Hi all, let me join you.
I'm now 5' 10", 209 lbs, down 5 lbs in the last 2 weeks. My Wii Fit now thinks I'm 'overweight' (BMI 29.98) rather than 'obese' (BMI 30.02).
Yay!
My target weight is 176 lbs, and I'm trying to lose 2 lbs/week. My goal is to look better in my clothes, and enjoy myself more at water parks.
I'm trying "the hackers diet", which is simply energy in - energy out = net gain/loss. That is, I'm watching what I eat. I found a site that tracks what I'm eating here:
http://www.livestrong.com/ called the daily plate. I'm trying to eat fewer carbs, less fat and more protein, but as long as I hit the cal target I give myself some flexibility.
Priorities, in order:
1) hit the cal target
2) come in under my carb budget
3) come in over my fiber target (to feel full)
4) come in under my fat budget
To lose 2 lbs/wk I'm eating 1,600 cal rather than 2,600 cal. Every week I'm under by 7,000 cal, and 1 lb lost = 3,500 cal.
I'm exercising on my wii fit, walking, and I'm going to start using machines at a gym this week. I track my calories burned, and make sure my _net_ calories are still 1,600. Mowing the lawn gets me an extra big snack!
Eating less has been pretty easy so far. I've been eating high fiber foods and foods with lots of water to help feel full, and it's working. A couple of days it worked so well I ended up under my 1,600 target. Since then I'm trying to eat more for lunch and breakfast to avoid repeating that.
Things I've learned
by watching what I eat (1st 2 weeks):
- bagels are not like 2 slices of toast, more like 3 or 4
. buh-bye.
- even large salads with vinegar and oil dressing are way lower cal than I thought (100 cal typ.).
- when you're eating 4,000 cal/day and you do 400 cal of exercise, you make a 10% difference. When you're eating 1,600 cal/day and you do 400 cal of exercise it 25%. So it feels great when you get to eat 25% more to still hit 1,600/day, which motivates you.
- 20 min of walking (and when I walk for exercise, I sweat and feel my calves burn) is worth approx. 1 apple or most snack-sized prepared foods (100-130 cal)
- even though I'm in a family of 5 I've had little trouble sticking to my own choices, rather than being influenced by the family. Say we have fried rice for supper. I use a measuring cup and control my portion, and still hit my cal target for the day. Mostly I hit my carb/fat/fiber targets, sometimes I don't, but it doesn't bother me because I still hit my cal target.
Good luck all. See you at Typhoon Lagoon