Phase 2 Weekly Weigh-In #1
2009/01/14 at 6:11 am | Posted in Health, Weekly Weigh-In, weight loss, weight loss blog, weight watchers, wii fit | 4 CommentsTags: bmr, fit 2 fat, lose it! app, podcast, weight, weight loss, weight loss apps, weight loss blog, weight watchers, wii fit
Okay, so I know it hasn’t been a full week. Don’t expect much as a result, but at least this will give me a chance to go over things I’m doing different this time.
- Weekly Weigh-In #1; Phase 2: 202.5 lbs.
- Phase 2 Starting Weight: 203.3 lbs.
- Gain/loss of: -0.8 lbs.
- Pounds to Go: 12.5 lbs.
- Weight Loss to Date: 94.5 lbs.
The scale was acting funny this morning, fluctuating between all sorts of numbers. My weight for today is an average of all of them and for the first few days I’d say that’s not too bad. We’ll see how things pan out over the next few weeks.
As I mentioned at the start of this post, I’m going to do things a little different this time around just to shake things up. First and most notably I have decided to abandon my Weight Watchers Point Excel chart for the month, and there are a few reasons for this: a) I need something different and b) after listening to a great podcast the other day, I discovered the importance of BMR.
What is BMR? It’s your Basal Metabolic Rate, or the amount of calories you burn by simply doing nothing–even sleeping. No matter what you’re doing, you burn calories and how many you burn depends on your height, weight and age. (To determine your BMR, go here.) After determining what your BMR is, it’s important to know that that number–mine is 1954.49–is what your body needs in order to maintain your current weight. If you want to shed some weight, simply take in less than your recommended BMR or exercise some more.
My next change also goes hand-in-hand with the BMR thing. I discovered a fantastic (and free) iPhone/iPod Touch app on the iTunes store called Lose It! This app is probably one of the best I’ve come across because it keeps track of everything: weight, calorie intake, activities/calories burned, goal date, and also has a thorough database of foods to choose from when entering what you’ve eaten. If it’s not there, you can create your own data for it and save it for future use.
In my case, I was allowed 1,637 calories–just slightly lower than my BMR. Calories are tallied up as you enter your food intake and the app determines how many calories you have left to consume to stay in your safe zone. And if you add activities, the appropriate number of calories is subtracted from your total. Can it get any simpler than that? I don’t think so!
And let me tell you: seeing intake in calories vs. Points is a real kick in the gut.
On the Wii Fit front, I have chosen to run the Island Lap while holding 5 lb. dumbells in each hand. I started that last night and noticed a considerable difference while “jogging” as I sweated much more than usual. Also, I found a little hidden extra in the “jogging” portion of the game. If you follow the different colored dogs, you run at a swifter pace than following a standard Mii. I tried it and yes, it does seem much faster!
Finally, I had mentioned earlier a podcast I discovered so I thought I’d give it a mention. It’s called Fat 2 Fit and it’s pretty much a couple of guys talking weight loss on a human level. Nothing complicated; no degrees in anatomy required. You just listen to what they have to say about their progress, answer listener e-mail, get tips from others, and discover Web sites or other valuable information. (That’s how I found out about BMR!) It’s a good listen and I’d recommend it to anybody who wants to lose weight but doesn’t know where to start.
You can give the Fat 2 Fit podcast a listen here: 
I think that’s enough for today. If you don’t hear from me the rest of the week, I’ll see you here next Wednesday. Stay focused!
—
Share this post:
: 
: 
: 
: 
: 
: 
: 
: 
: 
: 
Phase 2: Refocus and Commitment
2009/01/12 at 6:07 am | Posted in Discipline, Exercise, Health, lifestyle change, Motivation, weight loss, weight loss blog, weight watchers, wii fit | 2 CommentsTags: diets don't work, weight loss, weight loss blog, weight watchers
With the New Year in full swing, I’m sure many of you may have made the resolution to lose weight. If you have, I salute you and wish you well.
But even after losing my weight, I’m not entirely satisfied.
If you recall, because I had reached my goal so far ahead of time, I committed myself to getting down to 190 lbs. I had referred to this next step as Phase 2–and it starts tomorrow.
Yes, after taking it easy and staying within a range of +/- 5 lbs. over 3 months after reaching my goal, I have decided that it is indeed time to take the plunge and get to 190 lbs. by my 40th birthday which is a little over a month away (February 14th). At my current weight of 203.0 lbs., that means I need to lose an average of 3.25 lbs. per week, slightly more than my doctors’ recommendation.
I’m not going to get too confident and call this a piece of cake. In fact I shouldn’t even try to lose it so quickly–13 lbs. in a month may be a bit lofty, but I’m going to try my best to make it. Even if I only lose 10 lbs. then I’ll consider it a success.
I started tonight by engaging myself in an hour of Wii Fit as opposed to my standard 30 minutes. My son and I also rode our bikes a little over a mile today and I drained, cleaned and waxed our spa. Hey, every little bit of activity helps, you know. My next step may be to buy My Fitness Coach since, even though it has proven itself as very efficient, Wii Fit’s activities can become quite monotonous after so long. Note that I said “may” about My Fitness Coach because I’m still up in the air about it, even if I do have a few gift cards to burn.
This also means that I will be breaking out the Weight Watchers Points Excel chart and that the Weekly Weigh-Ins are back if only for 4 weeks. I haven’t done either since reaching 200 lbs. so I think now is the time bring them back! About the only change there is that they will be posted on Wednesdays instead of Tuesdays as in the past. This Wednesday is the 14th–exactly 1 month from my birthday, which falls on a Saturday this year. I’m beginning with today’s weight and taking it from there.
So now I need to shift my focus and re-commit myself to losing the weight I promised myself I would lose. I’ve noticed some dangerous behaviors in the last 3 months–snacking being the real killer–and I know they must change. And while I’ve tried to keep myself busy I know I can do better.
I’ve already bought the right foods for at least this week’s lunch; I will buy more healthy goodies on Friday when I get paid.
There you have it. Again, My current weight is 203.0 lbs. and it’s time to get this rockin’. See you Wednesday!
Note: I’ve added a new button to the “Share This Post” clutter at the bottom. If you would like to e-mail this post, simply click on the “via e-mail” icon and your default e-mail program will open up with a link and some generic text. From there you just add recipients and whatver other text you wish–I did all the hard work for you 🙂
—
Share this post:
: : : : : : : : : :
Without Whom: Products
2009/01/10 at 12:49 am | Posted in Discipline, Exercise, Food, Video Games, weight loss, weight loss blog, weight watchers, Wii, wii fit | 1 CommentTags: diets don't work, ipod shuffle, reebok, thank you, trader joe's, trek bikes, Victory, weight loss, weight loss blog, weight watchers, Wii
Okay, so I’m a little behind…
Here’s the post where I thank the products that helped me make it through my journey. For a list of people I thanked some time ago, you can click here.
Ready? Then here we go. Please note that I am not a compensated spokeperson for any of these products; I mention them out the kindness of my heart for helping me reach my goal.
Surviving the Holidays
2008/12/01 at 11:43 pm | Posted in Discipline, Health, lifestyle change, weight loss, weight watchers, wii fit | Comments Off on Surviving the HolidaysTags: thanksgiving, weight, weight loss, weight loss blog, weight watchers
So, did everyone survive Thanksgiving relatively unscathed? Well I survived but not very successfully.
Keep in mind that because we were off on Thursday and Friday, last week was a short week for us. That alone cut into two days of lunchtime walking and since our department gathered on Wednesday for a potluck, there went a third. So I chose to take Monday and Tuesday off from walking, meaning I didn’t go at all last week.
Then Thankgiving and all its magnificent turkey-ish splendor rolls into town. I enjoyed myself as if this were my last meal. In fact I enjoyed the meal a but too much.
And what a lethal combination no walking and overeating turned out to be.
Suffice it to say, I gained some weight but not enough to make me feel like I failed miserably. And I’m sure I speak for the many folks that stepped onto their scales today and said, “Oh boy…”
No, I’m not going rush out and join a gym as a result of my gain. There won’t be any of that. It’s business as usual here at 200by40, and today I took the first steps–literally and figuratively–towards dropping those pounds: I started up my daily walk and did a solid hour of Wii Fit.
I’ve set no target date as I have already met my goal. This is just some poundage gained after a 4-day weekend and can be easily lost without much effort.
If you did gain some weight this Thanksgiving, whatever you do, don’t wallow in it. That’s the worst thing you can do.
Instead, grab the bull by the horns and go for it! Remember to stay focused and never lose sight of your goal, nor give in to temptation.
And forget all about those empty New Year’s resolutions; start your plan to change your lifestyle now and get into eating right as the New Year rolls around.
Now get busy. You We can do it!
Update on Things
2008/10/06 at 8:53 pm | Posted in Discipline, Exercise, Health, Life, lifestyle change, Motivation, Progress Photos, weight loss, weight loss blog, weight watchers, wii fit, wii fit progress | 5 CommentsTags: diets don't work, weight loss, weight loss blog, weight watchers, weight watchers points excel chart
Hey gang, just thought I’d update you on my progress so far.
Food. Since reaching my goal last Saturday, things have been going fantastic. In fact, today is the first day I didn’t use my Weight Watchers Points Excel chart since I created the thing. I’ve decided to stop using it since after over two years, I pretty much know how many Points are in everything I eat, or I just simply avoid the things I know I shouldn’t be eating. I’m keeping my snacking to a minimum and whenever I feel the urge to munch on something, I grab a bottle of water instead or have one cookie rather than a handful.
Weight. My weight has been right around 199.8 lbs. and 201 lbs. and that’s just fine with me. I may have gone as high as 202 lbs. but as long as I don’t drift any higher than that I think I’ll be fine. As previously stated, I plan on getting down to 190 lbs. or so that I have some wiggle room between that and my original goal of 200 lbs. but for now, I’m happy being able to maintain my goal weight.
Exercise. Aside from some walking and running around I did with the kid at Disneyland, my exercise routine has been put aside since reaching my goal. My Wii Fit may start missing me 🙂 No, I’m not getting lazy; I’m simply enjoying my achievement and being able to finally take it easy at night after putting Anthony to bed. And because I took Friday and Monday off from work, I haven’t walked my daily 1.5 miles during lunch. That will change tomorrow when I return.
It seems as though my years of food discipline have truly paid off as I find myself not wanting a lot of the foods I used to eat or eating much less of them. For example, we had Little Caesar’s today for lunch and I had only two slices. That’s it–two slices versus the usual 3 or 4 I would have eating when I was nearly 300 lbs.
And for what it’s worth, here’s a progress picture of me taken at Disneyland the day I reached my goal:
Finally: 199.9 lbs. Click to enlarge.
It may not show the best example of my weight loss but hey, at least it was taken on the day of victory.
In addition to all of this, I’ve decided to abandon the Weekly Weigh-Ins simply because there wouldn’t be much to report if I keep maintaining my weight. I’ll definitely keep watching my weight and will report as needed but for now, they are history.
Once again, thanks to all who have been checking in on things. I am still in the process of getting my products Thank You List together so watch for that soon.
See ya, and hang in there!
Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.
Entries and comments feeds.
200by40 - Weight Loss the Right Way 