calories

Over the last few years I've accumulated some thoughts on the "getting healthy" process.  I don't like to think of it as "losing weight" or my "weight loss journey." It has become so much more than that.

If your dream or aspiration is to "just lose weight," you may need to shift your priorities and your expectations.  Let's be honest - you probably already know how to lose weight.  Shedding pounds is a matter of burning more calories than you eat (and keeping in mind that 3500 calories = a pound).  So there you go - go lose weight.  

Alright, here's the truth - if you adopt the makings of a healthy lifestyle, your weight will correct itself naturally.  It's not an easy thing to do, especially if you've had many years to make some unhealthy habits.  The good thing is once you start making healthy habits, the unhealthy ones don't really tempt you as much.  (It sounds ridiculous, but it's true! Another story for another day!)

The short story is you're going to have to start moving your ass.  I started and quit Weight Watchers ten times in my life, and always gained back more than I'd lost each time until I hit a gut-wrenching 330lbs.  There's a reason - I wasn't active.  Sure, I went for an obligatory walk around the block when I felt guilty about a chocolate bar, but that's not enough.  As I mentioned above, you need to burn more than you eat.  If you want to lose a pound in a week, you need to burn 500 more calories than you eat.  The amount of calories you need in a day totally depends on a variety of things, like your height, weight, gender and amount of daily activity you get.  If you would like a jumping point, The Daily Plate is a great place to start. 

A calorie is a measure of energy.  Your food is meant to be energy and fuel for your body to do stuff. All calories are not created equally! A calorie worth of chocolate is a lot different than a calorie of apple, and your body will use them differently.  If you want your body to be ready to do all the physical activity you're going to get into, then you need to get some useful calories into you body.  This means things like fruits, vegetables, protein, and caaaarbs.  

You already know this stuff, it's not new.  So let's get back to the nitty gritty - you need to get your butt in gear.  And this leads me to my first tip - I never say no when someone asks me to do a physical activity.

Ugh, I know. Daunting...and potentially life-changing. 

And I ran a friggin' 5K. 

It was a fateful day in June of 2010 when a friend said "Want to do a boot camp class with me?" First thoughts were something along the lines of "Holy shit, no." And then I remembered my promise to myself and said "Okay, sign me up quick before I think of a way out of it." It was that class, taught by my trainer Michelle, that got me going. I've now been seeing her ~3 times a week for two and a half years.  Has it been easy? No.  But now I get to brag that I'm stronger than my husband and I find that kind of awesome.  I had never seen myself as an athletic person before, and yet now, I can't imagine not going to her classes and getting my ass kicked.  

So here's my challenge to you, and I will make a promise to you in return - start saying "Yes" when someone asks you to join them, whether it's a spin class or a hike or a walk around the block.  You never know what you'll end up loving.  In return, I'm going to start trying new things and posting about them, a sort of "guinea pig" so you can read a true-ass account of how something is instead of the hyped up versions.  We're in this together, might as well have some fun! 

Want to come to boot camp?