You are making fantastic progress towards your goal of losing 50 pounds. You have built a number of positive lifestyle habits which serve as the building blocks of your weight loss program. Your positive lifestyle habits also work to allow you to lose the desired weight in a safe and healthy manner that will be sustainable over the long term. After all what is the purpose of working so hard in order to lose weight only to gain it all back again?
Daily tracking of your weigh in allows you to verify that you are making the progress necessary in order to meet your 2 pound per week weight loss goals. It also allows you to see when certain exercises or food options do not produce the desired effects. Overall as you track your daily weigh in you are looking for an overall downward trend. You may not see a significant decrease each day due to various factors. However, if you can narrow out that you did get adequate rest, that you did not eat an excessive amount of salt, that you ate the appropriate amount of calories, that you burned the necessary amount of calories, that you drank the correct amount of water, and that it is not that time of the month then you might need to reevaluate your program to ensure that you meet your weight loss goals.
The minimum amount of water recommended for proper hydration is eight 8 ounce glasses. However, depending on your specific needs you may require quite a bit more water daily. Hydration is important for a number of reasons including good overall health and efficient weight loss. Efficient weight loss means that the body is burning fat in order to gain the fuel necessary for life due to a deficit in the number of calories you eat compared to those burned. When the process of burning fat occurs there are toxins that are released and if one is properly hydrated then the toxins are flushed from the system. A good way to help remain properly hydrated throughout the day is to drink a full 8 ounce glass of water prior to each meal. This simple technique also aids in promoting a feeling of fullness at mealtimes.
Regular exercise is another of the positive lifestyle habits which you have built on your weight loss journey. For the program example of a 201 pound woman the weekly calorie burn from exercise and physical activity should be 3,381 calories. This means that if you work out for 4 days a week you must burn 845 calories per session, and if you work out for 5 days a week you must burn 675 calories per session. Whichever schedule you choose it is important to meet your required calorie burn for each session so that you can meet your weekly totals. For a 201 pound person it takes approximately 1 hour of jumping rope to burn 675 calories, and it takes approximately 1.25 hours of jumping rope to burn 845 calories. Another example is that it takes approximately 1 hour 40 minutes of moderate calisthenics to burn 675 calories, and approximately 2 hours 5 minutes of moderate calisthenics to burn 845 calories. Because of the time required to burn the necessary number of calories it is acceptable to break your daily workout into 2 or more sessions in order to meet the caloric burns.
Calorie intake goes hand in hand with calorie burn in order to produce weight loss at the rate desired. For the program example the appropriate calorie intake is 1,200 calories. The goal of your positive lifestyle habit is to eat as much high quality food as possible while staying within your calorie intake limit. High quality foods such as fresh produce, lean proteins and whole grains allow for you to eat a higher volume of food which allows for a greater feeling of satisfaction and fullness. It also is important to eat 6 meals per day which works to help keep your metabolism working at its best. Fitting 6 nutritious and filling meals into only 1,200 calories is easier than you might think.
A menu plan containing 6 meals and approximately 1,200 calories could contain some of the following options. To start your day you might enjoy a hearty breakfast consisting of 2 slices fresh tomato, 2 slices turkey bacon, 1 large egg cooked as desired and 1 slice reduced calorie bread for a total of 198 calories. A mid morning snack might be a fruit bowl consisting of ½ cup sliced fresh banana, 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries and 1 cup fresh blueberries for a total of 200 calories. For lunch you might enjoy a simple healthy version of eggplant parmesan made by baking ½ of a medium eggplant topped with ½ cup marinara sauce, 2 tbs fresh chopped basil and 1 ounce part skim milk mozzarella cheese for a total of 216 calories. Your mid afternoon snack might be 2 skinless baked chicken drumsticks and 10 baby carrots for a total of 181 calories. Dinner might be a 4 ounce fillet of tilapia baked atop a bed of 1 cup cooked spinach, 1 clove chopped garlic and 1 cup cherry tomatoes for a total of 191 calories. The final meal of the day might be 4 cups air popped pop corn with 1 tbs of melted butter for a total of 224 calories. The grand total for this menu plan containing 6 meals is 1,211 calories.
Even with a healthy and balanced meal plan you may not consume all of the necessary nutrients for good overall health and efficient weight loss. A high quality daily multi-vitamin and mineral supplement can ensure that you receive the proper amounts of nutrients. In addition, supplementation can boost your immune system and increase your energy level. The need to supplement is not an indicator of poor eating habits instead it is a sign that you take your nutrition seriously.
