In the last month and a half I dropped 12 lbs to get to my lightest weight (237) since I finished Grad School. My goal is 220.
Thinking about what I am currently doing differently that is working.
1) Logging food and exercise. I use
LoseIt which is a free application available as a Web Based application, android and iOS. I had heard for years that those that log their food are more successful than those that do not but walking around with a notebook and guessing the calories in things would not work. This makes it easier. This has also impacted my choices and changed the way I think about if I could "afford" a particular food.
2) Buying a digital scale and using a measuring cup. If you are guesstimating the size of a steak, the amount of pasta etc, most likely you are consuming more calories than your planning on. Had the measuring cup and purchased the digital scale for $10.
3) Thinking about what I am going to eat. Noticed if I went out without a plan I may end up eating more than I planned but checking out dining options made it easier to make the right choice.
4) Avoiding calorically dense/Nutritionally dense foods and focusing on Nutritionally dense foods. For example, Spinach and eggs with salsa and hot sauce with coffee is a much better breakfast than a muffin and juice. Eating a small meal would not work so ate mostly salads and vegetables with lean protein.
5) Making the foods mentioned in #4 readily available. Providing a list at the end of this entry
6) Increasing the amount of restorative activity (ie Yoga, foam rolling, massage). Makes it easier to recover from my primary activity (running)
7) Increase the amount of strength training.
8) Diversify cardio activity (including spinning class)
Looking at this list, the fact that the top 5 is focused on food and nutrition is on purpose. I was very active, running at least 100 miles per month but I was not losing weight. Increasing my activity would lead to more soreness and stiffness. It is very difficult to outrun consuming too many calories. After running I would quickly undo with a chocolate milk and some chips & Salsa (as an example)
Here are the items that I have kept in stock
Blueberries
Strawberries
Watermelon
Almond Milk
Almonds
Almond Butter
Salmon
Spinach
Eggs
Greek Yogurt (much higher in Protein)
Apples
V8
Chicken
When I get to 220 I am going to donate all of my clothes to charity and then buy new clothes.
