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| Photo by Missy of So You Think You're Crafty |
Happy New Year!
I love the start of a new year. The possibilities seem so refreshingly endless - no broken resolutions, no skipped exercise sessions, no failed attempts at dieting...yet. My resolutions have been the same since junior high: lose weight, exercise regularly, eat healthy foods. Usually after breaking all the resolution rules on Day One - where I would partake in unlimited snacking and what I call "second dinners" with my food-loving, extended family - I would start a promising routine of planned meals, strategic food shopping, and daily workouts. Then, one by one, each resolution would fade away and I would find myself 10 pounds heavier at the end of each year, wondering where I went wrong. 2011 marks the most weight I've ever gained my adult life. While I renewed my love for veggies - even trying brussels sprouts for the first time and loving it - I ceased exercising completely and stopped going out as much as I used to. This new sedentary lifestyle has not boded well for me in 2011 and ended in a 20 pound gain in just 1 year, totaling 40 pounds over the last 6 years. Sigh. To end this vicious cycle of weight gain, I've come up with a few starting points to help me (and you) stay on track in 2012 and on.
1. Keep a rough estimate of your daily calorie intake
This year, instead of brutally cutting out anything and everything yummy as I normally do in January, I've utilized a calorie counter to help keep me accountable. There are many choices out there, but I've opted to use My Fitness Pal. It's free and very user friendly, plus there is a vast dictionary of foods, which makes it easy to keep an accurate count without having to weigh the food and figure out the calories myself. I used to scoff at my skinny friends who would measure their food and limit their intake, but I'm actually very interested to see how many calories I actually consume in a typical day. I never knew how easy it could be, and I plan to utilize this daily, especially since there's a convenient iPhone app.
For my height and weight, to lose a maximum of 2 pounds a week, I should be eating around 1200 calories. After breakfast this morning (1/2 cup steel cut oatmeal and 1 tsp honey) and lunch (Corner Bakery's chopped salad) and 3 Starburst candies (have not eaten candy in a very long time nor do I enjoy candy that much, so naturally I chose today to eat 3 pieces of one I don't really like), I was already at 1195 calories...I definitely have some work to do.
2. Find out what motivates you
A wedding dress to fit into? Seeing an ex-boyfriend who once called you fat, at an upcoming event? Whatever pushes your buttons, use that burning motivation and channel it into your workouts. Seeing the Duchess of Cambridge (Kate Middleton) in her J Brand jeans versus seeing me in my J Brand jeans is motivation enough for me.
All kidding aside, if your overall goal is to lose 20 pounds, for example, don't use that as your everyday goal then lose all motivation and drop out of the weight loss arena when you actually gain 2 pounds instead of losing. Making smaller goals may help you see and appreciate your progress more. Something like "By the end of January, I hope to fit into my jeans" or "I'd like to lose 5 pounds a month." And so on.
3. Create a realistic schedule that works for you
One of my main downfalls was creating schedules that I knew I could never stick to. I am not a morning person, and waking up earlier than I need to causes a lot of personal sadness. Yet, I would create schedules like:
5am: Wake up
5:15-7am: Run
7-8am: Shower, dress, eat breakfast
8am-5pm: Work
5:30-6:30pm: Exercise (strength and core training)
6:30-7pm: Ab work (sit-ups, crunches, planks)
7-8pm: Prep and eat dinner
8-9pm: Free time
9:15pm: Sleep
I can tell you right now that I have never exercised in the morning. Never. I'm a night owl. I would spend hours creating the "perfect" schedule, sleep at 1am, wake up late the next morning after 7 snoozes just in time for work, come home sleepy and exhausted resulting in a involuntary nap, wake up at 8pm (or later!) and have insomnia for the rest of the night - and the cycle repeats. Create a schedule that you are comfortable with that works for you. If you don't have much time during the weekday, think about investing in a few workout DVDs that you can pop in when you have time.
4. Reward yourself
No, this doesn't mean you get to eat that bag of Doritos because you took the stairs at work instead of taking the elevator. Well, unless that motivates you... But setting up a reward for each goal you set for yourself can be the carrot to the horse (you). Buying that gorgeous pair of shoes you've had your eye on but can't fit into the killer dress that goes with it? Make it a goal: if you fit into the dress, you get the shoes. You get the point. This is the best part of weight loss. Well, aside from being healthier and improving the quality of your life.
For my height and weight, to lose a maximum of 2 pounds a week, I should be eating around 1200 calories. After breakfast this morning (1/2 cup steel cut oatmeal and 1 tsp honey) and lunch (Corner Bakery's chopped salad) and 3 Starburst candies (have not eaten candy in a very long time nor do I enjoy candy that much, so naturally I chose today to eat 3 pieces of one I don't really like), I was already at 1195 calories...I definitely have some work to do.
2. Find out what motivates you
A wedding dress to fit into? Seeing an ex-boyfriend who once called you fat, at an upcoming event? Whatever pushes your buttons, use that burning motivation and channel it into your workouts. Seeing the Duchess of Cambridge (Kate Middleton) in her J Brand jeans versus seeing me in my J Brand jeans is motivation enough for me.
All kidding aside, if your overall goal is to lose 20 pounds, for example, don't use that as your everyday goal then lose all motivation and drop out of the weight loss arena when you actually gain 2 pounds instead of losing. Making smaller goals may help you see and appreciate your progress more. Something like "By the end of January, I hope to fit into my jeans" or "I'd like to lose 5 pounds a month." And so on.
3. Create a realistic schedule that works for you
One of my main downfalls was creating schedules that I knew I could never stick to. I am not a morning person, and waking up earlier than I need to causes a lot of personal sadness. Yet, I would create schedules like:
5am: Wake up
5:15-7am: Run
7-8am: Shower, dress, eat breakfast
8am-5pm: Work
5:30-6:30pm: Exercise (strength and core training)
6:30-7pm: Ab work (sit-ups, crunches, planks)
7-8pm: Prep and eat dinner
8-9pm: Free time
9:15pm: Sleep
I can tell you right now that I have never exercised in the morning. Never. I'm a night owl. I would spend hours creating the "perfect" schedule, sleep at 1am, wake up late the next morning after 7 snoozes just in time for work, come home sleepy and exhausted resulting in a involuntary nap, wake up at 8pm (or later!) and have insomnia for the rest of the night - and the cycle repeats. Create a schedule that you are comfortable with that works for you. If you don't have much time during the weekday, think about investing in a few workout DVDs that you can pop in when you have time.
4. Reward yourself
No, this doesn't mean you get to eat that bag of Doritos because you took the stairs at work instead of taking the elevator. Well, unless that motivates you... But setting up a reward for each goal you set for yourself can be the carrot to the horse (you). Buying that gorgeous pair of shoes you've had your eye on but can't fit into the killer dress that goes with it? Make it a goal: if you fit into the dress, you get the shoes. You get the point. This is the best part of weight loss. Well, aside from being healthier and improving the quality of your life.
5. Have fun and look good doing it
Go shopping! Working out no longer means wearing old, free, over-sized t-shirts and leggings. There is new, cool technology to help prolong your workout. Going along with #2 and #4 above, motivate and reward yourself with some new workout gear to jump start your new exercise regimen. More importantly, have fun! Don't waste time on a treadmill if that's boring for you. Load fun music on your iPod or mp3 player and jog outdoors, at a park, on the beach! Find fun ways for you to keep your workouts enjoyable.
6. Read food blogs for new recipes
I get really excited about new foods or dishes I like, then get sick of it after eating it everyday for 2 weeks. The key is to change up your menu so you don't end up eating spring salad and chicken for your next 12 meals. Research recipes and food blogs for dishes that use ingredients you enjoy. Love mashed potatoes? Try mashed cauliflower. Nowadays, there's healthy alternatives for almost everything.
I'm looking forward to a healthier lifestyle in 2012.
Go shopping! Working out no longer means wearing old, free, over-sized t-shirts and leggings. There is new, cool technology to help prolong your workout. Going along with #2 and #4 above, motivate and reward yourself with some new workout gear to jump start your new exercise regimen. More importantly, have fun! Don't waste time on a treadmill if that's boring for you. Load fun music on your iPod or mp3 player and jog outdoors, at a park, on the beach! Find fun ways for you to keep your workouts enjoyable.
6. Read food blogs for new recipes
I get really excited about new foods or dishes I like, then get sick of it after eating it everyday for 2 weeks. The key is to change up your menu so you don't end up eating spring salad and chicken for your next 12 meals. Research recipes and food blogs for dishes that use ingredients you enjoy. Love mashed potatoes? Try mashed cauliflower. Nowadays, there's healthy alternatives for almost everything.
I'm looking forward to a healthier lifestyle in 2012.
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