Having been working at, and succeeding in, losing weight for the past 8 months, I am asked a lot of questions about weight loss, nutrition, fitness, and what I am doing to be successful. This post is intended to give you the framework and tools that you need to get started on your health, fitness, nutrition, and/or weight loss journey. Remember, health & fitness are not a diet and exercise program, they are a lifestyle. You should expect to be making changes that you are going to stick to for the rest of your life.
Please note that before you make any big lifestyle changes (nutritional or exercise), you should check with your doctor to be sure that you don't have any underlying conditions that may prevent you from performing certain exercises or may cause you to have special dietary needs.
Tools:
BMR Calculator Online: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
Calorie Count Online: http://www.caloriecount.com Also available as an APP for download
A notebook & pen - to use as a journal of your progress
A tape measure
A bathroom scale
Measuring cups & measuring spoons
Someone to support you and for you to be accountable to - This can be the other people using CalorieCount.com, a trainer, a friend, a family member. Basically anyone who you can call, email, etc to let them know how you are doing, ask questions to, & receive support from.
Assess your state of mind - The biggest road block that we face is our own mind. Are you ready to make and stick to your goals? Are you ready to be honest with yourself and push yourself? Are you ready to be accountable for your health and fitness? Are you ready to stop making excuses? Are you ready to make a lifestyle change? Do you believe that YOU CAN DO IT? If so, you are ready to start setting your goals.
Set your goal(s) - This is the "WHAT" goal. You need to decide what you want to do. Be specific. "I want to lose X pounds in Y time frame." With this in mind, remember that your goals must be reasonable. They must be achievable, actionable, & measurable. As much as we would all like our extra weight to magically drop off overnight, that isn't going to happen. It is reasonable to set a goal to lose anywhere from 1/2 to 2 lbs per week depending on how much weight you want to lose and how hard you are willing to work on your goals.
Set your supporting goals - These are the "HOW" goals. You need to determine how you are going to reach your "WHAT" goal by setting a series of "HOW" goals. These too should be achievable, actionable, and measurable. Some examples:
1. I am going to learn what my BMR is and then use this to calculate how many calories I need to eat per day to maintain my current weight.
2. I am going to use the number that I figured in item 1 to determine how many calories I need to eat per day to lose my goal of 1/2 lb per week. (it takes a deficit of 1750 calories per week to lose 1/2 lb per week or a 250 calorie deficit per day).
3. I am going to track the number of calories that I eat each day so that I am sure that I am only eating the amount that I figured in item 2.
4. I am going to learn more about the food that I am eating so that I can make healthier food choices. NOTE: This should be an ongoing goal. You can always benefit from learning more about healthy eating choices throughout your life.
5. I am going to park my car as far from the entrance as I can at work, the supermarket, the bank, etc. and walk.
6. I am going to (insert exercise) X times per week for Y amount of time. NOTE: Exercise can be anything from a brisk walk, run, bike ride, or structured exercise class to strength training in your own home. It does not have to be at a gym as long as you make a plan and stick to it. Hold yourself accountable and push yourself to improve no matter how small you start.
7. I am going to measure my foods so that I know I am eating proper portion sizes.
8. I am going to drink at least 8 cups of water per day.
It is important to write your goals down so that you can refer back to them, make notes on them as you work towards reaching them, and measure them. Remember, it is important that your goals be measurable. Write down how many minutes you exercise, what your calorie goals are, the healthy foods you are learning about, etc. Over time, as you reach your goals, you'll make new goals and it will be helpful to look back on your "old" goals and see what worked for you and what did not.
Remember, you don't have to start more than 1 new goal at a time. Just because you made a long list of goals does not mean you should tackle the entire list at once. You must be 100% certain that you can accomplish a goal in order to start a goal. Only take on as many goals as you feel that you can handle at a time. In the list above you may pick goals 1, 2, & 3 to start with and work on them for a couple of weeks until you feel really comfortable with your calorie needs and calorie counting. In the meantime, it might be easy for you to include goal 5 but you may want to wait a couple of weeks to start on goal 6. The point is, you want to be successful and you don't want to overwhelm yourself. Once you have a goal down, you are ready to add a new goal while maintaining the "old" goals.
Weigh & Measure Yourself - It is important to have a starting point and to track your progress. Take a measurement of your tummy at belly button height. You may also want to measure your hips (top of hip bone), thighs (stand with hands at sides and measure where the tips of your fingers end), upper arms, and chest but at the very least, your tummy will be a good indicator of size lost. Weigh yourself and write down your starting weight. IMPORTANT: Don't weigh yourself more than 1x per week. Our body weight fluctuates greatly from day to day and more frequent weighing in can be frustrating and defeating. Stick to 1x per week and record your weight. You are looking for a losing trend over time. Don't be discouraged if you begin lifting weights and gain a little weight as muscle weighs more than fat but is leaner than fat (you'll look thinner but might weigh a bit more as you start building muscle). And it is important to strengthen your muscles as the stronger they are, the more calories they burn.
Accountability & Support - it is important to be accountable to someone for your goals and progress. This can be anyone who you are comfortable talking about your weight loss journey with. Caloriecount.com has a lot of forums where people are very active with supporting each other and offering suggestions (remember, just like what you are reading here, make sure the suggestion is right for you, and healthy, before you follow it). It is very very very difficult to be accountable only to yourself as you will find that you occasionally need a shoulder to lean on, a cheerleader, or a drill sergeant.
Have questions still? Just ask. Good luck - YOU CAN DO IT!
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