I have been successfully working out for over a week. My workouts mostly consist of varying degrees of resistance and lengths of distance on my elliptical, between walking and jogging, for an average of half an hour a day. Occasionally I toss in a few sets of crunches or sit-ups. I have also begun drinking at least one bottle of water a day, and trying to remember to eat a piece of fruit each day.
When I started this on August 21-- 10 days ago-- I weighed 155 lbs, and the last time I had measured my waist, it was at 36". I missed 4 days of fruit and one day of working out. Today, I weigh in at 151 lbs and my waist (as of yesterday) is at 35.5"! That seems amazing to me, since I haven't changed anything else about my normal eating habits. I'm still drinking sodas and tea and the occasional beer on the weekends, I'm still eating huge meals for dinner, I still eat fast food if I want it... And yet with a little exercise, water, and fruit, I'm already losing weight and inches off my waist.
Well, it's about to get better. I have so much more energy lately and the weight I've already lost is such motivation, that I've decided to go ahead and attempt the Special K CHALLENGE*! Of course, it's not going to be EXACTLY the challenge they suggest; I am instead tailoring their suggestions with a bit of other suggestions, and fitting it all into my current lifestyle.
I signed up on the Special K website and put in my current information. Date of birth, height, current weight. I selected the program I'm going for (a weight goal) and checked off the way I eat and some of the things I do on the survey they offer to help personalize your diet. Now, my overall goal is to be 120 lbs by New Years', which would mean a weight loss goal of 31 lbs. They don't like when you say you want to lose 10% of your body weight, so they suggest me starting with a smaller goal, reaching it, and updating my profile for the remainder of the weight I would like to lose. So I started with 15 lbs as my weight loss goal, and the site tells me that by following their plan, I can lose that within 52 days. Less than 2 months! I think that's a good start.
The basis of the Special K diet is to eat three meals and two snacks a day, and to replace two of your meals with Special K products. They suggest Special K cereal with fruit for breakfast; a fruit, cracker, or yogurt snack; a Special K protein meal bar or protein shake for lunch; a Special K protein snack bar; then eat your third meal the way you normally would. You can change it up and eat what you want for breakfast or lunch, as long as you are still eating their name brand cereal, meal bars, snack bars, and shakes. I'm not going to follow the exact meals they suggest for me, because when it comes to that "third meal", it's going to be what I want to eat. I'm using this challenge as a guideline more than an actual strict diet.
I have also been borrowing suggestions from other sources as well, such as the popular TV series, The Doctors. They suggest eating foods that are high in fiber and protein, staying away from "bloating" foods like pastas (not easy to do when you're Italian), and eating plenty of fresh fruits and veggies. What a coincidence, all of the meal and snack bars and shakes from Special K are rich in fiber and protein! And those fruits that I've decided to eat every day? I bought plums, peaches, apples, and oranges. I know my kids love all of these fruits as well, so they eat a bit more healthy too! Another source, an article from NewsMax, suggests the 5 Best Fruits for Losing Weight. This article tells me that plums are high-carb, and great with breakfast. They will help give me energy in the morning to kick-start my day. Peaches and apples are low-carb fruits, which are great sources of water, that help control body temperature and help expel bad cholesterol. And oranges are a citrus fruit, a great way to cleanse the blood, promote cardiovascular and heart health, and improve digestion. All great for weight loss!
So with my Special K CHALLENGE base line, frequent fruit, lots of water, and working out, I'm actually expecting to lose the weight a little bit faster than my plan suggests. However, I will be perfectly content with any and all weight loss that may occur. =)
I just ate my first protein meal bar for lunch. It's actually pretty good. I wasn't eating much of a lunch before this anyways, so at least now I'll be getting fiber and protein every day. I'm about to go hop on my elliptical for my daily workout. Looking forward to seeing if I reach my goals! Wish me luck! ;)
*On a side note, the Special K CHALLENGE itself is a program that says you can lose 1 inch off your waist in two weeks! The weight loss goal plan I chose to follow on their website is a bit different from the challenge itself, because mine is working toward a specific goal over a longer time period, rather than just "what can I lose in two weeks?" If you visit the Special K website you can choose your own goal, or take the CHALLENGE! Remember though, all weight loss projections are on average, so your results may differ as well.
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