Pedometer's and My Activity Tracker

About 2 weeks into my journey I had a "health call" from Chris's company to assess my health status to see if we could qualify for lower premiums. I discussed with the girl on the phone that I had recently made a lot of health changes and gave up soda. She was very positive at all the changes I had made. When I stated that I was an RN she said, "Oh, I bet you walk at least 5 miles every shift".

That really got me curious as to how much I did walk at work. So I got a pedometer to track the steps I took each day. I wore it all the time and loved seeing how much I walked. The problem is the pedometer was kind of bulky and fell off of my pants quit often. I actually lost it, what I thought was for good, a handful of times.

So then I started looking into activity trackers. I knew little about them, so I did what I always do... I read reviews on Amazon.

I narrowed it down to a Fitbit. I liked the Fitbit One the best because I didn't have to wear it on my wrist. I could put it on my pants, my shoes, my bra. And it tracks my steps, my mileage, my floors (stairs), my Active minutes, my estimated calories burn (based on my BMR and my activity), my water intake, I can sync it with My Fitness Pal and see the calories I have consumed from my food diary, my weight progress, and my sleep! I can see how many times my kids actually wake me up at night! It also had an app on my iPhone that links with my Fitbit and updates through bluetooth.

Here's an example of my app:

It is a great little thing, because it definitely motivates me to MOVE! I think about how I can get more steps in my day. Whether it's taking the stairs, parking further away, deciding to walk to church instead of driving, taking the kids for a walk, or doing a cardio workout video.

I try to get at least 3 miles or 7500 steps a day. I really do try to get about 10,000, but believe it or not, my work days are closer to 6,000-9,000 but I still come home exhausted!! I think it's because I stand a lot, and my job is physically and emotionally exhausting at times. So I am OK with 7500 some days. 

I LOVE my Fitbit and have wore it religiously since the beginning of June... so about 3 months. I never leave home without it. It is definitely a great little tool that helps me keep moving!

Progress Pictures

As I started this journey. A lot of articles I read suggested taking Progress Pictures to see how far you have come. It's easy to get frustrated during the weight loss process for a lot of different reasons. Whether it's battling water weight issues, metabolism issues, sugar addiction, or breaking through a weight loss plateau, or whatever reason that causes you to want to quit completely.

If there is anything I can guarantee during this process is you will experience bumps in the road. You will want to quit at some point. That is why I suggest taking progress pictures. When you are particularly frustrated about something. You can look at your pictures and have visual evidence of the progress you are making. Even if you aren't losing pounds, you could still be losing fat and changing your body.

Here are my progress pictures. I was very grateful I listened to those articles and took them. And even though I was MORTIFIED to take them, they got me through some of the most frustrating times during my journey. 

Here's Where I started:

Over 6 months:

And Here is where I am Today:

Here is my side profile progress pictures:

These photo's helped me out so much. They kept me going when times were tough. And even though it was hard taking some of them, I am so glad I did!

Weight Loss Plateau

Ugh

The dreaded Weight Loss Plateau.

Some people believe it's a myth. I personally don't. It's when you are doing you best, busting your butt. And the scale doesn't budge.

Some of it could be attributed to water weight. Carrying around a bunch of that can really halt your progress and cause your scale not to budge. Or even go up.

But I think a lot of it can be attributed to our bodies amazing ability to evolve and adapt constantly. If you do the same thing every day, eat the same foods and the same amount of calories, then your body is going to know exactly what it needs to maintain your current weight. And it will adjust your metabolism accordingly. I talk a little bit about this in my BMR and Starvation post.

I remember last May when I went to visit my sisters in California. My sister Jill who is an extremely active ultra runner, cyclist, and endurance athlete decided to go for a run while my little sister and I went to Yoga for 90 minutes. When she came back, I asked her how far she ran. She said, "10 miles". And I was floored. Not only would 10 miles be extremely difficult for me, it would probably burn 3000+ calories. And I said something to that affect and she said, "Well 10 miles for me isn't the same as 10 miles for you."

When I thought about it, she's right. My body is not used to running 10 miles and would take more effort, energy, and calories for me to do it. Her body has adapted to her running and exercising long distances so 10 miles does not require her to eat 3000+ calories a day. She probably can eat more than the average women, but doesn't need a ton more.

So how can we break through weight loss plateaus??

What worked for me is changing it up. Eating different foods, trying different exercises, eating a different number of calories. Try to keep your body, and metabolism guessing.

First, make sure you are not eating under your BMR and wrecking your metabolism. If that is the case, you may want to try reverse dieting and eating your maintenance TDEE for awhile to repair your metabolism. You may actually gain some weight at first, but you will be helping your body regulate it's metabolism, and then the weight will start to come off again.

Try eating fruits and vegetables that are in season. This is always a really good option as they taste better when they are harvested when they are supposed to be, as well as being on sale in the store. You can choose your favorites and go to town. Then switch it up every few weeks. Try new recipes, new foods, different percentage of Macro's (protein, carbohydrates, fats). Just mix it up.

If you run 5 miles every day your body will adapt to it. But lets say you really like running. That is fine, keep running. But switch it up every once in awhile with some Yoga, or Circuit Training, or Biking. Lift heavy weights 2 times a week. If you go to the gym and always do elliptical, try a zumba class. Don't give up what you love, but just add some variety to your workout routine. It will keep it interesting, and keep your body guessing.

Another option would be to try calorie cycling or carb cycling. I just recently started looking into this option so I don't know a ton about it. But basically for calorie cycling it is eating a different number of calories a day.

For example, lets say my TDEE -15% (lose about 0.5-1 lb's a week) was 2000 calories. 2000 x 7 = 14,000 calories a week. So I need to eat around 14,000 calories a week to meet my goal. So one day I eat 1600, one day I eat 2400, one day I eat 2000, one day I eat 1900, One day I eat 2600, one day I eat 1700, and one day I eat 1800. Then it still totals 14,000 calories for the week and met my goal for weight loss, but I ate a different amount of calories a day that kept my metabolism guessing. And I got 2 days where I could eat a lot more calories than I usually do for cheat meals or a dessert or something. You can do this and still lose weight!

These are some of the many ways to help break a weight loss plateau. But my best suggestion is to not get discouraged, and just wait it out. If you keep with your health goals, and stay within a healthy calorie restriction, you will lose weight. Just offer yourself some variety as well.

And keep referring back to those before pictures and progress pictures along the way. It will help you keep motivated to keep going when time gets tough.

BMR and Starvation

Our BMR stands for Basal Metabolic Rate. It is the amount of energy (calories) that our body requires to function at complete rest. So if we were to lie in bed all day and not lift our head, it is the amount of calories our body needs to keep our heart pumping, our lungs breathing, our cells functioning. There are lots of calculators out there. My favorite is Scooby, because it figures out your TDEE as well.

So this is the base of our metabolism. It is based of height, weight, age, as well as body composition, and health status. The calculators are not perfect, as an actually BMR test at a University or health clinic would be more accurate, but it gives you a rough idea how many calories your body needs.

For example, my BMR calculation is 1487. So when many people say women can't go below the 1200 calorie mark, it is because most women's BMR is around that OR MORE and they don't want you to go under it.

If there is one thing I've learned over the past six months, is that our bodies are amazing. They can evolve and adapt to some of the harshest conditions. Extreme calorie restriction can cause your body to go into starvation mode.

 When in starvation mode our bodies can actually slow it's metabolism to help the body survive on less calories. So if my body requires 1487 calories to function, and I eat 1200, after a while my body is starving and will slow my metabolism as much as possible so that it can still function. So then my BMR could get down to 1000 calories or less because I'm only giving it 1200 and I'm still trying to be active and go about my day burning even more calories. Your body may tap into your fat stores to find energy, but it really wants carbohydrates and proteins too, so it will start taking away your muscles as well.

So now my metabolism is super slow, and my body is not functioning at it's utmost potential. Now working out is an awful experience, because I have no energy left over because my body is using what calories it is given just to function. So I'm miserable, tired, and irritable. Then I pig out on some cake or something. My body is SO HAPPY it is finally getting fed that it holds onto every last extra calorie and stores it for later.

So then you think...I gotta eat less, because I was eating 1200 calories, had a couple 1800 calorie days and gained weight so I need to eat 1000 calories a day and workout more. NOT A GOOD IDEA. You will either reach a breaking point and sabotage everything, or you will have an eating disorder. Not good at all.

This is why eating your TDEE is great, because it keeps your metabolism fired up by giving your body enough calories to meet your BMR as well as give you enough energy to work out and go about your daily activities. And you can still lose weight by just slightly reducing the amount of calories you take in, but never dropping them below your BMR.

I have lost 19.4 lb's total and (besides a few weeks at the beginning) I did it eating NO LESS then 1800 calories a day. I usually ate 1900-2200. I am a taller than average girl, but still. I did not need to eat 1200 calories to lose weight. And I did not feel extremely deprived or miserable. I was able to have energy to really push during my workouts, and I still feel like I could have a treat on occasion if I could fit it into my calories. I feel it had really helped me to be successful and lose weight, even though the process was slower, it was really worth it.

Water Weight

Ever stepped on the scale and were completely shocked that you gained 3 pounds... IN ONE DAY?!?!?!

Nothing is more disheartening and more frustrating than water weight. It can cause you to want to give up all your hard work all together.

People retain water for a number of reasons, but the primary reason for most people is High Sodium intake, Dehydration, High sugar intake, Caffeine, Starvation dieting, and Hormones.

I started reading about the difference between water weight gain and fat weight gain after I had a "cheat meal" and the next day I gained 3 pounds. I was certain that all my time and effort of calorie counting and restricting was sabotaged by my one cheat meal. But here's the thing. My cheat meal did not contain 10,500 calories in it that would cause me to gain 3 lb's of fat. But it likely had high amounts of sodium and sugar that threw my water balance into complete disarray.

Processed foods tend to contain large amounts of sodium because salt makes things taste yummy! So when you have a lot of processed foods you tend to retain lots of water even if you are drinking more than your 8 glasses of water a day. Sodium is one thing I struggle with day in and day out because I LOVE SALT!

Salt is hidden in a lot in "healthy" foods as well. Because sodium doesn't add ANY calories to the food, it is added to low calorie packaged items all the time. For example, I LOVE deli meat! Especially Ham. You get a protein pack for not a lot of calories. 4 oz gives you 22 grams of protein in only 120 calories. But here's the thing... it'll give you 800-1000 mg of sodium. And you're only supposed to have 2300 mg or less a day. Also I love cottage cheese. Low fat cottage cheese has only 100 calories and 12 mg protein. But has nearly 500 mg of sodium. Sodium is hidden in everything packaged!

Also, dehydration can cause you to retain water. Naturally you would think, less water = less water weight right? But because our bodies are so amazing and adapt to hard situations, when your body doesn't get enough water it doesn't know when it is going to be available to have more so it holds on to every bit of water it is given. If you are drinking your water frequently throughout the day (6-8 oz per hour) your body is knowing it's getting enough water and doesn't hold on to it. Then it is able to flush out the sodium and keep water retention at a minimum.

Speaking of which, did you know that you are supposed to drink half your body weight in water? So if you are 150lb's you are supposed to drink 75 ounces or 9.5 cups of water. I was always so proud of getting my 64 ounces in... but actually I needed more!

Caffeine and alcohol are diuretics and can cause our bodies to lose water and become dehydrated more easily. So if you are a large caffeine consumer you may have to up your water intake even more!

High sugar intake causes an insulin spike that actually causes the body to not to flush out sodium. So if your cheat meal included dessert, that is probably the reason for the 3 lb weight gain.

Dieting very strict (Eating less than your BMR) can actually harm not only your metabolism, but it can really throw your body off. Once you cause your body to go into starvation mode, it does whatever necessary to keep your body living.

Especially if you restrict carbohydrates. Carbohydrates ARE NOT THE ENEMY. If you restrict them too much your body will break down it's own protein (muscle or lean body weight) and carbohydrate stores since it isn't getting enough from food. As it breaks down you end up losing a lot of water weight. That's why when some people start a strict low carbohydrate diet they may lose 5 or more lb's that week. That is just water weight.

So once you start eating carbohydrates again guess what you'll be GAINING?? Yep weight! And it's from WATER as your body starts to store carbohydrates again just in case they are taken away from your diet again.

That is why I am SUCH a advocate for TDEE. It helps you lose weight the healthy weight. It helps you reduce your calories enough without depriving your body of what it needs and balancing your Macro's: PROTEIN, FATS, AND CARBOHYDRATES in a healthy way to give you what your body needs on a constant basis. And you get to eat food enough to feel satisfied and still lose weight.

Hormones can also play into water weight. The woman's "time of the month" can actually cause her to gain up to 5lb's of water weight. Not much we can do about our hormones.

So don't get discouraged if your scale fluctuates up and down. It will. It will sometimes be maddening. But just keep track of your progress and you will see that the scale is slowly trending downward. And look at your before pictures and take progress pictures along the way.

I have always loved this picture because it is so true:

This is my last 6 months:

Nutrition Part 3: Clean Eating

Clean eating had such a wide range definition. Some people consider clean eating as washing their food (ha ha ha...) while others only count organic, non GMO, locally grown food as clean eating. I prefer to meet somewhere in the middle as I am not an extremist.

Many people have asked what recipes I make and what I eat that has helped me with my weight loss. I have to tell them that I'm not much of a cook (gasp) and that I just eat lots of fruits, some veggies, and try to increase my protein intake. I try to choose lower calorie options because the ultimate goal is to burn more calories than you take in.

Choosing the healthy option is my primary goal. So if I pick an apple over a cookie... I win. If my apple happens to be organic and locally grown... double win. But either way, as long as I pick the healthier option I feel happy with my choice.

When you are changing your diet to the healthier option or challenging yourself to eat "Clean" you have to, HAVE TO, find foods that you like and start incorporating them in your diet. If you buy a bunch of spinach because it is healthy, but you in fact dislike it greatly... you are not going to eat that spinach no matter how healthy it is.

I found this to be the case with green smoothies. As much as people claim "you can't taste the spinach or insert leaf green here" I can taste it. And I personally don't like my fruit tasting like spinach either. I like spinach alone, or in other contexts... but not in my smoothies. And then there's the whole I don't prefer to drink my calories. I would rather eat the whole fruit and a bowl of spinach then mix it together in a shake. But that's me. So I didn't jump on the green smoothie bandwagon.

I love love LOVE most fruit. Berries are my favorite, but I also eat a ton of pineapple, peaches, grapes, banana's, and watermelon as of late. I pick the veggies I like and buy those. Green beans, spaghetti squash, zucchini, carrots, broccoli, cucumbers, spinach, are my favorites. I do sometimes mix it up, but I mainly stick to what I like. I however am a creature of habit and tend to eat the same things over and over.

I like/love dairy so I have a lot of Greek yogurt and cottage cheese and low fat string cheese because it provides you with a pack of protein for not a lot of calories. If I have cheese in a recipe I buy the low fat variety and I now use skim milk on my cereal.

I try to pick whole grains whenever possible, but I still have rolls on occasion and white bread. I bake my own wheat bread once a week and use that for sandwiches. I try to pick cereals without a ton of sugar like cheerios and rice crispies. I eat steel cut oats often and sweeten it with maple syrup or honey. Honey is a great option for a sweetener because it has a lot of health and healing qualities and boost your immune system.

Speaking of immune system, I drink the juice of 1 lemon in a glass of water every morning. It is supposed to provide your body a cleanse as well as boost your immune system. More on this HERE

I don't eat a ton of meat, but I like it. It just takes some time and planning to prepare so I don't eat it all the time. I really like eggs and eat them frequently. I eat 2 whole eggs and add 2 whites and then like to mix it with spinach, ham, and jalapenos. And I just started eating them with homemade salsa which has made me love them even more.

I haven't eliminated processed foods. I like deli meat, and some of the lower calorie crackers and I LOVE PRETZELS and of course cold cereal. I really have to watch my sodium because I love all things salty! But I try to eat as many fresh items as possible.

I do occasionally have fast food, or go out to eat with friends, or my husband. But I just try to pick healthy options whenever possible and make sure that those occurrences aren't daily. I still have dessert sometimes and I eat dark chocolate frequently. I feel I can still enjoy food, but not over indulge.

This I my reality. I am not one to follow a strict diet that makes me feel limited. Some people really thrive eating like that, but I just couldn't do it. I would rebel/rebound/cheat so fast and then constantly feel bad and probably quit. It is so hard to live so strictly.

Nutrition Part 2: Elimination Diets

Ah Elimination Diets

They work for some people, but not for others. I personally am not a fan.

I like eating a variety of foods from all the food groups. I have had some GI issues in the past, but since eating healthier over the last 6 months I have not had any noticeable ones. And I have not eliminated any foods, except soda for a little bit.

I initially eliminated soda because it was an addiction that I needed to free myself from. I can now have it occasionally without going hog wild so I allow it on rare occasions. I would rather eat my calories than drink them so it doesn't happen very often, but it still happens. And I am OK with that.

In addition to eating a variety of foods, I also like being able to eat in a myriad of social situations. Whether it be a family event, a meal served at work, a wedding, a funeral, a church function, etc. I like to be able to eat and not worry or question what is in it, can I have it, etc.

Now I totally understand that people have food allergies, sensitivities, religious, cultural, and other beliefs that lead them to an elimination diet. I think that is perfectly fine.

But if you are to go Vegetarian, Vegan, Atkins, GAPS, Paleo, FODMAPS, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, sugar Free etc... I hope you are doing it for your life time and not for a diet to lose weight. Diets for short periods of time don't work and you often rebound drastically when you allow a food you have restricted for so long back into your diet.

The only foods I eliminate are the ones I don't like :)

The key is moderation. You here this all the time, but guess what it really works! I for example, LOVE PIZZA. I have never been sick of it, I just love it. I had to give it up when I went dairy free for 6 months while breastfeeding my daughter. I missed it all the time. I would dream about it. So I knew when I wanted to be healthy that pizza can be a calorie bomb. But now I only allow myself 1-2 slices instead of 3-4 (depending on size) and if I still feel hungry I eat a salad or some fruit to fill up.

So Moderation really is the key factor. And if you can fit it in your calorie plan... Go ahead and eat that cookie, or icecream. Just have ONE cookie or scoop. Then you never feel deprived and feel like it's something you can keep at for a lifetime!