Kind of on the same subject as the previous post dealing with my weight loss slowdown, I thought I’d throw out some actual numbers for you…
To lose weight you need to create a caloric deficit.I’ve written about this before.You need to be burning more calories than you are taking in.The number of calories your body is in deficit will determine how quickly you lose weight.A pound of fat is 3500 calories.Theoretically, when your accumulated caloric deficit reaches 3500, you will have lost a pound.Of course it isn’t usually neat and tidy like that in the real world, but close enough for playing horseshoes or Aussie rules football.
So a big key is to know how many calories your body is burning on a daily basis.Figuring out your BMR or Basal Metabolic Rate is good first step.Your BMR tells you approximately how many calories your body would be burning if you basically just stayed in bed all day.The formula is(I'm not sure why I can't get a plus sign to show up): (Weight in kg’s x 9.99) plus (6.25 x Height in cm) – (4.92 x Age in years) plus 5 (for men) or – 161 (for women)(Yes ladies, you do have a slower metabolism then men.All your complaints that men lose weight easier are scientifically supported.)For me this comes out at (9.99 x 98.88kg) plus (6.25 x 182.88cm) – (4.92 x 34) 5 = 1968.So my BMR is 1968.
Now we need to multiply it by my activity level to find out how many calories I’m actually using.This part is very imprecise, but all we’re really after is a ballpark figure anyway.If your activity level is fairly minimal (desk job couch potato) then you multiply it by 1.2.A couple of light workouts every week lets you multiply by 1.3.Basically you just increase the multiplier as you estimate your activity level.Working out intensely everyday gives you a multiplier of 1.9.(If you are Michael Phelps go ahead and multiply it by 6.That dude eats 12000 calories a day!)
So if I do a few light workouts a week my daily calorie needs are going to be right around 2558.If you compare that to where I started, my needs were right around 3000 calories.I’ve also been on a restricted calorie diet for almost 7 months now.I’m sure that has slowed my metabolic rate some, but I have no way of knowing how much.Hence my slowdown (the part that isn’t attributed to slacking off anyway :P).My caloric intakes varies anywhere from 1000 to 1500 calories, and I’m still losing between 1.5 to 2lbs a week.When I get where I’m going, I’ll aim for about 2000 cal per day.
I’ve always considered my plan as very aggressive, and not one I’d recommend to everyone.But if you don’t want to be as aggressive as I am, you might consider calculating what your caloric needs would be at the weight you want to be and then reduce your intake to that amount.That’s how much you’ll want to eat when you get there anyway, so might as well get your body used to it. J
Do a search for BMR calculators if you don’t want to do the math yourself.I recommend finding one that uses the MD Mifflin and ST St Jeor method as opposed to the older and less accurate Harris and Benedict formulae.
So I know it has been ages since I've posted anything.Sorry about that.I think that part of my reluctance in posting has been that not a whole lot has been happening.My weight loss has slowed down, but not stopped.I've been expecting it to for some time now, but I think that the slow down has been exacerbated by my lack of exercise (I went almost 2 weeks without it) and inadequate calorie tracking.I'm refocusing.Again.(would you call that rerefocusing? Hmmmm.)And that has been helping.I expect to be able to increase my speed a bit, but as long as I keep losing weight I'm not stressed about it.
I think part of the problem with my focus is that I'm a victim of my own success.My attitude has been "Hey! I've lost over 80lbs!And I did it much faster than I expected to!I can slack off a bit.I deserve it."That doesn't sound too bad until you consider how easy it would be to slide into old habits.It sure doesn't help my attitude that everyone keeps telling me how great I look :P.I'm happy to get the compliments but I need to avoid the feeling that I'm done already.I'm not!
For exercise I've switched over to Wii Fit.I think I'll keep doing DDR now and then, because it is dang fun, but the WF has some really good flexibility stuff and light strength training along with the cardio type stuff.And the balance games are a lot of fun.My only real big complaint with WF is that it would be really nice just to chain a bunch of exercises together without having to go back to the menu and select the next one.An exercise play list if you will.And it would be nice to be able to turn off the "high score list" after each module.
So that's it for now.If I really have a hard rerefocusing on the nutrition side, I might have to start posting my meals again.We'll see.
It's been a week since I hit 80lbs lost and I haven't lost any more. So I guess I need an actual goal in place to continue losing weight. I was going to go for an even 100 lbs, but I'd really really like to get below 200 lbs. It's been about 15 years since I've been there.
This is as long a plateau as I've had. I think it's because I've lost focus. I haven't gone overboard but I haven't been as strict as I've been in the past. I'm hoping getting my goal 'down on paper' as it were will break me out of it.
I think I expected that fireworks or something would go off when I stepped on the scale and showed me I hit the eighty pound mark. I really excited about it. I still feel I have a ways to go, though. I'm setting my next goal at 30 pounds again. I was going to do 20 to make it an even 100 pounds, but I'd really like to be below 200 again.
I feel like I get kind of cavalier in my reporting, but it really has been a lot of hard work. I really had to practice saying no to things for a long time before I started to feel like I really didn't want those unhealthy things. Today I was offered donuts, and it really was no sweat at all to refuse. I couldn't have gotten where I am without the suport and love of my family. Especially my long-suffering wife (who has to put up with me weighing myself several times a day). I appreciate the support I recieve from the community and my friend here. Thanks!
Just wanted to post real quick about a couple of snacks that I found that I really really like.
The first is Orville Redenbacher's Mini popcorn cakes. I found them at wal-mart in 100 cal bags with carmel, chocolate, berry, garden herb, and garlic. Very yummy and very satisfying. The carmel ones taste just like eating a carmel popcorn ball. I like all the flavors, though.
The other one is Philly Swirl Pops. Calories on these are around 10 or 11 each. And they are awesome to eat on a hot day. The orange creamsicles are my favorite. I found them at Sam's Club.
Let me know if any of you have any favorites you would like to share. Thanks!
Pictures (Don't worry Rick. You can safely click here)
I've been losing weight for 4.5 months now. I've dropped from a 46 waist pants to a 40. I can fit on any amusement park ride that I want and race buses down the street for a block or so. But looking in the mirror I don't really see a difference most of the time. The change has been gradual and I've gotten used to how I look even as I lose the weight. I was a bit discouraged about this, so I decided to take some pictures. I combed through our family photos for the pictures of me for the 6 or so months before I started to lose weight (there weren't very many of me. My wife and I tend to take more pictures of the kids than ourselves or each other) and I found a few examples of me looking fat. Then I had my wife take pictures of me wearing the same clothes and in the same positions so I could compare.
Looking at it that way, wow, there is a big difference. Very noticeable. That is more encouraging.
I am not posting any of them here, though. One of my brothers lives in New York. The last time he saw me was last Christmas, just before I started losing weight. The next time he sees me will be this coming Christmas, at which point I will be thin. He wanted to see the change all at once, in person, and I thought that would be a fun idea, too. So if any one out there really wants to see my 'before' and 'during' pictures (I don't have 'after' pics yet) click on the 'contact me' link to the right there, send me a message, and I'll email them too you. Of course that is with the understanding that none of you will send them to Rick. :P
When I started trying to lose weight I was almost desperate to speak with my doctor about some help in that direction. Because I was so lost, and had so many unsuccessful attempts to lose weight, I really wanted some kind of pill that could help. I knew there was no "magic pill" that was going to make all the weight go way, but I didn't know what else to try.
My doctor, of course, made it clear again that no pill was going to lose the weight for me. He could see I was very intent, however, so he said that I was a good candidate for phentermine. With conditions. The first condition was that he would, at most, prescribe a weightloss med for three months. That was the longest he felt comfortable with me taking it. The other one was that I needed to understand that in his experience, phen only works well as a tool to help jumpstart a program. Emphasis on the words tool, jumpstart, and program. A tool doesn't work unless it is used properly. It's only a jumpstart because it becomes less effective for most overtime.
I decided on a low cal type of plan, mainly after researching the results of people who had a surgical weight loss procedure done. I couldn't afford surgery, or I just might have done that. Even with the phen helping, it was hard. I can't say for sure whether I would have been able to do it without it. I do know for sure that it has helped. If I did it all over again, I might try it without the pills, but I am never going to do it all over again. :P
After about a month and a half I started taking phen about every other day, and now I only take one every few days, or if I need a bit of extra help in a day. It feels more effective that way. I've heard that phentermine is habit forming, but I haven't experienced any kind of withdrawal as I've cut back. A lot of my cutting back hasn't even been a conscious decision. I just forget to take it because I don't need it most of the time.
So it's probably not for everyone, and there are a great many people out there who would be critical of my decision to use it. I'll just say the extra 69 pounds I no longer carry around were probably more harmful than the pills.
Sorry I'm writing this out later than I planned. I said in my previous post that I would post about how the day at the amusement part went.
Well, it was a blast! I was able to go on each of the rides that I wanted to without the embarassment of having to try hard to fit. It's great that my weight wasn't something I had to consider when looking at which rides I wanted to go on.
My kids also had a fantastic time. Considering that they continue to be one of the biggest reasons that I'm losing weight, I think that's only fair. My six year old daughter even went on some of the scarier rides with me. My nine year old was fearless, and went on everything I did, some of them by herself. And the two yougest went on the kiddy rides over and over again. :) Next year I'll be even thinner. I can't help but think I'll have an even better time then.
About a year ago, I went to a local amusement park and found out I was too fat for the rides. It was a very embarrassing experience. I hope I handled it well. I briefly described the experience in my first post.
So today, I return. Same park, but now I'm 67lbs lighter. I'm excited to ride the rides I couldn't go on last year and I'm hoping for a completely different experience. Even though I'm still nowhere near skinny, I am much skinnier. And that er will hopefully make a big difference. Wish me luck, and I'll post how it goes tomorrow.
(Kind of off the subject, but what the heck is up with the weather?!? June 12th and I find I am hoping we actually hit the expected high of 66F. Ugh. I guess I won't be wearing shorts.)
[Edit]Update: Make that 68lbs. Just weighed myself this morning
I thought my weightloss would be going a lot slower by now. I am very grateful it hasn't, and I intend to 'stay the course' as long as it's working. I still have lots of energy (as much or more than when I started), and I feel great. I have now lost 65lbs. For reference purposes, that is the same weight as my 9 year old daughter. It's like I've been carrying her around for years, without stop, and have now finally put her down.
I just had a scarey thought. The first time I was at this weight was right about 9 years ago, when my daughter was born. I lost (and gained back) a few pounds right after, but for all intents and purposes I have been gaining, nearly pound for pound, the same weight she has. The big difference being, of course, she is a growing girl, and I am a grown man who was already overweight to begin with. So it's really like I've been carrying her around everywhere ever since she was born. Huh. Well no wonder I feel a bit tired today. :P. (ok, so more likely I'm tired today because I stay up too late all week).
BTW, I did finish the 3rd Fablehaven book and managed to do so without forgetting my laptop again. Great series for kids and adults. I recommend it highly. Especially for kids who might not be ready for the 1000's of pages it takes to get through that other very popular fantasy series.
