Amy's Weight Loss Journey

It begins tomorrow...

I was going to wait until 2009 began but I had a thump in the chest earlier tonight when a photo of me was "tagged" on Facebook for the world to see. It was taken by a friend who attended a Christmas Party at my house two weeks ago. He took the photo while I was in the kitchen with DH. The photo was a full length shot of me - from the back.

It's funny how your mind and your eyes can trick you into looking slim in the mirror. This photo was a harsh realisation. I am FAT. I am OVERWEIGHT. I am no longer the thin, attractive girl I was a year ago.

Sure... I've had a tough year. There is a million things I could blame the weight gain on. But reality is - I've put on nearly 15kgs in 12 months. I'm too lazy to get up and walk every morning like I used to and I'm too tempted by food I know I should not eat.

It ends tonight and tomorrow is a new beginning. I will wallow tonight but tomorrow morning I will wake with a new attitude.

It's time to bring back the old me.

you go girl!

have you seen the liver cleansing diet book? not that i'd recommend you actually go on it, ( i fainted when i did! ) but there are some easy low fat recipes in there.

good luck!

No way. Love the liver cleansing diet! We went on it before our wedding and both looked fabulous - skin and eyes bright and shiny! I still use a few of the recipes now.

Its not easy at the start, but a good start off iykwim?

Good luck, I'm too scared to check the scales myself but Im joining the Body Transformation this year!

:hug:

Its hard to see something like that - especially on facebook!! But remember we are always our harshest critic.

Good luck. I'll be here supporting you all the way baby!

I know how you feel, mine started with some photos taken chrissy day, opening pressies with my babies. A time that should be happy memories for me, will be taken over by the fact I am sooo fat! So I started yesterday, I WILL NOT be the weight I am now this time next year.

Good on you! You can DO IT!!!!! And as Lulu said come join us in the body transformation thread! I think it would be good motivation...will be for me anyhow!

I have some charming shots taken by Miss 3 over Christmas. I know I am overweight, but I really do look worse than I thought I did.

Good luck - you can do it!

Yay! Good luck Amy! It's exciting starting out on a new you isn't it!!!

We're all behind you and if you need any tips or advice exercise-wise then give me a yell :)

:grouphug: Love you girls soooo much!! *mwah*

Off to a good start today and feeling super positive. I'm going to join the body transformation thread too for extra motivation. I think I'll even take my "before" shots tomorrow - we'll see.

I have a deadline which is my motivation - March.

My Auntie is getting re-married at the beginning of March and I want to fit into a fab little dress I own. DH's parents (whom I loathe) are coming a week after that wedding and I haven't seen them since last Christmas - MIL will certainly be judgemental if she sees me like this. And most importantly, my beautiful, amazing, gypsy-girl best friend is returning home from 18 months travelling overseas at the end of March. I want to look FAB.

It's a tall order but I think 10kgs is achievable in that time. It has to be and I'll give up all the chocolate in the world for it!!

ETA: I have the CSIRO book which we're pulling some recipes from but I know my Mum has the Liver Cleansing Diet book at home somewhere - I'll try and get my hands on it. DH it with me 100% (he's looking a bit tubby around the middle too ;)) so it's great to have someone to share this with.

Woohoo the fact that you're excited about losing weight means that you'll do it easily :) 10Kg in 12 weeks is totally achievable. They say you shouldn't lose more than 1KG a week or it starts to affect your metabolism - so make sure you don't go over that.

How are you going to do it? Diet and exercise? If you are going to get specific about portion sizes and KJ's etc then i've got some info on your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) which is really important in weightloss. It's basically the MINIMUM amount of KJ's you need to eat to sustain your body at rest. It's important to have a rough idea of what that is so you don't eat too little and freak your body out!

Just let me know :)

CQ - I'm aiming for 1300 calories a day with exercise twice a day. I'll be walking/jogging in the mornings and boxing with DH at night. I'm hoping that will be enought but I'd love some tips and pointers!

Good Luck...

I am sure you can do it.. You seem so strong willed!

Thats awesome - boxing is great fun I love it. Just the two of you or in a class? It's great cardio if you chuck runs and pushups, mountain climbers and stuff in as well. I just got boxing gloves and mits for Xmas so I can do it with my clients.

Here is a bit of info on BMR - honestly it is as importnat that you don't under-eat as over-eat. It doesn't take much for your body to sart storing fat.

What is BMR?
BMR is your Basal Metabolic Rate - in very simple terms, the amount of calories required by your body to sustain life while at rest...

How do I calculate it?
Well, this isn't quite so simple... you can use a very very basic method - simply multiplying your bodyweight in kg by 25 - but this is likely to overestimate your requirement...
A more accurate method is the Harris Benedict Formula:
Men: BMR = 66 + (13.7 X wt in kg) + (5 X ht in cm) - (6.8 X age in yrs)
Women: BMR = 655 + (9.6 X wt in kg) + (1.8 X ht in cm) - (4.7 X age in yrs)
or, if you know your lean body mass (but let's be honest about this, who does?), the Katch McArdle Formula (which is the same for men and women:
BMR = 370 + (21.6 X lean mass in kg)

Why is it important?
Well, like any well tuned engine (or not so well tuned for some of us), if you don't give it sufficient fuel your body will start to shut down! Failing to supply the basic calories your body needs to maintain its status will result in it switching to "starvation mode" lowering your metabolic rate and leaving you drained... And then, when you increase calories, your propensity for storing fat will increase... BOOM, yoyo diet/crash diet effect in action...

So, if I have to lose weight how can I ensure that I've still got a calorie deficit?
Well, this is the easy part... even the most lazy of us aren't at rest for the whole day. So your body's total calorie needs are never just the basic BMR level... Use a multiplier based on your lifestyle to calculate how much you'd actually need to consume (1.2 for relatively inactive, 1.4 for reasonably active (say 3 sessions of exercise per week), 1.5 or 1.6 for more active (say 3 or 4 sessions per week plus a reasonably active job) and even double for those who are extremely active). Create a calorie deficit by giving yourself a shortfall of 500 calories per day without going below your basic BMR... and bingo! Spread those calories over 6 meals a day and your body will never feel deprived...

Hope this helps :)