Daily Shape - Measuring up!

Almost exactly one year ago, I was inspired to embark upon a journey to get my ass in shape.  I'd paid no attention to my doctor's warning that 28 is the magic age upon which many women suddenly realize their body is changing, adopting a slower metabolism and generally holding onto the bits (read fat) that is totally unwanted.  I've always had curves (mostly boobs, very little butt); however, I ended up being the heaviest I've ever been.  So, on my 30 birthday last year, I signed up at a new gym, signed up for personal training, and started actually going to the gym 4 times a week.  Impressive right?!

Well, one year on, I'm 20 lbs lighter, a pant size smaller, and I've shed about 6% body fat.  I'm back to the weight and size I was about 5-7 years ago.  This is half way to my final goal.  Don't get me wrong, I'm really proud of what I've accomplished so far but husband (who is the master of making one acknowledge unwanted truths) spent a good portion of last night getting me to admit to myself that it's just not been happening fast enough.  I'm trying not to resent him completely for the fact that he can lose 20 lbs in a third of the time that I can while sitting on the couch - stupid male metabolisms.  I've never been one to lose weight quickly and would probably be classified as an endomorph body type.  Yes, that's the one that likes to hang on to fat (yay me!)  I've reset my goals and my new plan is to lose the other 20 lbs that I would like to get rid of over the next 4 months.

How do I plan on doing this?  I'm still formulating my master plan but here's what I've come up with so far.

- Start logging my daily calorie intake.  I was doing this for a couple of months when I first started on this journey last year.  I burn approximately 2,300 calories daily just being alive, so eating no more than 2,000 calories a day will keep me on track.  If you're interested in doing this, I suggest a free membership over at fitday.com.  It's a super easy way to keep a food journal, track your weight goals, calorie intake and general activity levels.  Plus there are cool looking pie charts.  The example here is what I've eaten so far today. 

- Come up with a workout master plan!  I'm a member with LA Fitness and see a personal trainer at that gym once a week.  I went online and looked at the classes (free to members) available at each of the 3 locations close to me.  I now have a little class calendar printed with all of the classes that would fit my schedule on it.  Tonight I think I'll be checking out the latin dance class.  I'll also be continuing to swim once or twice a week - which has been great for exercise and muscle tone, but not necessarily great for weight loss.  I will definitely be attending the Aqua Aerobics classes more frequently too.  It's not just for elderly people you know!

- Food is going to be a fun one.  For those of you that have been reading for a little bit, I love food.  I don't have an unhealthy relationship with it, but it's tasty and I enjoy that.  Husband and I very rarely eat pre-processed foods, which means we've got a lot more control over what goes in it, and we cut down on a lot of unnecessary sodium and high-fructose corn syrup.  Based on my body type though, I need to eat a lower-carb diet and tweak my evening meals to accommodate that.  So, today I looked up some healthy recipes that we'll be trying to hopefully jump start (shake up, freak out) my metabolism.

As I walked the mile and a half round trip to the bank on my lunch break today, in the blazing sun without my sunglasses (because I'm an idiot), I could already feel a sense of accomplishment.  I could also feel an increased concern for returning to the office with sweat stains, but that's a discussion for another time.  Either way, I'm in it for the long haul now, and I'm bringing you along for the ride!