Practically - How have I been loosing weight.

I get so many people asking me what I have done to loose the weight. Basically the short answer to that is eating healthy (watching calories) and exercising (going to the gym).  

The long answer is that I began by exercising 30 min a day 3 times a week, which turned into 60min exercise 6 days a week, which as I have gotten fitter and lighter has turned into about 2hours a day 6 days a week.

My calorie deficit (for those who count calories) is anywhere between 7000-9000 a week. As I have lost weight and my BMR (amount of cal my body uses normally in a day) has gone down - the exercise has stepped up to keep that deficit happening. My BMR now (at 69.5kg) is only around 1450 cal per day - so if I eat 1200 cal I need to burn about 900cal per day (for 6 days) in exercise (which is around 2 hours). Using this calculation I have lost about a kilo a week on average.



Excited to see there is muscle under
the fat!!



This is just me and I have made it a priority this year and life has been such that I have been able to do that. I know most people's lives will not allow for this, but ANY exercise is going to be good and aide the weight loss!! However, exercise is only 20-30%  of the whole weight loss thing. The main part of loosing weight the food side. A person who does no exercise but eats the right amount of calories will still loose weight. A person who does hours and hours or exercise but who has a really poor diet probably will not.

Planning when to do the exercise and what I am going to eat is important. There is a saying, "If you fail to plan - you plan to fail". Very true!! Putting the times in your diary when you are going to exercise, shop for food, and perhaps even cook at the start of every week... then sticking to the plan as much as possible. Sure - things happen to interrupt your week - sick kids / work hassles etc... But, each day is a new day - if one day gets stuffed up then either try and make up for it on another day or just forget about it and keep going with the plan!!



It is hard!!



I have been at the place where I have tried and failed to loose weight THAT many times!! I think the thing I have learned this time is that even a horrible WEEK of everything going out the window is not a reason to forget about "the plan". It is hard - no doubt about that - especially when you have failed so many times in the past!! I have never stayed the same weight, if I am not going down then I am going up!! (And even a tiny step backwards is very discouraging). Learning how to maintain will be my next big thing soon!!

It doesn't matter how long it takes - so long as you keep planning and exercising (however much you can) and eating the right type and amount of food - then the weight will come off!! I love that quote, "fall down 7 times - get up 8 times", because it is so true!! So long as you keep persisting - eventually you will get there. KEEP PLANNING AND KEEP DOING!!

Many people ask me what I eat. Think they are worried I am starving myself!! :-) Let me say - I do eat when I am hungry - I HATE being hungry!! Can't stand it!! I eat 3 meals a day and 2-3 snacks... so I eat quite often really!!



Pizza example: Use pita bread!!



An example of my eating day would be:

Breakfast: Porridge with honey.

Lunch: Home made pizza and salad (today's one has spinach leaves, pumpkin and fetta on it!!)

Afternoon: Fruit OR Yogurt OR Rice crackers 

Dinner: Tuna Mornay and salad/veg (Not usually a fan of warm tuna but Michelle Bridges Crunch time cookbook has a yummy recipe in it!!)

After Dinner: Fruit OR Yogurt OR Rice crackers 

The other night I went out with my husband for Thai and I got the vegetarian chilli and basil dish... YUMMY!! Just had to watch the amount of rice I ate... and not pick too much of his Pad Thai (which by the way is about the WORST meal you could choose at a Thai place if you are watching calories!!)... Hehehe... Mmmm.. Pad Thai.... mmmmm... (slap / slap / shakes head).... Ok... NO PAD THAI!! Not worth the 2 hours in the gym!!

Planning is good with eating too.. If you know you are going out somewhere which is different, do your homework.. Which dishes are going to be best for you to eat?? Is it a day outing where you can take your own healthy food?? Should you do a bit more exercise in the gym to compensate for the higher calorie foods you are going to eat??

So much of this is in the planning!!!

But whatever happens - KEEP GOING!! DON'T GIVE UP!!

You are more powerful, more beautiful and more amazing than you might think. Michelle Bridges.



Sometimes you just have to dig deeper.