The Book

Well I have this large flap of skin now left on my tummy - its huge.
Its gross and it hangs down like 10-15cm .

Its a bad side effect of weight loss and it will never disappear without surgery. Surgery will cost me about 10 grand. So ive decided to write a book on weight loss, both factual and my personal experience.

Once ive done that Ill sell it on Trademe repeatedly until i make enough money to cover the cost of the operation.
By the time I get to my goal weight I will be about 70-80kg lighter than i started. Thats a serious weight loss.

Anyway thats my idea - might take some time lol.

Bike the Lake

Well ive been going to the gym less and less now.
Just cycling to work and back, then the weekend before last i went in a Bike The Lake ride.
I did the 42km 1 lap challenge and came 272nd out of 500 odd in my field. It took me 1 hour 44mins.

Pics are here

Nutritional calculators

Nutritional calculators are a great way to work out how much is in food you have baked or cooked yourself :)

Check this one out
http://www.nutritiondata.com/index.html

I choose

I Choose
to live by choice not by chance
to make changes not excuses
to be motivated not manipulated
to be useful not used
to excel not compete.
I choose self-esteem not self-pity.
I choose to listen to the inner voice not the random
opinion of others.

Poem

Don't Quit

When you've eaten too much and you can't write it down,
And you feel like the biggest failure in town.
When you want to give up just because you gave in,
and forget all about being healthy and thin.
So What! You went over your grams a bit,
It's your next move that counts...So don't you quit!
It's a moment of truth, it's an attitude change.
It's learning the skills to get back in your range.
It's telling yourself, "You've done great up till now.
You can take on this challenge and beat it somehow."
It's part of your journey toward reaching your goal.
You're still gonna make it, just stay in control.
To stumble and fall is not a disgrace,
If you summon the will to get back in the race.
But, often the struggler's, when loosing their grip,
Just throw in the towel and continue to slip.
And learn too late when the damage is done,
that the race wasn't over...they still could have won.
Lifestyle change can be awkward and slow,
but facing each challenge will help you grow.
Success is failure turned inside out,
the silver tint in a cloud of doubt.
When you're pushing to the brink, just refuse to submit,
If you bite it, you write it....But don't you quit!

Cycling Race!

Well i took the plunge and entered myself into a cycling race. Im only doing the beginners version which is 1 lap 42km around Lake Rotorua.
Its a BikeTheLake thing thats done every year. If i go ok with that Ill enter a 100km race from Rotorua to Taupo.

Sucess!

Here is a comparison photo from a year ago at a BBQ and one taken today. I measured to make sure they were the same size (ie head size from top to bottom etc)

getting back into exercise

Well im back into the sway of things, just updated one of my original posts about calories in vs calories out etc.

Ribs are good, hand is good. they still give me a bit of ass but motly i have sore muscles from getting back into exercise.

The Accident

Dear Diary and perverted watchers,

Crap day today ... i survived but ended up at the hospital for several hours.
I finally got my husbands push bike off him and adjusted the brakes. I thought i would bike to the shops with miss 10yo and teach her road rules at the same time.
I showed her how to signal and to ride close to the curb. I explained you go around a parked car and signal. We start off fine. First parked car we get to i see her signal great and so i looked back to check for cars. No cars .. look back and my daughter has stopped right in front of me. I jammed on the brakes, which i had finely tuned only moments before and the bike stopped on a dime. The suspension bounced down and i promptly went over the handle bars.
I dont recall much except GREAT pain in the ribs as the handlebars gouged me and then rolling off the road. I recall seeing my daughter, telling her to get the bikes and herself to get off the road. And I recall seeing a red head lady about 100 mtrs down the road getting in her car and looking to see what the almighty roar was.
Next thing i recall was everything spinning and then stopping and i opened my eyes and the red head and some other lady asking me my address. I told her, then did a mental check that everything was intact, Stood up and walked back home with my daughter (after thanking everyone) and husband then took me to hosp.
Diagnosis was probable cracked ribs, Very badly bruised right side breast/rib area, Torn ligamints in right hand (im typing one handed with left atm), and mild concusion.
Apparently i hit my head thats why i passed out. I dont recall but the helmet has cracks so maybe thats true

Anyway i will be sore for a few days but not quitting anything. Ill use exercycle to stay fit and get it in, So long a breathing isnt an issue with the ribs.

Burning calories with sex!

Taken from here

Question:
> Does anyone have any information on how many calories are burned by various
> sexual activities?  This may be the best physical exercise to lose weight!

Answer:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ACTIVITY           CALORIES BURNED      ACTIVITY             CALORIES BURNED
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

REMOVING CLOTHES:                       ORGASMIC INTENSITY SCALE:
With partner's consent..........12      Shoes flew off....................35
Without partner's consent......187      Expression didn't change...........1/2
                                        Orchestra swelled..................6
UNHOOKING BRA:                           Birds sang
Using two calm hands.............7       Large birds.......................7
Using one trembling hand........36       Small birds.......................3
                                        Earth moved.......................30
GETTING INTO BED:
Lifting partner.................15     PULLING OUT:
Dragging partner along floor....16      After orgasm.......................1/2
Using skateboard.................3      A few moments before orgasm......500

ACHIEVING ERECTIONS:                    PENIS ENVY:
For normal healthy man...........2.5    For woman..........................3
Losing erection.................14      For men...........................72
Searching for it...............115
                                       GUILT:
PUTTING ON CONDOM:                       Despite no formal training, orgasm
With erection....................1.5     comes easily, naturally..........53
Without erection...............300      You're enjoying sex, despite the
                                         fact that other people are
INSERTING DIAPHRAGM:                      starving..........................2
If the woman who does it is             Sex on your lunch hour.............3
 Experienced.....................6      Putting it on expense account.....20
 Inexperienced..................73
If a man does it...............680     AGGRAVATION:
Add (5) calories for retreiving it      Partner keeps showing plants.......5
from across the room.                   Partner insists on cuddling the dog
                                         during foreplay..................14
POSITIONS ACCORDING TO NATIONALITY:      Partner just visited bathroom for
Italian- Man on top, woman in            7th time.........................10
 kitchen........................26      Partner is taking phone calls......7
Russian- Woman on bottom,               Partner is making phone calls.....40
 man getting permission.........55
American- Both on top...........60     GETTING CAUGHT:
                                        By partner's spouse...............60
POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF INTERCOURSE:    By your spouse...................100
Bouncing.........................7      Trying to explain.................55
Sliding around...................9      Trying to remain calm............100
Serious skidding................12      Leaping out of bed................75
Whiplash........................27      Getting dressed in one motion....500
                                        Thanking partner quickly...........2
ORGASM:
Real............................27
Faked..........................160

Shake your bon bon shake your bon bon!

o/~ Shake your bon bon shake your bon bon!

Its times like this im glad im looseing weight

The Pasta Diet - humour

The Pasta Diet and Your Health
ITALIAN PASTA DIET -- IT REALLY WORKS !!

1.. You walka pasta da bakery.

2.. You walka pasta da candy store.

3.. You walka pasta da Ice Cream shop.

4... You walka pasta da table and fridge.

You will lose weight!

Please Do Not Feed the Humans

Taken from here

Please Do Not Feed the HumansThe global explosion of fat.

By William Saletan
Posted Saturday, Sept. 2, 2006, at 8:22 AM ET

In 1894, Congress established Labor Day to honor those who "from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold." In the century since, the grandeur of human achievement has multiplied. Over the past four decades, global population has doubled, but food output, driven by increases in productivity, has outpaced it. Poverty, infant mortality, and hunger are receding. For the first time in our planet's history, a species no longer lives at the mercy of scarcity. We have learned to feed ourselves.

We've learned so well, in fact, that we're getting fat. Not just the United States or Europe, but the whole world. Egyptian, Mexican, and South African women are now as fat as Americans. Far more Filipino adults are now overweight than underweight. In China, one in five adults is too heavy, and the rate of overweight in children is 28 times higher than it was two decades ago. In Thailand, Kuwait, and Tunisia, obesity, diabetes, and heart disease are soaring.

Hunger is far from conquered. But since 1990, the global rate of malnutrition has declined an average of 1.7 percent a year. Based on data from the World Health Organization and the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, for every two people who are malnourished, three are now overweight or obese. Among women, even in most African countries, overweight has surpassed underweight. The balance of peril is shifting.

---

Fat is no longer a rich man's disease. For middle- and high-income Americans, the obesity rate is 29 percent. For low-income Americans, it's 35 percent. Among middle- and high-income kids aged 15 to 17, the rate of overweight is 14 percent. Among low-income kids in the same age bracket, it's 23 percent. Globally, weight has tended to rise with income. But a study in Vancouver, Canada, published three months ago, found that preschoolers in "food-insecure" households were twice as likely as other kids to be overweight or obese. In Brazilian cities, the poor have become fatter than the rich.

Technologically, this is a triumph. In the early days of our species, even the rich starved. Barry Popkin, a nutritional epidemiologist at the University of North Carolina, divides history into several epochs. In the hunter-gatherer era, if we didn't find food, we died. In the agricultural era, if our crops perished, we died. In the industrial era, famine receded, but infectious diseases killed us. Now we've achieved such control over nature that we're dying not of starvation or infection, but of abundance. Nature isn't killing us. We're killing ourselves.

You don't have to go hungry anymore; we can fill you with fats and carbs more cheaply than ever. You don't have to chase your food; we can bring it to you. You don't have to cook it; we can deliver it ready-to-eat. You don't have to eat it before it spoils; we can pump it full of preservatives so it lasts forever. You don't even have to stop when you're full. We've got so much food to sell, we want you to keep eating.

What happened in America is happening everywhere, only faster. Fewer farmers' markets, more processed food. Fewer whole grains, more refined ones. More sweeteners, salt, and trans fats. Cheaper meat, more animal fat. Less cooking, more eating out. Bigger portions, more snacks.

Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut are spreading across the planet. Coca-Cola is in more than 200 countries. Half of McDonald's business is overseas. In China, animal-fat intake has tripled in 20 years. By 2020, meat consumption in developing countries will grow by 106 million metric tons, outstripping growth in developed countries by a factor of more than five. Forty years ago, to afford a high-fat diet, your country needed a gross national product per capita of nearly $1,500. Now the price is half that. You no longer have to be rich to die a rich man's death.

Soon, it'll be a poor man's death. The rich have Whole Foods, gyms, and personal trainers. The poor have 7-Eleven, Popeye's, and streets unsafe for walking. When money's tight, you feed your kids at Wendy's and stock up on macaroni and cheese. At a lunch buffet, you do what your ancestors did: store all the fat you can.

That's the punch line: Technology has changed everything but us. We evolved to survive scarcity. We crave fat. We're quick to gain weight and slow to lose it. Double what you serve us, and we'll double what we eat. Thanks to technology, the deprivation that made these traits useful is gone. So is the link between flavors and nutrients. The modern food industry can sell you sweetness without fruit, salt without protein, creaminess without milk. We can fatten you and starve you at the same time.

And that's just the diet side of the equation. Before technology, adult men had to expend about 3,000 calories a day. Now they expend about 2,000. Look at the new Segway scooter. The original model relieved you of the need to walk, pedal, or balance. With the new one, you don't even have to turn the handlebars or start it manually. In theory, Segway is replacing the car. In practice, it's replacing the body.

In country after country, service jobs are replacing hard labor. The folks who field your customer service calls in Bangalore are sitting at desks. Nearly everyone in China has a television set. Remember when Chinese rode bikes? In the past six years, the number of cars there has grown from six million to 20 million. More than one in seven Chinese has a motorized vehicle, and households with such vehicles have an obesity rate 80 percent higher than their peers.

The answer to these trends is simple. We have to exercise more and change the food we eat, donate, and subsidize. Next year, for example, the U.S. Women, Infants, and Children program, which subsidizes groceries for impoverished youngsters, will begin to pay for fruits and vegetables. For 32 years, the program has fed toddlers eggs and cheese but not one vegetable. And we wonder why poor kids are fat.

The hard part is changing our mentality. We have a distorted body image. We're so used to not having enough, as a species, that we can't believe the problem is too much. From China to Africa to Latin America, people are trying to fatten their kids. I just got back from a vacation with my Jewish mother and Jewish mother-in-law. They told me I need to eat more.

The other thing blinding us is liberal guilt. We're so caught up in the idea of giving that we can't see the importance of changing behavior rather than filling bellies. We know better than to feed buttered popcorn to zoo animals, yet we send it to a food bank and call ourselves humanitarians. Maybe we should ask what our fellow humans actually need.

A version of this piece appears in the Washington Post

Birthday - Halfway mark - great website!

Well Yesterday was my birthday and i turned 33. It was a great day, It must be the first birthday ive had no cake - but i wasnt overly fussed on it.
I had lemon merangue instead which was AWESOME!
I missed going to the gym because i got to busy but i more than made it up today with weights and also cycling to work.

Another noteworthy thing, I hit exactly halfway to my goal weight so ive lost 27.5kg and have 27.5kg to go! :D

And my final say was I found this fantastic website with lots of exercises including silly animated gifs showing you how to do stuff :D

The Story so far ...

Well at this point in time im down to 118.5kgs/260lb round about.
My birthday is next week (7th September).
I think its only just starting to hit home how much weight ive lost.

4 of my friends have been inspired by my weight loss and are also on a quest of their own. The info on this site has been helpful so im told.

I talk daily on a weight loss forum
with like minded people who never say anything nasty.

Anyway everything is going great, one day i might even hope to see all the muscle that is now developed under the flab lol.

I have no fat rolls any more, its just smooth sculpted fat :D

Stupid people at the gym

I posted this on http://weight-loss.fitness.com originally but here it is for all to see :)

-------

Okay since its friday night and im bored shitless im gonna have a rant. This rant is not directed at anyone here on the forums - please do not take it that way (just letting off steam)

WHY do people pay tons of money to go to the gym, they get up at 5am to go in early before work and then just sit there half heartedly doing exercise whilst reading. I mean HELLO! if you arnt breaking a sweat then chances are your eyes are doing more of a workout whilst reading than anything else!
Im a reader - an avid reader. I speed read and can easily read a 300 page book in an hour (20 minutes at my best). If i cant read I go insane so i know what its like to want to read a book and exercise. Ive tried it myself! but it is IMPOSSIBLE to do a PROPER workout and read a book.
And as for that fat chick i see every morning who reads and exercises, why on earth do you waste your time?! She turns the treadmill on and is barely even moving (I shit you not .. its not even a decent walking pace) and does that for 5 minutes before moving to a laying back exercycle for another 5 minutes, then the rowing machine for another 2 minutes maybe all the while sighing loudly and looking determinedly bored and trying to read her book.
I do wonder if she has noticed that whilst she looks the same, ive gone from being HEAPS bigger than her down to a smaller size than her.
And there is this skinny chick, sure she has an ok body - but she is SOOO not toned. everything is just flat, straight. Looks kinda like a popcicle stick. And yet she goes to the gym every morning and again does a half hearted useing the stepper (whilst reading), and then reclined exercycle (reading a book), then some other cardio stuff. Never thinking once that perhaps they might go down to the weights section and actually give their muscles a real workout - or even crank the level up off the lowest.

ok now i have that off my chest, im tired and grumpy and probably shouldnt be posting to forums right now lol.
I take back anything nasty i might have implied! and huges to all *hugs*

how to work out how many calories are in something

If it doesnt have Kilojoules or Calories on the packet try this little formula

Cals = fat X 9 + (carb - fiber) X 4 + protein X 4 + alcohol X 7

Listed as a spam blog!

Heh I got listed as a spam blog by blogger and now i have to fill out a bunch of letters when i post.

Im not sure why i got listed but i did have a link on the template going to my home page. It was meant to be under every post but ive moved it up to the top and renamed it so it seems less spammy.

Either way its very lol.

So ive lost like 24.5kg so far - i have 31.5 to go before i hit 90kg.
My brother seems to have given up paying the kids to encourage me to loose the weight.
Nobody really seems to have noticed other than the odd person. I mean HELLO! IVE LOST A SHITLOAD OF WEIGHT!
Im not *THAT* fat that you just dont notice it.

My tummy is now going down though, and i can fit into a couple size smaller pants. I havnt really gone out and bought anything new because i plan to keep on loosing it. No point wasting money on clothes im only going to wear for a couple months.
So i have one pair of pants that fit for going out. and lots of my old shirts fit (Im wearing one i got 5 years ago for slackware)

Foods with "Negative Calories"

These would be foods that are allowed to be eaten by anybody sticking to the Catabolic diet or the 'Negative Calorie" diet. The idea is that you burn more fat eating these foods, than if you were simply fasting.

• apples
• apricots
• artichokes
• asparagus
• beet greens
• beets
• blackberries
• blueberries
• broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• buffalo fish
• cabbage
• cantaloupe
• carrots
• cauliflower
• celeriak
• celery
• cherries
• chervil
• chicory
• Chinese cabbage
• chives
• clams
• cod
• corn
• crabs
• cranberries
• cucumbers
• currants
• Damson plum
• dandelion greens
• eggplant
• endive
• flounder
• frogs legs
• garlic
• grapefruit
• grapes
• green beans
• honeydew
• huckleberries
• kale
• kohlrabi
• kumquats
• leeks
• lemons
• lettuce
• limes
• lobster
• loganberries
• mangoes
• mushrooms
• muskmelons
• mussels
• mustard greens
• nectarines
• okra
• onions
• oranges
• oysters
• papaya
• parsley leaves
• parsnips
• peaches
• pears
• peas
• peppers (capsicum)
• pineapple
• pomegranates
• prunes
• pumpkin
• quince
• radishes
• raspberries
• red cabbage
• rhubarb
• rutabagas
• salsify
• sauerkraut
• scallions
• sea bass
• shrimps
• sorrel
• spinach
• squash
• steaks
• strawberries
• string beans
• tangerines
• terrapin
• tomato
• turnips
• watercress
• watermelon

Burning calories - the fast way, and the slow way

Burning calories - the fast way, and the slow way

In January's Food Magazine we gave a list of of calorie expenditure for different physical activities in our 'What the Doctor Reads' report. Since then we have received several letters requesting information on calorie use for more sedentary behaviour.

Some teachers, for instance, wrote to say that they would find information about sedentary activities useful, to help children make the comparison between playing sport and watching sport.

Two tables follow, one showing calorie expenditure during sedentary behaviour, the other showing calorie expenditure during different activities over a 20 minute period.

Energy expenditure and activity - sedentary behaviour This table gives the energy you would expend above your basal level (measured asleep). As you will see, some of the 'activities' burn so few calories they are hardly worth recording. A sign of the times, perhaps.
	Kcalories
Using TV remote control	<1
Getting up to change TV channel	3
Sitting, talking on the phone, 30 min	4
Letting dog out of the back door	2
Walking the dog, 30 minutes	125
Using pre-cut vegetables	0
Washing, cutting vegetables, 15 min	12
Using auto car wash	18
Washing and waxing car, 1 hour	300
Using a lift, 3 floors	<1
Walking up 3 floors	15
Sending email to colleague, 4 min	2
Walking and talking to colleague, 4 min	6
Shopping on-line, 1 hour	30
Shopping, pushing trolley, 1 hour	200
Source: Mayo Clinic Proceedings (77) 2002

Burning calories during different activities The following chart shows approximate calorie expenditure for a range of activities:
Activity	Kcalories used in 20 minutes of activity
Aerobic dancing - low intensity, equivalent to walking	80
Aerobic dancing - medium intensity, equivalent to jogging	130
Aerobic dancing - high intensity, equivalent to running	170
Bed making	100
Cleaning windows	60
Cleaning stairs	65
Climbing stairs (72 steps per minute)	95
Climbing stairs (92 steps per minute)	130
Cycling on flat ground ('own speed')	125
Dancing (waltz)	130
Dusting	70
Gardening	110
Golf	100
Knitting	25
Office work (general)	25
Operating electric sewing machine	25
Playing cricket	160
Playing pool	65
Playing squash	200
Playing tennis	140
Playing football	140
Playing table tennis	90
Playing cards	40
Running (speed unspecified)	190
Sitting typing	30
Walking on the level (1-2 km per hour)	45
Walking on the level (4-5 km per hour)	85
Watching football	40
Source: Human Energy Requirements: A manual for planners and nutritionists, by WPT James and EC Schofield, published by the Oxford University Press (1990).

Fitness and Diet Tips

Found this blog - very similar to my own.

Fitness and Diet Tips

Weight Loss Plateau

Since i seem to have hit a Plateau...

Why Does a Weight Loss Plateau Occur?

A plateau may occur because (1) your body simply wants a "rest" to cope with your calorie-reduction; or (2) your calorie-intake is in balance with your calorie expenditure; or (3) you have reduced your calorie-intake too low. If your calorie-intake is too low, your body thinks there is a "famine" and slows down your metabolism (how fast you burn calories) in order to conserve calories.

How Do You Start Losing Weight Again?

(1) Raise your metabolism (and calorie expenditure) by increasing your activity level. This boosts your metabolic rate and usually re-starts weight loss. For example, if you exercise for 20 minutes each day, increase this to 25-30 minutes each day, and weight loss should resume. If you are already exercising quite hard, try varying your workout routine. For example, if you do 20 minutes cardio and 30 minutes strength-training, switch them around.

(2) Avoid going too long without food. Going without food for long periods can also trigger a weight loss plateau. Ideally eat something (e.g. piece of fruit) every 3 hours (women) or about every 5 hours (men). This reassures your body that food is plentiful and facilitates calorie-burning.

(3) Try to be patient. Your weight loss plateau will disappear, I promise. But it typically takes anything between 1-4 weeks.

50 Biggest Dieting Mistakes

this is according to ediets:

50 mistakes made by dieters

1. Going on a diet that is NOT a manner of eating that can't be adhered to for life.

2. Believing they can eat cabbage soup every day.

3. Obsessing over counting calories.

4. Weighing in more than once a week.

5. Not drinking enough water.

6. Drinking sugar-laden drinks, such as lemonade, sodas, gourmet coffees, fruity blends, etc.

7. Eating more bread, pasta and potatoes than proteins, lean meats, fruits and vegetables.

8. Consuming processed foods more often than fresh foods.

9. Taking the benefits away from vegetables and fruits by overcooking them.

10. Having a negative, defeatist attitude.

11. Blaming others for their shortcomings.

12. Being quick to judge.

13. Not having a plan.

14. Not being aware of the nutritional benefits or harm of what they consume.

15. Finishing every last bite even after they are full.

16. Going back for seconds.

17. Eating at all-you-can-eat buffets and getting their money's worth.

18. Skipping breakfast.

19. Starving all day, thinking it’s the only way to lose weight.

20. Bingeing after falling off the wagon and then waiting until tomorrow to get back on track.

21. Thinking they are genetically destined to be fat.

22. Not believing they have the ability to change.

23. Confusing fat with a personality trait.

24. Thinking they are unattractive.

25. Not living each day to the fullest. Thinking that will come when they are thinner.

26. Wasting time.

27. Not finishing tasks they start.

28. Postponing tasks that need attention.

29. Rationalizing.

30. Thinking pills, powders or potions are more powerful than they really are in realizing weight loss.

31. Thinking of exercise as a must do or chore.

32. Not scheduling exercise as a vital part of their day or week.

33. Indulging in alcohol often.

34. Watching sports rather than participating in sports.

35. Watching television more than one hour a day.

36. Not giving much attention to personal hygiene or appearance.

37. Refusing to read self-improvement materials on a regular basis.

38. Giving up and resigning to being fat.

39. Finishing the food off others' plates while doing dishes.

40. Tasting and nibbling on the food while cooking.

41. Baking cookies, pies and cakes more often than at holidays.

42. Always having candy in dishes for guests, but eating more of it themselves.

43. Buying unhealthy snack items for the kids but eating it themselves.

44. Not having vegetables and/or fruit with each meal.

45. Serving more carbohydrates than any other food group for meals.

46. Thinking dieting -- not total lifestyle change -- will lead to lasting weight loss.

47. Not visualizing themselves actually living a healthy lifestyle.

48. Not taking vitamins and proper supplements.

49. Consuming fast food on a regular basis.

50. Waiting for tomorrow to get started rather than RIGHT NOW!

If you see yourself in any of these mistakes, then it is time to change. After all, what do you have to lose?!

Always eat more than 1200 calories a day!

A 5'2" 19 year old female weighing 100 pounds (which is WAY too small anyways but this is the example given)... needs 1,200 calories to just sit around all day and do nothing. This is how it's broken down (scientifically)

-The heart needs 12% of the calories (144 cals)
-The kidney needs 12% of the calories (144 cals)
-The Liver needs 23% of the calories (276 cals)
-The brain needs 23% of the calories (276 cals)
-The skeletal muscle needs 30% of the calories (360 cals)

You should also think about calorie cycling. You see the human body adapts to our environment and to our lifestyle. So if you eat the same caloric intake each and every day, the body adapts. So you need to stay one step ahead of the body. On a cardio day, decrease your calories by 200, and the next day increase it by 200. Do this a couple of times per week, and hopefully you will avoid the dreaded plateau. Besides you are moving away from needing to focus on fat loss, now you should focus on keeping the muscle mass and growing it. At 5'5 and 17% body fat, your "weight" includes alot of lean muscle. So your BMI may not be accurate.

Muscle is called "active tissue" because it requires a lot of energy to maintain itself. In fact, every pound of new muscle you add to your body will burn about 60 calories per day. That can really add up. Look at the chart below:

The Fat Burning Effect of Muscle

Pounds of New Muscle	Pounds of fat burned per month	Pounds of fat burned per year
1	0.5	6
3	1.5	19
5	2.6	31
10	5.1	62
12	6.2	74
15	7.7	93
20	10.3	123

By adding just 10 pounds of muscle to your body, it will burn off 62 pounds of fat over the next year! And it will keep burning those extra calories year after year. That means that when you've lost the fat, you can eat a lot more and not gain back the fat. Also, with less fat and more muscle, your body will have the lean, toned, fit look that every man aspires to.

So by combining aerobics with strength training, you can transform your body in the shortest possible time, and keep it lean and muscular year round without starving yourself on a low-calorie diet.

More info on exercise and calories

The best cardio exercise is simply the one you will do day in and day out consistently. Choose one which you enjoy doing and don't be afraid to mix the exercises up. Interval cardio work consists of moving from one exercise to another in set time intervals. For example, you could do the elliptical trainer for 15 minutes, then switch to the stationary bike for another 15 minutes and finish off on the treadmill for the last 15 minutes. Interval training is a great way to keep everything fresh!

There are two schools of though when it comes to cardio training. The "slow & steady" group and the "high intensity" group. These two groups breakdown like this:

Slow & Steady Cardio

* Long duration (45min - 1 hour)
* Low intensity
* Burn fat and not carbs
* Preserve joints

High Intensity Cardio

* Short duration (20min - 30min)
* High intensity (interval training)
* Burn tons of calories & rev up your metabolism throughout the day
* Treat cardio like weights - explosive movements (sprinting, etc)

Our advice is to try both for at least 6 weeks and make sure to monitor your progress with a journal and take weekly photos of yourself to see if you're truly losing body fat.

Which Cardio Exercise Burns the Most Calories?
Below are the top 10 cardio exercises which burn the most calories in 30 minutes.

1. Step Aerobics - one of the most favorite cardio exercises preferred by women. Step Aerobics mainly target your legs, hips and glutes, and can burn approx. 400 calories in 30 minutes.

2. Bicycling - stationary or outdoors is a great cardio exercises, depending on resistance and speed can but 250 to 500 calories in 30 minutes.

3. Swimming - like cross-country skiing is an excellent cardio exercises as it is a full body exercises. Swimming is a great cross-training for other cardio activities. Doing the breast stroke can burn approx. 400 calories in 30 minutes.

4. Racquetball - side to side sprinting makes racquetball and excellent cardio exercises. A 145-lb person burns over 400 calories in 30 minutes.

5. Rock Climbing - is not only a cardio exercises, but also uses arm and leg strength and power. Rock Climbing can burn up to 380 calories in 30 minutes.

6. Cross-Country Skiing - whether on a machine or outdoors on snow, is an incredible cardio exercises as it involves both upper and lower body. A 145 lb person can burn approx 330 calories in 30 minutes.

7. Running - Running is an excellent cardio exercises because all you need is a pair of quality running shoes. Running burns serious calories. A 145 LB person can easily burn 300 calories in 30 minutes.

8. Elliptical Trainer - is an excellent cardio exercises and a great way to build endurance. A 145 LB person can burn about 300 calories in 30 minutes.

9. Rowing - is both a cardio exercises as well as giving your arms an incredible workout. 145 LB person can burn about 300 calories in 30 minutes.

10. Walking - Brisk walking is a less strenuous form of cardio exercises. Walking can burn up to 180 calories in 30 minutes. Sprinting, adding hills or an incline can increase amount of calories burned.

For the real high intensity cardio people out there who love the H.I.I.T training (High Intensity Interval Training), below are the top three cardio exercise which will provide amazing results!

1. Jumping Rope - This is one of the simplest, yet most effective exercises one can do. In just 15 to 20 minutes, jumping rope will give you an unparalleled total body workout. Jumping rope is ideal for cardiovascular endurance and enhances performance in virtually any sport - tennis, basketball, football, skiing, volleyball and more. This simple exercise is also great for eye-hand coordination, lateral movement, foot and hand speed and agility.

2. Sprinting - Sprinting not only burns HUGE amounts of calories while sprinting, it also keeps your metabolism flying for days after. Sprinting combined with running / jogging can bring amazing results

3. Spinning - These high-intensity workouts to music simulate a challenging bike ride, complete with hills, valleys and varying speeds, all dictated by the group instructor.

Diet Myths

Taken from http://abcnews.go.com/Health/2020/story?id=512095&page=1

Myth : Eating Late at Night Makes You Fat

Four out of 10 Americans work evenings, nights or on shifts, and that means a lot of us are eating later. But won't eating late-night meals pack on extra pounds because we can't burn off the calories when we sleep?

"That is a myth," said dietitian Erica Blacksburg. "Eating late at night won't make you fat unless you go over your calorie load for that day."

But beware. People can gain weight eating late at night depending on what they eat. "A lot of people save their treats for the end of the day," said Blacksburg. "They feel like they deserve something special … They'll have ice cream, they'll have chips."

Myth : Muscle Turns to Fat When You Don't Exercise

For those who spend three or four days a week sweating through cardio and strength training, what happens to the muscle when you stop working out? Does it turn to fat?

Fitness guru Donna Richardson Joyner explained this can't happen. "Muscle is muscle, fat is fat. And you can't turn one into the other," she said.

It's a source of confusion for many, but there's no comparison deep inside the body. Dr. Walter Thompson, a professor of exercise science at Georgia State University, said muscle is much denser then fat and is more compact.

He said that when you stop working out the muscle becomes a bit flabby and "non-functional," but does not turn into fat.

And if you're hoping for the opposite — sorry — exercise does not transform fat into muscle.

"You have to get rid of fat by doing cardio, said Lara Szymanski at The Sports Club/ LA. "You have to build lean muscle. And that's what you do by strength training."

Myth : Diet and Exercise Are All You Need to Lose Weight

Need to lose a little weight? If you think counting calories and exercising are all it takes to melt those pounds, you could be mistaken. You might be missing out on another key weight-loss component — sleep.

"Americans sleep the least of modern countries. And they also, as you know, are the most overweight and obese," said Dr. Eve Van Cauter, a sleep researcher at the University of Chicago. "Perhaps it is worth thinking about the possibility that we don't sleep enough and therefore our appetites are disregulated."

She and Dr. Esra Tasali, another University of Chicago sleep researcher, tested sleep-deprived individuals and found that getting as little as one hour less sleep than is needed can create a hormonal imbalance. Analysis of the sleep-deprived subjects' blood showed lower levels of the hormone leptin, which tells us we're full, and higher levels of the hormone ghrelin, which tells us we're hungry.

"I think sleep should be included in any intervention for weight loss," said Van Cauter.

I Happen to know the first one is a myth, I eat more at night time myself so reserve my calories for then so I dont feel all deprived. I still however do eat plenty of breaky and other food also :)

Weight loss forum and support

So I stumbled accross this weight loss forum yesterday. Its truly fantastic. Everyone seems supportive of each other, lots of hints and tips, they have an area where you can enter your details and kind of compare with others. You can see whos doing what diet and which ones are more effective.
There are some fantasticly insperational stories from some people that will just get you up and going.

I can see myself becomming a fairly active forum whore for the first time in my life :)

Lifting weights and Fat Loss

Taken from here

Getting Started

If you want to lose fat or change your body, one of the most important things you can do is lift weights. Diet and cardio are equally important, but when it comes to changing how your body looks, weight training wins hands down. If you've hesitated to start a strength training program, it may motivate you to know that lifting weights can:

• Help raise your metabolism. Muscle burns more calories than fat, so the more muscle you have, the more calories you'll burn all day long.
• Strengthen bones, especially important for women
• Make you stronger and increase muscular endurance
• Help you avoid injuries
• Increase your confidence and self-esteem
• Improve coordination and balance

Getting started with strength training can be confusing--what exercises should you do? How many sets and reps? How much weight? The routine you choose will be based on your fitness goals as well as the equipment you have available and the time you have for workouts.

The Basics

If you're setting up your own program, you'll need to know some basic strength training principles. These principles will teach you how to make sure you're using enough weight, determine your sets and reps and insure you're always progressing in your workouts.

1. Overload: If you want to get stronger, you need to use more resistance than your muscles are used to. This is important because the more you do, the more your body is capable of doing, so you should increase your workload to avoid adaptation. In plain language, this means you should be lifting enough weight that you can ONLY complete the desired number of reps. You should be able to finish your last rep with difficulty but also with good form.
2. Progression. In order to avoid plateaus (or adaptation), you need to increase your intensity. With strength training, you can do this by increasing the amount of weight lifted, increasing the sets/reps, increasing or changing the exercises you're doing and/or change the rest intervals between sets. You can also change the order of your exercises. This means increasing your intensity every week.
3. Specificity. This principle states that the way your body adapts to exercise depends on the type of exercise you're doing. That means, if you want to increase your strength, your program should be designed around that goal. To gain strength and mass, you want to train with heavier weights closer to your 1 RM (1 rep max). If you want to build endurance and strength, you'll want to stick with lighter weights and a rep range of 8-12.
4. Rest and Recovery. Rest days are just as important as workout days. It is during these rest periods that your muscles grow and change, so make sure you're not working the same muscle groups 2 days in a row.

Before you get started on setting up your routine, keep a few key points in mind:

1. Always warm up before you start lifting weights. This helps get your muscles warm and prevent injury. You can warm up with light cardio or by doing a light set of each exercise before going to heavier weights.
2. Lift and lower your weights slowly. Don't use momentum to lift the weight. If you have to swing to get the weight up, chances are you're using too much weight.
3. Breathe. Don't hold your breath and make sure you're using full range of motion throughout the movement.
4. Stand up straight! If your mother could see you now, she'd probably slap a book on your head. Pay attention to your posture and keep everything straight. Engage your abs in every movement you're doing to keep your balance and protect your spine.

Choosing Exercises, Sequence & Weight

Your first step in setting up a routine is to choose exercises to target all of your muscle groups. One way to make sure you're doing this right is to work with a personal trainer who can help you set up the right program for you and educate you on proper form. If that's not an option, consider renting or buying a workout video. Strength training videos can give you visual instruction without the cost of a personal trainer. The only limitation is that, once you adjust to that workout you might have to get another video! One more option is to hire an online personal trainer. It's cheaper than hiring a trainer at the gym and, at My Fitness Expert, you get the same kind of personal treatment as you would at a gym or at home.

For beginners, choose at least one exercise per muscle group.

The list below offers some examples:

• Chest: bench press, chest press machine, pushups, pec deck machine
• Back: one-armed row, seated row machine, back extensions, lat pulldowns
• Shoulders: overhead press, lateral raise, front raise
• Biceps: bicep curls, hammer curls, concentration curls
• Triceps: tricep extensions, dips, kickbacks
• Quadriceps: Squats, lunges, leg extension and leg press machines
• Hamstrings: deadlifts, lunges, leg curl machine
• Abs: crunches, reverse crunches, oblique twists, pelvic tilts

Check out the strength training and cardio workouts available at Workout Central

Sequence of Exercises

• Make sure you choose at least one exercise for each major muscle group.
• The muscles to work include: Chest, back, shoulders, biceps, triceps, quadriceps, hamstrings, calves and abdominals.
• If you leave any muscle group out, this could cause an imbalance in your muscles and possibly lead to injuries.

Most experts recommend starting with your larger muscle groups and then proceeding to the smaller muscle groups. The most demanding exercises are those performed by your large muscle groups and you will need your smaller muscles to get the most out of these exercises. For example, in a bench press your shoulders and triceps are involved in stabilizing your arms, so you want them to be strong so you don't drop the weight on your chest. The bonus? By the time you get to your shoulder and triceps exercises, your muscles will be warmed up and ready to go. However, this isn't written in blood so do what works for you. In addition, you don't necessarily need to do as many sets with your smaller muscle groups since they're used so much in other exercises.

How Much Weight To Use

The easiest way to determine how much weight you should use on each lift is to guess (not very scientific, huh?):

1. Pick up a light weight and do a warm up set of the exercise of your choice, aiming for about 10 to 16 repetitions.
2. For set 2, increase your weight by 5 or more pounds and perform your goal number of repetitions. If you can do more than your desired number of reps, heavy up again for your 3rd set.
3. In general, you should be lifting enough weight that you can ONLY do the desired reps. You should be struggling by the last rep, but still able to finish it with good form.
4. It may take awhile to find the right amount of weight for each exercise.
5. In general, you can use heavier weights with larger muscle groups such as chest, back and legs. You'll need smaller weights for the shoulders and arms.

Choosing Repetitions and Sets

How Many Reps/Sets To Do

You've figured out how much weight to use for your chosen exercises...what about the number of sets and repetitions? Your decision should be based on your goals. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 8-12 reps for muscular strength and 10-15 reps for muscular endurance. They also recommend at least 1 set of each exercise to fatigue although you'll find that most people perform about 3 sets of each exercise. In general:

• For fat loss: Do 10-12 reps using enough weight that you can ONLY complete the desired reps and 1-3 sets (1 for beginners, 2-3 for intermediate and advanced exercisers). Rest about 30 seconds-1 minute between sets and at least one day between workout sessions
• For muscle gain: Do 6-8 reps enough weight that you can ONLY complete the desired reps and 3 or more sets, resting for 1-2 minutes between sets and 3 or more days between sessions.

• For beginners, give yourself several weeks of conditioning before going to this level. You may need a spotter for many exercises.
• For health and muscular endurance: Do 12-16 reps using enough weight that you can ONLY complete the desired reps and 1-3 sets, resting 20-30 seconds between sets and at least one day between workout sessions.

How Long To Rest Between Exercises/Workout Sessions

Again, this will depend on your goal. Higher intensity (i.e., when lifting heavy) exercise requires a longer rest. When lifting to fatigue, it takes an average of 3 to 5 minutes for your muscles to rest for the next set. When using lighter weight and more repetitions, it takes between 30 seconds and 1 minute for your muscles to rest.

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends training each muscle group 2 to 3 times a week. But, the number of times you lift each week will depend on your training method. In order for muscles to repair and grow, you'll need about 48 hours of rest between workout sessions. If you're training at a high intensity, take a longer rest.

Where to Workout

You don't have to join a gym to get a great strength training workout. A gym is nice because you'll have access to both machines and free weights, so you have plenty of variety. If you do join a gym, it's a good idea to incorporate both types of equipment into your workout routine for variety. What's the difference? This article explains all.

If you decide to workout at home, here are a few items you might want to consider buying:

• Resistance bands are around $6 to $15. They're small, light, travel well and you get get a full body workout with it.
• Dumbbells. They're cheap and you can do a variety of exercise with them. Find them at your local Target or Walmart. Other options include a barbell set, an exercise ball and/or a weight bench.
• A step is more expensive (a good one goes for around $85 or so) but you can use for everything from step aerobics to weight bench to plant-holder (although I don't recommend it for that).
• For tips on setting up your home gym, check out this in-depth article.
• For more, see Best Strength Training Equipment

Another opinion on slow lifting

Is it true that the best way to build muscle is by doing really slow repetitions?

IB, Southampton

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Several years ago, a study suggested that lifting weights slowly -14 seconds per repetition - increases strength faster than lifting at normal speeds.

But there was a flaw.

The slow lifters gained more strength in slow lifts than the others gained in normal speed lifts.

They never compared the two groups in absolute strength.

"There's no one size fits all way to build muscle, you have to look at your training regime, your diet, even your genetic make up," says Ceri Hannan, national fitness manager at Fitness First.

He suggests that to boost muscle fibre, you alternate between slow and medium speed repetitions to 'shock' your muscles.

"Generally, however, it's better to push slower because it makes you concentrate on your technique and control more, which is the biggest problem," adds Hannan.

As a rule, count to four lowering a weight, and to two pushing or pulling it up.

But don't ignore speed completely.

A study from George Washington University in the US looked at slow versus normal lifting, comparing how much could be lifted for one repetition before and after a ten week training programme.

Those lifting weights at the normal speed gained 24% more strength than the tortoise trainers.

"Vary your workout speed as much as possible and, more than anything, don't push weights above your station," Hannan advises.

Metabolism and Exercise

Here are some factors that do influence the number of calories a person expends in general:

Genetics

Some people are born with high metabolisms (the rate at which one's body uses calories) and others are born with low metabolisms. The main culprit of these phenomena is the thyroid gland. Some individuals produce more thyroxin (the hormone that is secreted from the thyroid) than others. Thyroxin is responsible for metabolism, so if a person's body produces a high-normal amount of thyroxin, s/he will utilize calories more quickly. If a person's body produces a low-normal amount of thyroxin, s/he will utilize calories more slowly. NOTE: if thyroxin is out of normal range in either direction, it is dangerous and needs medical attention.

Gender

Typically, men have greater muscle mass than women. Since muscle requires more calories to maintain, men tend to have 10 - 15 percent faster metabolisms than women. Similarly, men have a lower body fat percentage than women.

Age

Metabolic rate is higher in childhood than in adulthood. Children are growing and need more calories to fulfill their bodies' requirements. After the age of 20 years, metabolism drops 2 percent per decade.

Brain Power

The brain is only 2 percent of the body's weight, but accounts for more than 20 percent of total calories used. Also, the length of time per day spent awake affects the amount of calories utilized. We expend more calories when we are awake than when we are asleep.

Fever

For every increase of 0.5°C (32.9°F) in body temperature, BMR increases by approximately 7 percent. For example, if someone has a fever of 42°C (107.6°F), s/he would have an increase in metabolic rate of 50 percent. The reason for this is that chemical reactions in the body occur more quickly at higher temperatures.

Medications

Some medications, such as anti-depressants, can slow down metabolic processes and lead to weight gain.

During exercise, the following factors influence calorie expenditure:

Cardiovascular Exercise Intensity

The intensity of aerobic exercise has the greatest impact on calorie usage during exercise. As exercise intensity increases, the greater the caloric expenditure during and after exercise. Intensity refers to the rate of exertion during exercise, which can be measured by VO₂ max (oxygen consumption), heart rate, or perceived exertion. Here's an example of cardiovascular exercise intensity: running on a treadmill at 6.5 mph is more intense than running at 5.5 mph, so increasing speed can impact intensity. However, two people can be running at 5.5 mph, but if one runs on an incline, that activity would be more intense.

Cardiovascular Exercise Duration

The length of time per exercise session not only impacts the number of calories utilized during exercise, but also the number of calories to be utilized after exercise. The longer the bout of physical activity, the more calories will be expended right after it is over, a.k.a. the 'after-burn.'

Intermittent vs. Single Bouts of Exercise

Several studies have concluded that intermittent aerobic exercise expends more calories overall than continuous exercise. People used more calories during two, 25-minute sessions when compared to a continuous 50-minute bout of the same exercise. This occurs for two reasons: first, the body has to work harder at rest to move from an anaerobic state, using glucose and other simple and complex carbohydrates during the first few minutes of exercise, to an aerobic state, which relies on fat as its main energy source during more sustained activity. This will happen twice in intermittent exercise bouts versus once in a continuous bout. Also, there is more 'after-burn' of calories in intermittent exercise sessions versus one continuous session.

Resistance Training

The intensity of weight training also influences calories utilized. Heavier lifting (3 sets, 8 exercises, 3 - 8 reps at 80 - 90 percent of 1RM) will use more calories during and right after than lighter weight lifting (4 sets, 8 exercises, 15 reps at 50 percent of 1RM). 1RM refers to the weight of one repetition at maximal strength. For example, if a person's 1RM of a squat is 100 pounds, then heavy lifting would be doing 3 sets of 3 - 8 reps of squats at 80 - 90 lbs. Lighter weight lifting would be squatting 50 lbs for 4 sets of 15 reps.

Fitness Level

People who are more fit expend fewer calories during and right after exercise than people who are less fit. This occurs because people who have been exercising more consistently have faster recovery time in breathing and heart rate, and repair muscle more quickly

Slow Weight Lifting vs Faster Reps

When lifting weights try and go slower and more controlled with lighter weights for more muscle mass.
With slower repetition speed you effectively increase intensity of the lifting (concentric) phase while decreasing momentum. While momentum may allow you to lift bigger weights, it basically reduces target muscle stimulation and intensity while also increasing your chances for injury. Researchers in Massachusetts, USA and in collaboration with the YMCA, looked at this phenomenon on middle-aged men and women (mean age 53). They divided these previously untrained people into two groups, all performing 2-3 days per week training in this 8-10 week program.

One group was performing weight training at normal repetition speed (7 seconds) while the other was performing it at slow speed or 14 seconds. To ensure that muscle time under tension was constant, the normal speed group performed 8-10 reps while the slow speed group performed 4-6 repetitions. They conducted two studied and in both, the slow speed group increased strength significantly more than their faster speed counterparts. In study one, the slow speed group showed a mean strength increase of 12 kg while the normal speed group showed an only 8 kg improvement. In the second study, the slow speed showed a 10.9 kg increase while the normal speed showed an increase of 7.1 kg.

This study shows the importance of repetition speed when performing resistance training and further cements the idea that weight must be lifted in a fully controlled manner. This holds especially true when training for strength increases in older adults.

Its the small things that matter

Okay so Ive lost almost 20kg now (guestimated because i couldnt weigh myself for the first couple of weeks i was doing this).
Now Im really noticing things, so i thought I would share a few things Ive noticed and appretiated about weight loss :)

1. I can now hop into a full bath without overflowing it
2. The towel fits ALL the way around me now with no big gaps!
3. I can fit through stupidly small turnstiles at the gym and supermarket :D
4. I can fit into public toilets without having to have one asscheek up on the tampon/pad bin thing
5. I can get INTO public toilets (those doors swing waaaay to close to the toilets).
6. People can fit past me in the hallway, shopping isles, etc
7. I have to pull my chair in at the table now before my stomach touches!
8. I can fit on the couch seat without falling into the next persons 'space'
9. I look like one of those hip and trendy kids with my baggy clothes :D
10. My husband gives me more cuddles!
11. When my husband cuddles me, we are face to face (instead of him bending over my monstrous stomach!)
12. I can play with my kids for longer without getting tired (they love this!)

I will add more to this at a later date perhaps - its time for bed. I have to get up at 5.30am tomorrow morning for the gym :/

How to work out calorie content from Kilojoules

The difference between calories and kilojoules is that one calorie equals 4,2 kilojoules and vice versa. So, if you read on a food label that a portion of the food contains 100 calories, you can multiply that value with 4,2 to work out how many kilojoules the food contains:

Example: 100 calories x 4,2 = 420 kJ

Conversely, you can calculate that a portion of food that contains 420 kJ (metric system) will contain 420 divided by 4,2 = 100 calories The same applies when you want to work out how many calories or kilojoules a diet contains. Multiply calories by 4,2 to obtain kilojoules and divide kilojoules by 4,2 to obtain calories.

Although we use larger numbers when working with metric kilojoules this does NOT mean that kilojoules contain more energy, just that we are using a different system to express energy content.

New workout

Well last night i went in for my 6 week review at 4 weeks. Im just bored with the workout im doing and its become waaaay to easy. Ive been upping the weights to make it a little harder.
Conclusion was that the lady showing me around ended up using lighter weights to example than i was using because i was apparently a shitload stronger than most females.
Shes had to put me on an advanced workout and said to let me know how it goes.

I guess that explains why im lifting heavier weights than some of the guys eh :/
I dont think its because of the working out so much as ive always been fairly strong without actually doing anything.

Anyway Ive decided to start next week on the new workout.

weight loss - I SEE RESULTS!

Well! its official! the stats are in!
According to fitday ive lost an average of 2.2kg per week for the last fortnight. I havnt been logging my weight for a month yet so if i do it over a month it goes down to 1.7kg per week - which is STILL far above my goal of 1.56 !
At this rate I should be down to 90kg in 17 weeks (long before xmas which was my goal!).

Im just so darned happy!!!! :D:D:D:D!!!

Iron & Anemic

Well I had been going great guns and fantasticly until i got my period on thursday. I was helping a friend move house on weds and felt a bit tired that night. Then Thursday i got my period lightly and later that night felt dizzy again. Comes friday i had my period much more heavily and i was feeling so dizzy after being at the gym i was worried about driving. At work i couldnt concentrate, boss sent me home because i was useless to him. After some googling and checking out my reports on Fitday I realized I was low on iron. It was fine up until i had my period and lost blood! DOH! So ive been popping multivitamins, eating steak washed down with orange juice (Vit C helps Iron absorbtion). All day friday saturday i felt like crap, was barely able to get out of bed. Today i woke up feeling HEAPS better. My period has eased/stopped and my iron levels are clearly up again. Im full of beans!
So I wont be makin that mistake again and will be keeping up with the multi vitamins!.

down to 130kg (Was approx 145kg a month ago)
I appear to have shed a few clothes sizes also and now everything is baggy. My face looks HEAPS different. I feel like a clown and my brother says im lookin more like MC Hammer every day (Baggy pants! Hammer time!)

How to loose weight 101 - the math!

Okay you want to know the secret? its no secret! its on LOTS of websites. The problem is that those websites get buried under tons of others full of garbage.

So long as Calories in are lower than Calories out you WILL loose weight. How much is up to you!

Firstly, work out how many calories you use in a day, eating breathing, pissing etc ..

BMR
BMR stands for Basal Metabolic Rate, and is synonymous with Basal Energy Expenditure or BEE.

Okay, First you need to work out how many calories you use in a day. These are the calories you use just being alive. Not ones you use working out. This is called your BMR.

Here is how you can figure your BMR ..

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Metric BMR Formula

Women: BMR = 655 + ( 9.6 x weight in kilos ) + ( 1.8 x height in cm ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )

Men: BMR = 66 + ( 13.7 x weight in kilos ) + ( 5 x height in cm ) - ( 6.8 x age in years )

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Imperial(US) BMR Formula

Women: BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )

Men: BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.8 x age in year )

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This will calculate what you require even if you were to sit on your butt all day or sleeping most of the day. Because this is roughly how many calories your body will burn as a living, breathing, eating,heart-beating, digesting etc.. being. This does not include your daily activities.

It is really easy to not eat enough, when we want to lose weight and especially when it includes exercise, which of course keeps the metabolism working efficiently. Extremes are easy aren't they? We need to find the body's "happy place" for optimal fat burn. So now we will need to determine our activity levels, which again many of us misjudge.

Harris Benedict Formula To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor (BE HONEST WITH THYSELF), as follows:

1. If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
2. If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
3. If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
4. If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
5. If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

If you are to lazy to do all the numbers and work it out you can go here and have it automated (conversion kg to lb on http://www.convert-me.com) or http://www.fitday.com will automaticly work it out :)

This is the total number of calories you need in order to maintain your current weight. Amazing non?.

Now to make that number even larger, you can facter in any exercise you do on top of that.

20 mins of the following burns ...
--------------------------------------

Bicycling - Actual 300-400 calories
Running - 5-6 mph 300-350 calories
Swimming laps - 350 calories
Bicycling - Stationary 250-300 calories
Stair climber - 200-250 calories
Aerobics - 200-250 calories
Walking briskly - 150-180 calories


Now Intake! Start counting! There are many databases online that count what you eat or have the calorie content of each item. As soon as you make your intake less than your outgoings - BINGO! you loose weight!
Females: Never eat less than 1200 calories unless you are under a docter.
Males: You use more calories in a day and have a faster metabolism. Keep it above 1800 calories.
If you eat less than these numbers chances are your body will go into starvation mode and you will actually stop loosing weight. Your body will slow its metabolism down and store as much as possible.

Keeping your metabolism higher
Exercise:
Regular exercise is great, but dont be fooled, 3 20 minute workouts are just as good as 1 60 minute workout! If you do it in the morning you are less likley to talk yourself out of it and arrange to be busy. Try and get that heart rate up doing bikeing, skipping, or if you are really having trouble - swimming.

Meals:
Space your meals out so you're eating 4-6 meals a day. It fools the body into thinking its eaten more than it has. Lots of water! Soup is a great low calorie way to fill up inbetween meals or you are waiting for dinner.

Another thing to remember is protein! you dont want to loose muscle! you want to loose fat! so eat plenty of protein in a day - about 1.2 grams per kg of ideal weight or more.

Muscles burn more fat! the more muscles you have the faster you burn! 1lb of muscle burns up to 60cal a day just sitting doing nothing!
If you are having trouble finding protien and keeping the calories low try taking a Whey Protein suppliment right before or after exercize. Personally I found a lot to taste like crap so opted for the Carbless Protein bars which taste like a chocolate bar but have a few more calories in them


If you are having trouble keeping track of this - try signing up to a website such as http://fitday.com or http://www.calorie-count.com/
They take into account your intake and outtake. I find Fitday is better formatted and has some nice graphs so i can see how I'm doing. You can see my fitday profile and how my stats sit here



Now we must address the caloric deficit needed to help us lose body fat

Now - for some more numbers!
4500 calories = 1 lb of fat gone
9000 calories = 1kg of fat gone
If you are 1000 calories deficient every day then in 9 days you will have lost 1kg.

Larger people use more calories to stay alive, so the larger you are the bigger the Gap between eaten and used. I usually do about 3500 calories burnt in a day (thats including exercise) and eat about 1200-1500. If i eat 1500 my maximum im still 2000 calories difference, hence why i loose about 1.5kg per week (about 3lb)
How cool and easy is that?


Okay - So now you have clicked - you can eat whatever you want - whenever you want! so long as those calories stay down. Here are a few things i like that fill me up nicely.
I allow myself about 300-400 calories per meal and make up the rest with snacks between. Some days I will eat less calories for one meal so i can eat more for another.


Spagetti - the canned type. A whole can is only about 400 calories

Yogurt - you can eat a cup full of yogurt and its only about 150-180 calories

Salad - A basic lettuce with other bits salad is a mere 17 calories per cup - thats a lot of salad! Try a chicken salad - filling and chicken is a great protein source

Soups - a cup of soup is great to take the edge of hunger between meals and is only about 50-90 calories.

Anyway I will edit this post If i notice anything missing or not described well enough :)
Be honest with yourself no matter how hard it is - you are only cheating yourself.

I started!

well i started the diet - 2 weeks ago sunday (its friday today so ALMOST 2 weeks ago).
I have an exercycle i do 30 minutes in the morning, then i do another 30-60 later in the day or in the arvo. I have a gym membership and do muscle work every second day to bring on muscles which in turn will burn fat. I have to take protein shakes in the morning to help with that (they taste FOUL!) .

Im feeling 500% better, the leg i hurt about 3-4 weeeks ago in an accident is totally healed. My pants i bought only a couple months ago are now loose! ITS GREAT!

Ive discovered the secret of weight loss! There is no secret! Its all math! Calories in VS calories out! Thats it! Ill do another post with more information so you can work out the math.