Sweating for the Wedding
Macros Overview
Most of our food & drinks are made out of 3 micro-nutrition: Protein, Carbs & Fat. So Let’s cover them & what they do.
Protein: Think of protein like words, so your muscles are the sentences with the book being your body. Unfortunately, many people don’t get enough protein in their diets, making it harder to have the body you are working so hard for in the gym. The nice benefit of protein is that it helps keep you full & will burn 20-30% of its calories during digestion.
Carbs: Your car uses gasoline for energy & your body uses carbs as its natural source of energy. Unfortunately, many people take more carbs than their body actually needs for energy. Which would be like trying to pump more gas in your gas tank and have it overflowing. The nice thing is your body is going to burn 6-7% of those calories during digestion.
Fats: Unfortunately I don’t have any awesome metaphors for fats. They basically help your body function healthy, whether it’s through metabolism, inflammation, or keeping your cholesterol in check. We tend to get a LOT of fat in our diets, & unfortunately, it only burns 1-2% of its calories through digestion.
Habits vs. Tracking
Two different approaches to changing your food.
Habits: There are many different reasons we eat and drink nowadays, whether it’s social with friends or after a long day at work. Small habits like having one less glass of wine at dinner or passing on the small snacks at work can help lower your overall calories to make it easier to drop weight. A good starting point to figure out what habits you struggle with would be writing down all the reasons you eat and drink. Start with the easiest habit to change and make your way through the list.
Tracking: The other side of the coin would be tracking. This would include using apps like MyFitnessPal or the Weight Watchers app to track points. The nice benefit of tracking is knowing exactly where you are in your nutrition journey. This will also make it easier for increasing or decreasing items that you are tracking to still see progress. One of the main drawbacks of tracking is simply that, tracking. I would recommend tracking if it starts to feel monotonous or if it starts becoming more like an addiction where everything has to be exactly spot on.
How Long Will It Take (calculator)
Whether you want to lose 5,15 or even 50 pounds, it helps to know how far you have to go and how long it will take.
Calculator:
A manageable weight loss goal would be to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week. Let’s take 1.5 pounds as a compromise in between.
Kelly (our newly engaged bride) what’s to lose 20 pounds
20 (Weight loss goal) / 1.5 (pounds per week) = 13.3 Weeks or 3 Months
Weight loss can be one of the harder aspects of fitness, but just like planning your wedding, it takes time.
