FAQ

I wanted to have a reference for when I get asked questions so I don't have to keep typing the same thing over again... so here it goes...

Stats:

Starting Weight: 210
Goal Weight: 150
Current Weight: 146
Total Lost: 64 lbs
Height: 5'7
BF%: 21% (according to my very inaccurate scale, but at least it's a number)

What made you decide to lose weight?

A little blue dress kicked my ass and was my main motivator (Thanks Adda!). I saw myself in that dress and was not happy with out I looked and I decided it was time to suck it up and lose some weight.

How long did it take you to lose?

It took me about 16 months to reach my goal weight. I had a few plateaus along the way, but I generally averaged a 1 lbs loss a week.

I probably could have lost it a lot faster, but I wasn't willing to some cut things out of my diet.

If you didn't cut much out of your diet, how did you lose weight? 

I worked my butt off! And I managed what I ate. I learned about portion control, and one of the biggest hurdles I had to overcome was the idea that I had to eat less than my husband. I had it in my head that we had to be eating the same amounts and it was absolutely false. I needed to eat less than him.

How did you Manage what you ate?

I started reading food labels and counting calories. I would look closely at the portion sizes and I also said no to all the goodies that came into the office. This actually wasn't that hard because I don't have a huge sweet tooth, and seeing the affect these items would have on my day was enough for me to turn them down.

I started weighing foods to make sure I wasn't going overboard. I don't weigh everything, just things I know are easy to eat too much of. Cereal, chips, butter, cheese... all the things I really love!

How much did you eat and how did you come up with that number? 

I probably averaged 2000 calories a day while losing and now I eat around 2500. A big part of why I was able to eat so much and still lose is that I worked out 5 days a week.

I did a lot of research on the different methods of losing weight, and the one that seemed to make the most sense to me was the TDEE - 20% method. However, because I had already been using MyFitnessPal to log food and exercise I didn't want to stop logging my exercise.

What I did instead was I used the calculator on Fat 2 Fit as my guide. The BMR Calculator tells you your BMR and your TDEE at goal. I set my daily NET Calories to my BMR and then would eat back any exercise calories I earned. I would also try to keep below my TDEE at goal.

I would also look at my weekly average on MyFitnessPal and try to be under my net goal for the week.

This method helped me not worry about being over some days because I could see that that one day would not affect my weekly average.

What exercise did you do and how much time did you spend? 

When I started I was just walking on the treadmill, I would use the preset programs so the incline would constantly be changing. I would also use my spin bike.Eventually I started running instead of walking.

After a while of doing mostly cardio I was starting to feel weak, so I began to incorporate some strength work. We have a cable machine at home, so I used that and I would also run the P90X workouts.

I also found the NikeTrainingClub app and started using that for my strength workouts. I eventually got bored of the workouts and wanted to try something new, so I started Insanity.

Once I completed Insanity, I was just about at goal so I started to focus even more on strength training. I started some strength workouts using the JEFIT app and now I am part way through Basic II of New Rules of Lifting: Supercharged.

I don't like to spend too much time working out, so I try to maximize the time I have. I keep my workouts under an hour, but I bust my butt during that time.

What has been the best part about losing weight?

Being more confident in myself and my abilities... I think I have become more outgoing and not that shy person who won't talk to anyone. Don't get me wrong... I am still shy and terrible at talking to people, but at least I am more willing to try now :)

Being able to do exercises that I couldn't do before is very exciting. The first time I did a yoga wheel... was thrilling, and when I found out a I could jump high on my derby skates. I can't wait to see what else I can do!

Oh... and being able to fit into whatever clothes I wan't doesn't hurt either ;)