It may seem quite obvious that you cannot have weight to lose if you do not first “gain” weight. Of course, I have no desire to go over how to gain weight (although I could speak on it quite intelligently lol). A visitor to my blog asked how I am going about losing this weight so I thought I’d answer her question as best I can. If you take the assumption that losing control of certain areas of your life will cause you to gain weight, then wouldn’t gaining control of those same areas cause you to lose weight? Since the word “GAIN” is a part of both, I thought I’d run with the acronym.
God
As a believer you know that we can accomplish nothing of lasting importance apart from God. At the same time, things that seem impossible are possible with Him. God knows what my ideal weight is. Through prayer, He’s told me to strive for losing 52 pounds this year. He’s helped me to set some realistic goals in the areas that follow also. In addition to this, I know that I can lean on God when temptation arises. It is important to pray and ask for His strength in this. I’m going to mess up, it’s just a part of the process, but allowing God to help dust me off and set me back on track will go a long way.
Accountability
This one is a big deal when it comes to taking on a task such as weight loss. It is so easy to fall back into old habits. So, first of all, I’m making myself accountable to God through prayer. Secondly, I am accountable to myself through journaling. I am using my journal to track how I feel about the progress as well as the process. I journal about why I crave certain foods and the emotional triggers that have me wanting to eat them. I am weighing once a week to add to my personal accountability. I am also tracking my water and exercise. Third, I have a friend I am e-mailing my progress to and she is e-mailing hers to me. I am also posting those results on this blog where anyone can see.
Intentional Movement
The reason I say “intentional” is because I could feasibly count chasing kids, housecleaning and the like as “exercise” but I’ve been doing those things for the past year with no change to my weight. Obviously I need to take a more direct approach to this so I have set a goal to work out for a minimum of twenty minutes a day, three days a week. Why three? Because it’s doable right now. I plan to gradually work up to more but while I’m rebuilding this habit it’s best to bite it off in attainable chunks. Otherwise, I set myself up for failure.
Nutrition
Now this is a biggie. I've read that 80-90% of weight loss is what you eat. I tend to agree with this. Monday through Thursday (and most of Friday) I try to eat 4-6 balanced meals a day. By balanced I mean they contain lean protein, good carbs and fat. My carbs during the week come mainly from fruit and vegetables (a few whole grains) and my protein is mainly lean meats and eggs. Friday night through Sunday, I still keep that concept but I lighten up on how strict I am. For instance, I might have dessert every night. I don’t go crazy on the weekends – they are more for exercising my self control I guess. I tell myself I can have whatever I want but then I talk to myself about making good choices still with a few not-so-good ones mixed in. Ironically, this seems to help me during the rest of the week. I’ll actually choose a salad over rice as a side or grilled over breaded chicken instead of feeling “forced” to do that.
In addition to food, I am drinking between 64 and 128oz of water per day. I keep track of this daily and am striving to average that much throughout the week. I count any fluids that do not contain sugar or caffeine. I am taking a multivitamin and a chromium supplement each day also.
If you’re a calorie counter, I shoot for 1200-1500 a day. I know roughly what that is since I’ve been the “dieting queen” in the past and rarely have to actually count calories anymore. I generally look at portion control to keep me in range. If you have no idea how many calories you’re eating (and you need to lose weight), check out Fitday.com, you can track your food there for free. I still use this tool every now and then to make sure I still have a grasp on how much I’m eating.
Reading labels helps too and can often prevent me from eating something lol. My husband brought home two giant candy bars the night before my weigh in last week. I was so tempted to tear into one of them but after reading that it had over 800 calories, I was less in the mood to spoil my weigh in for a few minutes of chocolatey delight.
A side note about food – I know that I personally tend to become chemically addicted to some foods, making it harder to break the cycle. Through the journaling mentioned in the accountability section, I’ve been able to identify food hazards and thus, know more of what I can and cannot handle. Food is also an emotional link for me and I’ve had to deal with those issues in my journal and prayer journey too.
GAINing Life
Overall, even these bulleted suggestions won’t help if you have no idea what is going on with you emotionally along the way. They may offer a temporary fix but if you’re like me, you’re looking for long-term healing. My journey toward this started back in October when I had to face my relationship with food head on. Start with some serious soul searching and prayer. Figure out why you want/need to change before you even begin to start the process of changing. Above all, remember that God knows you and knows what He desires for you in life – and that includes your weight.
Goal Setting Tips
Do not set goals based on your “feelings” or “being in a hurry”. Set your goals based on what you truly believe you can accomplish in the “real world” setting in which you live. Granted, if we could all go away to a weight loss camp for three months like the folks on “The Biggest Loser” we could drop weight faster. I have a life outside of workouts and food, just like I’m sure you do. So set your plan and goals up in accordance with your life. Yes, some things will need to change but even small changes can render big results over time. Keep in mind that even if it takes you twice as long as someone else to reach your goal, you are still better off for it in the long run. So, prepare for the marathon, not the sprint.
Maritza, and anyone else who cares to join me, feel free to post your progress with me each week. I typically post my weekly goal analysis on Mondays and I plan to continue posting my monthly weight loss progress on the last Friday of the month. You can either create a post on your own blog about it (be sure to let me know if you do), or post your progress in my feedback. Going this alone isn’t the best method so please, jump on board! And remember, not all GAIN is bad :o)