Saturday, May 8, 2010

5/8/10 – Update and Lean for Life

When I started doing the Kettlebell workouts last Aug ’09, I did pretty well to keep up a steady workout regimen for three months (even though I stopped posting blogs here). I lost 10 lbs during that time, even though I struggled to eat healthy.

At the end of those diligent 3 months, the holidays hit and everything went downhill. I slowly started missing more and more workouts, till I wasn’t doing it at all. Add to that the fact that I was maintaining, and even worsening my bad eating habits with an increase of sugar and fat into my diet, and I ended up gaining all the weight and inches I had lost through KB. I knew that when I did start up again with KB I would need to tackle and adjust the way I eat.

Come the new year, I had an ear infection, which lasted almost 2 months. It is very difficult to work out and eat right when your system is out of whack due to illness. I finally got some antibiotics from the doctor, and the infection slowly went away. Ironically, when I was at the drugstore picking up my prescription, I saw a starter kit for the Lean for Life program, I was desperate to find an eating plan that would work for me. I’ve tried them all – Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Nutrasystem, etc. They work great for some people, but not for me. The kit was on sale, so I bought it.

[Disclaimer: The weight loss program I am about to describe was not designed by me. I am only providing a very brief and incomplete outline of the program. Please go to www.leanforlife.com for more information. I highly recommend buying and following the book, however this system may not be right for everyone. The website also provides an online interactive program, as well as counseling by phone for additional cost, and much more. I personally am only using the book. It is important to learn why and how any weight loss system works, so that you can assess its health benefits and do it properly and fully. This is not a “diet” or quick fix. Like KB, there is a lot of work involved.]

The kit includes a workbook, with details daily instructions and guidelines to train you how to eat healthy in order to lose weight, as well as tools to help you maintain your goal weight for the rest of your life. Each chapter gives you tips and strategies relating to exercise, self-sabotage, cravings, denial, rationalization, biomodifiers, managing stress, self-doubt and those nagging inner voices, problem solving, label reading, etc. In addition, there is a daily journal where you log everything you eat and drink, track your activity, track you weight and measurements, and write motivational/planning strategies for each day.

The weight loss eating plan lasts 28 days, and is based on keeping your body in ketosis. The book explains in detail what that means and the myths and benefits of it. Basically the idea is to eat fewer carbohydrates (less than 100 grams per day) and more lean protein (at least 6 servings per day), thus forcing your body to burn its excess storage of fat instead of just tapping into the carbs you consume each day.

You do the weight loss program for 28 days, then a 14 day metabolic adjustment period. The idea being that after a month of being in ketosis, you’ll have changed your set point to a lower weight. Your set point is the weight at which your body works to maintain itself. The 14 days is to make sure that your set point and metabolism have indeed adjusted. If you can maintain your lower weight for those 14 days (adding more carbs into your diet), then you either start the weight loss program again for another 28 days, in order to lose more weight, or you begin phase two of lifetime maintenance, having reached your goal weight.

The program also includes daily moderate exercise (at least 10,000 steps per day is recommended). I did the Lean for Life program for 28 days and lost 15 lbs, going from 210 to 195. And that was without doing Kettlebell. Amazing! However I hit a plateau during the third week. In addition, I didn’t follow the 14 day maintenance plan, so 14 days turned into 30 days off the program. April was therefore shot! However, it was a learning experience to see how far I could push my limits, and how quickly I could lose the few pounds I would gain now and then by going back to the program for a few days at a time.

RESTART!

It’s now the beginning of May and I’m starting another round of the 28 day weight loss program. I’ve also restarted my KB workouts. In this way, I’m hoping that adding 2 days of KB per week to my daily walking regimen (in my Shape-Ups - fabulous!) I will pump up my weight loss, and not only get me off of my plateau, but allow me to lose more weight/inches than before. My starting weight is now 195, so let’s see how fast I can lose another 15-20 lbs.

By the way, I am also measuring for inches lost and calculating body fat loss, which is a more accurate determination of progress, but I only check these factors once a week or every other week. I weight myself every day because LFL instructs me to. And quite frankly, seeing my weight go down on a daily basis is quite exciting and a new experience for me.

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