Sometimes things that are tough, can SEEM too hard to obtain. If you are like me....from time to time we can avoid doing things that seem so....well...BIG! One thing that helped me to lose 80 pounds (20 more to go!) is to use a numbers game.

A pound is 3,200 calories. So for me, I have 20 pounds to go or 64,000 calories. Now, if I break it down into realistic terms, I need the amount of days to accomplish my goal. I would like to be there by August for sure since that is usually when we go on vacation (want to look good in bathing suit- for a change!) but I need to do it sooner so that all the good suits dont get taken.

I am going to shoot for May 20th as my target. That comes up to 100 days Now I will divide 64,000 calories by 100 days and get 640 calories per day. That seems like alot but at least it gives me a clear cut idea of what I am working on daily. Also, there are a couple of things to consider:

1. Depending on where you are at in you journey of weight loss/weight maintenance you will lose differently. The first 50 pounds took alot less effort than the last 30. I have read that our body starts adjusting to lower (never below 1200) calorie intake, our muscles adapt to same exercises, and when we get close to our ideal weight starts working against us. This does seem to apply to me. I think what may work best is to alternate exercises/resistance/weights and calorie intake. a difference of 200 calorie every other day should keep our metabolisms guessing. (how dare it slow down on us!)

2. I didnt factor in that I am eating lower calorie most days of the week. I always choose two days of the week where I eat a healthy dessert. I need to fine tun by running the numbers on myResting Metabolic Rate and the calories I am actuall eating. Your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) is the minimum number of calories your body needs to support its basic physiological functions, including breathing, circulating blood, and numerous biochemical reactions. Your RMR is generally equal to 60-75% of your total daily caloric expenditure. I am 5'8" with a RMR of 1505. So eating less than 1505 calories is something to take into consideration. On days that I exercise for over 30 minutes, I make sure to eat healthy snacks that include protein so that my body can rebuild the muscle.


(this site will calculatetime between dates for you) http://www.24hourfitness.com/resources/fitness_tools/


The last bathing suit I bought wasnt really a bathing suit, to me, but hey it covered all my major cracks, crevices and CURVES. I have felt better with the little skirts over my hips for the past few years and really want a nice suit this year.

Finally, if I really want to burn the 640 calories per day.....my choice would be to do 200 of them on my stationary bike, 15 minutes of weights (5-20 pound hand weights, kettlebell or medicine ball) and 30 minutes to one hour of cardio. Taebo DVD, Zumba and Gilad Fitness are my favorites. (if you have Comcast,check out the "on demand" there are free workouts under Fitness)