I weighed in this morning at 184 pounds. In 15 weeks or less, my goal is to weigh 164 pounds.
Do you know what scene in "Star Wars: A New Hope" where Obi-Wan tells a young, wide-eyed Luke Skywalker, "You've just taken your first step into a larger world," before they get anywhere close to the Death Star? This doesn't feel like that much at all. But, I'm still pretending this is a momentous and epic day, regardless.
There's also a crazy amount of snow on the ground. That shouldn't affect the project's activities today, but it should necessitate a time of fantastic sledding with my wife and kiddo-boy.
In case you're wondering, I've decided to follow a fairly simple plan to achieve my weight loss goal.
It's based primarily on methods suggested via "The Biggest Loser." Yes, I know that NBC show is absurdly filled with product placement and I can't say I watch the show with any regularity, but the amazing results are, for the most part, undeniable.
I'm also taking into consideration some of the advice of the phenomenal Food Network host Alton Brown as described in his "Live and Let Diet" episode of "Good Eats." The much beloved TV host and foodie lost 50 pounds by changing his diet. Submitted for your approval, you can watch Part 1 of the episode below, learn a lot, and be entertained:
Cheryl Forberg, a nutritionist for "The Biggest Loser" suggests a simple formula for rapid weight loss like the "at home" players on the show experience.
Your present weight x 7 = The number of calories per day you should consume for rapid weight loss
Since I weigh 184 pounds, that makes my goal calorie intake for each day this week: 1288 calories.
In her book, "The Biggest Loser: Simple Swaps," she begins by stating the ten most common reasons why the contestants on "The Biggest Loser" got to be so unhealthy in the first place. After interviewing each obese person that came on the show in need of major weight loss, one on one, she compiled a list of bad habits that most frequently lead to significant weight gain and general unhealthiness.
A few of the most notable factors that play a key role in weight gain are:
- Having absolutely no idea how many calories you need or how many you consume each day.
- Frequently skipping breakfast and/or other meals.
- Not enough exercise. Or none at all.
- Not eating enough fruits for vegetables.
- Drinking too many calories (sugary drinks) while not drinking enough water.
- Not planning meals in advance.
Knowing what not to do certainly helps. But what exactly will I be doing? I'm glad you asked. That brings me to...
My Eight Simple Rules:
1. Follow the daily calorie budget of: 7 x my body weight. I'll write down every calorie I consume. This will hold me accountable for my choices. This calorie budget will be a moving target. Each week, it has to change as I lose weight. At the same time, assuming I get there, I will not go below 1200 calories. As long as I burn more calories than I take in, I'll lose weight.
2. Eat breakfast everyday. No exceptions. Without fail. I have to agree with Alton Brown here; breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I'm often guilty of sleeping late and then I skip breakfast so I can rush off to work a few minutes faster. However, studies really do show that eating breakfast helps maintain weight loss.
3. Avoid the "white stuff" as much as I can. That means white flour, white pasta, white sugar, white rice, etc. Instead I'll substitute whole wheat and whole grains for an easy, healthier carbohydrate swap.
4. Exercise at least five hours each week. That also means taking a day to rest to allow my body to recuperate. My primary exercise will be what I enjoy: running. The American Council on Exercise recommends a mix of cardio and strength training. So, each week I'll do a lot of cardio while I incorporate some yoga and strength training, It breaks down fairly easily. I'll spend four days doing one-hour workouts, two days doing half-hour workouts, and taking a day off. This will be significantly more than the 1.5 hours I've been getting lately, for sure!
In case you're curious, the folks who do "The Biggest Loser" at home do at least seven hours of exercise a week. To be honest, at this stage in life that seemed like too much for me and my schedule. But, five hours a week should really challenge me while burning off a lot of calories. A pound of body fat is 3,500 calories. My five hours of exercise should fairly easily burn off a pound a week.
5. Drink at least eight glasses or roughly 64 ounces of water a day. It sounds like a lot, but it's really not. That's just four bottles of bottled water. That will help me stay hydrated, help with digestion, and it'll help me consume less calories in general. Plus, I've heard that it could even boost my metabolism. Unlike just about everything else, this should be no problem. I chug water frequently and consume this amount of h2o just about every day.
6. Have one, and only one, unhealthy, "cheating" meal a week. I know, this seems counter-intuitive and like a bad idea. But, I think it could help keep me sane and help me stick with this project long term. Fifteen weeks is a fairly long time for a strict diet and I'll be craving a lot of things I can't have. Maybe, I just need more will power. Nonetheless, instead of telling myself that I'll never have the foods I crave, I can have an unhealthy meal once a week. Pancakes, a Big Mac, whatever. However, I must post the calories I consumed from that meal as a part of this blog to hold me accountable. And, the calories from my other two meals cannot total more than 800 calories.
7. Eat at least four servings of fruits and vegetables each day. I'll get the most nutritional bang for my buck from veggies and fruits. And I should eat more vegetables than fruits. That's okay though, I recently found out I like Brussels sprouts, but that's another story...
8. Weigh myself once a week. Post the results here, for better or for worse. I don't want to drive myself crazy with daily weigh-ins. Instead, I'll weigh-in the first-thing each Monday morning.
With all that being said, wish me luck. "Losing 20 More..." begins now. Let's see what a difference a single week can make.
And away we go...
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