Update!!! Insert Virtual Pat on the Back Here!

Good Morning All!! 

So, this morning I got to speak to the wonderful cast of The Bert Show and my mentor Daniel to bring them up to date on my healthy living challenge.  YAY!!!  I can now announce that I have lost, so far, a little over 13 pounds JUST by changing my diet!

Today, I will tell you about my last homework assignment in detail.  First thing I was to have researched was “RMR”.  This is your resting metabolic rate.  Basically, this number is the amount of calories, based on your sex, age, height, and weight that you burn on a day of rest…the calories you burn just by living.  To figure this out there is an equation:

The Mufflin equation for RMR:

• For men: (10 x w) + (6.25 x h) - (5 x a) + 5
• For women: (10 x w) + (6.25 x h) - (5 x a) - 161

Where:

w = weight in kg

h = height in cm

a = age

However, if most of you are like me where the maths aren’t your favorite activity, you can Google RMR calculator and find a free online site that will calculate it for you.  All you have to do is plug in your numbers (be honest!!) and the site will give you the result.  There are many sites out there for free, but the one I used is http://www.caloriesperhour.com/index_burn.php. 

A pound of body fat is approximately 3500 calories.  So, for example, if you decrease your caloric intake by 500 calories a day, you would lose approximately 1 pound per week.  This does not mean stop eating and you will lose the weight.  Please refer to my previous entries that explain why it is sooooo NOT good to stop eating.  You need to eat healthy!
My next assignment was to research diet macros.  Simply put, it is the ratio (percentage) of how you balance your intake of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.  There are many theories out there as to which are the best percentages of each, but the most common, it seems, for those trying to lose weight is 40% carbs, 30% fats, and 30% proteins.  Again, there is a really complicated formula you can use to figure it out yourself but there are plenty of free sites you can go to that will do the calculations for you.  The one I use is http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/ .  This site will break down the total grams of carbs, fat, and protein you should eat in a day based on what your fitness goals are.  Remember…choose wisely my friends…make sure those grams that you are eating are the right kinds of fats, proteins, and carbs! 
So there you have it for the last homework assignment.  It appears that it is now time to get real when it comes to exercising!  My new assignment is to research cardio, resistance training, and weights.  Yikes!  I have been doing small (teeny tiny small) amounts of exercise during the previous research, but I have a feeling I will be ramping it up very soon.  I’m not going to push myself to injury, but I will push myself past comfortable if you know what I mean. 
Last, but certainly not least, I want to encourage all of you to give this a try.  I was once a skeptic.  There was no way to lose a significant amount of weight without being able to have a gym membership, a trainer, and a nutritionist.  When it comes down to it, it is VERY possible.  The tools are out there.  And I am happy to provide what I find to make YOUR days of healthy living just a little bit easier.  Stick to it even on the hardest of days…when you can hear your food anti-Christ calling you from miles down the road.  And if you hit a bump, don’t turn it into a 5 car pileup.  Get back on track immediately and don’t let it bring you down.  I know…it’s hard.  I feel your pain.  So know that you are not alone…I am struggling with you.  But we CAN and we WILL do this!
Have a happy, and HEALTHY, day!

xo