rustypants speaks

or, Addition and Subtraction

so, a quick re-cap: Part I explained the bet, the biking, building muscle mass, and the lack of weight loss. Part II explained my dawning realization in regards to needing more than just biking, and how i became Jillian Michaels slave at the end of june, beginning of july.

Part III deals with the additions and subtractions i had to make once i realized that physical activity wasn’t the only factor in weight loss.

The Additions:

• in mid-july i started a second DVD workout from JM in which she uses weights – a completely different type of exercise! i quickly left 5lb free weights behind and am up to 12 and 17lbs (depending on the exercise) and have started using the weights with and without the DVD, adding some and ditching others. this has made a HUGE impact! i’m floored at the difference in my muscles, my skin, and the further increased stamina. (my next addition needs to be a weight bench!)

• i had been doing really well in june and july about not drinking any regular pop, only diet… but the diet pop had to go, too. Adding significant quantities of water was important. i started drinking at least 3-4 liters a day starting mid-july and have quit the pop. another big difference! (don’t covet my Life is Good water bottle! i’m not sharing!!)

• one of my conditions when starting all this was that i would NOT start a fad diet or begin consuming things that i hate eating (cottage cheese, tuna, & rice cakes all come to mind). i would eat things that i liked and loved, but would start paying attention to how MUCH of those things i ate. now, i love fruits and veggies, but for years i would simply snack on the things that i felt were easier (and cheaper) to grab: pop, chips, little debbies, a big-ass bowl of frosted flakes. we added a lot of those fruits and veggies to our lives, and now we’re eating a lot healthier during both our main meals AND snacking. (little debbie called my cell the other day and was cussing like a sailor over the drop in profits)
• i’ve also never counted calories before, but had to add this to my regimen, too. i didn’t realize just how much i had been eating before this! amazing, the difference when you start to pay attention! i was easily eating 3000+ calories a day prior to june, and probably still eating 2000-2500/day until july. once i started adjusting, i was hungrier for a while, but that’s where the apples, granola bars, yogurt, and clementines come in! now i’m down to 1500/day give or take 100, and have learned to pack fruit when leaving the house. i’m not counting religiously, but i’m eating serving sizes instead of whatever can fit on my plate and mentally keeping loose track so as not to go over 1500 calories a day.

The Subtractions:

these are some of the things that had to go -

• eating out – no more drive-thru’s, no more chinese buffets – i thought i would really miss this and get cravings, but it hasn’t happened (yet). we’ve saved BOATLOADS of money eliminating this, and eating a lot healthier and more responsibly, too! (the portions are so ridiculous, then factoring in all the junk that’s in the food… lise and i started going to the fast food restaurants’ websites for the nutritional info and were STUNNED – a Wendy’s chicken go wrap, medium fry, medium frosty = 1150 calories?? HOLY CRAP!! need more convincing? watch the movie SuperSize Me)
• junk food – little debbie is pissed. willy wonka is turning violet. coca-cola, frito-lay, and mars candy put together an incentive package flush with cash for us to come back – we declined. their stock declined, too.
• pop – even diet. now, i still have a coke zero every so often, but it’s not my main fluid like it was before.
• HUGE portions – this took a while to get used to, and getting the stomach shrunk to where i wasn’t hungry when just finishing a meal, and learning to snack on fruit and healthy stuff in between meals – it’s all been very worthwhile.
• processed foods – meals in a box, veggies in cans, junk with lots of sodium and preservatives. we’ve not eliminated everything here, but have made significant gains.
• excuses – i’ve spent years making excuses for not being more physically active, for not eating healthier, for not taking care of myself. those had to go.

the addition of the weight training, water consumption, healthy foods, and counting calories has made a significant change in my body and the weight loss.

now, i did lose the month of july to Tim by 1/1000 of a percentage point, but i’m hopeful that the month of august will be mine!

Part IV Finale Preview: Reflections and Goals