10 Pounds Gone in One Month- Exercise and Diet; What a Concept!
About a month ago I wrote a post about losing weight and wanting to run a half marathon in March of 2012. It’s been a pretty productive month and I’m moving along at a good pace. I’m training slowly but surely and watching my intake of chips, candy and hot fries. My weaknesses. Since that post I have lost 10 of my 40 pound goal and while I’m not trying to do a “Biggest Loser” extreme routine, I have been working out in ways that are do-able for me.
Exercise:
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I run. At first I struggled to run 60 seconds at a time. This was tough to swallow since I had been able to run an 8k just 6 months ago. Clearly when you don’t use it, you lose it! Today I am able to run 10 minutes before a walk break. Now that may seem like an impossible way to imagine running 13 miles in 5 months but slow and steady wins the race. To be on track for the half marathon training program that my race has released, I will need to be able to run 20 minutes non-stop in two weeks. I am pretty sure I will be able to do this and then follow their program in order to be ready on race day. Overall, right now I’m spending no more than 45 minutes warming up, walking and running.
As I’ve gotten in better shape, my problem with running longer distances has moved from the physical to the mental. It’s not that I can’t run for long periods, it’s just that I have trouble shutting random thoughts out. Then my breathing gets highjacked, my stride fails and I start walking. I’ll get this under control soon. I also run speed intervals where I up the treadmill speed for 60 seconds, then walk 120 seconds, then sprint again for 60. This I do 10 to 12 times and I’m not only getting faster but also becoming stronger. When I started I was at a 5 on the treadmill, which is a 12-minute mile. Now I can easily sprint at 7.5. I have my eye on 9.0 sprints just around the corner.
Tuesday and Thursday I strength train with a basic full body workout on circuit machines at my gym. In a 40-minute work out I cover both my lower and upper body and abs. I complete 12 reps, then 10 and then 8 with progressively heavier weights. I use light weights and I don’t increase overall weight rapidly. I want to gradually build tone and strength– not bulk.
Saturday’s I try to do something interesting like Trikking, tennis, or hot yoga. I take Sunday off but I find that during my week if I get stressed an extra 30-minute walk not only relieves that but also adds to my weekly caloric burn. I burn between 1500-1800 calories a week by exercising.
Diet:
My diet is a work in progress. Now that I’m not grabbing for chips, soda and juice my calories have to come from food in ways that I’m adjusting to. But in the tradition of the Body for LIfe program I do set aside one day a week to slam down some hot fries, chips, sour patch kids and twizzlers! As you may know from earlier posts I am a vegan and I have been challenged with eating well and working out at the same time. Am I eating enough calories to sustain my workouts? I’m not 100% sure but I think so. I’m very conscious of my protein intake and I try very hard to eat the right carbs that maintain good levels of energy throughout the day. I feel pretty good and it seems I’m eating all the time with a goal between 1500-1700 calories a day. It’s actually quite a pain to make sure that I’m eating all day!
A Sample Day: 1579 Calories, 103 g protein, 44g fat, 209g carbs
Ratios: 50% carbs 25% protein, 25% fats
Breakfast:
Ezekiel Sprouted Bread w/ Strawberry Jam and Vegan Butter
Snack:
Fuji Apple Slice with Almond Butter
Lunch:
Penne Pasta and Homemade Sauce (garlic, peppers, olives, onions)
Afternoon Snack:
Protein Shake with Maca Powder and Chia Seeds
Dinner:
Seitan w/Grilled Veggies
Kale Salad
Evening Snack:
Rooibos Tea Sweetened w/ Black Strap Molasses
100-calorie Raw Revolution Chocolate and Cashew Bar
I take the following supplements daily: 65mg Iron, 1000mg Vitamin C, 1000mg Calcium, 1000iu Vitamin D 1000mcg B12.
The Bottom Line:
Keep in mind that 1 pound equals about 3500 calories. I’m not a nutritional expert but this whole thing seems as simple as calories in and calories out. In the past month I’ve burned on avg. 1800 calories a week with my exercises. That’s 7200 calories a month or 2 pounds. I’ve also subtracted 1000 calories a day from the amount it would take for me to just maintain my weight. That’s 7000 calories a week x four weeks = 28000 calories or 8 pounds. Since I can verify that I’ve lost 10 pounds in the past month it seems that this is working. Not a lot of pain. Only 45 minutes a day. The only time I am hungry is when I get distracted by work and don’t eat at regular intervals. This is working for me!
So that’s my monthly update on this particular journey. I feel good. I’ve had no injuries and I’m dedicated to taking this one step at a time in order to stay healthy. My core is a little lumpy but I’m seeing body changes that I like. Muscle tone popping up again. Strength returning. If all goes as planned, next time I update you on these goals I will have lost another 10 pounds and will be running 30 minutes at a time. Join me on twitter @spencerhope for more regular updates on my weight and running quest!
