Weight loss is a journey, and like any journey, is best begun with accurate knowledge of our starting location. Rather than jump into the fast lane of which ever road looks the smoothest and prettiest, take a week or so to figure out where you are. This journey will take a while, so putting some time into planning only makes sense and can also help avoid regrettable crashes, dead ends and misspent time and money.
Begin with the basics. Weight and measurements. Get a decent scale and weigh yourself in the morning wearing as little as possible. The number is what it is, only you can make it a judgement. Write it down along with the date. Next get some basic measurements or biometrics, as we like to say in the medical biz. Get a height measurement if you can in order to calculate BMI then move onto biceps then chest. Take 2 waist measurements, one at the smallest part of your waistline and one at the level of your bellybutton. For those short waisted folks like myself these could be fairly different. Next measure around the fullest part of your hips. Do this facing a mirror to keep the tape straight. Last measure at the mid-thigh and maybe calf. Write them all down and keep the numbers in a location where you will be able to find them in 6-8 weeks. This gives you a sense of how much you weigh and how the weight is distributed. If you have the opportunity to get an accurate percentage body fat measurement do that too.
Next lets assess the two key components to weight loss- calories in and calories out. This is a bit harder than measurements and should be done over 5-7 days time to really get an idea of where our starting point is located. Calories in means keeping track of every last piece of food, candy, beverage and "just tasting" morsels we put in our mouths. A daunting task, but there are many great resources out there that make this easier. My favorite method of food logging is with a smart phone app. I use "My Fitness Pal". It allows me to log from my PC, iPad and smart phone and is free. I know others like "My Plate", which is part of the Live Strong system, and Weight Watchers has a good app if you are already a member. If you don't like online or smart phone resources, old fashioned pen and paper work well too. The important thing here is to learn how many calories you eat on most days and your log should include busy week days as well weekends.
Calories out is looking at what you do each day. If you are already a regular exerciser, keep track of your workouts and the number of calories burned. Many machines tend to over estimate calories burned, so check the numbers against other resources. The same food logging apps mentioned above have estimates of calories burned for most activities including aerobic activities such as walking or cycling, as well as yoga, Pilates, strength training and household chores such as gardening. In addition to logging specific activities I think everyone should count daily steps. I am often shocked at how few steps I take in a day with too much time spent in front of the computer.
You will need some sort of pedometer to log steps, and these are available as stand alone devices or (again) smart phone apps. I prefer a separate device as I do not have my phone constantly attached to my person. Pedometers that use an accelerometer are the most accurate and can be found quite inexpensively. They can be worn at the waist, in your pocket and even hooked to a bra. If your pedometer "clicks" with movement it is not the type that you want and only works when worn at the waist and must be straight up and down to be accurate. I count my steps with the "Fitbit". It is a tiny little device that has a water resistant holder. It syncs wirelessly to my smart phone and also provides data to "My Fitness Pal". Combining all of my "numbers" into one location has been quite helpful in getting a good picture of my calories both in and out.
So let's begin. Collect your data for the next week. Then we can talk about how to assess our data and set a course for the start of our journey.
