(note this is non makeup related and some technical aspects may be boring :P)
i have a wedding to go in 3 weeks and was shopping for a dress to wear last weekend. which made me realise i am out of shape! more than usual :( Almost all the dresses are making my stomach obvious. Going up a size is not an option, because the dresses will then be too long, and too *ahem* roomy in the chest area :'(
so since growing taller or getting implants is not an option :P, i have decided i am going to get rid of the tummy fat, even in 3 weeks. Or at least do my best.
now i've heard many, many times that the key to losing weight/fat/staying healthy, is to set specific activities and goals rather than a vague resolution to eat less or work out more.
so here's my targets for the next 3 weeks starting yesterday:
1. work out on the elliptical at least 30 mins each day
2. do 100 situps/leg raises each day for week 1 - broken out into sets of 10-20 at a time
3. cut out junk foods for the next 3 weeks
4. target a daily food calorie intake approx 1000 cal, but going over by 100-200 is ok some days.
5. aim to make 50% of the calorie intake from fruits and veggies (and reduce carbs)
Also: For #1, if i miss a day, i work out for 1 hour the next day. For #2 increase by another 100 for week 2 and 3.
I actually don't believe in 100% ban cold turkey on junk food, because i know it just doesn't work for me as i'll crave it more. so for #3, I'm allowing max 1 tbsp of 1 junk food in any moments of weaknesses. That way it won't be complete torture, yet 1 tbsp of say ice cream is still < 50 calories anyway.
***
I did manage to stick to Goals 1 and 2 for yesterday and today, yay! food-wise, i had leftover pasta from Jack Astor's so that probably was quite fattening with the cheese, carbs, and creamy sauce. I did however manage to stick with vegetable soup for dinner paired with rice.
Today's progress was somewhat impeded. I had originally planned to eat canned soup for lunch, only to find out that the bf had stolen it the day before for lunch. So...with no food for lunch, I was resigned to eating a pack of biscuits. Later, the bf went out and got me some pizza, which was fortunate but also threw my plans off track.
morning:
1 banana
1/2 cup coffee + 2 tbsp 2%milk
1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup Raisin Bran cereal
lunch/afternoon:
1 pack of ovaltine biscuits
1/2 cup coffee + 1 spoon cream
1 slice chicken bruschetta pizza
2 tbsp chocolate chips....(don't ask lol...i don't even know how to explain this one :P)
evening:
1 tbsp peanut butter, chunky
1 bowl of vegetable soup leftover, no rice this time to make up for the lunch pizza.
note that i don't count calories strictly... but it helps that i know the approx calorie content of the foods i like to eat, so i estimate them in my head. today was close to 1500? i need to do better tomorrow.
P.s. I need to remember to take multivitamin supplements too since I might not be getting as balanced a diet as I normally do.
16 comments:
Hi, I'm generally just a lurker on your blog, but when I was reading this post, I realized you were going into the same pattern I had done. Which is sort of not good.
I think you know this already, but you can't spot reduce fat. That's determined by your genetics. The best you can do is eat clean, and exercise enough to speed up your metabolism so your body will inherently burn more fat. The fastest way to burn fat instead of glucose is to exercise at least 6 hours after eating, otherwise it'll take you about 20 minutes to reach a point where you'll switch over to fat consumption instead of triglycerides.
Doing sit-ups everyday =/= appearance of toned midsection. If you've got fat there...you've got fat there. Also, abs are muscles too, you need to rest between extensive exercises.
Honestly, the best way to truly burn fat is to do a combination of cardio and weight training (if in same day, weight train before cardio), or if you're short on time, High Intensity Interval Training (google this or "HIIT") 3-5 days a week, -never- the same everyday.
You can exercise everyday, but it's best to alternate between muscle groups. Cardio can be done everyday, but watch the muscles. Muscles that don't get to recover and repair won't develop and then you can't up your metabolism. Muscles that don't get the necessary nutrients (sugar, vitamins, proteins) can't repair either. Boosting metabolism gives you long-term benefits and allows you to eat more.
If you're exercising, never eat below your BMR (usually 1100-1200 for females). It's best to work for some moderate net calorie expenditure (ie, eat 1500cal/day, exercise 1 hour, you'll get to around 0). I've tried the eating less than 1000 cal gross with exercise everyday thing, it made me feel like shit. Sure the scale read 10 lbs lighter after two weeks, but I didn't look any more fit and there was still plenty of stomach fat.
You can try to induce ketosis (basically, Atkins), but I've only seen it work in males. However, a diet high in protein with more fat than carbs (or low glycemic foods preferred) would be more effective than a fat-free diet. I have no idea what your metabolism is like, if you have naturally high metabolism, eating such restricted intake will actually be counterproductive and cause you to gain weight faster once you stop counting calories because your body thinks it's starving. Even if you have a moderate metabolism, it's best to do a stepped approach in calorie restriction combined with a gradual increase in exercise intensity.
hi anonymous! lol i know, it sounds extreme to try to do it in 3 weeks. but don't worry, I'm not going for ketosis/atkins...I actually NEVER do diets, which is also why i avoided using that term here. I'm aiming for more of a healthy diet and lifestyle, but with the add-on of the restricted calorie intake.
I guess I didn't elaborate too much, but my diet the past 2 months has been quite bad - ice cream and chips galore, which is actually not something I did on a regular basis before. Thats mostly why I want to revert back to more healthy eating habits from the past.
Also, I don't weigh myself because I don't have a scale haha, so i'm purely going by how my clothes fit on me. The calorie intake i mentioned actually is something i tried last year, and i noticed an improvement in how my clothing fit after that...so it seems like something I could try for 3 weeks to see how it goes.
But a lot of your advice sounds really helpful to me. I'll definitely work out some changes to the workout plan as I see what you mean about resting the muscle groups.
I also didn't know about the 6 hour time interval to burn fat instead of glucose. Guess I won't be snacking before workouts! Thanks for letting me know :)
hi blue!!
i read that if you cut down your normal daily calories intake by 500calories per day, you will lose 1 lb in a week!
I am trying to lose the fat on my belly too (cuz I just want it to be FLAT!!) but it isn't quite successful since I just cannot stop eating!!! let me know how yours go! It can probably motivate me more! :)
hey, good luck on reaching that goal! i've been eating shitty, too, and it's really taken a toll on how i look. i'm trying to eat small healthy portions every couple of hours to keep the metabolism going, while incorporating more fruits and veggies and cutting out the creamy greasy cheesy goodness i always indulge on.
keep us posted on how ur progress goes! i'll do the same :)
I don't have much advice for you, and I'm not much of an expert either (Anonymous seemed to have it spot on!), but try weight training as well. :) Nothing intense, just some light weights to tone up the muscle groups. You won't see a major improvement in 3 weeks, but it'll be a little bit.
Which reminds me, I need to start hitting up the gym again! Let's be workout buddies! :)
Ah yes diets are so difficult. The meals look really light and not very satisfying. Do keep up a balanced diet (don't skimp on the taste), and keep regular exercise. There's always the backup plan, which is to wear a bustier or control stretchy pants under the dress :)
Grayburn
I need to do some serious planning on becoming fit again. Funny, how I was just reprimanded by my aesthitician. She's forcing me to go to the gym and eat healthy. It's hard when I'm so used to my lifestyle, aka routine, by now. But I think I need some kind of push to change it.
I'm pretty sure that a person has to eat ~1200 cal/day for the body to burn the maximum possible calories a day. Good luck with your weight loss; try not to go too crazy!
Good luck with your diet and work out!! I'm sure you don't need it though :)
Suggestion though, you should do crunches/sit ups every OTHER day. Give your muscles time to repair, otherwise you'll just keep ripping muscle and not building. The more you build, the more fat you'll burn ^^
You can do it!! reducing fatty food intake, and generally eating healthy and exercise will speed up the toning/ reduce dress size..
i wouldnt do the cold turkey too, it just makes the brain want to have junk food even more XD
everything moderate and you'll be fine!!
Good luck :)
Wow, I definitely don't have nearly as much to say like the anon above :P I'm just really happy that a bunch of our ABBers and blog circle are going through a healthy/wellness trend. It's really nice to see people people working for similar goals. You go Arashi babe, I hope you reach your goals :]
this will sound very bizaare, but it's probably true. my herbalist says most asians cannot process dairies or raw vegetables well. thus, the extra bit on the stomach even if the person's slim. Last november he advised me to cut all dairies definitively & stop eating salads (up till then, my diet had been dairies AND salads for almost 10yrs). I did. and i SWEAR my stomach has slimmed down a lot since.
i remember i TRIED reducing my calorie intake by a little (it was actually a little more than yours like 1100 or something) and i was weaker than hell and more tired than i've ever been in my life. i can't count calories, i love food too much! haha. :) good luck, and i hope that you meet your goal. btw... you SHOULD take a multivitamin since you're cutting back on your calorie intake. that's a good idea! :) i took a nutrition class last fall and i KNOW my eating habits are SO bad just because of that class. :( Bah. LOL.
BTW... I'm not sure which picture you wanted to know which lip colors I was wearing. LOL. But in the fiber optic brush one I was wearing NYX Lipstick in "Pandora", NYX Lipliner in "Current", and NYX Lipgloss in "Barbie Pink. In the pigment pusher pic I was wearing Silk Naturals Lipgloss in "Damsel". :)
I think your fitness program sounds great , im also kinda in the same boat, im trying to exercise at least 30 mins daily and do situps. Yumm i do love ovaltine biscuits, now you are making me crave for them, im substituting my dinner with oatmeal though :).
Hey arashi!
Let us know how the diet works out. I'm always curious to see how they turn out to be...*looks at own little pouch* Good luck! *hugs*
Hey; I haven't been very good with the blogs of late but how is it coming along? Try not to be so hard on yourself though; in the end a wedding is more about the bride anyway and all eyes will be on her. Hope you have/had fun!
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