I’ve been politely questioned, rudely asked, and even teased about my weight. None of that really made a difference in terms of motivating me to get healthy, in fact, it may have had the opposite effect.
My trainer is taking a different approach — a financial consequence.
Liz and I have agreed. If we don’t come in weighing one pound less consistently every week, our hourly rate will increase by a dollar… permanently!
A pound is a comfortable goal. I’m confident I won’t go into the poor house, and can maintain weight loss of a pound a week. Two pounds a week, however, is my actual goal.
My exercise plan can certainly be improved since I have not been consistent in that regard. Some weeks I’ve had 5 workouts, and most weeks, just three. So, that can be easily fixed.
Healthy eating has not been a priority for me in weeks. Now, this is a touchy area for me. In my word, I say I want to eat healthy, but in deed, I’m not. My healthy integrity has gone out the door!
I’ve recommitted to eating well, one day at a time. I like my food journal on my phone, even if I don’t like its name. I’m always going to be a nerd, so I like seeing the calculations.
Here’s the part that takes real commitment, though– measuring everything– and I mean EVERYTHING I put in my mouth!
Here’s a few examples:
Coffee with 1 tbsp creamer
Examining the Nutrition Facts on Every Single Item
Note to self: a cup of spaghetti is not enough for a cup of sauce
Once I have everything entered in my journal, I’ll be able to recall it without trouble. This week, I find myself spending a lot of time looking up and then entering stats for things like “Organic Veggie Straws” and “BBQ Chicken.”
I’m also keeping track of my workouts on the exercise journal. Does anyone out there know how many kcals are burned in a 30 minute kettlebell workout? I don’t want to use the “weight lifting” stats, because that just doesn’t seem to capture the entire workout.
That just about sums it up. (Get it? SUMS it up? Aw, forget it.) Of course, I’d love to hear from you… it keeps me motivated! Please leave a comment below in the “reply” box. I look forward to reading it!
Mahalo!
Get a Heart Rate Monitor/Watch. Well worth the money. I think Polar and Suunto are the market leaders. I have a Suunto T3(about $150 a couple years ago) it will tell you peak heart rate, avg HR, kcal burned, and rate your workout intensity. Even better, (for gadget freaks like me) it can interface to your computer and download all your workout data for you. How many calories you burn in a workout are a function of your body composition (height/weight), age, fitness level, and how hard you workout (intensity), so everyone’s calories will be different, even if they did the same workout.
Thanks, Cary! I do have a heart rate monitor that I really like, but I haven’t managed to figure out all the extras! This is solid advice, thanks for reminding me to USE IT!
Hello, is anybody out there? This is your big sis “commenting.” Are you having fun yet?