How much weight should I lose if I want to be a specific dress/pant size? Have you ever wondered?
It is difficult to answer because we’re all built differently. Plus, not all pounds are the same! A pound of muscle takes up less space in your body (and in your jeans!) than a pound of fat. For example, you might be able to drop a dress size simply by toning up with weight resistance, while the number on the scale stays the same.
But if you’re curious what size you might be at a certain weight, I found a great calculator resource at WebMD. It is called the Personal Diet Evaluator. You give them some info about your current habits, your weight, your pant size, etc, and it cranks out not only how many pounds to lose to become a certain size but a whole bunch of relevant information to help you reach your goals. But remember, be careful not to fixate too much on a certain weight or dress size because we all come in different shapes and sizes and the best you can do is keep your body healthy and work with what you got! You are beautiful as you are! Plus, how much fun would it be to reach a teeny tiny dress size if it is way to hard to maintain, requiring continued deprivation?! No fun! Pick a HAPPY WEIGHT if that helps!
I came across a neat website that had this cool project in it that someone posted. She grows her own lettuce in old mushroom containers and reuses potting soil. What a great idea! Check it out. I am excited to start our garden, I hope to get lots of produce this summer from our own yard. Fresh herbs, lettuce, zucchini, loads of vegies and hopefully less trips to and money spent at the grocery store!
For someone who consumes most of her calories after 6 pm, this presents a difficult challenge.
I find that I like to eat my planned healthy meals, squeeze in a good workout and then sabotage my weight loss efforts by inhaling more calories than I need as the day is winding down! I do this whether I am stressed or not. I also subconsciously reward myself for all my hard work – how’s that for really bad logic!
What about you, do you have a cutoff time in the evening when the fridge and pantry are “off limits” until the next morning? What do you do to give your body the chance to “clean house” each night by not bogging it down with extra calories when you need them the least. It is a difficult change to make but I propose we would need to replace bad habits with good ones…unwinding with a warm bubble bath, a good book, or a snack that has already been accounted for in your daily budgeted calories.
Eating after 6 pm may not be a problem for some disciplined individuals, who maybe work late or do their workout in the evening, but for me it is a danger zone and one snack can snowball into mindless eating and empty calories. I think it had become more of a bad habit than anything. Since I have four small kids I have to plan my workouts for 5 am, which means I have to get to bed by nine, which means I really should stop eating 2-3 hours before then. I think it is just the schedule I personally need to be on.
Not convinced that you need a cutoff time for calorie consumption at night? Here’s an opinion worth considering:
Also, there is a really good book called “Clean: The Revolutionary Program to Restore the Body’s Natural Ability to Heal Itself
” by Dr. Alejandro Junger, that really convinced me that my body needs a daily break from digestion. He suggests a 12-hour “fast” each night so that your body has energy freed up for effective detoxification. He claims that the detox signal is given approximately eight hours after your last meal, and requires at least four hours to function well. So, he says, if you fill up your belly late at night and eat early again the next day, you are denying the body its full detox mode (pg. 161 of Clean)
An interesting idea, and he shares some evidence for his claim that this increases your energy as well as improves your overall health. For sure I wake up refreshed and energized when I adhere to this principle!
Since today is March 1, the start of a new month, it’s easy to talk about fresh motivation for reaching our weight loss goals. So I thought I would bring up this idea of a “destination postcard”. Ever heard of it?
A “destination postcard” (as defined by Chip and Dan Heath, authors of Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard
) is “a vivid image from the near future to show you what’s possible.”
They say that in order to make lasting changes we need to know how our minds work, that our brain has two independent systems, the emotional side and the rational side. The rational side needs crystal clear directions (for example, “Stay within my Calorie Target” or “Measure everything before you eat it” or “I cannot watch t.v. longer than I exercise”) but the emotional side needs inspiration to stay motivated.
A “destination postcard” can be a very powerful motivation if it becomes a “place” you visit whenever you’re faced with a temptation to overeat or avoid exercise, etc.
My destination postcard at the moment has something to do with a new bathing suit I’d like to buy, how I’d like to look in it and the confidence I’d like to have taking my kids to the neighborhood swimming pool this summer. Kinda silly, I know, but a powerful motivator for me since, with four little boys, summers and swimming pools, bathing suit season is not an option, it’s a given!
Visualization and positive thinking can be powerful tools of motivation in our weight loss strategy. What is your “destination postcard”?
Here we are crossing the finish line. My sister and I had the best time. The weather was great and we completed the longest run either of us had ever done – we ran the full 1/2 marathon!
