Today I was really feeling bad about my chocolate indulgence. You see, I ate one of those delicious Hazelnut milk chocolate bars that are (conveniently) placed at the Trader Joe's checkout stand last night. And by ate, I mean consumed the entire thing. All 600 or so calories!
Well, this morning my intention was to run at least 7 miles to ensure that all the calories from last nights oops were burned off. It didn't exactly happen that way- errands, to do's, phone calls and just life in general got in the way. I was lucky to get in a 3 miler with my husband at 7pm!
I really got thinking about how if one really intends to keep everything Up, In and Tight, the focus MUST, first and foremost, be on diet. If you eat a huge meal, or overindulge in chocolate, you simply cannot depend on exercise to undo what you ate. Life gets in the way of even the best laid out plans.
I highly recommend using one of the many BMR (basal metabolic rate) calculators online- just Google it, I like this one: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/. Find out how many calories you need to simply exist. Then use a fancy-schmancy calculator that uses the Harris-Benedict equation (http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/harris-benedict-equation/) to figure out how many calories you need when your level of activity is included.
It's really quite a shocking thing to see in numbers how LITTLE calories we need to simply maintain weight. Myself, I require about 1890 calories a day (factoring in exercise 6 times a week). If I want to lose a few pounds, I drop my intake down to around 1400-1500 calories a day. Please note, the American Dietetic Association recommends that women NEVER reduce caloric intake to below 1200 calories a day.
I find that I need to keep a log of my calories in order to stay on track. My husband wrote a program that I use on my smartphone called i411.com. It will be released soon for general use. I know that when I see I only have 400 cals left for dinner, I cannot have that handful of chips if I want to keep my shape.
Tomorrow is another day! Another day to keep on the straight and narrow with my diet and exercise intentions. Here's to keeping everything Up, In and Tight!
***See your physician for first before embarking on a diet, especially if you have any medical issues (Diabetes, heart disease, renal or liver problems, etc).
Its so true, it seems the instant I start to diet, my life gets in the way! And like you, chocolate is definitely a weakness for me..... though I'd love to think after all the studies they have done on cocoa that its really not all that bad for me, (and I honestly try to stick to the less fatty chocolates like dark chocolate as opposed to milk chocolate) but it is all in moderation really for me. Thanks for the inspiring word (: I have been dieting consistently for about two months now, and have lost almost 20 pounds, and I have found that water is key for me. If I am drinking enough water along with exercise and wise food choices, then loosing weight is so much easier!
ReplyDeleteCathy! Your devoted sister has been following the blog since day one. Love it, love you! Great job!! Keep it up (and in, and tight). :-)
ReplyDeleteSadi- Life really does have a way of getting in the way! I'm happy to hear about your success!
ReplyDeleteCindy- Thanks so much! Love you too.