I recently reached my goal weight after four months of eating healthier and exercising. I lost an average of 1.5 pounds per week, exactly what my trusty Lose It! iPhone app said I would! Several people have asked me how I lost 30 pounds in 4 months, so I’ve jotted down some of the key things that I found worked for me. I figured I’d share it here in case it’s helpful to anyone else.
Nutrition
- Joyce’s Spicy Cabbage Soup – I make a huge batch every couple of weeks and keep it in big containers in the fridge. I usually eat it for one meal a day. It’s low-cal and I have yet to get tired of it.
- Convenience – I know a lot of people avoid pre-packaged foods, but honestly, they’ve been a great way for me to stay on track with eating healthy. Here are some of my faves:
- Calorie cycling (zig-zag) – to break plateaus, I would eat a little more for a day or two, then scale back for a day or two. I’d still eat the same weekly allotment of calories, but varying the daily amounts seemed to help my body from going into “starvation mode.”
Exercise
- Stair climbing – 2-3 times a week, I walk the stairs at the office before work, then take a shower at the on-site facilities. On the weekends I walk the parking garage stairs at Hill Country Galleria.
- Walking hills – as an alternative to stair climbing, I walk around my neighborhood which happens to be hilly and beautiful. Lucky me!
Two laps is a little less than 3 miles and takes me about 50 minutes.
- Sit ups, push ups, free weights – I’ve got exercise routines I do at home most evenings.
Electronics – because a list from Joyce would not be complete without reference to gadgets
- iPhone – podcasts are essential during exercise, as is the stopwatch app
- Lose It! – I credit this iPhone app for helping me consistently log my food intake and exercise time. It’s really an amazing app, and it’s FREE!
- Digital scale – kitchen (for food) and bathroom (for body). My food scale is awesome and easily switches between grams and ounces. My bathroom scale is a cheap digital one, and only has the .5 lb. increments, which I prefer so that I don’t obsess over a 10th of a pound here and there.
Support systems during weight loss are also very important, and although I don’t go to Weight Watchers meetings or visit with a Jenny Craig consultant, I do have friends with whom I share my weight struggles and victories. These friends (and you know who you are) have been a huge gift to me. I’ve also made some new friends in the Lose It! online community, which has been terrific. I hope you’ll connect with me if you’re interested in supporting each other to achieve a healthy lifestyle!
