How I Lost 33 Pounds

July 28, 2011.......That was my very first PIO meeting at our church.  PIO....Pray It Off.  Our bulletin had been asking for new members and if you had 30 or more pounds to loose you could sign up.  PIO had been going strong at our church for over 3 years now.  Only recently had they advertised it as "30 or more pounds".  Before that it had always said "50 or more pounds".  I didn't have 50 pounds to loose, but 30 I could do. Well, I finally got on the scale after being absent from doing that for quite awhile and realized, yes, I had 30+ pounds to loose.  I asked Markus if he would be interested in doing this together and he agreed.  That was the easy part.  The rest, I'll try to put it in a nut shell for you all.  

Before                                                        After

I didn't officially take a before and after picture so these are just ones I had in my photos. I hit my target weight sometime in April of this year. I'll be honest with you, it has been harder to keep it off than to take it off. These last two months have really tested me. It's more mental than anything else. Once you hit your goal, you just say to yourself, "Yay, I did it, now I can start eating whatever I want". Wrong! Everything you've done up until then basically has to remain the same. Maybe a cookie now and then or some ice cream on occasion, but that's about it. You have to keep it up. It really is a lifestyle change for me. It's coming up on one year since I've changed my lifestyle and it has been quite a journey.

I started out at 147.5 on the morning of July 28, 2011. I am now at 114.5 and plan to remain there. I was a size 8/10. Now I am a size 2/4. On a good day I measure in at 5'1 1/2" so being any higher than 115 pounds probably isn't very healthy.

The whole premise behind PIO is "Eat less, move more and pray".  Before I go any further I must tell you that I give all the glory to God.  I asked him to help me, I knew he would and he did.  It's because of all his faith in me that I was able to do it.  This journey would not have been possible with out the loving support of my Markus.  He has lost an incredible 41 pounds so far.  He is about 17 pounds from his goal and I will be with him the rest of the way supporting and cheering him on.

The wonderful woman who runs PIO is Ellen McCauley.  She herself has been on an incredible weight loss journey since starting PIO 4 years ago.  She has her own blog in which she posts videos of her weekly inspirational talks that have helped so many people loose incredible amounts of weight.  Visit it here if you want to find out more.

Here is what worked for me.  I'm not saying that it's right for you.  I believe that every person is different and you have to figure out what works for you.  Some people need more exercise.  Some need less carbs or less protein.  Some need to really cut down on the sugar, some just a little.  What works for me is "calories in, calories out".

• CALCULATE YOUR MAXIMUM DAILY INTAKE OF CALORIES FOR WEIGHT LOSS.  For this I used the formula for Basil Metabolic Rate or BMR.  For more back ground information regarding BMR visit here.  This is the way I calculated how many calories I needed to take in to maintain my weight.

Women:  655 + (4.3 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)

Men:  66 + (6.3 x weight in pounds) + (12.9 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years)

Here is my calculation:

655 + (4.3 x 147.5) + (4.7 x 61) - (4.7 x 45(my age when I started, I'm 46 now))

655 + 634.25 + 286.7 - 211.5 = 1364.45

Next you calculate your activity:

-If you are sedentary: BMR x 20%

-If you are lightly active:  BMR x 30%

-if you are moderately active (you exercise most days a week):  BMR x 40%

-if you are very active (you exercise intensely on a daily basis or for prolonged periods): BMR x 50%

-if you are extra active (you do hard labor or are in athletic training):  BMR x 60%

Add this number to your BMR.

1364.45 x 30%* = 409.34                1364.45 + 409.34 = 1773.79

*When I first started I would say that I was lightly active.  Now after almost a year I would say that I am moderately active.

To maintain, I needed to not exceed about 1775 calories a day.  At the beginning, I did not want to maintain, I wanted to loose.  So I just chose 1500 calories a day that I could not exceed to be able to loose weight.  Most days I was a little below 1500 some I was right at and others I exceeded 1500.  I told myself that I did not want to deprive myself of the food I loved.  And I really love food.  That's basically why I eat what I eat.  I am not an emotional eater nor do I eat when I am bored.  I eat because I love food.  I not sure if I would have been able to continue to stay on this journey if I couldn't eat the foods I loved.  It's all about portion control and eating in moderation.

• KEEP A FOOD LOG.  If you write down everything you eat on a daily basis, it's like keeping a journal.  If weight isn't coming off, you have a history to see what may need to change.  It also may keep you from eating something you shouldn't if you know that you have to write it in your log.  Make sure your log not only keeps track of what you eat but it should also keep track of your water intake and your exercise.  It's a great place to have all your information in one place.  Here is an example of one day's worth of food within my 1500 calories:  

• Breakfast - Egg Busters omelet with ham and fat free cheese, 6 oz. orange juice (272                     calories).  Lunch - ham salad on Special K crackers, baby carrots, strawberries (361 calories).  Dinner - Thai Jasmine rice with shrimp, tossed green salad, glass of wine, one small cookie (625 calories). Snacks (one between breakfast and lunch and one between lunch and dinner) Fiber One bar (90 calories), Chobani Greek yogurt (110 calories) = 1458 calories

• EXERCISE DAILY OR DO SOME SORT OF ACTIVITY.  I usually exercise about 5-6 times a week.  It usually isn't any longer than 1 hour and sometimes it's only 30 minutes.  Mix it up a little.  Doing the same thing all the time will not only be boring, but your body will get use to what you are always doing and the exercise will become ineffective.  Here are some of exercises I do each week:

running

walking

(through our neighborhood, on the high school track, or hiking at some trails around our house)

golfing

bootcamp class*

step class*

Total Gym (weight resistance)

(we have a Total Gym machine and I usually spend once a week on it for about 30 minutes)

bike riding

intervals on the treadmill

I got this one from Pinterest.  It takes about 30 minutes and it really kicks my butt every time.

*If any of you reading this live in the Central New York area, near the west side of Syracuse I need to let you know about Power Plus Fitness.  It is run by an incredible lady by the name of Stephanie O'Neill who has become a great friend and mentor of mine.  She inspires me so much.

• WEIGH YOURSELF.  Now, this is a debatable subject.  I weigh myself every morning when I get out of bed after I go to the bathroom and with no clothes on.  Some say you should just weigh yourself once a week.  It's your choice, whatever works for you.  You must be consistent though.  If it's just once a week, make it the same day of the week at the same time of day.  If it's everyday like myself,  do it at the same time each day.  I personally like to do it everyday because it gives me an idea of what I need to do for exercise that day and what I should eat.  My average weight loss each week was usually one to two pounds.  I couldn't wait each week to just see one pound come off.  I needed to know each day how I was doing.  Some mornings when I got on the scale, it showed I had gained .5 - 1 pound from the day before.  I knew that I needed to step it up that day.  It didn't discourage me, it made me work harder.

• KEEP A POSITIVE ATTITUDE.  This is probably the most important tip I can give you.  This is not a diet, it is a life style change.  It's a journey that will last a lifetime and it's well worth the trip.

Thanks so much for stopping by.  I hope this has inspired you in some way to start your summer off on the right foot.

Holly