Ok, I'm serious about losing this baby weight finally! So I got a gym membership, workout clothes and shoes, and made my orientation appointment with the personal trainer. I get to the orientation all pumped and ready to learn how to maximize my time at the gym. Only to find out we are going to sit and talk abo
ut how unfit I am now and what I am NOT doing that I should be...and it wasn't all about working out! So he asks me my goals and where I am at now. I tell him I think I'm about X lbs (increasing what I actually think so that when I step on the scale it won't seem so bad) and that I would like to lose 10 lbs in the next 3 months. Reasonable. He chuckles a little and says, "That won't be hard!" Ha! What does he know? He LIVES at the gym and eats and breathes nutrition. Ok now it's the time of truth...the dreaded scale. I take of my shoes, my sweatshirt, my iPod, and anything removable and step on. The scale is tilting further and further...what?! I am actually a half a pound MORE than what I had said I thought I was? Remember, I told him a little more so it wouldn't seem as bad. Now I'm depressed. We go back and do the fat pinch test (ouch! but whatever I'm over it), take measurements, etc, etc.He says, "It's simple math. If you want to lose weight you have to burn more calories than you take in." He informs me that for my body type and goals I need to only eat about 1,000 calories a day! What?! I don't know, I have never calorie counted before, but that seems like I'd starve!
I text Montana Mommy. She is shocked too, but we decide to do calorie counting during my upcomin
g visit. First we want to see what we eat on a normal day, then try to stay within a certain calorie limit. Have you ever counted calories? It is HARD! Not everything comes with a handy dandy nutrition label and a measuring cup to portion out that measly 1/4 cup of cereal! You literally have to count and measure everything...this is going to be a long road ahead! If anyone has any tips or ideas, I'm all ears!
I've never been terribly strict about counting calories, but I've had some pretty good luck tracking with WW (Weight Watchers). I'm not there now, but the only time in my grown-up life that I've been at my goal weight was through their tracking system. You get an allotment of points per day, based on your starting weight. I'd bet it adds up to more than 1,000 calories -- 1000 calories seems pretty extreme to me too. You decide what to eat (spend your points on) and you can figure out the points value of ANY food with a nutrition label. Hint - the higher the fiber, the lower the point value. Plus you get extra points each week so you can "fudge" a little on the more challenging days. AND you get additional bonus points for working out! Right now you can join for no sign up fee, and each weekly meeting is about $10-12. If you do that along with the gym, you should lose 1-3 lbs every week. You could be at your goal in 1/2 the time. As for the male trainer -- I don't think men understand how weight loss works for women -- it's a completely different ballgame! Best of luck, YOU know you can do it!!
ReplyDeleteGo get 'em!!!!
Thanks for the tips! Weight Watchers has entered our conversations, so maybe you'll see a blog post regarding that...hmmm...
ReplyDeleteThat is way low. The lowest it should ever be 1200. So if you can't eat that little, that means you just have to do a little more cardio. Just 5 more minutes 5-6 dayd or 10 mins 3 days a week at your expected heart rate (machines always have it on them) that should give you a little more give on the calories. Some easy things to give up if you do them alcohol, soda and coffee. Once you reach your weight and continue with exercise you can partake in the bad but good habits again.
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