People have asked me how I'm losing weight and how it might work for them. I'm going to nutshell it for you.
1 (most important) - Eat at least 5 times a day. That doesn't mean you have to have real or full meals, but this goes with #2...2 - Never go longer than 3 hours without eating (except for at night, of course). After about 3 hours your body goes into starvation mode and will hang on to all the calories you eat as fat. Ideal is to eat every 2-3 hours.
3 - Get a little bit of exercise every day. Or almost every day. Don't just do cardio, but do get cardio at least 4 times a week, resistance exercises at least twice. Resistance exercises are weights. Weights stimulate your metabolism, cardio keeps it going. You need both to effectively lose weight for anything long-term. 
4 - Eat protein for every meal. Whether that's a cheese stick or cottage cheese or beans or tofu or chicken or an egg, it doesn't matter. But don't overdo it. Just a little bit of protein will do it (one egg, one cheese stick, half a cup of cc or beans, etc.).
5 - eat only enough carbs to get you to the next meal. If you're running out of energy before your 2-3 hours is up, then you need to get more carbs. If you're going to take a nap or sit the whole time, then you need a smaller portion. If you're going to exercise or be active, then you need a little more. 
That's really all there is to it. When you start a program like this, start out slow. You actually want results to be gradual, because it's much healthier. And if you're fat like me, going gradual means that your skin will have time to pull back too. Because really, who wants saggy baggy skin?!One thing that's kind of an exception for me. I don't have a regular wake up time. Because of that, I adjust my meal times based on when I wake up. So I don't always eat lunch at noon, for example. If I'm up at 8, my meals are at 8-10-12-3-6, with a small snack around 8. If I'm up at 10, my meals are at 10-12-2-4-6, with the snack at 8. See how that works? You can make changes to the diet and exercise based on your particular needs.
Please feel free to ask any questions. I've learned a lot from Dan. Oh, and if you're interested in having a similar journey, let me know, because Dan does free consultations, and he loves my friends.
A fun fact I learned from my surgeon Thursday night: You burn 1/3 more calories per hour sleeping than you do watching TV. Most people think that just being awake, even though you're just sitting, would burn more calories, but it's not so. That's another good reason to get at least 8 hours every night. And the more muscle you build, the more calories you burn at rest. Sounds like a win-win situation to me!
ReplyDeleteItem Number 4. "CC"... um, that doesn't mean Captain Crunch, does it? I'd REALLY like it to mean Captain Crunch. Since my favorite is Peanut Butter flavor, would that count as protein?
ReplyDelete(Seeing your notes, I may just try this on my own for a few days or a week. Although... I did that and it didn't work out that well, did it?)
Thanks! I did not follow exactly the same program when I lost most of my overweight, but It totally lifts me up to see what your are doing. I admire you. And it is encouraging me to change my lifestile to the better, I sware!
ReplyDeleteWay to go! Keep sharing your progress!
By the way, with this post and the one in your other blog entitled "a house of order" I'll look up to you as my heroin for now on.
Besos!