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So, I thought I’d bring you all up to speed on some healthy progress in our household. Since the last week in August, Ken and I have been eating healthier (well, eating LESS, not necessarily healthier), and we have some weight loss to show for it! Ken has lost 14.8 pounds so far, and I’ve lost 11.6 pounds. Not too shabby! That’s more than 25 pounds combined. We like lost a toddler or something.
We’ve been tracking our foods in MyFitnessPal, and attempting to fit in exercise when we can. Ken has gotten into the habit of walking the 1.4 miles to his workplace every day, and I have been trying to get into the habit of walking to the metro station near our house instead of driving. I’ve also become really addicted to my FitBit! Just the other day I climbed 31 floors in one day, and I didn’t even leave the house! It’s motivating to see the quantitative results of just simple, everyday movement.
I try to limit myself to 1500 net calories every day, and Ken limits himself to about 2300 net calories. (“Net” just meaning that we’ll eat whatever extra calories we burn through exercise. So if I eat 1600 calories but burn an additional 200 through exercise (putting me at 1400 calories for the day), I’ll eat an extra 100 calories to bump me back up to 1500. Sometimes I go over, but not by too much.
It was hard, especially the first few weeks. We felt hungry ALL THE TIME. I like to cook, but all of a sudden cooking was seeming like a chore because of all the measuring and weighing I was having to do (I am a strictly “eyeball it” cook! I rarely use a measuring cup or spoon!) But, I figure a little bit of extra effort in the kitchen should have some phenomenal effects on our health. I also would normally enjoy a glass of wine (or two!) when I get home from work, and I’ve been trying to cut back since wine is high in calories. I find that working out has just as much of a “relaxing” effect as drinking wine, but there is just something so indulgent feeling about sipping on a glass of wine in the evening.
I always forget how amazing exercise feels. It’s like an instant de-stressor. I sleep better and feel less, I don’t know how to describe it, but “wound up” throughout the day. Although I was getting in exercise really regularly the first few weeks of our endeavor to lose weight, I have been slacking off (already!) and I can already feel the negative physical effects of not exercising. I definitely feel more restless!
Anyway, we’ll be keeping you posted on our progress, including how we’re modifying recipes to lower the calories in some of our favorite recipes.
Have you lost weight in the past? What worked for you?