A few tid bits

Ok, so here are a few things I've picked up this past week that I think could help you as well.

Biggest Losers Fitness Ridge really is like a health and wellness spa/resort. So we didn't just have exercise classes, we also had lectures from a dietitian and a life coach.

Some ideas I really found helpful from the life coach, Jen.....

She always said,"create as many ways as possible to be right."
For example, instead of setting a specific limit of caloric intake,Like 1200 calories, set a goal RANGE, maybe 1200-1400.
For me, as a restrictive eater, all or nothing, if I set my goal for the day at 1200, but I ate 1250, all I accomplished was confirming the fact that I am a failure! :/ then what happens when I repeatedly feel like a failure? I eat :/
Also, a range for exercising, I typically exercise 5 days a week, sometimes more sometimes less. So I will set my range for 4-5 times a week. Is it the end of the world if I miss one workout? No, I can always workout more another day! Even the 4 days I DID go should be a victory, not a failure, because I missed one!

That being said, there is a lot of math we really should all know. I'm TERRIBLE at math so I'll give you the general gist and hopefully that will do it.
So I did RMR (resting metabolic rate) testing. I found out that my body will burn 2002 calories every 24 hours even if I were sleeping. This number is based on your weight, age, height, gender, muscle mass, and basically you. You can get a guesstimate on shapeup.org but as an example, since it doesn't have all the info that is you, that site said mine was 1700. It seems to me, that this info may be even more important the less weight you have to lose. :/ also this RMR # goes down approximately 100 calories every 10 pounds you lose.
So to lose ONE pound you need a 3,500 calorie deficit.
RMR+activity calories+exercise calories - what you eat.
I.e.
2002 RMR
+400 activity
+500 calories burned in exercise
=2902
-1200 calories of food intake =1702 total calories deficit for the day.

1702 X 7=
11,914
= 3.4 pounds lost in one week

Ok I think that's right. IF that is correct, that's fine and good, but how realistic is it to stick to 1200 calories EVERY day? How practically can I burn 500 calories at the gym 7 days a week?

I WANT TO LOSE that much or more, but as these women have taught me,when I commit to a # like 500 everyday and ONLY 1200 calories I am committing to a certain lifestyle. Which is good, but maybe not practical.
Also just a tiny wrench to throw in... The machines at the gym don't know you either. Today the treadmill said I burned over 100 calories MORE than my Polar Watch (which has my info and heart rate). Over a weeks time that's A LOT!!!!

Oy! I'm sorry it's not all bad news!!! On the plus, if I am having a "bad" day or whatever, I can eat 2002 calories and know I will not GAIN weight. Knowing does seem to be half the battle. ;)
"Who cares what your IN is if you don't know what your OUT is". Jen We cannot just guess at our numbers without being wrong and\or disappointed with the results.

Sorry,that was a lot of info at the end, but it's important to know what kind of expectations we should REALLY have for ourselves. We need this info, I believe, to set realistic attainable goals.

More later <3

LSL