August 2015 Write It Down, Work it Out Challenge

Our Goals for August:

• Aug 1- 31, Keep a Detailed Food and Drink Journal – On paper, online or via mobile app.
• Work out a minimum of 5 days a week. Download this month’s workout calendar (below).

This month we are going to focus on learning how many calories we should be eating for weight loss. In order to do that, we have to pay attention to our eating habits. Working out 4-6 days a week for at least 30 min will help you reach your goal…BUT you still have to focus on what you are eating to see results.

How can you join us? Leave a comment and let us know that you are IN and ready to commit!

Bet on Yourself to Lose Weight and Win Money

For an extra boost, Join our August DietBet! – Winners Split the Pot! Our July DietBet participants shed over 800 pounds and split a pot of over $5,000.  The fun starts on July 28th and bet is just $30. Official weigh-in by photo – Last day to weigh in is August 10th.

Food and Drink Journal – Part 1

Too many people struggle with what to eat and how much to eat.  This month, we want you to focus on reasonable portion sizes and having a goal in mind in terms of the calories/nutrients you consume and eating balanced meals.  Record EVERYTHING and be honest. Weigh/measure out your portions and look up nutrition information online. This is especially important for beverages, fast food and packaged food. 4 Main Rules;

1. How much should you be eating everyday? – In order to get started, you have to have an eating goal in mind. If you are already tracking your food and have a goal, move to the next step.  If not, use a food calculator to determine what your goal should be so that you have a starting point. Pick a goal and stick with it for at least 14 days. You need to allow for your body to get use to the reduction in calories and your exercise habits. However, don’t be unwise. If you gain significant weight in the first week that is a sign that change is needed.  Calorie calculator: Use these free tools to help you choose your starting numbers (calories/nutrients).

• myfitnesspal.com
• freedieting.com
• fatsecret.com

2. Decide how you will record your meals. You can write your log on paper, record it on website or on a free mobile app, like My Fitness Pal, Loseit or Fat Secret.  For each meal, tally up your calories for each meal.  You can also include the amount of protein, carbs, fats, sugars or fiber if you would like to have a clearer picture of your meals.

3. Read these articles for perspective and guidance.

• Required Reading: Read this article and this article to understand the math behind how many calories you should eat to lose weight.
• What Portion Sizes Should I be Eating?
• How to Create an Effective Eating Plan

4. Cheat Treat – Give yourself a cheat meal or treat once or twice a week…but limit these indulgences to 500 extra calories for the day or less.  There are a lot of treats that will fit into that range and moderation is key. Remember, 3500 calories = 1 pounds, so if you eat an extra 500 calories a day, that’s a pound worth of energy.

Whether you eat Clean, Low Carb, Paleo, Vegetarian, go on Weight Watchers, etc…that is up to you. There are lots of good options out there, so do your research and get started. There are a lot of free, healthy meal plans online. Here are a few sources.

Eat a balanced meals.  Here are some suggestions.

• Eat vitamin rich produce – 3 Servings of vegetables and 1-2 servings of fruit
• Protein: Take your weight and divide it in half or by .8 (your weight/.5 or your weight/.8) to get a good minimum range for protein. You can eat even more of course, especially if you are going Paleo or Low Carb.
• Don’t be afraid to eat healthy fats from oils, nuts, avocado, fish oil supplements, etc.

Eat food combinations: Combine a portion of protein with a portion of veggies or whole grains.  Combine greek yogurt with whole grain cereal and fruit. Have egg whites with veggies. Create a lunch wrap with lean protein, cheese and veggies.  There are so many simple combinations. Once you know the calories and nutrients for these meals you won’t have to keep looking up information to add meals to your food journal/log.

*Exercise Disclaimer: Before starting any exercise program, please consult with your doctor. We cannot be held responsible for any injuries resulting from attempting this exercise routine. If you have injuries that could be worsened, are pregnant, have knee issues, or are suffering neck and back pain, you should speak with a professional trainer about what workouts would be best for you. Do not attempt if you have current injuries, past surgeries or other physical issues/health issues that could be affected by exercise. Don’t forget to stretch before and after working out to avoid injuries.

Workout Calendar –  Part 2

Click here to download this month’s workout calendar. (PDF file – Adobe Reader)

Workout Links – We’ve posted videos of the moves so that you can see proper form.

• Move it Side to Side Workout – new
• Body Weight Burn Circuit – new
• Booty Blast Workout
• Arms and Cardio Workout
• Work Those Abs Workout
• Thighs So Toned Workout
• Full Body Burn Workout

It’s ok if you can’t get through all of the moves, Do the best you can and make modifications. One modified pushup on your knees is better than no pushups. It’s also ok to reduce the number of moves if you are a beginner and then build up to doing more over the course of the month. Do YOUR best. Do what works best for you. Start of slow if you need to!

On Days that we don’t do cardio, how many times should I do the workout listed for the day?
Do 1-3 sets of the circuit of exercises listed for the day. The number of time you will repeat the circuit depends on YOUR level of fitness and what your normal workout routine is. You may be just adding a round or two of these workouts to your regular workout routine for an added boost and that’s great.

How often should I rest during the workout?
Rest for 30 sec to 1 min between exercises, but take more time if you need it. Break the exercises up, take rest when you need to and go at your own pace. For example, you may need to break 30 jumping jacks into 2 sets of 15 and take a 30 second to 1 minute break in between, that’s fine.

What should I do for cardio exercise?
It is up to you and what you like to do.  Here are just a few options…

• Walking
• Jogging
• Jumping Rope in Intervals
• Jumping Jacks in Intervals
• Running
• Elliptical Machine
• Arc Trainer
• Workout Classes, like Zumba or Spin/Cycle
• Kickboxing
• At Home Workouts, like TurboFire, Jillian Michael’s series or Insanity
• High Intensity Interval Training
• Stepper Machine