Diet Revamp!

Hi there! 

I'm starting a new regimen today, & I thought I'd share it in case you wanted to try it too (I always need buddies)! 

Since I've been slacking BIG TIME, I think it's time I really kick my butt into gear. School starts exactly ONE MONTH from today! Even though we're entering the "last hoorah" of the summer, that's still no excuse to lose all self-control. It's hard, but it's surely not impossible!! 

My diet needs fixing. Major fixing. I don't eat as badly as a lot of people in this world, but my habits sure could be a lot healthier. Are your bad habits the same as mine? See how we match up!

1. Eating a lot, and frequently. Lately, I've been feeling like a bottomless pit. I'll eat a big meal, but still find myself eating something only a couple hours later. & then I feel full, bloated, & sick. 
2. After-dinner snacking. I feel like when I'm watching TV, I have absolutely no self-control. I'm ALWAYS eating something at night. This is how I ruin all of my good days. 
3. Eating out. Because it's summer, especially, I've been eating out way more than I'd like to. It's not good for my body or my wallet! 
4. Not logging. I have stopped logging all of my food. I thought I had it under control, but the truth is, I definitely don't. 
5. Portion control. I think that sometimes, I eat enough for 3 meals during just one. 

So how do I take control & change these habits?!

1. Listen to my body. I need to stop eating once I feel the tiniest ping of fullness. Your body speaks to you, & it's your responsibility to listen to it. 
2. Pay attention to what I'm doing. Sure, having something to munch on while watching TV is nice. But it's mindless. I'm going to start drinking water & making shaved ice (without! the syrup) to have while I'm in front of the tube. It will trick my mind into thinking it's eating. 
3. Do other activities besides eating. I'm going to suggest other alternative hangout ideas, instead of the usual lunch or dinner outing. 
4. Log! This is an easy fix. Gotta get back to logging. And doing it honestly & accurately. 
5. Measure my food. Find out what the proper portion is, and measure! It's the only way to know if you're actually having the proper portion. The eyes can deceive! 

Now that I've identified and found solutions to my bad habits, I have to find out how much my body burns on it's own, without exercise. To do this, I use the Harris Benedict Equation:

655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)

Mine is 1558.85 calories. 

Next, you factor in your exercise (multiply your above number by your level of exercise). 

Sedentary: 1.2 (Little/no exercise)

Lightly Active: 1.375 (Light exercise- 1-2 days/wk)

Moderately Active: 1.55 (Moderate exercise- 3-5 days/wk)

Very Active: 1.7 (Hard exercise- 6-7 d/w)

Extremely Active: 1.9 (Hard exercise 7 d/w & physical job)

Mine is 2143.42 calories

Since I want to lose weight, I'm going to deduct about 650 calories from that, and thats how much I'm going to eat per day. 

1500 calories. 

If you want to maintain, just leave that number the same, and that's what you eat. If you want to lose, you can deduct 500-700 calories from that number. 

Now, how am I going to divide those calories into meals? (We should be eating 5 meals a day).

Breakfast: 300 C

Mid-Morning Snack: 200 C

Lunch: 400 C

Mid-Afternoon Snack: 250 C

Dinner: 350 C

= 1500

That leaves a deficit of about 600-650 calories/day, which should result in about a 1.5 pound loss per week. Plus more exercise calorie deficits ;) 

What do you guys think? Doable?! 

Let me know if you have anymore tips!

Have a great weekend! TGIF :)