Day 4

I discovered some information that actually helped me a lot and I'm hoping that it will be helpful to those of you that are trying to get the weight off, too. Okay, I always wondered how people knew the exact amount of calories they should have? In my Biggest Loser journal, it tells you how to determine your daily calorie budget. I was surprised at how simple it was.

Your present weight x 7 = your daily calorie need for weight loss.

My beginning weight was 196 so, 196 x 7 = 1372 calories per day. I quoted from the book again:

"As you lose weight, you'll need to reassess and reduce your calorie budget continually in order to break through plateaus and keep losing weight. The Biggest Loser contestants lose a lot of weight during their first few weeks at the Ranch. But after they've been at the Ranch for awhile and have less weight to lose, they must increase the intensity of their workouts and carefully track their calories to keep losing."

With that in mind, now that I'm 186 pounds, I reassessed my daily calorie budget.

186 x 7= 1302 calories per day (I can work with that... I think.)

You know, I'm hoping that the motivational pictures at the head of each post are inspiring you and getting you pumped up. They say that motivational  pictures instill positive thinking and inspire people to achieve more by thinking differently. Inspiring color photos of landscapes or athletes with words of wisdom urges us onward and upward to accomplish things we've never thought possible. All I can say is that each of the pictures have certainly encouraged me. I truly feel energized every time I look at them, so I hope it's doing wonders for all of you.

Inspiration picture: Kirstie Alley



Weight: 186 (This is a 10 pound loss that I'm still scratching my head over. Now, I've heard that weight can drop pretty quickly during the first week, so I guess that's what's going on. When I think about what I was eating before my journey and how I'm eating now, it's a total 180. I haven't had sodas, sweets or potato chips and I don't always have meat. For the first time in a long time, I'm eating fruits and vegetables every day. I'm also trying  to push myself to work out every night. I just hope and pray that I can stay motivated because I really want to be healthier.)

Glucose: 272 (My glucose is up 2 points from yesterday although I'm not quite sure why.) 

Daily Food Journal:
Breakfast: Special K with berries and rice milk, decaf
Lunch: Plain non fat yogurt, with mueslix added
Snack: 1 hard boiled egg
Dinner: Lean Cuisine - Steak tips Portabello (very salty)

This is the gym at the apartments where I live. I worked out for 30 minutes, treadmill & machines.

Notes: You know, I get up really early for work and I'm always dragging.... always. Before, it seemed like I only had energy when I ate chocolate and drank coffee and Mountain Dew. Well, I'm noticing that I have more energy. I'm not dragging at all today even without the soda and chocolate... (and no, I'm not giving up coffee. I've got to draw the line somewhere...LoL). It gets me to thinking though, if I feel like this after 4 days, I'm really looking forward to next week... and my future in general.

Please remember, you are not in this alone. We are in this together. If we just do our best and take it one day at a time, we will see results. I'm already seeing results and I'm only 4 days into this so let's be there for each other. Whatever you do, don't give up!