It's Not A Do-Over, It's a New Plan of Attack!

After seemingly getting NOWHERE with my diet this past week, I've decided on a new course of action. I know, I know -- some of you are thinking, "wait a second, did she just give up on the 17 Day Diet after 10 days???" ...ummm semi-ashamedly, yes and no.

Now, why, you ask? Mentally and physically, I feel a million times better when not following a regimented eating schedule/plan. I also tend to lose more weight. So as they say, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"...and while I plan to adjust my eating (e.g. eating less processed foods and instead, more whole/complex foods), I am foregoing following a particular diet, choosing instead to set a calorie limit and ensuring I stay at/below it.

Also, I'm experimenting with something that seems, well, somewhat contradictory - increasing my caloric intake!

Say whaaat?!

Yes. INcreasing the calories I'm eating. After a quick read through random sites (which I'm sure are totally written by health professionals)..sarcasm, people...I've learned the importance of ensuring I'm getting enough calories so that my body doesn't go into what is affectionately known as "starvation mode" (i.e. not supplying your body with enough calories throughout the day signals to your body to go into starvation mode, where it begins storing all calories as fat to ensure it has enough calories to survive should it not get the calories it needs and also slows down your metabolism). Sucky, sucky.

And what's even suckier (yes, I've created a new vocab word), is that myfitnesspal totally deceived me! The calorie calculator instructed me to take in no more than 1200 cal/day....after reviewing various calorie calculators (this one was the best in my opinion), I settled upon 1550 calories/day which should equate to 1.4 lb/week. This should be far easier and hopefully works better than my starvation diet! EGH.

In other news, today marks day 3 of Insanity. Holy cow, this workout is far more intense than I'd thought it would be. On the brightside, my good workout habits have given me the satisfaction of besting all three of my male co-workers during each session. Now that, is satisfaction. Haha.

Have you experienced plateaus or weight gain due to taking in too few calories? I'd love to hear your experience and what you did to correct it.

Trial and Error

Well, I did it. Ha, managed to stick to plan for 3 whole days. Small victories, my friends.

I like to think of it as a trial period, a dry run of sorts. Test it, learn from your mistakes, and go full-out tomorrow keeping in mind my learnings. And that is exactly what I plan to do.

So, you ask, what exactly did I learn over the course of those 3 days?

1. The 17-Day meal plan IS doable. Food is good, plentiful, and low in sugar which makes me feel and look GREAT. By day two, I felt and looked noticeably different. More svelte. Glowing skin. No lies, people. 
2. I am far more successful in a controlled environment. I used to think my dieting hiccups happened at home. Not so. I'm far more self-destructive at work - hello peanut butter fudge, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate covered oreos, and truffles. God damn...and that would be where I fell off the bandwagon.
3. The treadmill desk shalt become my new best friend - let's get me off my butt, away from the sabotage that is the "goodies" my co-workers bring in, and burning some calories instead. Must fight boredom!
4. Get my butt to the gym or at least the floor in my apartment for some Pilates  I've made excuses the past two days and felt like crap because of it. Thinking I need a new bedtime and to revert to my 30 minutes of morning exercise, supplemented by my post-work workouts. The guys and I are starting Insanity next Monday at the fitness center, so at least I'll get one workout in!

So there we have it. A plan of sorts - follow the meal plan, say NO to sugar, stay away from the sweets sabotage at work, try out the treadmill desk, and stop making exercise excuses.  

And now, for a random, yet applicable quote: "A setback is a setup for a comeback." Here we go! 

The 17 Day Diet - Here Goes Nothing

5' 9" and 158 pounds. Meh.

While it may seem petty, granted that my weight is in the "normal" range on the BMI chart, I'm definitely not cool with the fact that I'm in the last box next to the "overweight" category. Teetering on the edge of being overweight is no fun.  

That said, and with the new year right around the corner, it's time to buckle down and get fit! 

Looking at me, most people wouldn't say I'm "teetering" on overweight. I'm fairly tall and well-proportioned, (and likely hide it well thanks to my clothing preferences). I also workout like a crazy person. 

So how am I where I am now -- with a BMI of 23.3 where 24.9 is the highest "normal" you can be? 

1. Sugar is my weakness. When it comes to baked goods, I don't discriminate. 
2. While I exercise daily for at least an hour, I'm also a "grazer," i.e. I don't often sit down to eat full meals, but rather snack throughout the day (which probably means I eat more calories than I realize). 
3. Carbs are my closest friends. And we all know that too many of the wrong type of carbs can do more harm than good. 

So there we have it. The diagnosis...and now, the remedy. Or at least, let's hope, eh?

I've heard all this talk about The 17 Day Diet and it looks doable. For anyone unfamiliar, the gist is this: 

• Three 17-day-long "cycles" - the first, focused on high protein, high vegetable intake, low carbs, low sugar. As you progress through the cycles, you add in more complex carbs to "confuse" your body and continue burning off those unwanted pounds.
• 17 minutes of exercise daily

Measurements and "before" pictures coming soon! 

Now some questions for you... 

• What are your weight loss/fitness goals and plans for the new year? 
• Have you tried The 17 Day Diet? How did it work for you? Any tips for me? 
• Calculate your own BMI with the CDC's BMI Calculator. Is it what you expected? If not, what's your plan to improve it? 

Fit With Whit - The Beginning of it All

So much pressure in writing this first post! Probably best to officially introduce myself (and the purpose of this blog), so to make this snappy, I've provided some highlights below:

• Mid-twenties, Midwestern girl with hopes of eating clean(er) and shedding some unnecessary poundage that's snuck up on me over the past few years (thanks a lot, Freshman 15). 
• With this blog I hope to: 
• Share my weight loss journey
• Pass on some amazingly delicious (and healthy!) recipes 
• Review diets, fitness routines/videos, gear, etc. 
• Introduce you to some of my favorite fitness bloggers and resources that will help you meet your weight loss goals!

Thanks to those who visit from time to time! I look forward to meeting you (albeit virtually) and learning more about your own personal weight loss journeys!