Since June I’ve been making an actual effort at losing weight, and it seems to be working. Mostly I’ve been trying to walk more places instead of taking the bus or subway, and also reducing snacks and sodas. Otherwise I haven’t modified my diet much; no counting calories or fat content or anything like that. I also got a treadmill in August because Taipei weather is often not very conducive to walking. (Too damn hot in the summer, damp and drizzly in the winter.)
I started in June at 106kg (for those of you using archaic measuring systems, multiply by 2.2). Before our US trip I was down to 102.2kg. I’d lost enough weight that two strange things happened that I hadn’t experienced before: 1) my belt became too big 2) I could fit into my old jeans that are a size smaller than my current ones without them being tight. I was worried that I’d lose ground on vacation, but I’m down to 100.8kg now, so I guess there was enough activity on the vacation to keep things on track.
I don’t really have a goal as such right now, but I figure if I can make it down to 90kg that’ll be pretty good progress. My goal is to do the equivalent of about 3km of walking per day, either on the treadmill or through actual walking. For actual walking the Google Maps Pedometer lets me trace my route on a map to see how long it is.
Good job Jim, keep it up!
A few suggestions:
– Try cutting snacks entirely. They add up over time with excess calories.
– Increase either the amount of time you walk or the distance you walk incrementally every 2-4 weeks. Doesn’t have to be a huge increase, but your weight loss will be more consistent, since your body will get stronger (i.e. used to) whatever distance you’re currently walking.
– Drink a lot of water.
It’s good that you’re doing stuff like walking to places. Try other little stuff too – stairs instead of escalators or elevators, getting off one stop early if you do have to take the bus, and choosing to stand rather than sit in some instances.
I am cheering for you!
(http://livejournal.com/users/edpark)
I second all of that.
If (like me), you find yourself having the munchies between meals, I recommend protein bars, specifically those that have little/no sugar or fat in them. Protein will take longer to digest than sugar will, and it’s a lot healthier.
Good luck!
(http://livejournal.com/users/giza)