northernmusician's Journal, 01 January 2019

GOOD MORNING NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONISTS! (If you're a revolutionist, you're on the wrong site.) Many of you will fail. That's a decision. DON'T MAKE THAT DECISION! Bottom line, it's the stupid calories!

Are you going to hit the exercising really hard so you can keep eating the way you're eating? Get this out of your head. If you're going to do aerobics for an hour every day, and you're not exercising now, you're going to burn out. It can't be done. You can't maintain that pace. So say you decided to do an hour every other day. That might be doable. Are you going to reward yourself for doing that? Rule number 1, DON'T REWARD YOURSELF WITH FOOD!!! Here's why.

If you burn 500 calories in a session, the way calories burned is calculated is, exercise calories burned PLUS calories burned by your body if it had only been resting. That means if you're burning 500 calories, approximately 400 calories are from the exercise. Now divide that by 2 because you're doing your workout every other day and you're down to 200 calories you're worked off in each day on average. That's a piece of toast with butter. That's 1 ounce of almonds. Like I said, it's the calories stupid!

Yes, that rowing machine that's telling you you just burned 300 calories is including the calories you would have burned had you been doing what you've always been doing... sitting on your butt!

That being said, exercise is important and there are many benefits to it, but it won't, in itself, make you lose weight. You have to cut the calories.

If you have a hard time keeping the exercise and the diet going, keep the diet and let the exercise go for now. Getting some weight off will give you some enthusiasm. Then you edge into the exercise. If your exercise goals are minimal, a 15 minute walk, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, keep it. If it's heavy, lifting weights, Zumba or Aerobics, take it easy. You're not competing with everyone else; you're competing with where you have been. Some people in the gym will realize that and will encourage you. Some will be idiots and try and make themselves feel better because they're ignorant people who either, 1. Forget how much work there was to get there, or 2. Never had to deal with it and are naturally active or lean. You know who to hang out with.

If you have a day where you fail and botch the diet, you're not a failure, you failed one day. Get your butt back on this site and we'll encourage you.

So, now the question is, which diet. Keto, Zone, Paleo, Warrior, Vegan (please don't, but that's just me), South Beach, Atkins, Weight Watchers (they've got a pile of repeat customers, that should tell you something). So which diet?

Ready for this? THE RIGHT DIET IS THE ONE YOU CAN STAY ON!

You're going to run into a lot of people on here, and every one of us who has been doing this for a while has our favourite approach. Most of us will switch between approaches. Why? Because we know there's more than one way to skin a cat. (No cracks about ethnic foods, please.) *smirk* But you will run into people who will tell you there's a best way. Keep in mind, it has worked for them, and it won't necessarily work for you. Low carb is extremely enticing, and I like it, but the fast loss at the beginning is deceptive. Overall, expect 1 to 1.5 pounds of fat loss in a week.

Diet can be as dogmatic as any religion. Don't become one of these. Listen to what everyone has to say and try it if it seems to suit you, but a dogmatic approach will make it harder to get back into diet when you fail.

Now, some of you are researching. "What's the best way. What foods should I add to lose weight (hint, you can't lose weight by adding foods, you're being marketed to), and the big one, I need to see a doctor before I start." Okay, if you have a pre-existing medical condition, diabetes, hypoglycemia, or you are grossly obese, etc., yes, see a doctor first, but if you are healthy with no medical problems other than being overweight, get started. Cut back on your food. You didn't check with your doctor before you went on your Coke and Dorito's diet, did you?

One last note. You will not lose 'weight' every day, but even on the days when your weight bounces up, if you cut your calories the day before, you have likely still lost fat. MAKE THIS DIFFERENTIATION NOW! Losing weight and losing fat are not the same thing. Weight for me can fluctuate 5 pounds from day to day. It usually doesn't, but it can. Salt, carbohydrate grams eaten the day before, body just being plain STUPID for no apparent reason can play a part.

Now leave a comment if you like, and click on my name at the top of this, and when you get to the new page, click on the follow tab.

Now, do you want the easy start? No soda, no chips, no crackers, NO FREAKING PUFFED RICE CAKES, and start learning. No eating a lot of food because you're making 'healthy' choices. If you're over eating, it doesn't matter what you're eating, it's a bad choice.

Rules:
1. Log in every day.
2. Log your weight every day (I'm sometimes slack on this) and make a comment in the box below where you enter your weight so people can encourage you and help you.
3. Find some friends here, they will help you.

Now, KICK BUTT!!! We're with you.

186.8 lb Lost so far: 9.2 lb.    Still to go: 0 lb.    Diet followed reasonably well.

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1341 kcal

Fat: 67.03g | Prot: 110.04g | Carb: 78.66g.   Lunch: Vanilla Yogurt (Lowfat), British Columbia spartan apple, Fresh Pork Sausage, Cheddar Cheese, Fried Egg, Cucumber (with Peel). Snacks/Other: Driscoll's Raspberries, LeanFit Whey Protein Shake - Vanilla, 2% Fat Milk. more...