I need to lose weight. About 20 lbs. My friend Mel just recently went on a 1400 calories- a-day diet (or something like that) and lost a very noticeable amount of weight. So now I want to do that too. I really haven't found much time to do my 30-Day Shred workout like I was hoping (I'm not a morning person. don't want to get all sweaty and have to shower during the middle of the day. and I like to relax in the evening with Kevin), so now I'm going to start focusing more on my diet. Recognizing I am nursing and can't make drastic changes or it will affect my milk supply. So the plan is this: eat fairly normal and see how many calories I intake on a regular day, and then shoot for eating a few hundred less than that gradually decreasing my number to 1800-2200 (which was recommended for nursing moms here). I found this website that can help me count my calories and rate the quality of each food. Pretty interesting actually. I guess wheat crackers are graded a D+! Why's that?! So as I try to decrease my calorie intake I'll naturally be turning to foods that are healthier like carrots and apples for snack instead of granola bars or cookies. I'm also going to watch my beverages. I've gotten into the habit of having coffee most mornings, and I only drink it with a LOT of cream and a LOT of sugar. Plus we've been eating out a lot which for me means a lot of soda. So. Enough of that!
It's kind of easy to say today when it's snowy out and we're not going anywhere. But what happens when we eat out or I make something that's hard to calculate calories because it's got a bunch of different ingredients.
Who knows.
But this is what I'm going to try. Have you done this? What have your experiences been?
It's kind of easy to say today when it's snowy out and we're not going anywhere. But what happens when we eat out or I make something that's hard to calculate calories because it's got a bunch of different ingredients.
Who knows.
But this is what I'm going to try. Have you done this? What have your experiences been?
I'm really not a fan of counting calories myself. I think I'm too lazy. Something I want to do though is to write down the calories of foods I normally eat and that way I am sort of calorie counting.
ReplyDeleteIf you eat out, you can ask how many calories there are. Restaurants should know.
I used the website Spark People: http://www.sparkpeople.com/ when I lost weight for our wedding. It has a lot of recipes and restaurants in there already. I need to use it again, because I also have 20+ lbs of weight to lose!
ReplyDeleteNot to push anything on you, I promise, ;)
ReplyDeleteBUT...
Weight Watchers has a plan specifically for nursing moms. It's part of the reason i went w/ WW over another program. (joined when Brennan was 5 weeks old).
They account for about 10 extra points for nursing moms. I lost ALL of the weight I wanted by the time he was 10 months old (I was overweight when I got w/ him), and it NEVER affected my milk supply. He nursed well beyond that, in fact.
They have an online program that a friend has had success w/. I've only ever done meetings, but it's the same material. All in all, it's been GREAT-but like you said, it's eating wisely, not eliminating a food group, but portion control, tips, and watching that you're eating GOOD food.
Good Luck! You're beautiful already, Sarah!