How I Lost 50 Pounds
I'm sure that at least some people who come to my blog come here looking for tips, so I decided I would post the things I've done that have helped me to lose 50 pounds in 7 and a half months. Remember, this is just what I did! I'm not saying this is the only correct and true way to lose weight.
1. I count calories – I use SparkPeople.com, which provides me with guidelines to follow. They have given me a calorie range of 1,200 – 1,550 calories per day that I am supposed to stay within, and I actually try to stay between 1,250 – 1,300 calories per day. I recently refigured my “maintain weight” calories, and I need to eat around 1,730 calories to maintain my weight (not taking exercise into account. The exercise I currently do actually puts me at 1,830 to maintain), so I need to stay right in the range of 1,230 to lose a pound a week, which is pretty close to what I’ve been doing (although losing has become much harder since I’ve gotten so close to my goal).
2. I eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day – This pretty much speaks for itself, just try to find opportunities to snack on fruits, always have some sort of vegetable with your dinner, things like that are what I do to get all my servings in.
3. I drink 2 gallons of water a day – Yes, 2 gallons! Sounds like a bit much, but I didn’t start drinking that much right away. When I first started trying to lose weight, I concentrated on drinking at least 12 cups a day. After a while (I don’t remember how long), that got easy, and I started drinking 16 cups a day, which is 1 gallon (128 oz.). The more water I drank, the more I wanted to drink, and soon I was drinking 20 cups a day. It continued like that until eventually, I got to 2 gallons a day. I won’t drink more than that, though, because too much water can actually be dangerous. But try to drink at least half your weight in ounces a day (meaning I weigh 139 lbs, so I should drink at least 70 oz. a day).
4. I exercise for 30 minutes 5 times a week – I own a treadmill, so I walk every single weekday. I started out going really slow (like 2.0 mph), and I eventually worked my way up to walking around 1.9 miles in the 30 minutes. I have always focused on increasing my speed, and keeping my time the same. If you don’t like treadmills, that’s ok, the point is just to get some exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.
5. I make sure I get enough fiber – I always get at least 25 g of fiber a day, usually more. This is really important to your digestive health, and to keep things “moving.” I try to eat whole grains, which have more fiber, and fruits and vegetables with fiber in them. For some reason this is hard for people, but I really recommend working on your fiber intake. Be sure to increase your fiber intake slowly to avoid painful bloating and stomach problems. Also, make absolutely sure you drink enough water if you’re going to increase your fiber intake. If your body has excess fiber but not enough water to flush it out, it can cause constipation.
6. I try to keep my sodium low – below 2,300 mg a day. Most of the food I eat isn’t very processed, so I don’t usually have to worry about it too much, especially with as much water as I drink, but you would be surprised how much sodium some people get in a single day (myself included, back in the day). This small change could make a huge difference.
7. One of the most important things, and one I almost forgot, is that I write down everything I eat! Not “pen and paper” write down, but I use SparkPeople’s nutrition tracker, and I do actually “pen and paper” write down foods that have to be measured (apples, bananas, bread…). Yes, I am obsessed with my calorie count being as accurate as feasibly possible. And just because the package may say that one pita pocket weighs 35 grams and is 80 calories, doesn’t mean that it does or is. Case in point: yesterday’s pita pocket weighed 41.5 grams and was 90 calories. It’s not necessary to be as exact as I am; if a close estimate is good enough for you, role with it! The important thing is to write it down!
Most of the things I’ve done to lose 50 pounds sound like the same old thing you hear every day about how to lose weight, but you know what? That’s because these things work! Give it a try, and I promise you, you will see results.
I’d also like to address the fact that although I have lost 50 pounds, my weight loss has slowed considerably. This is because once you get very close to your goal, your body adapts and it doesn’t need to work as hard as it used to. It also requires less calories to function than it used to, so you need to eat even less to see the same results. I’ve always eaten around the same amount of calories, but that used to create a much bigger calorie deficit. Now the difference between the calories I need/burn and the calories I consume is not so big, so the weight comes off much more slowly. Your body also has what are called “set points,” which is when your body is comfortable at a certain weight, and thinks that is where it is supposed to be. And sometimes it is, so listen to your body! But even if it’s not, don’t expect to get there within a matter of weeks. Like I’ve already said, the less you weigh, the harder you have to work to weigh even less.
If you’re having trouble with the last 10 pounds, here are some great resources (thanks, Shanti!):
http://www.fitfaq.com/2005/02/lose-last-10-pounds.html
http://www.glamour.com/health/feature/articles/2006/07/10/tenpounds06april
http://ask.metafilter.com/73022/How-to-lose-the-last-ten-pounds
I am not a doctor, a nutritionist, or a trainer. This post is just about what I did, and what worked for me. But I hope I was able to help at least someone out there!
