule of thumb I use.

How do I lose 1 pound of fat a week? What is my exact deficit?
To lose 1 pound of fat a week I need to consume 500 calories fewer than my maintenance calories per day.

One pound of fat = 3500 calories.
3500 divided by 7 days (in a week) = 500 calories a day.

This means that I have to have a 500 calorie deficit every day and by the end of the week...voila!..I have lost a pound. (In a perfect world, of course!)

The next step is to then take my Maintenance Calories and subtract the 500 deficit from it in order to get my Calorie Goal for weight loss. This will give me how many calories I can consume every day in order to lose 1 pound a week.

So what is my calorie goal?
My Maintenance Calories were 1942.
My deficit is 500.
That makes my Daily Calorie Goal: 1442.

This is the number of calories I can eat each and every day to lose 1 pound a week. We already know that my body needs 1942.
Well, I am only going to give it 1442.
The rest is up to my body...it must fend for itself.
It must start converting my fat stores into energy to make up for the missing calories.

And, so begins the road to my slow and steady, healthy and happy, weight loss!

Is there an easier way to do this? Without calculations on paper?
Sure!
Here are some links to some online Calorie Goal calculators. Unlike the calculators in my previous post, these do more than just calculate your BMR/RMR. They do the whole thing! Just put in your stats and you are given a calorie goal to lose weight!

HEALTHY LINKS

FreeDieting.com - This one is my favorite. You can use the advanced options to switch between a calorie goal based on the Mifflin-St.Jeor or Harris Benedict or lean body mass.
You can also test out their zig-zag calorie tool for those who like to "calorie shift" or "calorie cycle" or "zig-zag diet!"

Diet-Blog.com - this site gives you a nice calorie range. Based on the Mifflin-St.Jeor equation.

That's all!

Calculations: Part 2

What happens now?
Well, we have our BMR/RMR number, but that isn't enough.

Because an average person does not lie in bed all day without moving, eating, etc., your BMR/RMR only covers some of the calories you burn. You also have to count the calories you burn during your daily activities.

So, to find out how many more calories you burn, you need to multiply your BMR/RMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:

1. If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : BMR x 1.2
2. If you are lightly active (light exercise 1-3 days/week) : BMR x 1.375
3. If you are moderately active (moderate exercise 3-5 days/week) : BMR x 1.55
4. If you are very active (hard exercise 6-7 days a week) : BMR x 1.725
5. If you are extra active (very hard exercise & physical job or 2x training) : BMR x 1.9

Personally, this is where I struggled the most.
I have a hard time figuring out where exactly I fit in. Some weeks, I workout really hard and do about 4-5 days of exercise and some weeks I only do 2-3 days. So, in the beginning, I multiplied my BMR by 1.45...which was somewhere between lightly and moderately active.

The number you get from this calculation will bring you to the total number of calories you burn every single day to fuel your basal/resting activities AND your normal activities.

For example, if I considered myself moderately active and if my BMR was calculated as 1253, I would get this number:
1253 X 1.55 = 1942

This is my Maintenance number. This is the number of calories I can eat to keep my weight exactly the same. So, if I give my body that amount of calories, I will stay the same weight.

If I want to lose weight...I give my body fewer calories.
If I gave my body only 1600 calories, it would still burn 1942 calories, but not all of those burned calories will come from food because I didn't eat that much.
It would use the 1600 calories I ate...and then start burning fat and muscle for the rest of its necessary fuel.
That is how you lose weight.

Now, it's finally time to figure out my Daily Caloric Intake Number...the actual number of calories I should consume each day to lose weight.
On to Calculations: Part 3. The final chapter!

Calculations: Part 1

I am a sucker for those online calorie calculators. Every time I come across a site with one, I use it. I don't know if I am looking for confirmation that I am using the right calorie goals or if I'm just a numbers nerd.

In any case, due to the fact that I lose weight by tracking calories, the right calorie intake numbers are important to me. I try to get as accurate a calculation as possible.

To find my daily calorie intake number I can go the short way and use an online calculator (I have some links at the bottom of my "Calculations: Part 3" post) or I can do it the long way:

Step One: Calculate my BMR/RMR.
Step Two: Multiply that number by an activity multiplier to get my Maintenance Calories.
Step Three: Subtract a deficit from my Maintenance Calories to get my Daily Calorie Goal.
Step Four: Eat, exercise and stay as close to my Calorie Goal as possible!

This post will cover Step One.

What is the BMR and RMR?
BMR stands for Basic Metabolic Rate. RMR is my Resting Metabolic Rate.

Basically, my BMR or RMR estimates the amount of calories my body will burn while at rest. If I were to lie in bed all day (no getting up, no moving around...) I would burn a certain number of calories. That number is represented by my BMR/RMR.
The chart below will give you an estimated breakdown of my daily caloric burn:

60-70% - Basic bodily functions (...breathing, temperature regulation, etc.) as represented by my BMR or RMR.
15-30% - All physical activity (walking, running, cooking dinner, chewing gum, tapping my toes...anything other than lying in bed all day.)
10% - Thermic effect of food. (Calories burned through the digestion, asborption and storage of food.)

What is the difference between the two terms BMR/RMR?
These terms are often used interchangeably and the difference between the two is relatively minor.
The difference basically comes from the fact that each rate is clinically measured under two different types of conditions. To get a subject's BMR, he or she must be in a fasted state (so that digestion calories do not play a part in the calculation) and the subject must be in a state of complete rest and in dark, quiet surroundings. It basically just tests how much you burn through regular biological functions.

The test for a person's RMR is not as strict. The subject must be resting, but the calculations can include a some physical disturbance and possibly some digestion. This goes above and beyond BMR testing and includes any additional minor activity that occurs during a rested state.

In any case, we really don't have to worry about any that and we can simply find our estimated BMR or RMR by using an online calculator or by using the equations I will provide below.

What type of BMR/RMR forumlas are available?
Currently there are two popular math formulas to use in order to figure out a person's BMR or RMR. These two formulas are the Harris Benedict Equation and the Mifflin-St.Jeor Equation.
(Note: There is also a way to determine your caloric intake number by lean body mass called the Katch-McArdle formula. However, most people - including myself - do not know their lean body mass, so I won't talk about that method.)

I don't like math. Where are some good online BMR/RMR calculators?
The links below will bring you to two online BMR/RMR calculators:

BMR Calculator (uses the Harris-Benedict Equation)
My Fitness Pal (uses the Mifflin-St.Jeor Equation)

Which do I personally use and why?
I currently use the Mifflin-St.Jeor formula.

While the Harris-Benedict formula is more popular, it has been tested and reported to be slightly more inaccurate than the Mifflin formula. The Harris-Benedict numbers tend to be slightly overestimated (meaning you might be eating more than you should!)

However, some people have great success using Harris-Benedict and many of the popular dieting sites use that formula for their calorie calculations, so it really is up to you to test the numbers and figure out which works best for you.

Just a quick note....it appears that many times a site will use the Mifflin-St.Jeor equation and call the result your "RMR" and then use the Harris-Benedict equation to get a person's "BMR."
Other sites may use both formulas and call both results your "BMR". Don't let that confuse you. They are really talking about the same thing and the most important thing is the number you get from using either formula.

I like math! How do I calculated my BMR/RMR on my own?
First, you need to convert your weight and height into kilograms and centimeters.

This is done by:

Dividing your weight (in pounds) by 2.2.
Multiply your height (in inches) by 2.54.

Example:

A 33-year-old female. You weigh 134 and I am 5'1" (or 61 inches).
134lbs. divided by 2.2 = 60.9 kilograms
61 inches multiplied by 2.54 = 154.9 centimeters

Now, you take those numbers and plug them into one or both of the formulas below.

-------------------------------
* Mifflin-St Jeor Equation *

Men: RMR = (9.99 X weight) + (6.25 X height) – (4.92 X age) + 5
Women: RMR = (9.99 X weight) + (6.25 X height) – (4.92 X age) – 161

Example:
A 33-year-old female. You weigh 134 and I am 5'1" (or 61 inches).
134lbs. divided by 2.2 = 60.9 kilograms
61 inches multiplied by 2.54 = 154.9 centimeters

(9.99 X 60.9) + (6.25 X 154.9) - (4.92 X 33) - 161 =
608.39 + 968.13 - 162.36 - 161 =
1253.16

My BMR/RMR = 1253
So, according to the Mifflin-St.Jeor forumla, these are how many calories you would burn just by lying in bed all day long.

-------------------------------
*Harris-Benedict Formula*

Men
66.5 + (13.75 X weight in kg) + (5.003 X height in cm) - (6.775 X age in years)
Women
655.1 + (9.563 X weight in kg) + (1.85 X height in cm) - (4.676 X age in years)

Example:
A 33-year-old female. You weigh 134 and I am 5'1" (or 61 inches).
134lbs. divided by 2.2 = 60.9 kilograms
61 inches multiplied by 2.54 = 154.9 centimeters

655.1 + (9.563 X 60.9) + (1.85 X 154.9) - (4.676 X 33) =
655.1 + 582.39 + 286.57 - 154.31 =
1369.75

My BMR/RMR = 1370
According to the Harris-Benedict formula, these are how many calories you would burn just by lying in bed all day long.

-------------------------------
Results:

Mifflin-St.Jeor = 1253
Harris Benedict = 1370

Two different equations...two different results.
It's up to each person as to which formula they want to use.

Okay I used the calculator (or did the math.) What happens now?
I now have my BMR/RMR.
Remember this number only accounts for some of the calories we burn each day (about 60-70%). We need to find an estimate of all the calories our bodies burn each day.
This means you have to add youractivity calories, too. That is the only way you can get the best estimate of the total number of calories your body needs every day.

I will explain this next step in the post called "Calculations: Part 2". This is where I calculate in activity levels to find Maintenance Calories.

Note: Remember, there are online calculators to do all of this for us, but some people like to see where the numbers come from, which is why I am explaining it all here.

Goals - May 2006

----------SHORT-TERM GOALS----------
[] Drink more water every day. Fill up 6 water bottles and drink them all!
[] Stick to my new weights routine. No more than 2 days in between.
[] Break this weight loss stall/plateau!

----------LONG-TERM GOALS----------
[*] 137 lbs. (COMPLETED 4/14/08. 10 TDP lbs. lost)
[*] 134 lbs. (COMPLETED 4/27/08. 30 lbs. since 2007)
[ ] 132 lbs. (Normal BMI)
[ ] 127 lbs. (20 lbs lost with TDP!)
[ ] 118 lbs. (My college weight!)
[ ] 114 lbs (50 lbs. lost overall)
[ ] 112-115 lbs or Size 3/4 Jeans
[ ] Healthy Waist to Hip Ratio

----------CURRENT MOTIVATION-----------
Currently, trying to lose weight for my health. My doctor wants to put me on cholesterol medication and I don't want to do it. *stomps foot in defiance* I have been avoiding him since last autumn as I try to lose weight and change my diet to see if that makes a difference. My total cholesterol was 290. I'll see him again in June. I'll be at least 35 pounds lighter and hopefully I'll pass that cholesterol test with flying colors!

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:

The Beginning

This blog was created to record my progress as I learn and incorporate new habits into my life. My main focus is on my weight loss and how changes in my diet and activity level affect my results. I have been keeping notes, tracking my weight, saving web sites, printing PDFs, etc. over the past few months and I though it might be nice to make myself a little web site with all of the information I have collected.

I will also be journaling my personal progress here, too. Updating my ups and downs and learning as I go.

If you happen to stumble upon this blog, please note that I try my very hardest to record the most accurate information that I can - with links and references, too. Again, this was meant to be a place of reference for myself, so I definitely want it to be as accurate as possible. I welcome corrections and alternate viewpoints, too. I want every opportunity to continue my healthy learning with everyone else!

Enjoy!