The good foods!

Alrighty my fellow friends and weight loss buddies. It's time to get down to business. I have read many places online that while it take working out and eating right to live healthy and lose weight, it really matters what you are putting in your body. It's not about eating the amount of calories you're suppose to and saying "Yay I didn't gorge my  mouth with way too many calories!" it's about filling your body full of nutrients so you can feel healthy, look healthy and be healthy. Isn't that what we all want? I know it's what I want. I once read "abs are made in the kitchen not the gym." I think it's true. Today I'm going to tell you a boat load of different kinds of food you can eat to start your road to success. Yay!

Veggies

Okay I know the whole heart picture of veggies is a little much, but I recommend having a good relationship with veggies, you'll be eating a lot of them. Here is a short list of the endless veggies that are good to eat:

• Spinach
• Zucchini
• Squash
• Carrot
• Avocado
• Broccoli
• Mushrooms
• Peas
• Celery
• Cucumber
• Cauliflower
• any other veggies you may want. :)

Fruits

 

Oh how I love fruit! Really when it comes to eating healthy it's the easiest when I can eat fruit, I just love it. But unfortunately I love it so much I have to watch how much I eat so I don't consume too much sugar. Ugh. Everything in moderation... remember that about everything. Anyway fruit is pretty much just like veggies you can eat anything you want. But I think you have to watch the amount of sugar you consume.

• Apple
• Banana
• Grapes
• Strawberry
• Blueberry
• Raspberry
• Mango
• Orange
• Pear
• Anything not listed... list here. Like coconut, or cantaloupe... you got the idea. :P



Legumes

 

This list isn't so long, but there are still some that I have found to be yummy.

• Lentils (any form)
• Black beans
• Pinto beans

 

Meat

 



I'm sorry if you find the above photo to be gross... what photo of raw meat isn't. Anyway, next is meat, meaaat. All kinds of meat, correction lean meat. Every time I type the word 'meat' I say it like a big bulky guy MEAT! Hah. I think one of the most crucial things to know about choosing a meat is, make sure its lean. No fat, skin, or anything that isn't red... or white or whatever color the meat is.

Fish:

• Salmon
• swordfish
• Shrimp
• Scallop
• Talapia
• etc

Other meats:

• Chicken (skinless, fat removed, boneless is good too)
• Pork- lean
• Red meat (fat removed)
• Veil
• Lamb

Grains/carbs



 

 

Yummy yummy yummy carbs, yummy! Hah. I love any form of carb, so delicious. Rolls, bread, noodles, potatoes, all so good. Here are some that are actually the good kind.

• Whole grain anything. (pasta, tortilla, roll, etc.)
• Oatmeal
• Brown Rice
• Couscous
• Sweet potato

 

Nuts

 

Nuts are the easiest snack! Lots of healthy fat and protein, some of my favorites words!

• Almond
• Peanuts
• Peanut butter
• Walnuts
• Pistachio
• etc.

 

 

There's the basics, some other things I would note that I have found to be quite important are:

• Measuring cups/spoon are your friend! Use them like you use a spoon or fork. Proportions are extremely important.
• I have learned while visiting friends or family, it's hard to say "I can't eat that" or stark hacking away at your steak to take all the meat off... so instead it a very limited amount, nothing you will regret later. Also about cutting the fat off... well just tell them that you don't like the fat, and at least your eating the meat! :)
• Always look at the nutrition label, specially for grains and carbs, you'll have more control if you're aware of what you're putting in your mouth.
• If you don't know the nutritional or caloric value of something look it up. Here are a few sites I like to use:

nutritiondata.self.com

myfitnesspal.com

 

Have any questions leave a comment! Till next time, work hard, work long! :) Adios.

 



 

 



Setting a short term goal



Hey everyone! My last post was about how to set a long term goal. So the next step is to set SHORT TERM goals to reach that long term goal. Now that you have a big picture of what you are working toward you have to put the puzzle pieces together to make it. :)

Based on the calculations from this post you will lose 1.5 lbs to 2 lbs a week. I think it's best to base your short term goal on that. Something like 4 lbs in 2 weeks is a good start.

For me once I reached that goal a few times and realized I could pass it I increased the amount to what I felt I could do, even a little to push myself.

It's important to set a short term goal the first few times that you know you can reach, so you know what it feels like to reach the goal. You'll feel successful, accomplished and it will give you motivation to work harder and do better. :) It really is a great feeling when you have increased your short term weight loss goal and reached it.

So, push harder, work longer, eat healthier and you make it. :)

Adios for now.

How to set a long term goal

I've been inspired to write a new post. An old friend of mine recently asked me to help her get the ball rolling on her weight loss journey. I was more than glad to, I was actually really really excited I could help someone first hand. Anyway, while I've been pouring all my secrets, tricks, and beginning step on her it made me think "I should share this with everyone. Make a post!" Its the hardest to get started, so I wanna make it as easy as possible.

Courtesy of google

First, I'll go back to my first post on this blog, to get started you have to have the motivation to want to lose weight.

Second, Determine your BMI (Body Mass Index). Which is based on current weight and height. This is to determine what your weight should be. (Goal weight)

Third, Calculate your caloric needs to maintain weight. So that later you can adjust to lose weight. I got this formula from the INSANITY program.

For woman: 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - ( 4.7 x age in years)

For men: 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years)

This equation is based on the Harris Benedict Equation

Fourth, Now that you know how much calories your body needs to maintain your weight you need to determine how many calories to eat based on how often/hard you workout. Take the number you received from the third section and multiply by your level of exercise below.

From my iPhone

After calculating this number this is the amount of calories you have to eat to maintain your weight while working out. So to lose weight you want to subtract 500-700 calories from your final calculation. That 500-700 calories is equivalent to 1-1.5 lbs a week of weight lost.

Fifth, Based on your BMI and the amount of weight you lose a week you are now able to calculate a long term weight loss goal. Just divide the amount of weight you want to lose by how much you will lose a week and in that many weeks you will reach your goal weight.

EX: To lose 45 lbs at 1.5 lbs a week March 16th is when the goal will be met. (45/1.5= 30) Add 30 weeks from the current date.

I know that losing 1.5 lbs a week sounds like so little but, it's better to reach a goal early than late. I know that far too well. :) You can subtract more calories depending on how your body is responding to the amount of calories you are eating, just never go below 1200 calories. Personally I would never go below 1500 because I workout daily and my body needs the extra calories for energy.

So, now that you have an idea of when you are going to reach your goal weight, and how many calories you need to eat you need to know how to divide them up.

Eat at least 5 times a day; 3 meals and 2 snacks.

EX: For someone who needs to eat 1800 calories a day 400 calories for a meal and 300 calories for snacks OR 500 for meals and 130 for snacks.

A little tip I have to go along with this post is:

Make sure you eat after working out, some lean protein like skinless boneless chicken breast, beef, pork, fish (just remember to remove the fat), whey protein shake, protein bar. Complex carbs are okay too. You want to eat protein to rebuild your muscles up and re-energize your body. Also watch how much sugar is in the protein powder or bar. You want it as low as possible.

I think that's all for now. Have question leave a comment. :)



95 lbs!

95 lbs!

Good News! Exciting news! Short term goals really do work! I feel so good saying that, sooo good. Want to know why? On August 4th I weighed 197 lbs so on the 9th I set a short term goal for me to lose 7 lbs by August 25th. I felt that was really reasonable. Annnnd guess what!? I weighed myself on the 12th and I was down 12 lbs!! That means as of August 12th I have lost 95 lbs and weigh 185 lbs! I am ecstatic. I had reached and passed my short term goal by almost 2 weeks! My new short term goal is to be at 180 lbs by August 25th. If I reach that goal it will be quite an amazing feeling because it will mark my one year weight loss, and I will have lost 100 lbs. It would be so special! I'll keep you guys posted!



P.S. There will be a blog coming later today or tomorrow. :)

Killer Arm Workout.. Uhh, Yea!

So I'm always looking for new exercises I can add to my workout routine or even a whole routine I could try. I'm starting to notice that my legs are getting a lot more toned then my upper body so I looked for a good mix of exercises that would work my arms. Let me tell you... I found it. My arms are soo soo sore today. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE feeling sore. It means I did something right! Soreness is a good thing. One place I seem to find many different exercises or even workout tips is Pinterest. I'm ALWAYS looking for effective exercise information. The "Health and Fitness" category has become my new best friend. (Follow me if you want: Kirsti's Pinterest )

Anyway back to my arms being sore. I found a link on pinterest with a caption reading "top 10 moves for killer arms". Okay they probably aren't the TOP 10 but, let me tell you from what I'm feeling today they're somewhere up there.

For the workout you'll need:

Courtesy of my iPhone- sorry for the quality. :P

• Dumbbells
• Chair
• Workout ball

If you don't have a workout ball don't fret you can put your feet on the edge of a couch or even the chair instead. Don't have dumbbells you can make weights at home. Either put water, sand, rocks, flour, pretty much whatever in 2 gallon or half gallon milk containers. It all depends on how heavy you want them to be. OR you can even put cans in a plastic bag, to the desired weight you want. Just make sure, either way you do it, they weight the same. You don't want to work one arm more than the other.

What are the exercises?
Finally after all this chit chat let's get down to business. The workout should be done three times with 30-45 second rests in between each circuit, depending on how out of breath you are.

• Dumbbell curl- 8 left arm, 8 right arm, 8 both arms. I always try to keep my elbows at my sides and do the reps counting to 3 as I finish. (moving the weight away from my body)
• Forarm plank-The classic plank position. Elbows on the floor, back straight. Hold for 20 seconds and repeat 3 times.
• Chair dips- (these were killer for me, but it's totally worth it in the end) 8 reps. I try and keep my knees straight and bend my arms to a 90 degree angle
• Balanced Core Strengthening- I like to think of it as superman, with one foot on the ground. Act like your flying through the air balancing with one foot on the ground. Keep your arms by your ears though. 8 reps alternating legs holding for 8 seconds.
• The Cobra- Lay on the floor with your hands on each side of your chest. Lift your chest off the ground and hold for 2 seconds. I did 8 of these.
• Pullover with dumbbell- I did 10 of these
• Push up on a ball- I did 10 but remember to keep good form.
• Hover rotation- This is basically doing a plank on each side of your body, back, left side, right side, front. I held them for 8 seconds each and did two of each.
• Traveling Power Squat- start in a squat position, jump in the air while simultaneously lifting a dumbbell over your head with both arms. I did as many as I could for 30 seconds.

REPEAT 3 times! I know it's hard once you get done with the second, but if you push yourself you'll see results. It's so much sweeter in the end when you know how hard you worked. ALSO, remember to eat some lean meat or protein when you get done. If you want to gain muscle you have to feed your muscles, it's crucial. I normally have a chicken breast/thigh or half a scoop of protein powder in 1 cup of milk or water.

Here is where I found the workout it shows you how to do each move in a video.

Touch on a Little Bit of EVERYTHING

What I Want From My Blog:
The first post to my new blog, kinda scary. I have such a long list that I want this blog to cover. I want you to be able to get as much out of it as I have put into it. I want it to cover my detailed weight loss, including how I got to where I'm at now and of course how I'm going to keep losing weight. I want it to act as a personal food diary, sharing photos and recipes (if you want them). I also want it to cover bits of information that I run across and find useful or interesting. While my expectations are high I also want you to ask me questions. I pretty much want this blog to act as a open book for anything that relates to my weight loss. I want it to be a inspiration for you, the reader.

My View on Losing Weight:
 Losing weight is really REALLY hard. But the good thing is, once you get started and have seen some results it gets really easy. I know, it sounds crazy for me to say it gets really easy, but for me it did. I think it's because of two principles: motivation and determination. For me motivations is the most important though, if you don't have it you have nothing, literally. If you don't have the motivation to start then you're not going to get anywhere. You have to have a reason you want to change your body and life. Once you have that fire you most likely will be determined to reach your goal. I have known many people who say they need to lose weight but never do because they don't have the motivation to WANT to. Something else I have learned through my journey that it is also crucial to lose weight for YOURSELF no one else, do it for you. Do it because you want to look good. Do it because you want to be healthy. Do it because its all about you in weight loss, it's personal and you're the most important person. You're the one that's going to get up in the morning to run and workout. You're the one that's going to count the calories, skip the fatty foods and enjoy the veggies. No one else is going to do it for you, its all about you and how YOU do it. While losing weight IS all about you it's also extremely important to have a support system. There is no way I would be where I am right now if I didn't have my family and friends cheering me on. When it got hard and I wanted to give up their words of support are what showed me I can really do it. Not only did their words help motivate me but it showed me I didn't want to let them down. I wanted to show them that they weren't wasting their time supporting me. Find a few close friends and family and tell them about your goals and share your successes with them. You need people you can go to when you need a boost to keep going.

So what's crucial to losing weight?

• motivation
• determination
• losing weight for YOURSELF
• and a support system

Ask yourself: WHY do I want to lose weight? HOW am I going to lose weight? WHO am I losing weight for? and who am I going to SHARE my weight loss journey with so I can have support?

My BEFORE and CURRENT photos:
So you're probably thinking wow, she really has a point of view on weight loss. I wanna see if its really worked for her. Well here's one of your first chances. But first a little background knowledge. I started losing weight in August of 2011, my starting weight was 280 pounds. Currently I have lost 83 pounds and weight 197 pounds.

The photo on the left is taken in Sept of 2010 I consistently stayed at 280 lbs until August of 2011 and the photo on the right was taken after I completed my first 5K in May of 2012.

My Goals:
I have recently started setting short-term goals. I have always had a long term goal but never determined when I wanted to reach that goal, but now I have! Yay!
Currently my short-term goal is to reach 190 lbs by August 25th.
My long term goal is to reach 160 lbs by Jan 15th 2013.
I will keep you updated on my success to reaching these goals as I post regularly.

This is an idea of what is to come for A Thinner Me. If you have any questions go ahead and ask! :)

Till my next post... Adios.