Weight loss Archives - A Weight Loss Adventure

Setting Realistic Weight Loss Goals?

April 29, 2020 No Comments

You know, how you start planning out your weight loss even before you start? On April 1st I will begin my weight loss. By May 31st I will have lost my first 10 lbs. By July 31st I will have lost another 10 lbs. If you have ever wanted to lose weight you have started making these calculations in your head even before you have figured out, how or when to start. Goals are an essential part of weight loss but are you setting realistic weight loss goals?

In this blog post, I want to address the fundamental of goal setting during weight loss. Especially, long duration weight loss. If, like me, you have a long road before your journey is complete, you need a lot of smaller goals to keep you motivated. Goals are key to success, whether it is a number on the scale, a different size or simply fitting back into your old pants.

Below I am walking through, how I am using goals for big picture, during day to day or simply when I am struggling. There are different tips and tricks for it all.

Use the Numbers On the Scale

For some reason, the scale has become taboo. I do acknowledge that fixating on the number on a scale can lead to unhealthy behavior but it does not have to, if you keep yourself to a schedule.

Big picture, I use the number on the scale to know where I am reaching to and where I started. I was in the “extremely obese” category when I started my journey but I just wanted to be “normal” or at a “healthy weight”. As I wrote in a prior blog post, I want to be within a healthy BMI range. I have normal bone density, I am not a body builder and I am very normally proportionate, so this strategy works for me.

Honestly, it is, also, really satisfying to see the numbers starting to disappear on the scale. Having to limit your cravings and controlling everything you ingest, it is a nice reward to see that all the work you are putting in is paying of.

For the most part, I would recommend, weighing yourself once each week, preferably in the morning (after your morning bathroom visit).

As for how you can use the numbers to create goals for yourself. In the beginning you will lose your weight much faster than when you have been at it for a while. So make sure you are setting larger goals in the beginning. My first goal was to lose 20 lbs (out of my 100 lbs) and I wanted to lose these within the first 3-4 months. After that I set 15lbs goals twice. Once I hit 50lbs weight loss, I started changing it to 10lbs. I am very close to my 70lbs goal weight (3 lbs away). Once I have reached that, I will go after each 5lbs.

The main thing to take away, is that you set smaller goals that are achievable. This will keep you motivated for the long haul. Have rather too many goals, than too few.

Use Time as a Goal

Notice, how I dropped the time frame after the first 20lbs? I quickly realized that I could not set a hard deadline for when I should be reaching my goals. I don’t function under time constraints, so it simply stresses me out and makes me less motivated. You might be motivated by a time frame and if that is the case, definitely make use of it.

If you want to go through it quicker so you can move on from the constraints a weight loss journey might create. Setting goals within a time frame is key and can be highly motivating.

My only recommendation if you do use time, is to learn how exercise can help expedite the weight loss as you will have times where you will be struggling to meet the deadlines.

Clothing Size

This is by far my most favorite goal. Every clothing size difference has been a goal of mine and you will be able to see photos of me trying on new sizes on my Instagram.

When I first stepped into a size 12, I won’t lie. I cried. It was such a huge victory and had a much larger impact on how I felt about my journey than any number on the scale have had. I am currently a size 8/10 depending on the brand. I tried on an H&M size 8 both top and bottom and it fit but for other brands, my bottom still needed a size 10.

If you don’t want to use the scale as your bigger picture goal, I highly recommend using clothing size as the substitute. Go into the store you think you would like to buy clothing from in the future. Select a size you would like to see yourself in. Use that size as your end goal. Before you reach your end goal, you can use each size as smaller goals. That way, you feel progress in your journey. Either try a new size as you feel your clothing get loser or if you are measuring yourself, try a new size each time to you have lost an inch for each measurement you have chosen to record.

This leads me to my next goal.

Using Measurements As A Goal

I use measurements all the time. I can only say, use measurements as you will need it when the scale stops moving.

Before I started, I had a clothing size in mind that I wanted to reach. Size 8, if not a size 6. I, then, went to a few online clothing stores and checked out which measurements they used for the sizes I had in mind. I then had a tape-measure where I marked the sizes I was going for. When I hit my size 8 goal, I could not believe my own eyes. I had been dreaming of this day for so long. Years! I still can’t always recognize myself when I look in the mirror and I am not even done yet.

These are not ALL goals out there. Make your own if these are not enough. Some use tracking of how frequent you are on/off track and set a goal each month of only being “off track” 3 or 4 times in a month. Other’s simply use before and after pictures. Make sure you take pictures of yourself before you start this journey and during. You will love your “transformation” pictures. I wish, I had taken more images of myself beforehand. It is so satisfying to see the difference after all the work I have put in. Just make sure you set a lot of smaller goals throughout your journey as they will keep you motivated.

We have been setting all of these goals, now what?

Reaching the goals are rewarding in themselves. They are such a great victory but I do have added incentivizing ‘treats” for when I reach my goals. When I hit my 20lbs lost, I allowed myself going out for dinner and having as many desserts I wanted. When I reached 30lbs weight loss, I allowed myself to buy some more clothes and so on. Once I reach my next goal of 176lbs, I will buy some new underwear – yes, some more sexy underwear as I feel much more confident in my own skin now.

However, you want to reward yourself, make sure to celebrate every single win. Both the small and the big. It is so important that you show yourself pride and allow yourself to feel the joy of doing the hard work. You are working hard and kicking … Celebrate!

We are all different and what motivates us can be different. Make sure you start figuring out what motivates you. What makes you go for the next lb?

Weight loss

Wondering How To Lose Weight?

April 19, 2020 No Comments

I have been struggling with my weight for so long, I have forgotten when it all began. Spending hours researching, how I should be losing weight so thought I would pass along the knowledge. I have come to realize that a lot of people don’t know how to lose weight. So thought, I would give a bit of a quick overview of where to start.

When To Lose Weight

I know, a lot of you who have googled “How To Lose Weight” might not be over weight but are looking to lose 5 -10lbs more. Could you do me a favor? Look in the mirror… really look at yourself. Smile back and tell yourself: “I am beautiful”.

We are all beautiful, no matter what body we have.

If you are overweight, obese or extremely obese, it is very likely you should lose weight. First and foremost, go to your doctor, to ensure s/he agrees with your assessment and get a doctor to support your efforts. This is, also, to ensure you don’t have any underlying issues you need to take into consideration before starting.

I am not a doctor, nutritionist or weight loss specialist. I am simply someone who has lost 70 lbs herself, and have 30 lbs to go. Honestly, I still learn something new every day.

Where To Start

You technically, already, started. You started by googling “How To Lose Weight”. Now you need to understand the basics: Where are you currently and where should you be heading. For some of you, the now to where you should be headed might be far away. It can be scary and a bit disheartening to see the distance. What I want to say to all of you, before you even embark on this journey, don’t be scared. You will feel like you fail many times but as long as you keep getting back up, you are winning.

Losing weight is a mind set change and lifestyle change but that doesn’t mean you can’t have your dessert… So keep reading and learn the basics so you can start your own weight loss adventure.

BMI

You will and have already heard the term BMI. It is not a final definition, but it is a good rule of thumb to figure out where you are starting.

“Body Mass Index (BMI) is a person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters. A high BMI can be an indicator of high body fatness. BMI can be used to screen for weight categories that may lead to health problems but it is not diagnostic of the body fatness or health of an individual.”
CDC

I use a BMI calculator online as it is a much easier way to both calculate your BMI and to understand which category you fall within. Check out the calculator I use here.

Have you calculated your BMI?

Now you want to understand where you are going. I used the below chart to estimate what is considered “healthy”.

Now find your height on the left hand side and move your sight horizontally across towards the right. Anything in the green is considered a healthy weight. As an example, I am 5 Feet 5 Inch (165 CM for those of you that are European). I, now, move across and see the numbers 19-24 that are in green. These are the BMI number that tells me if I am “healthy”. Now look up to see what the weight is. For me it is between 115lbs and 149lbs.

What are yourhealthy BMI numbers?

So How Do you Lose Weight?

Now that you understand where you are and where you are going, you need to actually start the work. You need to lose weight. To lose weight you need to be in a calorie deficit.

You might be wondering what a calorie deficit means. How you can find out what a calorie deficit is to you. I got ya’…

A calorie deficit means that you eat less in a day than what your body needs to maintain its weight.

To find out what your calorie deficit you have two options. You can either ask your doctor or you can use this calculator that I use here.

Best tip is to be as honest as possible. This will give you the best results.

This calculator is something you want to keep handy. You will will need to use it regularly as you lose the weight. The smaller you get, the less your body needs to keep you going. Therefore, you will be burning less compared to when you were bigger.

To give you an example. When I started, I was 246lbs and at 5 feel and 5 inches. 37 years of age, and I did not exercise regularly so added in “sedentary” to my calculations. When I started my maintaining calorie intake needed to be 2,162 Calories. Now if I added in my new weight, keeping the rest of the metrics the same, I will need to only eat 1,797 calories to maintain my weight.

Calories

You now know where you are, where you are headed and how many calories you need to eat to lose weight. Now what?

Now you need to understand how you can most easily calculate your daily caloric intake. Googling and reading all of the nutritional information of all ingredients you are using in a day and adding together the numbers manually is too much. I use an app to help me out. There are many different apps out there. Simply go to your app store and search for “calorie counter” and you will get countless options.

My favorite app is MyFitnessPal. It gives you the basics for free. The basics are all you need, unless you start getting into the details of what you are eating.

You can scan your foods, search for them easily and even create your won recipes. It will take about a month to get up and running. You need to get used to the app and adding your recipes take a bit of work. Once the majority is in there, it will be very easy to use.

My favorite feature is that you can set your calorie intake. This means, you decide how you want to kick off your journey or even change it as you lose the weight.

Now what?

You now have the basics you need to get going.

There is more knowledge, I can pass along but I don’t want to overwhelm you. I will continue to write blog posts to build on this one. To give you more information, teach you about macros and micros. How these play a role in weight loss and your overall health. Teach you about exercise and how that fits into a weight loss journey.. or not.

Being overwhelmed from the get go can be discouraging so I will end the blog post now. Once you are ready, I am sure I will have more posts up that will give you more details. Details you might need, as you get more and more excited about your new life.

I would love to hear from you and how your journey is going. Do you need more information Was something not particularly helpful? I want to pass along my knowledge and pay it forward.

My Journey, Weight loss

When Lack of Routine Triggers A Binge Eater

March 26, 2020 No Comments

As I am sure most of you are aware, I am a binge eater. For the most part I have had in under control for a while and only had minor issues here and there. However, the changes to my day during the quarantine due to the covid-19 pandemic, this change has thrown me for a loop. I started reading some of my favorite bloggers and one of them touched upon this time being a trigger. Shout out to Andie Mitchell! How could I not have realized that my lack of a routine has triggered my binge eating?

What is binge eating?

Binge eating is an eating disorder where you have an uncontrollable urge to eat unusual amounts of food. Back in the day, I could easily eat a bucket of ice-cream, a whole pie and add in some chocolate on top. I would finish it off with take out food. I would be so full I would need to go and throw up to simply feel comfortable. If you think you might have a binge eating disorder, I do urge you to reach out to your doctor but you can also read a bit about it at the Mayoclinic or at National Eating Disorders.

Dealing with binge eating

I have had days, where I felt myself slip into my old habit. I would simply say, I could just grab a few nuts to tide me over. But I would return 5 minutes later to grab another handful and an ounce of cheese. And that is how my day would continue. So I have been gaining a little weight.

I am not alarmed… yet! However, I do need to build a new routine for myself so I can stop myself from binge eating. Anyone with an eating disorder thrives with routine. With the changes of working from home, my hubby is now losing weight and us having struggled as a couple, it has been rough finding my way.

Building a routine

This week is the week I am figuring out how I can build a new healthy routine. It is all about making my day manageable but busy enough that I don’t think about food more than I need to.

In a day, I have daily routines that we all need to take care of:

Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Plan meals for the day
Work
Workout

Those are the ones I need to focus on. I need to leave the rest behind to ensure that my essentials are taken care of. Once I have those down, I need to have a to-do-list that I can lean on so I can keep myself busy and out of the kitchen.

Structuring my day

Normally, I would meal prep on Sundays to ensure I am set for the week and I spend less time in the kitchen. However, the changes to my routine, had me thinking that I did not need to meal prep. Clearly, that is still needed. But until Sunday comes around my day starts the day before. I need to plan for my day. What will I be eating? What will Mike be eating? When will we be eating and how much time do I have to prep. When will I be working out. Are there other chores I need to add to my list?

Once I have my meals planned out and I know what to do when in the kitchen, I can move on to the when I will be doing my workouts. Workouts are very important to me. It keeps me focused, makes me feel better and with lack of movement for sitting on my butt all day, it is key in staying healthy.

My plan for tomorrow

7AM: Wake up
7:20AM: Get dressed, brush teeth, personal grooming
7:40AM: Make breakfast (Yogurt, hulled hemp seeds and banana for me and grape nuts, milk with a bit of brown sugar for hubby) and coffee! We can’t forget the coffee!
8AM: Eat breakfast
8:30AM: Spend time with Mike
9AM: Start work
2PM: Make lunch (Heat up Red Thai Curry for both Mike and myself)
2:20PM Eat lunch and spend time with Mike
3PM: Start last 3 hours of work
6PM: Wash dishes from breakfast and lunch
6:20PM: Make dinner (Turkey meatballs with onion, mushroom and red pepper mix (and sweet potato for Mike)) during cooking, I will plan my next day.
7PM: At home workout
7:35PM: Eat dinner
8:15PM: wash dishes
8:30PM: Shower
8:50PM: Spend time with Mike
11PM: Bedtime!

My weekend To Do List

This is a typical day for me. The challenge always comes when the weekend rolls around as there will be no work to keep me busy. That is why a to-do-list gets handy. This is my to-do-list for the weekend:

Create weekly meal plan
Meal prep as much as possible
Vacuum
Clean bathroom
Take pictures of clothes and other items to be sold online
Study for 4 hours
Create a weekly social media plan
Take images/videos of workouts

This should keep me pretty busy.

Will this cure my binging?

This prep time is no guarantee that I won’t binge or struggle with the urges of binging. However, it will put me in a place that gives me greater chance of success. If I know what I am eating and when, this eliminates my time in the kitchen and the need to find something to put in my mouth. It, also, creates a structure where there is a sense of security as I know what I will be doing next. These are both really strong support mechanisms that I can implement myself.

If I should get the urges to go and eat more, my last resort is always to talk to my husband about my need for eating. That usually helps as most binge eaters are extremely embarrassed by their lack of self control.

Should you be like me and struggling with your eating, always know you can reach out. I know what it is like. The mind can convince us of many things and they can be hard to control. You are definitely not alone. I know, I’m not.

My Journey, Weight loss

Weight Loss Transformation – A Process

February 10, 2020 No Comments

Weight loss transformation is a process. I am in the middle of my weight loss transformation. Daily, I struggle to keep myself motivated but I know it is a process. I needed to discover why I struggle and how I can get through my struggles. This helps me succeed in weight loss.

Going Through the Process

Some days, I am filled with motivation and the scale moves. Other days, I struggle and I want to eat everything in site. It is about finding a balance where you have more days where you are in a calorie deficit and then sometimes allow yourself to simply enjoy. There are days, I still struggle to find that balance. I am not gonna lie. However, I have so far been able to learn why I struggle those days. As long as I know why, I can start working on eliminating the ways or get to the root of the why so I can react to it differently.

I know this sounds all theoretical. So let me give you a few examples of how I keep my motivation, work out why I struggle and what I do to minimize my struggles.

Struggle

Usually, week days are my easiest days. I am kept busy during work. I go to the gym and I then head home to make dinner. Once I have eaten, I am so tired, I can’t think about food. The gym keeps me busy but they are rough. I am, usually, more hungry and if I forget a snack, I struggle. I might eat the blueberry pancakes my husband keeps in the fridge (yes, he is spoiled, I make these every weekend). The cheese, I have portioned out for the week, is incredibly tempting or the nuts on the shelf are devoured by the handful.

When foods are available for you to eat, that is when I need to dig deep. Remind myself why I am loosing the weight. I remind myself of any of these lines or sparks of motivation:

I am doing this for my health so I can live longer
Traveling without physically struggling is a win
“I love myself and I am worth it!” – Yes, I sing it with the melody from Divinyls “I touch myself“
I have felt my confidence soar with my weight loss, I want to keep going.

These are just a few of the lines I might use but they are the most used. Everyone has their reason for loosing weight and I urge you to find these sparks of motivation to help you when you struggle. Write them down somewhere, so you don’t forget.

Why Do I Struggle?

Everyone struggles, some struggle for different reasons but it is important to find out why you struggle. When I first started out wanting to loose weight, I had no idea why I could not control my eating. It was infuriating! As I got older, I started reflecting about my life and somethings started making sense.

I was sexually abused as a child but I had never acknowledged that was what had happened to me. I had just buried it. Growing up, my family struggled so there was not space for me to address my sadness and pain. Others were in pain and I did not want to add to others pain. Now, we can all agree, I should have spoken up but I was 6 years old (up until the age of 10) so what did I know?

When I started approaching the subject I was in my 20s. However, once I had gone through the process of confronting my pain, talking with my family about what had happened, I should have been fixed, right? Not the case. I was still binge eating. I still could not control my eating. Something else, was at play.

I could track my behavior all the way back to when I was 6 years and would come home and eat in front of the TV. When I binge eat today, I do the exact same thing. I buy food, go home and watch TV. I don’t binge like this anymore. It has been well over a year since I last binged and before then, I binged maybe 3 times in a year for several years. What changed, you might ask?

It all started with my pain as a child but it all developed into habits. My binging was made into a habit every time I was in an emotional fragile state. Had I not confronted my pain, I could not have addressed my habits in the right manor and learned how to work around them.

Resolving the Why

Once I realized why I was binging, what my habits were. I could now look at what triggered my behavior. These triggers are the exact same, when I struggle with my food today. When I stressed, when I drink too little water or when I am in an emotionally fragile place. A fragile place, can come from many places but it is most commonly when my insecurities come up.

Now I know why, I know what triggers my behavior, so how do I go about solving it? As you can tell, weight loss transformation is a process. I need to make sure I get enough water, I need to address my insecurities and I need to be mindful of my stress levels.

Honestly, water is easy. I used “MyFitnessPal” to make sure I got my daily 8 glasses for a few months and now I am in a good routine. I use my husband as a sounding board when my insecurities pop up. This helps a lot! However, making sure I am not stressed, is not as simple. I have a tendency to keep pushing myself, expecting more from myself than what is reasonable. It is part of my DNA and who I am.

Acknowledging The Process

To lose weight, I know I need to address my stress levels. That is my focus right now. I keep building upon my habits to better myself and to make sure I minimize the risk of stress. It is all a process.

The process for me, started 15 years ago. I didn’t know that what I started 15 years ago would lead me to now a 65lb weight loss (and counting) but I am glad that I can now see where what I started so long ago, is what has helped me get this far. I can now enjoy the process and understand what I need to do and how I will get there.

Everyone has their journey. I had mine, you will have a different journey. But what we have in common, is that we will have to go through the same process. Why do we struggle? How do we get beyond the struggles? It is being honest with yourself and looking at the ugly sides of yourself (we all have it) and acknowledging the ugly. You are worth being acknowledged for who you are. You are awesome, no matter what flaws might surface.

All you need to know and trust is weight loss transformation is a process. It will take time and that is okay.