Achieving Your Goals: Losing Weight

The number one resolution for people in the New Year is losing weight.  This is one of my personal goals, so I have been doing some research and wanted to share some of what I have learned here.

In order to lose a pound, you effectively have to burn 3,500 calories.  Now there is much debate about whether it is strictly calories in calories out, and some of the science is pretty interesting, but for our purposes we are going to go with it being true.  So if you know you have to burn 3,500 calories in order to lose a pound, then it should all come down to figuring out the math to make it work.  Simple right!  First there are a few other things we need to know before we can start down that path.

BMR

BMR stands for Basal Metabolic Rate, which essentially is the amount of calories you would burn if you did nothing all day.  You can find a nifty calculator here.  Once you have figured out your BMR, then you have a starting point for your weight loss.

Losing it

So given what we know, we need to somehow expend the 3,500 calories in order to lose that pound.  Of course most of us do not just lay around all day doing nothing, we get  up, get ready, go to work, walk around, and oh yeah, we eat.  So if we start at zero each day, what we eat adds to our number and what we burn subtracts from that number, so as long as we burn more than we eat we stay on the good side of the equation.  We can do this by modifying either side, burn more, or eat less.

Diet is a four letter word

People typically start going on a diet when want to lose weight.  They usually start on the latest crazy diet out there.  Eat no fat, eat no carbs, only drink fruit juice, etc.  The problem with all of these is that they are not a sustainable way to keep the weight off because no one wants to live the rest of their life eating this way.  That is why I say that diet is a four letter word (other than the obvious reason), because you have to make a lifestyle change.

I have done a lot of research on different eating plans, and the one I like the best as an overall lifestyle change is the one presented in Eating for Life.  I first became acquainted with this method after reading the Body for Life by the same author.  Basically it is all about portion control, and making good choices, no fad diets here.  One of the things he mentions is giving up soft drinks.  Not switching to diet, but giving them up all together.  Doing this one thing will do amazing things with your weight loss!

I am currently trying an eating plan I found in Tim Ferris’ new book The Four Hour Body.  This is a bit of a fad program.  I say this just because I don’t see myself eating this way for the rest of my life, but I want to drop some weight quick to improve my running, so I thought I would give it a try.  The real restriction on this program is that you aren’t supposed to eat any white carbs.  No flour, sugar, bread, oats, etc.  There are a few other things that are to detailed to get into here, but I think it is worth a look.  I will let you know how it goes.

Both of these have one thing in common, a cheat day.  One day a week you are able to eat anything you want, while the rest of the week you are on the straight and narrow.  I like this because it gives me something to look forward to.  Some people say that it is detrimental, but as long as it keeps me motivated to stay on track the rest of the week, it works for me.

Exercise

This will be a pretty quick section.  Do something!  I hear so many people say that they don’t have time to work out.  That is simply not true.  All you have to do is more than you are doing now in order to make a difference.  Do a few push-ups as soon as you wake up, park further away, take the stairs, walk to lunch, just do something.  It is a lot better to do a little bit of something than a whole lot of nothing.

Here are a few tips that have helped me in the past to lose that extra holiday weight.  I have tried to include some for both sides of the equation.

1. Have healthy snacks on hand
   I really have a big sweet tooth.  If there are sweets around, I will eat them.  Because of this, I always have to have healthy things to snack on.  Some of my favorites are hummus, almonds (raw), celery, carrots, and beef jerky.  If you don’t have the junk food, you can’t eat it!
2. Carry your workout with you
   I travel a lot for my job.  Usually over 100,000 miles a year, and there is not always a gym that is accessible.  I try to carry running shoes with me when I travel, but additionally I take along some elastic exercise bands.  These fit easily into carry-on luggage, and with the exception of one time in Ireland, they have always made it through security.
3. Watch your alcohol consumption
   The empty calories in alcohol can ruin a weight loss plan.  This is another tough one for me because I love beer.  When I am trying to shed those extra pounds, I switch over to red wine.  Not only is it less calories than beer, some people maintain that a couple glasses a night provide additional health benefits.
4. Leave stuff behind
   In the US, the portions sizes are huge compared with the rest of the world.  One trick I have learned is to either share my meal with someone, or to only eat half of my meal when I go out to eat.  I know this could be considered wasteful, but you can always get a to go bag and eat the rest at a later meal.  Not only have you saved some calories, but you have saved some money as well (subject of an upcoming post)!
5. Make it a game
   Another way to trick yourself into working out is to make a game out of it.  Since I travel a lot, I will make it a point to do specific things on my travels.  If I am staying near a beach, I always make it a point to run along the beach while I am there.  One time I vowed not to take an elevator the whole trip.  Another time, in NYC, I tried to only walk places rather than take a cab or the subway.  Really any way you can think of to get yourself moving is a good idea.

Ok, so there are a few tips on meeting one of the top resolutions out there.  Is this one of your goals?  If so, what are you doing to accomplish it?  If you have any tips or tricks, leave them in the comments!

Image Credit: luigi diamanti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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