Thursday, July 1, 2010

Lose It! Update

Exactly three months ago today made a post titled New Beginnings in which I made a commitment to myself to cut calories from my diet to finally get the weight loss I've wanted for so long that exercise alone just wasn't giving me. I started using the Lose It! app on my iPhone on April 1 as the tool to track my daily calories and stick to a calorie budget and hopefully lose some weight. In my post back on April 1, I also said I wasn't going to do any diet or weight loss talk on my blog here but on my fitness blog See how she runs... Well, I changed my mind. I have had fantastic results with this tool so far and hope to motivate or inspire someone else to do the same.

Since April 1, I have lost a total 26.5 lbs. (12kg)!!

I have done this by exercising nearly every day and by using the Lose It! app to help me stick to a daily calorie budget. I am not an expert on weight loss, but I have learned a lot in the last three months that may help you do the same.

Sometimes it's just a matter of hearing or seeing someone else succeed at something and you deciding you want that, too. So you go for it and you just do it. That's what I hope to inspire by posting my success so far.

I have come up with a list of, I don't know what to call it-- advice? words of wisdom? --that might help you achieve a weight loss goal, too.

1-Determination
You have to want to lose weight. You have to want to be healthy, live healthy, feel and look good. Do you want it? If you do, you can do it.

2-Commitment
You have to live with yourself every day as long as you live. Make a commitment to yourself to make yourself better in the things you can change. There are a lot of things about ourselves and our lives that we have no control over and cannot change. Your body weight? You can change that. You can do it.

3-Educate yourself
Do a little research online, read a book, download the Lose It! app and find out how many calories you need to consume every day in order to lose weight at a safe rate. There is no one magic number since your current weight and activity level is a contributing factor to your calorie budget. It's always a good idea to consult with your doctor first.

4-Will power
I'm not going to lie. The first ten days were brutal. I was hungry pretty much all the time, even when I was sleeping. I just kept thinking how badly I wanted a healthier body. I figure I wasn't suffering when I ate what I wanted and enjoyed all that food that led to weight gain. I could suffer for nine months to lose it. I would do it because I really wanted it, and I found the will power. You have to find the will power and you can do it, too. If you're feeling weak resolve, enlist someone to help you (see last point below).

5-Exercise every day
The truth is that you have to work very hard to burn a good number of calories through exercise. A 150 lb. woman walking at a brisk pace for 30 minutes burns about 90 calories. That's barely an apple.

The best way to determine how many calories you burn during exercise is with a heart rate monitor because it bases your caloric burn directly from your heart rate that's tied to oxygen consumption. And we know to burn fuel (from food you just ate or stored fat), you need oxygen. But a heart rate monitor is not practical for everyone as it is an investment of upwards of $100 or more. There are some great websites out there that have online calculators for various activities. The one I like to use is at fitday.com: http://www.fitday.com/webfit/burned/calories_burned.html

Note: I think the calories burned for exercises in the Lose It! App are a bit inflated.

6-Count everything and make everything count.
Count every bite of food you take and every beverage you drink. It all adds up very quickly. Also, choose foods that are healthy for you and you'll feel fuller longer. One small cookie isn't going to make you feel as satisfied as one large apple. Plus the apple has health benefits, the cookie doesn't.

7-Measure your foods.
Measure foods by volume (measuring cups) or weight (using a kitchen scale) based on the serving size for that particular food. I found I had to re-educate myself on serving sizes and the approximate number of calories in a lot of basic foods.

8-The achievement factor
Know that if you stick it out for a week or two, you will get results and then you can feed off your own achievement. In other words, your own success will motivate you to keep going. It's all on you, but you can do it.

Kind of for fun, but really very true for me:

9-Don't read any cooking magazines, flip through cookbooks or visit any cooking blogs or forums when you are hungry or if you think it will make you hungry or just want to eat food even if you're not hungry.

I basically read my cooking magazines while I'm actually eating breakfast or lunch and that's it. Any other time it makes me want to eat. But it's getting better. My body is adapting to fewer calories and is happy this way. :)

10-Have a support person or team in place.
It helps if you have at least one person who is in on your personal mission and is supportive. My husband and daughters have listened to me talk diet and exercise day in and day out and I am very grateful for their patience. And also for their support when I announce my latest total pounds lost... or when I put a moratorium on their favorite restaurant because I can't get anything remotely healthy to eat there. And for their encouragement when I tell them how much more I have to go and they think I can do it before my target date.

In conclusion, I'll just add that if I can do this, you can too. I literally decided on April 1 that that was it. That was the day I was going to do it. And gosh darn it, I'm doing it!

If you want it, then decide to do it.

Decide it, then do it.

I know you can. :)


18 comments:

  1. OMG!!!!!!!!!! Congratulations! That's...amazing! I'm so thrilled for you and impressed at your dedication! WOW! Just WOW! You are my inspiration now!

    *hugs*

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  2. Congratulations on your weight loss.

    I've been in a weight lost plateau and with my recent health scare, I've kicked it up a notch and your win, enthusiasm and tips will guide me on this journey that I want, no need to take.

    Again, congrats on losing.

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  3. Wow! That is absolutely fantastic! Congrats to you!

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  4. OMG, Christine, that's just wonderful. Congratulations! It's just great when you see positive results after all that effort. Keep it up.

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  5. Hi Christine
    Congrats. Such a smart way to do it. So sensible & it seems doable.

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  6. Congratulations Christine! You've done a wonderful thing for you and your family! Wishing you lots more success.
    We're reworking the hubs diet. I'm coming up with more healthful options for him. And have been picking up a couple of cookbooks here and there to try new healthy recipes.

    I hope you're having a fantastic weekend!

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  7. You guys are the greatest! Thanks so much for your cheers and good wishes. I am really very happy with my results so far. I almost can't believe I'm succeeding, but I am! It's great.... and I hope I didn't sound too preachy in my post. I just keep thinking that if I can do it, anyone can and maybe they just need some friendly, upbeat encouragement to get going!

    ORANNIA: Thank you, darling. YOU were actually one of my inspirations in the last several months. I remember you mentioning seeing a nutritionist to eat healthier and lose some weight and then poof! You did it and I was still the same. I was jealous of your success and wanted it for me, too! So thank you. xoxo

    DRU: There's no better time than today to get started, right? You can do it! You already started your walking group, that's a step. Now start adding more walking days to your schedule and on weekends get out there and double your miles! You can do it!!! Of course, discuss with your doctor first to make sure. :)

    LORI: Thank you!!! :D

    HILS: Thanks, honey! You were another inspiration to make some dietary changes. Well, you, Natalie and Mariana from the time we got together and talked about eating healthier in general. I realized I knew what to do, but I had to just do it!

    KB: Thank you! I hoped I could have you over for lunch before you left for RomCon, but things have been busy here. I'm so sorry. Let's make a date when you get back. xo

    MARY G: Thank you! :) I hope it doesn't get that much harder from here...

    BRANDY: as with any change to diet and exercise, it is easier to do it in small steps so that you don't feel too overwhelmed, unhappy or discouraged. Maybe just start by updating his favorite recipes to healthier versions, and then add a few new recipes each week on top of that. CookingLight magazine is a great resource. I could mail you some of my old issues that I don't use anymore? Send me an email if you'd like them. :)

    Have a fantastic weekend everyone! :D

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  8. That's awesome Christine!!!!

    I just recently started the Insanity Program and figured I wouldn't last a week. Well I've worked out everyday for the last 5 and I've stuck with it!!! The worse things I've eaten was a turkey burger LOL.

    It inspiring to hear these stories I'm so proud of you sticking with it!

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  9. Interesting and educative post. I know losing those pounds are extremely difficult but if you put your mind to it, I know it will be as easy as a pie. Check out this weight loss supplements Acai Berry Pure . It works

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  10. Christine, I took our favorite recipes and made them low fat years ago. Now I just need to work on his portion control and what he eats when he's NOT home. *G*
    You are indeed an inspiration to others. Keep up the good work! *G*

    Have a most fabulous weekend!

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  11. What an inspirational post! I am so proud of you. That is quite a weight loss. It sounds like you did it in a very healthy way. So proud!

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  12. Wow, Christine, you are awesome... Congratulations!

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  13. SARAI: Thanks! :) All the best to you with the Insanity Program. The hardest part is getting through that first week of just sticking with both the diet and exercise... it gets easier. You'll see results and that'll just make you want to stick it out more for even more results! Keep me posted on your progress. I'll be one of your cheerleaders! ^_^

    kufiliefunsho: Thanks for stopping by and for the information on the weight loss supplement. Right now I'm doing it the good old fashioned way with exercise and portion control, but thanks for the info.

    BRANDY: If you're already eating healthy foods then you nailed it with "portion control and what he eats when he's NOT home." That's essentially all I've done, too, since I already cook healthfully at home. Portion control being the biggest change, followed by wiser snack and treat choices. I'm being really careful about limiting higher fat foods like salad dressings, cheese, baked goods and red meat. Notice I didn't list ice cream LOL.

    It's really hard to eat well when you're eating out. Even my favorite salads at Panera have over 500 calories! :(

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  14. MICHELLE & RENEE: Thank you both very much! It feels really good... :)

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  15. I'm so very proud of you! You're working really hard on this! (Especially since you really don't have tons of time for yourself!)

    Great Job!

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  16. Wow, Christine!! Congratulations!! 12 kg sounds great!! You're really awesome!

    and this was just a great post... I just don't have the will power you have ^_^;

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  17. Congrats, Christine! That's just so awesome. :D

    I'm glad you decided to post this here because although I don't plan to lose weight, it's a really great post and there's lots of advice you can use for other projects IMO. You're great at motivating. :)

    Keep it up and I know you'll beat your target date. I know you can. :)

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