Attempt #...oh, I don't know anymore.
Ok so I did those calculations and it turns out I'm on the fat end of Acceptable range - 23.76% body fat! Ouch. I know it's not the most accurate assessment ever, but if I were to take that as my true BFP then it jumped 9% since 2004. At that time, I did one of those hand-held electronic body fat monitors and I was at 14%. Then I did it again in 2008 and I was at 17%. Something must be off or I've just become a big fat slob in the last two years. I tried with another calculator and that said I'm at 22.9% and to their standards I'm overweight.
For calories, my normal caloric intake should be anywhere between 2500 for days with light activity to 2900 for days with moderate activity. But with the 20% deduction for fat loss, that would be 2000 to 2400 per day. Not too bad, I generally eat that much now, but how it's staggered throughout the day is a different matter. And weekends are a totally different story. I'm making myself aware of when my stomach signals me to eat and it's been anywhere between 3-5 times a day. Really it depends on the amount of physical activity I do and what I eat in a previous meal. My approach to food as of now is to watch for portion size and to be as close to natural and whole as possible. I'm watchful of the numbers, but my emphasis is visual cue and being in tune with what my body needs.
The biggest challenge for me has always been, and still is, exercising. My 2nd shift schedule coupled with baby-sitting in the morning forces me to exercise when baby takes her nap in the morning or at night when I get home. Neither is any good, I'm tired either way. I get the opportunity sometimes on the weekends, but it's not consistent. So these days, I make the time to exercise no matter what and no matter how late, even if it's just for a little bit. Hurts, but I need to break through somehow. My desire to get back into fighting trim is not always strong enough to keep me going, but each day I decide to do something, the desire begins to grow, so that it motivates me to do something, which again feeds the desire, and so on and so forth.
These next 8 weeks will be tough, but by God's grace, I will overcome.
For calories, my normal caloric intake should be anywhere between 2500 for days with light activity to 2900 for days with moderate activity. But with the 20% deduction for fat loss, that would be 2000 to 2400 per day. Not too bad, I generally eat that much now, but how it's staggered throughout the day is a different matter. And weekends are a totally different story. I'm making myself aware of when my stomach signals me to eat and it's been anywhere between 3-5 times a day. Really it depends on the amount of physical activity I do and what I eat in a previous meal. My approach to food as of now is to watch for portion size and to be as close to natural and whole as possible. I'm watchful of the numbers, but my emphasis is visual cue and being in tune with what my body needs.
The biggest challenge for me has always been, and still is, exercising. My 2nd shift schedule coupled with baby-sitting in the morning forces me to exercise when baby takes her nap in the morning or at night when I get home. Neither is any good, I'm tired either way. I get the opportunity sometimes on the weekends, but it's not consistent. So these days, I make the time to exercise no matter what and no matter how late, even if it's just for a little bit. Hurts, but I need to break through somehow. My desire to get back into fighting trim is not always strong enough to keep me going, but each day I decide to do something, the desire begins to grow, so that it motivates me to do something, which again feeds the desire, and so on and so forth.
These next 8 weeks will be tough, but by God's grace, I will overcome.
posted by L at
11:33 PM
3 Comments:
Good for you! And don't go crazy comparing one body fat scale to another: they're all in cahoots to make you feel like you're insane, when really you're not. I know for a fact that the navy measurement is being a little too good for me, because I used to use hydrostatic weighing as my body comp test (the privilege of using university equipment for free *sigh*) which was a more precise measure of true body comp, and I look nowhere near my 18% bodyfat size...I just use it to measure and celebrate progress, rather than the actual number. plus, that way I can figure out if i'm losing body fat or lean mass.
I know what you mean about being able to take visual cues from food, but I would still advise keeping a food journal so that you can train yourself and be better at biofeedback. Right now, I know what eating 300 calories per meal feels like, but if I'm not careful with junk food, I don't realize that a sandwich could easily be 700 calories (stay away from Arby's sandwiches). I guess it's also a argument for eating home cooked/whole food meals rather than fast food, but I just wanted to be realistic in that there are times when I do eat fast food for convenience; I just know now to assume they are rife with junk calories and devoid of nutrition.
I also need a food journal because left to my own devices, even though I LOVE food, I won't eat enough. and that was my problem. I would eat 1200-1400 calories a day for a long time and wonder why I'm too tired through my workouts and barely make progress. Funny how I have made more progress these last two weeks with fewer workouts and more food (timed better throughout the day) than I did throughout February. I'm sure that the first month i was laying the groundwork, but I think overall, I was working hard, not working smart.
I will be posting some of my exercises, most of which have been done with DB so that you don't even need a gym for these moves. oh, and a fun conditioning move that I've incorporated at the tail end of my workout rather than waste time walking for 20 minutes has been Burpees/squatthrusts. 2 sets of 10 of those for me is great! (you could probably do more)
Oh, I almost forgot: if exercise is your only issue, then you are far better off than most people as a starting point because usually a bad diet is coupled with the lack of exercise...and let's face it, you can't out-train a bad diet.
Also, what has helped me is to be able to write down all of your goals and to state your actual goal in affirmative language. Language is powerful in firing through your brain and making your brain believe whatever it is you want it to believe. If you condition your brain with aphorisms and other types of written exercises, you will begin to internalize and expect those changes to occur. Plus, they're motivating.
For example, my goal for March 27 was: "On March 27, 2010 I am healthy and eat consciously. My clothes fit me well. I have visible musculature, and less than 19% body fat. I go to the gym 3-4 days a week. I can run a mile and a half in 12 minutes. My body is ready for the next phase, and that is to build strength and muscle so that I can do unassisted chin ups, and squat 200 pounds!"
Of course, I had other "I will..." before that ended, but at least write out your goals as if they are the present tense, and repeat it or read them often (index cards!!) you may think they're cheesy, but they work for me in helping me to accomplish all my goals...now, my next phase is to apply this to my writing time!!
Yeah, I should keep a food journal again. I used to for a little bit when I did Atkins back in ‘02 and for a few months when I worked in security. So I hope I can keep up with it even longer this time around. The only thing keeping me in check with the food is my healthnut in-laws and wife buying real whole food all the time. The only one buying unhealthy processed food is me! Haha! And I haven’t been to Arby’s in nearly 3 years! But I kept thinking about buying every time I pass by. I’d go to McD’s instead because they have that 69 cent any size coffee! Wow, talk about swinging to extremes! Good that Em hates when I spend money on fast food. So to keep her from yelling at me, I only buy once or twice a week! It used to be once or twice a month before I worked in TV.
Thanks for the reminder about goal-setting skills. That was my staple habit when I was in Amway. When I left Amway, I also left behind my consistent use of those skills. Wow, I haven’t used index cards to remind me of my goals in nearly 6 years! I still have my two laminated index cards for my long-term goals somewhere in my attic. Maybe I should do something like that again. I miss doing those things.
Haha! Burpees! That's another staple of mine along with Dand push-ups and Baithak squats! Thing is, like with exercising in general, I haven't been consistent with it. I tell my students to do squat-thrusts and burpees, but here I am not doing them as much as I used to. Interestingly enough, just before you wrote your comment, I wanted to be a good example to my students by being able to do just as much if not more than what I tell them to do. I told them a few weeks ago to do 30 reps every other day as a start. For me, as of last week, I was able to bring it back up to 2 sets of 20. This week I'll bring it up to 2 sets of 25. When I can do 2 sets of 30 again like I used to do last year, I'll be satisfied.
I guess it's also about time for me to check on my progress. I'll measure myself and write about it soon.
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