Friday, July 11, 2008

Weighing In - Day 51

Today's Diet Tip: Remember, when you're counting calories, they're not all equal. The time at which you consume the calories is important, as it also defines how much time you have to burn them off.

As an example, I am currently trying to reach a goal of 1200 or less calories a day. If I were to eat all 1200 at the beginning of the day (about 8 AM), I would have approximately 14 hours to burn it off, meaning I'd only have to burn about 86 calories an hour. However, if I were to eat the same amount at dinner (6 PM), I would have approximately 4 hours to burn it off, meaning I'd have to burn a whopping 300 calories an hour to burn off just the amount I ate today, not even including the amount I wish to lose in fat.

Because of that, always try to eat the most calories early, and then have each meal get successively smaller throughout the day. This will reduce the amount of calories you have to burn in the average hour and assist you in losing weight.

Current Goal Weight: 194.2#
Current Goal BMI: 26.31
Current Goal Deadline: July 20, 2008

Today's Weight: 198.0 (+1.3)
Today's BMI: 26.64 (+0.11)

Yesterday's Caloric Intake: 1270
Breakfast: 280 calories - Einstein Bros
  • Yogurt with Granola - 180 calories
  • SpontaneiTea - 100 calories

Lunch: 590 calories - Woody's Pizza
  • Spaghetti - 480 calories
  • Salad w/ Cottage Cheese - 110 calories
  • Iced Tea - 0 calories

Dinner: 320 calories - Wendy's
  • Homestyle Chicken Go Wrap- 320 calories
  • Mandarin Oranges - 40 calories
  • Iced Tea - 0 calories


Yesterday's Exercise Time: 60 minutes (50 minutes aerobics, 4 minutes strength training, 6 minutes yoga)

Yesterday Post-Assessment:
Yesterday overall should have worked out very well. However, I unfortunately ate significantly more than I should have at lunch, and I believe that is contributing to this weight gain. I could feel at the time that I had eaten too much, but continued anyway. The result, an increase in weight and some rather strong cramps.

Breakfast was a fantastic selection. I had yogurt with fruit and granola. The total for the yogurt alone came out to 180 calories. Unfortunately, they don't have unsweetened iced tea available at Einstein's, so I did pack on another 100 calories from the SpontaneiTea, which is the best selection next to water. The total, however, was still only 280 calories, which is fantastically done for breakfast.

Lunch, as mentioned above, was not so good. I did choose salad and pasta over pizza, which contributed to a lower calorie count. However, they brought a more than generous portion of pasta, and I chose to eat it all. The result, about 2 lbs of pasta in my stomach, increased my weight for today's measuring and my physical discomfort. Needless to say, I don't intend to do that again.

For dinner I intended to have a Grilled Chicken Go Wrap and mandarin oranges from Wendy's. Unfortunately, I was delivered a Homestyle Chicken Go Wrap instead of Grilled, which added 80 calories to the meal. The total on that meal, however, was still quite reasonable.

In summary, I have gained 1.3 pounds since yesterday, which caused a BMI increase of 0.17. This means I would have to lose 3.8 pounds amounting to a BMI decrease of 0.33 in order to meet my goal in 9 days. I'm hoping that the weight gained from the spaghetti meal is only temporary and that, as it passes, I see a greater decrease in weight over the next couple days in order to meet my goal.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

8 Healthy Foods for Everyday Living

Hey everyone,

In my daily ramblings through the web, I've come across a wonderful slideshow on MSN health that lists 8 foods that should/could be eaten every day to improve your health.


http://health.msn.com/nutrition/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=100169914&imageindex=1


I'm happy to say that I've eaten about half of them already in my breakfast, and look to be on a good start. Most of these foods are described in their terms for muscle and brain building, as well as immunity. They do not really discuss dietary suggestions for weight loss.

Nevertheless, bon apetit.

Long-Term Status Update

Just a quick update to say that, as of yesterday, I have found out that I have lost more than 10 pounds since I began tracking it on Wii Fit. I consider this a great accomplishment to achieve in less than two months and really have seen an improvement in the way I feel daily.

Weighing In - Day 51

Today's Fitness Tip: Trying to lose weight? Consider doing more aerobic exercise.

While all exercise will benefit you in the long run, the best exercise for shedding those pounds is simply aerobic. Of course, if you are a bit larger, running could be difficult on your joints. In such cases, you might consider swimming as a reasonable alternative. Because it reduces joint strain, it will be easier on your body, and works more muscles than running normally would.

Remember that if you haven't been working out regularly, you will need to give your body time to adjust. It's recommended that you start with 10-15 minutes a day, and work your way up to 30 minutes. Once you are comfortable at that level, you can then increase activity at your own pace.

Current Goal Weight: 194.2#
Current Goal BMI: 26.31
Current Goal Deadline: July 20, 2008

Today's Weight: 196.7 (-0.8)
Today's BMI: 26.64 (-0.12)

Yesterday's Caloric Intake: 1128
Breakfast: 418 calories - Mimi's Cafe
  • Fruit Plate - 418 calories
  • Iced Tea - 0 calories

Lunch: 300 calories - Souper Salad
  • Salad Plate - 70 calories
  • Spaghetti - 140 calories
  • Cottage Cheese - 90 calories
  • Iced Tea - 0 calories

Dinner: 410 calories - Quizno's
  • Steakhouse Beef Dip - 410 calories
  • Iced Tea - 0 calories


Yesterday's Exercise Time: 60 minutes (48 minutes aerobics, 6 minutes strength training, 6 minutes yoga)

Yesterday Post-Assessment:
Yesterday I believe I did a great job. I managed to keep myself under 1200 calories, which should really assist in losing weight. I also drastically increased the amount of aerobics I did in my exercise routine. I'm really thinking this sort of thing could work.

Breakfast couldn't really have been improved from the selection I had, but I do believe that 418 calories is very reasonable. Lunch I could say the same, though perhaps removing the dressing would have improved it a little bit. Not much to be honest. Dinner, again, was quite good still coming in under 500 calories. My total diet, I feel, was quite successful.

In summary, I have lost 0.8 pounds since yesterday, which caused a BMI decrease of 0.12. This means I would have to lose 2.5 pounds amounting to a BMI decrease of 0.33 in order to meet my goal in 10 days. If I keep up my current rate, I would meet my goal in approximately 4-5 days, well within the goal deadline I set myself. I'm very pleased with this progress.