I have had so many people congratulate me on my weight-loss and ask me what I've been doing...what program, what diet, what exercise plan. First of all, I need to thank everyone for their support. While I am not doing this for anyone but myself, it has required a lot of hard work and it is nice to have it acknowledged...so thank you! :)
Since several people have asked me what I'm doing or if I can coach them, let me first say that I am not on any weight-loss/exercise program.
Diets and Weight-Loss Programs...um, NO. In my mind, a "diet" is a quick weight-loss gimmick of any given variety (there have been so many fads over the years that I’m sure we can all name a dozen and have probably tried at least half of them) while they work when you are eating certain foods (or not eating certain foods), taking special vitamins or pills, drinking special nutritional drinks, or buying into a specific program; when you stop and try eating "normally" again you gain it all back, and sometimes more. (I will pause here to say that I have nothing against any of the current diet programs out there, and kudos to those of you who are doing them and they are working for...I am just saying they are not for me.) I prefer to follow the cico plan (calories in -vs- calories out) and to teach myself moderation. It might be slow, but slow and steady is better than quick and unhealthy. It's not realistic, at least for me, to say that I'm going to eat low or no carb for the rest of my life or to say that I will be able to afford to by special drinks and/or meals for the rest of my life.
To help me learn appropriate portions, I use the app from MyFitnessPal.com (for free) to track my calories eaten and earned from exercise. I try to weigh, count, and track EVERYTHING that goes into my mouth. I figure the only person I'm doing any harm to by not logging everything is myself. If I am unsure of a calorie count or an exact weight, I estimate on the high side (I'd rather log too many calories eaten than too few). I haven't cut any foods of my menu. I still eat out, I do not always eat salads, and I still enjoy an occasional Blizzard or candybar.
I track my exercises / calories burned using the app from endomondo.com and then log them in MFP as well, but I do not give myself credit for as many calories as they say I should because they seem quite inflated and I'd rather log a lower amount of calories earned just in case. (A good rule of thumb that I use is always estimate high for calories eaten and low for calories burned.)
I joined Planet Fitness back in February but it wasn't necessary for losing the weight (you can do this without a gym, but for only $10/mo, it's nice to have somewhere indoors to fall back on in cold or rainy weather). I did go at least 3x a week if I could, usually more, while the weather was cold. Even if it was just walking on the treadmill for 20-30 minutes or doing a quick run through the 30 Minute Circuit, I went. Key Point --> Getting some sort of activity in, no matter how small, is better than sitting on your butt. Once weather was nicer I moved to hiking the Mountain Bike trails at Wildlife and walking in various places. I also began taking various classes - dancing, boxing, water aerobics, and hula hooping. I love variety, keeps things fun and it keeps the weight-loss going in the right direction. I don't always make it to classes every week, but I try to make sure I’m doing something exercise related, even just walking, a few times a week. It's always fun to change things up a bit, so be sure to check out different classes offered at gyms, park districts, and rec centers that are near you. YouTube.com also has some great videos you can work through at home.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, find someone who is willing to do this with you. I cannot stress this enough! There are MANY days that I don't want to go walking or boxing or hiking, but I know that I have people who are depending on me to meet them somewhere so that their weight-loss journey stays on track as well. Accountability is my greatest motivator. Don't have anyone around you to work with? MFP, fitbit, and endomondo also offer "Challenges". Some of the Challenges are quite fun and it is just another group of people that are depending on you to do your part.
So, as far as coaching people - I'm not a coach by any means, but I am social. Come walk with me, work out with me, look me up on mfp or endomondo and friend me, please...let's motivate each other!
- myfitnesspal.com user profile: tizzylish1975 (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/profile/tizzylish1975)
- endomondo.com user profile: Trisha Robertson (https://www.endomondo.com/profile/6210984)
- fitbit user profile: tizzylish (https://www.fitbit.com/user/387FM6)
There you have it. It has been a long time coming and I feel so much better than I did back in February that I cannot wait to continue my journey to see how much better I can feel. Thanks so much to all of you for your encouragement along the way, it is very appreciated.
I'm not there yet, but I'm closer than I was yesterday.
