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August 26, 2007
1,000 Calories Each Day
I have said it before and I will say it again, I hate the word diet. I am aware that a lot of people are on diets; for me, however, this is a life change. Yes, I will still eat a cupcake, or ribs, or French fries, but now I will balance things out with everything else I have eaten that day. I also exercise to balance things out.
I began my life change on May 1st. To my delight, Kevin said he wanted to go along for the ride. I didn’t ask him; I simply told him how I felt about my body and he agreed that he felt the same way about himself.
I’m going to be very open with you here; I kept seeing my top fat roll getting bigger and bigger. It was sticking out further than my chest. I was getting lazier by the day. My bottom roll was sagging down further. I HAD to make a change. I had gained 14 pounds in one year due to depression over a job and I was obese before those 14 pounds. I felt ugly and unattractive. Then, I was depressed because I weighed so much! I have already talked about the weight in THIS post.
The Exercise Part:
The first thing (and best thing) I did was buying the Step Box. I am the type of person who does not like to spend money on something and then not use it. I knew once I purchased the Step Box, I would use it every day – and I have. Since I started using it May 1st, I have only missed one day and it could not be avoided.
It is a 30-minute workout and I sweat like a hog even though I have been doing it for months. It comes with an additional set of steps that you add on when you feel up to the challenge. When I added my steps over a month ago, I thought I was going to have a heart attack. Literally. I wondered how anyone could get through it.
These days though, it’s nothing to me. I’m used to it, but I still sweat and burn those calories. I have found the morning to be the best time for me to do this type of exercise. It takes a lot of energy to keep up with the instructor and I know I wouldn’t have the energy needed at the end of the day.
At night Kevin and I walk Guido a third of a mile. Guido can’t handle much more than that because we walk at a brisk pace whenever he’s not sniffing something, peeing, or pooping. The walk with him is more fun than work. After we drop him off at home, we walk two miles every night. I think we have only missed three nights since the beginning. You know, sometimes you just have things you have to do and you don’t get the exercise in. It’s hard to fit in it, so you really have to want to do it and make yourself.
The Food Part:
People automatically think because you’re changing your diet, you have to be miserable and starving and that’s just not true. For Kevin and myself, it’s the furthest thing from the truth and we eat 1,000 calories or less each day. But, there are so many 100-calorie snacks out there these days; it makes it easy to stay within a good range. Think about it, if you are on a 1,000 calorie a day diet, you could pick 10 packages of food out to eat each day. That’s not how we eat, but you could do it if you wanted. If you spaced those 10 snacks out throughout the day, you would never be hungry.
Kevin and I eat a good lunch. We eat either a BLT Salad (350 calories), which you will see in the photo gallery or a Waldorf Chicken Salad (400 calories). We eat a frozen meal or a sandwich with chips for dinner. This is normally around 300 calories. So you can see if we have only had 700 calories, those left over 300 calories can be used any way we like. You will see in the photo gallery there are so many choices! We only look at calories, not fat or carbohydrates.
I’m not ready to show before and after pictures yet because I am not where I want to be. I will tell you though, Kevin has lost 65 pounds and I have lost 56 pounds. This actuality has not hit my brain yet. I still think and see myself as very overweight even though I can wear smaller clothes. I am actually still surprised each and every day when I put on a t-shirt and it is baggy when only a few months ago, the same t-shirt was too tight. It kind of freaks me out a little. Kevin and I are the sizes we were when we first got married. He has reached his goal weight, so I guess he won’t mind if I tell you – he weighs 185 pounds. When he puts on a pair of jeans, he looks like a kid again. I told him all he needs now is a pair of black Chuck Taylors.
Believe it or not, that’s all we are doing. It kills me that I am doing the extra Step aerobics in the mornings and Kevin isn’t, yet he has lost more weight! I do the Step AND walk. He just walks. Oh, well. I’ll get there soon enough I guess. I have come this far after all.
Okay, now go check out the Healthy Foods gallery.
** One last thought: Just because Kevin and I are doing this, doesn’t mean it’s the right thing for everyone. You have to listen to your body and do what you think is best for you!
Posted by tami at August 26, 2007 6:21 PM
Comments
I am so proud of you and Kevin. Loosing weight is one of the hardest things I have ever tried to do. I too started the beginning of this year with watching what I eat and trying to walk on my treadmill. My problem is I don't have a partner to encourage me so I am not very consistent. I did loose 8 pounds from May to July. I am going to keep at it though and use you as my inspiration. I can't wait to see your after pics since I have seen Kevin already!
Posted by: deanna at August 26, 2007 10:37 PM
I am very impressed, and as some one who did the same thing I know how hard it can be. Of course I took alot longer to do it. SO you are doubly impressive.
Posted by: ellice at August 27, 2007 8:17 AM
You are a wonderful inspiration Tami! I had made a decision to lose 35 pounds before this Christmas and have started cycling for my daily exercise. It is a tough job, but as you say, those rolls of fat are really off putting and buying clothes gets to be a horrendous experience. Congratulations to you both!
Posted by: Miss L at August 28, 2007 12:32 PM
Good for both of you - that's wonderful!! Wowee!!
As far as not losing as much as Kevin despite your working out, consider that you may want to up your calories a little and see if you start losing more. If you are not getting enough fuel, your body will conserve it.
Posted by: gw at August 28, 2007 7:01 PM