I wanted to include a post about dieting for the right reasons. The usual message; don't do it out of pressure from someone else, do it for yourself. Of course you should do it for your own well-being (and keep realistic goals!), but let's be honest here, my real motivation was fear.
Part of me was worried about my BMI climbing up over the limits and the health repercussions, but the thin that drove me the most was my mom. Not because she told me I was fat or forced me on a diet she decided, but the opposite. My mother is a rather curvy woman if we want to give it a flattering name. Don't get me wrong, that doesn't reflect upon her personality or how much she is loved, but it does make life more difficult. I see how she is struggling with physical activity or even finding clothes that fit and not to forget self-image. I feel like her weight is ruining a big part of her life. I'm also seriously concerned about her health.
Knowing that we share much of the genetic coding, I was getting worried when I saw that number on the scale rise. On top of that it was exactly in her twenties that my mother gained the bulk of her weight. Seeing my future in her, I decided to take measures. As I'd never dieted before in my life I wasn't sure how to go about it, so I did some internet research and tried following other people's diet. That lasted like two days.
Having seen my mother go through various diets, I decided I'd have to 200% for it and I'd have to do it my way. Now I have a mother-in-law who a fantastic cook and loves to make me happy with her dishes. Despite the sweet intentions behind it, this could be a bit of a problem. But I can promise you that with the image of me as my mother, I was able to say no to that second piece of cake that she offered me more than once. That's how visualisations work I guess. And that's the power of fear.
Showing posts with label Body mass index. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Body mass index. Show all posts
Monday, May 19, 2014
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Losing Weight with your Smartphone
I've tried eating more healthy before, but ît never really seemed to have any impact on my weight. I did some online searches to get help and tips, but none of it really suited me.
Being a technology fanatic, I decided to search for applications that could help me. There are plenty of apps out there, free or paid for both exercise and weight loss. I didn't want to pay for an app that might or might not work, so I was checking only free apps. I'm not promoting any specific app as they all have advantages and disadvantages, but I want to share what I used. Personal preferences and tastes differ, so you might find another which is more helpful to you, but I tested a few and ended up with an app called Noom.
I like Noom because it is very visual and easy to use. Basically what it does is replace those old fashioned food logs and then superpowered it. Most apps have the same basics; you create a profile entering your weight, height and goal weight. The app calculates your BMI for you so you no longer have to do that yourself. You then update the app with your meals as well as your weigth and exercise.
The unique feature in Noom is that depending on your current weight, goal weight and desired speed of weightloss (it asks you how fast you want to go), it gives you a calorie budget - i.e. the amount of calories you should eat per day in order to reach your goal. You then enter your meals and exercise as you go along. You can choose to enter the exact amount of calories in your meals, but I didn't want to start counting every calorie and decided that an approximate measure was good enough. For example if you enter that you had yoghurt, you can choose measures like cups (even 1/2 cup etc), tablespoon or even tennisball for certain products. The app then calculates the calories based on this.
As with any app it is not perfect. While I find it to have one of the most extensive cataolgues, there are always items lacking from the list, but you are always able to find a decent equivalent. The food is also arranged by categories; red, green and yellow. It explains what proportion your should ideally have of each category in order to have a well-balanced diet. Please bear in mind that if you let Noom calculate the calories based on amount, it usually gives a rather high estimate (eg. a cracker for 150 cal when in reality it is 101 cal). The good thing is that when you enter the physical exercise you did that day, your calorie budget increases proportionally. It even has forums where people can exchange ideas and experiences.
This app has been magical to me. I didn't follow it by the letter, but I logged everything very seriously and it helped me realize my weak points. I can't stress enough that you must log very seriously and honestly in order for it to work. I even logged the sugar in my coffee. This will show you even the hidden calories in your daily life.
Being aware of what you eat is the first step to weight loss. With this information, you can improve and create a more balanced diet.
Being a technology fanatic, I decided to search for applications that could help me. There are plenty of apps out there, free or paid for both exercise and weight loss. I didn't want to pay for an app that might or might not work, so I was checking only free apps. I'm not promoting any specific app as they all have advantages and disadvantages, but I want to share what I used. Personal preferences and tastes differ, so you might find another which is more helpful to you, but I tested a few and ended up with an app called Noom.
I like Noom because it is very visual and easy to use. Basically what it does is replace those old fashioned food logs and then superpowered it. Most apps have the same basics; you create a profile entering your weight, height and goal weight. The app calculates your BMI for you so you no longer have to do that yourself. You then update the app with your meals as well as your weigth and exercise.
The unique feature in Noom is that depending on your current weight, goal weight and desired speed of weightloss (it asks you how fast you want to go), it gives you a calorie budget - i.e. the amount of calories you should eat per day in order to reach your goal. You then enter your meals and exercise as you go along. You can choose to enter the exact amount of calories in your meals, but I didn't want to start counting every calorie and decided that an approximate measure was good enough. For example if you enter that you had yoghurt, you can choose measures like cups (even 1/2 cup etc), tablespoon or even tennisball for certain products. The app then calculates the calories based on this.
As with any app it is not perfect. While I find it to have one of the most extensive cataolgues, there are always items lacking from the list, but you are always able to find a decent equivalent. The food is also arranged by categories; red, green and yellow. It explains what proportion your should ideally have of each category in order to have a well-balanced diet. Please bear in mind that if you let Noom calculate the calories based on amount, it usually gives a rather high estimate (eg. a cracker for 150 cal when in reality it is 101 cal). The good thing is that when you enter the physical exercise you did that day, your calorie budget increases proportionally. It even has forums where people can exchange ideas and experiences.
This app has been magical to me. I didn't follow it by the letter, but I logged everything very seriously and it helped me realize my weak points. I can't stress enough that you must log very seriously and honestly in order for it to work. I even logged the sugar in my coffee. This will show you even the hidden calories in your daily life.
Being aware of what you eat is the first step to weight loss. With this information, you can improve and create a more balanced diet.
Monday, January 6, 2014
How to Lose 5 kg in 4 Weeks
I know it sounds incredible, but it's possible. I won't lie to you with a story about how I have always struggled with my weight and that I finally found a miracle cure. I've been relatively lucky in this regard.
I was never fat and relatively slim until I reached my adolescence at which point I would have described myself as curvy, but still within normal limits of BMI and the likes (BMI = Body Mass Index, which is a good indicator of your weight in relation to your stature - there's plenty of literature online about this). However, I was certainly not skinny and felt a little self conscious about my body.
Self conscious or not, I never really did anything about it except try to improve my lifestyle a bit half-heartedly. I've never had very good eating habits, didn't do sports, and grew up drinking Coke as if it was water. At an adult age, I realized that this was not very healthy and tried to stop drinking coke, eat more veggies etc. But I was never very dedicated.
However, about 6 months ago I had a shock when I stepped on the scale and I was heavier than I ever was. I am 169 cm and weigh 69 kg. My BMI was at 24.2 and a normal BMI is considered to run from 18.5 to 24.9. I wanted to avoid going out of this range and felt like I was dangerously close. I decided it was time for a real diet.
I went whole heartedly into it and lost 5 kg in 4 weeks. I won't say it was easy, far from it. Especially for someone addicted to sugar and everything bad for your weight, it was very difficult. But it was also an amazing experience. In the end it went faster that I thought.
I also discovered that with enough motivation you can do anything and there is no reason to starve yourself. I tried to stay as healthy as possible during this whole time. Thanks to new technology, you can have a little extra help and more insight to what you are eating, helping you to improve your habits.
I now am 63 kg and happily stable. I am no longer on a diet and eating irresponsibly and staying on target. I'd like to lose the final 3 kg as I had set my goal at 60 kg though so I will start again on my journey. This is how I did it.
I was never fat and relatively slim until I reached my adolescence at which point I would have described myself as curvy, but still within normal limits of BMI and the likes (BMI = Body Mass Index, which is a good indicator of your weight in relation to your stature - there's plenty of literature online about this). However, I was certainly not skinny and felt a little self conscious about my body.
Self conscious or not, I never really did anything about it except try to improve my lifestyle a bit half-heartedly. I've never had very good eating habits, didn't do sports, and grew up drinking Coke as if it was water. At an adult age, I realized that this was not very healthy and tried to stop drinking coke, eat more veggies etc. But I was never very dedicated.
However, about 6 months ago I had a shock when I stepped on the scale and I was heavier than I ever was. I am 169 cm and weigh 69 kg. My BMI was at 24.2 and a normal BMI is considered to run from 18.5 to 24.9. I wanted to avoid going out of this range and felt like I was dangerously close. I decided it was time for a real diet.
I went whole heartedly into it and lost 5 kg in 4 weeks. I won't say it was easy, far from it. Especially for someone addicted to sugar and everything bad for your weight, it was very difficult. But it was also an amazing experience. In the end it went faster that I thought.
I also discovered that with enough motivation you can do anything and there is no reason to starve yourself. I tried to stay as healthy as possible during this whole time. Thanks to new technology, you can have a little extra help and more insight to what you are eating, helping you to improve your habits.
I now am 63 kg and happily stable. I am no longer on a diet and eating irresponsibly and staying on target. I'd like to lose the final 3 kg as I had set my goal at 60 kg though so I will start again on my journey. This is how I did it.
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