Okie dokie.
Been a huge life-change for me over the past 3.5 weeks. Loving it thus far!
I'm sure my plan will seem drastic and a bit nuclear. Feel free to modify, discard, laugh or otherwise ignore.
One of my biggest problems was / is drinking wine but I suspect a lot of people drink too many calories. So, the first step in my plan is: DO NOT DRINK CALORIES. No wine. No juice. No pop. I drink water, coffee and I discovered ... tea! Who knew??? I might re-introduce some alcohol (2 - 3 glasses of wine per week) starting Feb. 1.
The second step is to EAT SMART AND HEALTHY. I found out my "resting" calorie requirement (BMR) and cut my intake by 10-20% from that amount. So, I'm eating about 1,600 to 1,800 calories per day. This requires counting calories and meal planning which really holds one accountable. I suggest cutting down from your BMR by 10% and see how you feel. I've cut down on a lot of white carbs like bread, rice and pasta. I look for high protein meals. I track what I eat on my "Diary" on this webpage which I started earlier this week.
The third step is to WORK OUT. January has been a relatively slow month at work so I've been at the gym a lot (likely 21 of 24 days). I intend to scale back to 3-5 times per week in February. My typical gym visit includes 25-30 minutes cardio. I usually hit the elliptical / stationary bike and sweat like the dickens. I then do 20 minutes of weights. On one day I'll do four sets of the following: dumbbell bench press (now up to 60 lbs each arm), lunges holding 30 lbs dumbbells, curls, use the pec dec machine and possibly some dips. The next day I'll do four sets of overhead dumbbell lifts, leg press, arm raises with 15-20 lbs and a lat pull down. And then I rinse and repeat. It all seems to be working but I'm sure a seasoned weightlifter would scoff at my "routine". And I hate lifting weights. So I often skip some of leg exercises or take longer between sets.
I think the main thing is getting to the gym, getting your heart rate up and working the major muscle groups so that your body becomes accustom to burning more calories in its resting state.
And all that being said, I realize some people's lives are too busy to get to the gym as often as he/she would like. I just decided to make the time. Heck, we even bring our kids to the gym and pay for someone to mind them when we work out. Bad Dad. Bad Dad...
The fourth step for me is to DO SOMETHING ACTIVE AFTER 8 p.m. I try to schedule 2-3 semi-vigorous activities after 8 p.m. during the week (i.e. tennis, soccer practice). These currently act as my "two-a-day" training sessions as I usually work out earlier that day. But, for the most part, I just "power" walk around the neighborhood after 8 p.m. or participate a bit in the soccer practices I coach for my son's team. That keeps me moving and less likely to do something counterproductive, like drink 3/4 of a bottle of wine
For me, steps 1 and 2 are the most important. And that's where I think I've turned a corner in my life. Fingers crossed!
I'm down 18 lbs this month to 214. I hope to be between 200 and 205 by March 7th. If it happens, great! If not, I've found something that has improved my mood, energy and health. WIN! WIN! WIN!
And I wish you the best of luck! One thing is for certain, you'll find oodles of support and information on this website if you look for it!
