First 10 Pounds!

It’s been almost a month and I am very pleased to say that I have lost 10 pounds so far. Yay! As we all dieters know, losing weight is not easy and I’m no exception. However, I feel great. I don’t think I’ve ever had so much energy. There are really no words to describe how great it feels to lose weight. I actually feel proud of myself and all of you out there that are losing pound after pound every week should be very proud of yourselves too because it is hard to shed those pounds. I’m not really good at describing feelings and the whole emotional aspect of losing weight but I’m reading this book that does a great job at it. It’s called Artichoke’s Heart by Suzanne Supplee. It is quite an easy read and I love how it addresses some of the issues that come up when you’re overweight or trying to lose weight but you don’t really want to say out loud. I don’t want to ruin it for anyone out there who might want to read this book but I strongly recommend it if you’re losing weight or if you’ve ever been so desperate to lose weight that you’re willing to try even the most absurd of ideas. Anyway, if you have the chance to read it, it is an excellent book. I think we can all relate to the main character.

Staying on Track

It’s been 13 long days of healthy eating and exercising. Although it is very satisfying to have made it this far, it is becoming increasingly harder to stay on track. Don’t get me wrong, I am getting used to all the fruits and vegetables, lean meats, fat-free dairy, etc. However, I find myself craving those oh-so-good fast food meals. It is hard not to give in to temptation. This is why I want to share some interesting information with all of you who are also struggling to stay on track:

Obesity is the #1 preventable cause of death

This one short phrase is a very good motivator, at least for me. Every time I find myself on my way to the nearest McDonald’s, this phrase pops into my mind and the craving is gone. Obesity is a condition that has a severe impact on our health. Fortunately, we CAN control it. I know it is hard and takes a lot of effort but at least it’s our choice: to control it or to ignore it. We have no control over most diseases or conditions but, at least, we have control over this one.

Unfortunately, I do not always listen to the little voice at the back of my head trying to talk some sense into me before I take the first bite of that double cheeseburger. I should always listen to that little voice telling me over and over again everything I’m telling you now, but it just doesn’t happen. I yo-yo dieted for a long time and, thus, I fell off the wagon many times. About a year ago a friend told me this: "see going off track as part of your weight loss program". When she first told me this, I thought she was a little, well, crazy. It took me a few months to see just how powerful her advice is. When you see going off track as part of the weight loss process, you are less likely to feel horribly guilty after you had that Big Mac. Instead, you say to yourself: "ok, I had that Big Mac which is going to cost me a few extra hours at the gym this week, but it is just part of the program so let’s just get back on track right now". On the other hand, when you see going off track as a failure, you just feel sad, guilty and completely unmotivated – feelings that will not help you with your weight loss. I mean, it is hard enough to stay on track without a whole bunch of negative feelings floating around in your head, imagine just how hard it becomes when you feel guilty or like a failure. By the way, I later learned that this is the theory behind the so-called “cheat” days. So, let’s use those “cheat” days to our advantage.

Hope this bit of information helps you stay on track as much as it has helped me. Losing weight is hard but incredibly worth it. And remember; let’s lose the weight just because we CAN.

As a side note, I just wanted to let you all know that I revisited/edited a previous post on eggs in an attempt to make it a bit clearer. Check it out here.

How Much Weight Should I Lose?

As I mentioned before, I need to lose 72lbs. However, it just came to my attention that I never told everyone out there how I came to that conclusion. Well, there are many ways to calculate your ideal weight. I personally like the BMI method as it is the most widely used method. Here’s how it works:

You calculate your BMI by plugging your weight a height into a simple equation:

BMI = weight in kg/ (height in metres)(height in metres)

Remember that there are 2.2 lbs in one kg, 0.025m in one inch and 0.305m in one foot. Once you calculate your BMI, you categorize yourself as follows:

A BMI less than 18.5 means you're underweight
A BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 means you're normal

A BMI between 25.0 and 29.9 means you're overweight

A BMI between 30.0 and 34.9 means you're obese

A BMI between 35.0 and 39.9 means you're morbidly obese

A BMI of over 40 means you're extremely obese

Knowing what category you fall into is usually a good wake up call. But what we really want to know is what our ideal weight should be. A BMI of 21 is usually considered ideal because it is the midpoint of the normal BMI range. Now we can use this ideal BMI to calculate our ideal weight:

Ideal Weight = 21(height in metres)(height in metres)

Even though the BMI method is simple and practical, it does have some limitations. One big limitation is that it does not take into account your body composition. For example, athletes will often be categorized as obese, even though they are in top shape, because most of their body consists of muscle mass which weights considerably more than fat. So, if you have a very muscular and lean body, this might not be the best tool to use.

There are other tools to determine your ideal weight. Weight-height charts, frame size-height charts and age charts are just some examples. They all have their pros and cons. None of them are perfect. Nonetheless, your ideal weight should be around the same regardless of the method or tool used to calculate it but be ready to adjust. For example, if your ideal weight turned out to be 120lbs according to a weight-height chart but you feel and look great at 130 lbs, it’s ok to stop your weight loss at 130 lbs. We are all different and none these methods cannot possibly take into account so many differences. They are great as starting points but don’t forget to listen to your body as you go along.

Now that you know what your ideal weight should be, it's time to set some weight loss goals.