100 days of fitness

When I started this, loosing weight wasn't a goal. I figured I would just naturally drop a few pounds because I'd be exercising regularly at eating at least a little better than otherwise. But, instead, I feel like I'm gaining!

I'm not actually gaining, I'm fluctuating between 172 and 175...but 175 is so seriously on the wrong side of what feels like a comfortable weight for me that on those days I feel despairing. And nothing fits. It's hard to feel good when you know you don't look good.

Last year, right around Christmas...I was the same weight, and feeling the same way. So I devised a plan called "100 days of fitness" which caused me to lose 15 pounds. I felt GREAT at 160. But then I started binge eating again, and low and behold I am back at 175.

What's funny is...I still think I look good naked! When I walk down the hallway from the bathroom to my office, fresh from the shower and ready to get dressed, I can't help but admire my creamy skin, long limbs and swaying hips in the big mirror at the end of the hall. It's not until I try to squeeze myself into jeans that I feel like a stuffed sausage.

It's important to me to look beautiful. It's important for me to feel artistic and stylish. I've decided it's time to get serious again and lose...for good!...the extra fat I've been carrying around.

In my experience, it's easy to lose one pound every four days. That means if I start now...or yesterday, which I did...I could get rid of 35 pounds in 140 days. I don't think I've ever weighed that little, at least not at a time when I had access to a scale. That might be too thin for me, but I don't care...I'm making it a goal anyway. It's still well within the healthy BMI number for my height. If I get too skinny, then I will stop. Sweetie will tell me if I'm too thin, and since I'm NOT anorexic, I expect I'll be able to tell.

If I get an average of 3 jogging miles in everyday, or the cardio equivalent, then I need to eat a decreasing amount of calories as I loose weight. I think that's where a lot of people get stuck on diets. What works at 150 doesn't work the same at 130...because just carrying around that extra 20 pounds all day does some of the calorie burning work for you.

Here's what my daily caloric intake should be at 174 lbs, in order to loose one pound every 4 days: 1562

169:1497
164:1432
159:1367
154:1302
149:1237
144:1172
139...I'm thinking this is the absolute minimum weight for my height. It's not at the bottom of the healthy range on BMI charts...but it's as skinny as I can picture myself still looking good, and feeling vibrant. At this weight, if I want too stay there, and I am still running 3 miles a day, I should be eating 2107 calories a day. That is, according to the 13 calories pr. pound theory...which seems to be pretty reasonable. Of course, to actually stick to that long term, I should aim for 1700 calories most days, which would give me the option of splurging on up to 3,124 calories two days a week. That sounds like so much, but geez it's easy to eat that much.

Again according to the 13 calories pr. pound theory, if I ate that much every day, I would weigh 240. Lots of people DO weigh that much. I'm sure some of them have glandular disorders or malfunctioning metabolisms, but lot's of them simply eat that much! I look forward to eating that much on the weekends!

So, I didn't have any trouble sticking to the new plan yesterday. In fact, I had to be creative about eating some extra so I wouldn't be under nourished.

The key to the "100 days of fitness" plan is: trading in all the usually calorically dense and nutritionally weak foods for their opposite, nutritionally dense and calorically weak.

Volume is also important. Since I almost never feel unsatisfied by breakfast, I am just sticking to my usual porridge or egg based morning meal. I think this is an improvement over last time, when I just ate porridge...and got pretty sick of it.

For lunch, I eat my fat, protein and grain servings all poured over a large bowl of mixed raw salad greens. I don't think the greens have even enough calories to count, but they are full of nutrition. More importantly, they make me feel like I'm eating a great big meal! In truth, it's only 300 calories.

Later in the afternoon I have a snack of raw vegetables. Often, if I have yogurt for breakfast, I'll set some aside and mix in dried garlic and herbs. This makes a delicious dip on those days that plain raw vegetables seem too boring.

For supper, the key is soup. Ideally, I eat a 300 calorie bowl of soup that is well balanced between fat, protein and grain. Then, I add a large helping of plain cooked vegetables. There are some delicious combinations I've found. And the hot, steaming, filling soup really makes me feel satisfied.

This is the meal I get to play around with according to my cravings during that day, and according to my changing calorie goals. I don't have to worry too much about proper distribution. As long as the foods I'm eating are pretty healthy, and the calorie count is right, I figure it's okay. Last time, I even let myself eat things like Italian Wedding Soup from a can, which has suspicious little meatballs and noodles made from white flour. But it was greasy and tasty in a way that kept me from feeling deprived of things like pizza and lasagna. And, I figure, I am eating two other meals each day that are really solidly healthy. My body can handle a little bit of less-than-perfect sustenance once in a while.

Last night I had a cup of portabella mushroom soup poured over a cup of milled and topped with a serving of broccoli. I sprinkled the whole thing with garlic flakes and nutritional yeast. It was delicious...so savory!

If I can keep it up with the good eating plan and the regular exercise plan, I will reach 139 pounds by the 3rd week of February...just in time for my birthday. So, at 38, I will be more fit and trim that I was at any period in my 30's. It will be like being a teenager again, able to wear anything. The only difference will be, this time I'll KNOW I'm beautiful.