Since I've been down this road before, tried all sorts of fad diets and quick weight loss schemes in past years, I can speak with experience when I say that there is only one way to attain your ideal weight (assuming there is no medical reason for being overweight), and that is to eat less and exercise more. BOTH of these must be done in order to achieve your ideal weight. By "ideal weight" I mean a healthy weight and body fat percent. Before you get upset with me for making a seemingly absolute statement, bear in mind that there are exceptions to every rule. But let's don't use an exception for an excuse, okay?
On to my strategy. First and foremost, I set an attainable goal for the week. I'm only three months out of major surgery, so I set my goals accordingly. And I always state my goals in terms of attainment, not loss. For example, my goal for this last week was to weigh 156, not to lose two pounds. The brain hates loss, and frankly so do I. I want to say that I achieved something. It seems a little odd to say, "I achieved a loss." Which sounds better: I burned seventy gallons of gas, or I went to Disney World? Who drives with their eyes on the rear view mirror? Always focus on where you are going! With my goal set, I then created a strategy, one that I know works for me.
Knowing my body fat is high, knowing that working with weights will increase muscle mass, and knowing that increased muscle mass burns more calories, I chose to resume working out with weights. I have an old Joyce Vedral video that I used years ago, that is perfect for beginners. As in any endeavor, returning to the basics is always a sound plan. I started with the lightest weight I have, a three-pounder. Don't laugh! Try doing super sets with Joyce and then tell me how you feel in the morning! I also have an Elliptical machine, and I use it.
So, my strategy for this last week was to work out with Joyce for four days, alternating between her upper body workout and her lower body workout, to work out on the Elliptical machine for 30 minutes, four times, and, of course, to drink at least sixty-four ounces of water each and every day. When you think about water, think about this quote from a general surgeon: The solution to pollution is dilution. Think of your excess body fat as pollution, and as you burn that fat, the water will help flush it out of your system, before it finds another place to hide.
Did I follow my strategy? Yes. Was I perfect? No. The weight work was the toughest, and I had a hard time keeping up, even with three pound weights. Using the Elliptical machine is easy for me. Cardiovascularly, I'm fit as a fiddle with a resting heart rate in the low fifties. Did I achieve my goal? Almost. My weight this morning was 156.5. My goal for next Saturday is 154.5, and I will continue with this same strategy for the next several weeks.
Next week, we'll explore childhood programming and how to break free from these old, outdated, belief systems.
Begin at the Beginning
For those of you who want to achieve your ideal weight, just as it is with any endeavor, goals must be set, then a strategy must be created. To get where you want to go, you also need to know where you are now. So, let's begin with the important benchmark numbers, namely our BMI (Body Mass Index) and our BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) Our Ideal Weight and our Ideal Calorie Intake will also be explored.
The BMI is a calculation used by the Center for Disease Control to measure one's risk level for diseases associated with obesity, such as heart disease, Type 2 Diabetes, kidney disease, cancer, and a host of other inflammatory ailments. This calculation may not be helpful for extreme bodybuilders, but let's face it, most of us are NOT working out in the gym for six hours a day lifting refrigerators and small trucks.
I will begin with my BMI. I currently weigh 158 and I am 5'8" tall. (I weighed 136 a year ago. Hormones imbalances are hell on the stomach and thighs, ladies!) The calculation is my weight, divided by my height in inches, divided by my height in inches again, times 703. So, here goes: 158/68/68 X 703 = 24.02.
According to the CDC, the BMI range is as follows:
18.5 - 24.9 = Ideal
25 - 29.9 = Overweight
30 or over = Obese
My BMI is in the ideal range, but that's not the whole story. I need to look at my bone size. I am small to medium boned, so my BMI should be on the lower end. On the face of it, my BMI looks good, but since my body does NOT look good, I took it one step further. I tested my body fat percent. I have digital scales that calculate body fat and a hand held body fat calculator, and they both came up with the same results. My body fat is almost 35%. This is NOT good. A woman's body fat should be NO more than 25%, but no less than 20%. The weight I put on this last year is all fat.
Let's do the Ideal Weight calculation. If I want no more than 20% body fat, then I need to lose 15% of my current weight, or about 24 pounds of fat, which would put me at 135 pounds. My BMI at 135 would be 20.23, which is in line with my bone size. Body fat percent is a much better indicator of health than just being in the ideal range of the BMI, which I just proved.
What about Ideal Calories? First, we need to look at the BMR, or Basal Metabolic Rate. I will use my Ideal Weight for this calculation, because I don't want to eat enough to maintain my current weight. I want to eat enough to maintain my Ideal Weight. The BMR is the amount of calories required for the body to complete its basic functions, like keeping your heart beating and regulating your internal temperature, which is about ten calories per pound. For me, my BMR for my ideal weight is 1350. Add 10% for the digestive process and add an additional 20- 40% for daily activities: sedentary gets 20%, moderately active gets 30%, and very active gets 40%. I am moderately active, so my Ideal Calorie intake will be 1350 + 135 + 405 = 1890 calories per day.
Now that I know where I am now, next week I’ll share my strategy for re-achieving my ideal weight, and I’ll keep you posted on my progress.
The BMI is a calculation used by the Center for Disease Control to measure one's risk level for diseases associated with obesity, such as heart disease, Type 2 Diabetes, kidney disease, cancer, and a host of other inflammatory ailments. This calculation may not be helpful for extreme bodybuilders, but let's face it, most of us are NOT working out in the gym for six hours a day lifting refrigerators and small trucks.
I will begin with my BMI. I currently weigh 158 and I am 5'8" tall. (I weighed 136 a year ago. Hormones imbalances are hell on the stomach and thighs, ladies!) The calculation is my weight, divided by my height in inches, divided by my height in inches again, times 703. So, here goes: 158/68/68 X 703 = 24.02.
According to the CDC, the BMI range is as follows:
18.5 - 24.9 = Ideal
25 - 29.9 = Overweight
30 or over = Obese
My BMI is in the ideal range, but that's not the whole story. I need to look at my bone size. I am small to medium boned, so my BMI should be on the lower end. On the face of it, my BMI looks good, but since my body does NOT look good, I took it one step further. I tested my body fat percent. I have digital scales that calculate body fat and a hand held body fat calculator, and they both came up with the same results. My body fat is almost 35%. This is NOT good. A woman's body fat should be NO more than 25%, but no less than 20%. The weight I put on this last year is all fat.
Let's do the Ideal Weight calculation. If I want no more than 20% body fat, then I need to lose 15% of my current weight, or about 24 pounds of fat, which would put me at 135 pounds. My BMI at 135 would be 20.23, which is in line with my bone size. Body fat percent is a much better indicator of health than just being in the ideal range of the BMI, which I just proved.
What about Ideal Calories? First, we need to look at the BMR, or Basal Metabolic Rate. I will use my Ideal Weight for this calculation, because I don't want to eat enough to maintain my current weight. I want to eat enough to maintain my Ideal Weight. The BMR is the amount of calories required for the body to complete its basic functions, like keeping your heart beating and regulating your internal temperature, which is about ten calories per pound. For me, my BMR for my ideal weight is 1350. Add 10% for the digestive process and add an additional 20- 40% for daily activities: sedentary gets 20%, moderately active gets 30%, and very active gets 40%. I am moderately active, so my Ideal Calorie intake will be 1350 + 135 + 405 = 1890 calories per day.
Now that I know where I am now, next week I’ll share my strategy for re-achieving my ideal weight, and I’ll keep you posted on my progress.
Never Give Up
I've been absent from my blog for a while. Health issues, weight gain, and subsequent major surgery required me to focus elsewhere. But...I'm back! I've discovered something that many "mature" women have probably already known, and that is that fighting an imbalance in our hormones wreaks havoc on our metabolism, not to mention our relationships. I've never been one to over eat, other than on an occasional basis, and I am not sedentary, but as I got older, maintaining an ideal weight got harder. However, maintaining an ideal weight when we get older is more important than ever! Being overweight in our middle age is linked to dementia and a host of other ailments. I, for one, want to enjoy my "maturity," not spend most of it at the doctor's office.
So, beginning this Saturday, I will write about my progress toward returning to my ideal weight each week. It's been almost three months since my total hysterectomy, so I will take it slow and keep my weekly goals reasonable.
So, beginning this Saturday, I will write about my progress toward returning to my ideal weight each week. It's been almost three months since my total hysterectomy, so I will take it slow and keep my weekly goals reasonable.
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