New Years Resolutions!

HAPPY NEW YEARS SIGDELT! 

I hope you had an amazing Holiday season. As sad as we may be to see our small break fade away faster than we would like, it is exciting to think of the new possibilities that 2012 has in store… apart from the impending apocalypse. 

And with the New Year comes resolution! I’ll be the first to sound cliché when I say my New Years resolution is to lose those last twenty pounds to my goal weight. I have steered clear of scales since I got home, so I’m not sure how far my progress has fallen. With all those delicious meals and desserts, parties and celebratory champagne the holidays are always rough on diets – we’re constantly reminded by every diet commercial out there. 

Now, as I said my resolution is rather cliché, so that leads me to believe at least some of you have the same ideas. So, let’s get started on how to healthily (mentally and physically) set a weight loss goal!

First, I want you to really consider if you need to lose weight and why. If you want to lose weight to feel great in a bikini, that’s not an unhealthy goal, but it’s also not a strong one. There’s a difference between starving yourself to look great in revealing clothing only a name away from being considered lingerie, and losing the weight because you’ve decided to be healthy. Also, I have it on good authority that looking like a prepubescent boy in a bra (also known as a stick figure, or Twiggy) is really not that attractive. Remember, skipping meals actually sends your body into starvation mode, which makes it store the food you eventually give it, turning all the nutrition into fat.

Really? That's attractive?

Second, how much do you want to lose? It’s not really a numbers game, it’s about what you’d like to look like. To calculate how much you’d need to lose, here’s a link to the Body Mass Index calculator, which tells you where you are health wise based off your current weight and height. It also gives you the range your number should be in, and what’s overweight and underweight for you. 

Set realistic goals! Losing 20 pounds in a month is not only unrealistic, but if you’re really determined it could be detrimental to your health. Try something small, like a pound a week. And remember, you body fluctuates anywhere between 3lbs a day! Also, once you’ve set your goals, write them down and put them somewhere you can see it! That way you’ll be reminded when that pint of Ben & Jerry’s is starting to look pretty good.

Third, know your hip to weight ratio. “Knowing your waist-to-hip ratio is one way to determine your risk of heart disease and obesity-related illnesses and conditions.” (about.com…I know, I’m actually siting my sources.) To do this, measure your waist around the narrowest point between your ribs and hips. Measure after you’ve exhaled. Next, measure your hips around the fullest part of your bootay, while standing with your heels together. It helps to look in the mirror while you’re doing this. Divide the waist measurement by the hip measurement. “For women, a healthy waist-to-hip ratio should be somewhere around .86. If you’d like to measure your abdomen as well, it should be somewhere around 35. 

When you lose weight, this becomes a double edged sword of frustration!

It’s smarter to think about inches than weight loss. The number on the scale could be weighing anything – bones, the amount of water in your system, etc. By the way, I’m sure you are highly aware of the fact that you can lose fat, but watch the scale climb up. That just means your muscle, which weighs more than fat, is getting stronger. Use the measuring tape, not the scale!

Now you want to figure out the kind of exercise you’re willing to do. If you live in the house and walk slowly (3mph) you’re about 20 minutes from the center of campus. You burn about 78 calories! How did I find that out? Well, here’s the link just type in what you plan on doing that day, whether it’s just walking, biking, going to the gym, etc. and how long you plan on doing it. This calculator will tell you how many calories you burn! The ideal is to burn more calories than you consume, but frankly it’s hard to burn over 1200 calories a day. Just work up to it. You didn’t put it on in a day, it won’t disappear in a day. Take your time and work up to it.

Make a plan! So, you’ve calculated your BMI, you know how many inches you want to lose, and now how many calories you burn a day. For example, to lose 10 pounds in 12 weeks you would (generally) need to cut 300-500 calories from your meals a day. Not every day, I’m not saying, “You started at eating 2,000 calories a day. Tomorrow eat 1500, and the next day eat 1000.” Because by that logic you would literally be starving. If you start at 2,000 calories a day, try gradually decreasing that. Try maybe 1800 one day, 1700 if it feels comfortable, and suddenly your goal becomes 1500… DO NOT EVER GO BELOW 1200! Then your body goes into starvation mode, remember what I said earlier?

Break down your goal into simple steps. For example, cutting calories:

“Replace my morning Egg McMuffin (300 calories) with a bowl of oatmeal (about 180 calories).
Replace one Coke (150 calories) with Fresca (0 calories).
Walk for at least 30 minutes at 3.5-4.0 mph 3 days a week (approx. 180-240 calories burned).
Strength train 2 days a week for 30 minutes (approx. 140-280 calories burned)
Total Calories burned each day: 270 - 550 (depending on whether I exercise).” (about.com)

By breaking it down it’s easier to get through the day without feeling bogged down by all this weight loss mumbo jumbo.

Honestly, try not to count calories. It becomes obsessive when you do so, and then you feel bad about going over your limit. Just think of it this way – you know what’s good for you, you know what’s bad. Fruits, veggies, and almost everything green will fill you up when you’re feeling low and the natural sugars will boost your energy throughout the day. Carry fruits and veggies with you for midday snacks. You should be eating something small every 2-3 hours, stopping about 3 hours before bedtime. 

It's sad but true, some girls just have faster metabolisms. Drink Green Tea and take your B Vitamins to boost your own.

Finally, adjust your goals as needed. In the beginning you will see results faster, but as time goes on those results will become slower to attain and harder to see. I know, it’s not what you want to hear, but it’s a fact that your body plateaus after the initial burn. It’s crucial to maintain where you are and not fall back on bad habits just because you’re unhappy with the slowed results. Just keep at it, and change it up! Don’t let yourself get into a rut of the same routine, that will only make you plateau faster.

I hope these ideas have helped, and good luck with your New Years Resolutions! Looking forward to seeing you girls next week.  

Yep. So excited. :D