Hello there again world. Today marks the first day of my 5-month weight loss competition with Daniel. As promised, here’s a rundown of my plan for a successful fitness challenge.
Exercise
As I’m sure you all know, the smaller you are, the harder it is to continue to lose weight. To lose the first 20 pounds, I relied simply on consistency and routine – wake up, go to work, come home, work out, sleep, wake up, go to work, etc. Unless injured or sick, I worked out 6 days a week for 30 minutes to an hour and a half. As I became more fit, I pumped up the workouts. But it was mainly to combat boredom.
To lose the next 20 pounds, I’m adding intensity (i.e. lots and lots of cardio). I plan to perform at least an hour of exercise for a minimum of 6 days a week. Although, it is likely I will do some form of exercise everyday.
Sunday – Running - 30 minutes, Tennis practice
Monday – Lower/Upper body weight training, Brisk walking - 30 minutes
Tuesday – Tennis lesson (1 ½ hours)
Wednesday – Running – 30 minutes
Thursday – Lower/Upper body weight training, Brisk walking - 30 minutes
Friday – Running – 30 minutes
Saturday – Lower/Upper body weight training, Brisk walking - 30 minutes
(I am recovering from a shin splint injury on my right leg. So my schedule is much lighter than what I can usually handle. But over the next 2 to 3 weeks, I’ll be gradually intensifying the workout schedule until I’m confident that I won’t risk further injury with rigorous training.)
Diet
Honestly, I hate to call my eating plan a “diet” because it’s more a way of life. Diet implies fad. A shortcut or quick fix or temporary solution. I’ve worked really hard to adjust my mentality towards food and nutrition and the eating habits that I’ve developed are something that I will follow for life. In fact, I follow the Body for Life plan (www.bodyforlife.com).
It’s so easy to follow, ensures that you’re getting proper nutrition, and allows food lovers like me to indulge every now and then. I have 6 meals a day, each one a balance of healthy carbs and lean protein. Once a week, I allow myself to indulge in my favorite foods that aren’t so good for me. This isn’t meant to be an opportunity to binge. You should always consume in moderation. But it is meant to be a controlled way to address cravings without compromising all your progress. Also, it’s a way to prevent your body from going into starvation mode and storing extra fat to combat the reduced calorie consumption.
Given the difficulties that I’m going to face trying to lose more weight, I also count calories. I have an iPhone app where I log my daily meals and workouts to track my net calorie intake. For now, I’m going to keep the daily net calorie intake to a max of 1,200 (I consume between 1600 and 1800 calories and burn the rest through exercise). The app calculates the food calories. I have a Polar heart rate monitor that I use to help me determine how many calories I burn through exercise.
So that’s it! It’s tough I know. But I’m going to set myself up for success by eliminating anything that could be used as an excuse for deviating from the plan. I always preplan my meals. I never stock the pantry with things I shouldn’t be eating. And I don’t waste time (schedule, schedule, schedule!).
I haven’t weighed less than 140 pounds since before puberty. So this will be very interesting.
Let the games begin!
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