i wont eat that. i promise.

Accountability –accounting for what you do in your life.  What we do in life and the choices we make predicts the outcomes in our future.  The same goes for your diet and exercise.  I’m trying to be accountable for my actions.  I try not to make the same mistakes twice.  It takes a lot of self-respect, self-reliance and time to make this all happen.  I’ve learned to CARE about myself and what I look like because it makes me feel better inside and outside.  I don’t ever want to feel tired, look fat or feel pain from obesity like I did in the past.

I’m trying to find as much information as possible about how I can drop body fat and tone at the same time.  There are lots of things that have to be watched when trying to get into shape and it’s almost frustrating at best, but it’s a good frustration. 

I have learned so far that I must burn fat and watch my food intake.  I read that getting fit requires 80% of good dieting and 20% of fitness.  OK I’m cool with this.  I’ve experienced the greatness of this first hand.  This lead me to learning about my caloric intake and calculating my BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate Calculator).  I plugged my info into the calculator and came up with my calorie intake number.  I then found out that I needed to multiply that number by the number of my “activity”.  Here is the activity break down.  Keep in mind that you are using the numbers closest to what you think is best for yourself because accuracy is impossible to hit because everyone is different.  I got this info from my friends over at the John Stone Fitness Forums (thanks guys).

“activity factor —which would range between 1.2 for sedentary (little or no exercise) and 1.9 for (hard exercise/sports 7 days per week & physical job)”

After doing the multiplication I then came up with something called my “total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) or the amount of calories you would need to take in to maintain your current weight.”

So, I got my daily caloric intake number and it’s right on.  I’m on my way.  The thing to know is that if you want to cut weight you have to start decreasing your calorie intake…as if you didn’t know that already, but this is a starting point.

Then I started investigating carbs (equivalent to energy and glucose) because they are the highest makeup in most of the foods we eat.  There are simple and complex carbs.  The simple carbs (high G1), like candy and soda, that burn/metabolizes fast but can turn into fat if not eaten in moderation.  Complex carbs (low GI), like breads and pastas, fruits, take longer to burn/metabloize and turns into fat.  So carb intake MUST be taken seriously when dieting and getting into shap.

Proteins have carbs in it, I was reading (I didn’t know that), but when it burns it takes from muscle mass and that’s what protein does - it builds muscle mass.  So, if you are trying to build muscle then you don’t want to solely rely on eating proteins to build muscle/to tone/to sculpt because when your body metabolizes it can take from it.  See, it’s a catch 22…frustrating!!!

Fats are the MAIN source of energy.  There are two kinds - saturated and unsaturated - saturated being the bad one and unsaturated being the better of the two.  Saturated fat is hard to break down hence it sticks to you so I’ve cut that out a long time ago and I’m glad I did.

As far as my meal plans goes it’s basically the same everyday.

M1 (9am) - protein, carbs and fats

M2 (11am) - protein OR carbs

M3 (1pm) - protein, carbs and fats

M4 (3-4pm) - protein OR carbs

M5 (6:30-7pm) - portein, carbs and fats

M6 (8-9pm) - protein OR carbs

By the way, I only eat good fats (unsaturated).   I use avocado (sparingly), EVOO, light Olive Oil and Olive Oil non-stick sprays…that’s it.  My carbs are veggies, triscuits and maybe a slice of 100% whole wheat bread.  My proteins only consist of certain fish (salmon, tilapia and shrimp), tuna (fresh and canned), chicken breast, turkey breast/necks, lean turkey burgers and beans (I prefer black, red and pigeon).

I no longer eat dairy because of a lactose problem I have (it’s not all the bad though) and because dairy makes me gain.  I hear that cottage cheese is very good to eat if you do eat dairy above all else.

Snacking & Fast Food Meals…I do this every so often -when I can’t make it home in time to cook or I just want a treat - and when I do I go all out.  I always eat the same things because these are the things I love.  Costco Berry Smoothie, chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal rasain cookies, Wendy’s BLT salad, BK Chicken Salad, Wendy’s small chili, McDonald’s Honey Mustard Snack Wrap, Cinnabun Minis, Dunkin Donuts medium coffee (2 sugars, milk AND cream) and a can of Ginger Ale (when my tummy feels upset).  Not bad because I stay within my daily calorie numbers.

I was listening to a radio station on AM and a doctor said that doctors recommend dieters to eat fruits because they give the body antioxidants that prevents colds and builds up the immune system.  I rarely, if ever, eat fruits anymore and now I know it’s why I’ve been carrying this sniffling since September.  I’m currently looking for a supplement that offers these antioxidants that do not contain iron.  I’d rather not eat fruits (I eat grapes once in the blue) because fruits make me gain weight and reading about carbs today I see why…sugars in fruits take longer to burn.

Reading labels is important when dieting too.  You have to know what you’re putting into your body that’s making you gain and what doesn’t make you gain.  Keeping track of what you eat is important too so you can rule out the bad stuff.

Lastly, plateaus.  Don’t you just love those???  I HATE them!  But when I hit one, I don’t stay in it too long.  I usually eat something out of the ordinary and that jump starts me out of it, either my poundage goes up or it goes down but it moves which is what we all strive for.

Resources:

Be Choosy About Carbs

BMR Calculator

GI Calculator

…but got A LOT of exercise in the process.  Holding up that heavy bike strengthened my legs very much in two days of riding and I can feel it.  It’s not a pain, but it’s a soreness but not a bad one and it’s subsiding as I’m typing this.  Thanks to the 30 Day Shred, my legs are IN SHAPE!!!  I actually lost about 2lbs. this weekend alone doing motorcycle exercises and what not.  I also had to bring my own lunch and drinks to the course so there was no need to go out and get any fast food so this means that this weekend wasn’t a total blunder as I thought it was. 

Friday night, the boyfriend told me (yes, I call him that haha) that I’m losing all of my a$$ and that I need to stop with the weight loss because I look good the way I am.  I told him I wanted to be “skinny” and that means healthy and in shape.  He told me to be myself.  Well, I am being myself honey.  Like…what do you mean?  He said that I’m sexy and slim the way I am and that I don’t need to lose anymore or I’ll be too skinny.  He says he likes me meaty.  I say I don’t so I’m going to take it down to 173lbs. because it’s my goal and I’ll see how I look at that number.  I think I’m in denial about how tall I am.  My man says he’s 5′8 which I know he’s not, he’s shorter and I say that I’m 5′8, but I’m thinking I may be taller is why people think I don’t weigh this much to begin with. 

So, in saying all of that, I may look funny being tall and skinny, but I want a tummy like Holly’s (you all know Vermont Mom on 3FC right? well, I want to look as good as her when I reach her age).  I have to burn the fat in my belly in order to achieve rock hard abs and if that means burning fat in other places then so be it.  I have a bikini to get into on my cruise coming up to the Carribean.  Doing strength and toning workouts will not get anyone great abs without cardio.  Everybody knows that.

Anyway, I’m on my way into a new weight loss “decade” (as I weighed in at 184lbs. today) and that decade is going to be the 170s!  I can’t wait to be out the 180s.  I feel so good.  Who would have thought I’d lose this weight?  Who would have thought I would take the time to make me healthy?  Who would have thought I’d be skinny again?  Not me, but I’m doing it!!!

I’m not really tripping about this, but everyone who is trying to lose weight and who have lost AND is who trying to maintain should know how easy it is to gain weight back fast.  It’s totally amazing.  I ate about 4,000 calories on my vacation to D.C. this past Saturday and ate about the same on Sunday and didn’t exercise since last Friday.  I really let myself down, but luckily I know how to get back on track.  Tonight, I’m back on track.  I need to reach my Thanksgiving Goal and fast.  I haven’t been taking the time to cook dinner and that’s really killing me.  I get home late after work because I have stuff to do before I get home. 

I guess the dieting and fitness moral of the story here is to NEVER go on vacation.  LOL!  I will never make that mistake again.  No, but seriously, I didn’t even want to eat like  pig on vacation.  I did it all for nothing.

I’ll be OK!

(10/2/08-pic of me at College Park Metro station in MD on my way to Union Station in Washington, D.C.)

I also updated my mini-goal thread in the 3FC community forums.

Here I is in my Nightmare Before Xmas shirt.  I love Halloween!!!  It’s my favorite holiday. 

Speaking of Halloween, I’m taking my kids on a Disney Cruise next year during Halloween weekend.  Boo!  I’ve read so many things about the festivities during that time that go on on the ship.  Here is my ticker!!!! (I love tickers).

 On to my weight loss news…I have lost a total of 11.2lbs for the month of October!  I have exceeded my goal of 10lbs to lose (SBD_Sass).  Woot!  My new goal for the month of November  is to lose 7.5lbs.  Wish me luck!