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Weight Loss and Leigh Peele
As I AW'd in the TGIF thread, I'm officially down 8.2 lbs in 4 weeks from the weight I'd been stuck at for over a year. Wahoo!
The how is really quite simple. Eat the right amount of calories and move more!
A little over a month ago I joined Leigh Peele's website and read/listened to one of her "books" The Fat Loss Troubleshoot (FLTS). Most of what she said I already knew, I've been working on weight loss and reading a LOT for the last few years, but the way she presented it, sort of tough love, was much needed.
The program I'm following is a calorie cycling one. Instead of doing a straight deficit (eat 1700 calories every day) I start high and work my way down through the week. The average is about 1700 a day, but there's really only 1 day where I'm eating that exact amount. It's also critically important to weigh or measure (preferably weigh) you food out so you know your calorie counts are accurate.
The other side of the coin is moving more. Leigh is currently hosting a challenge called 10,000 Steps. The goal is to get in 10,000 credits every day. You can earn up to 8,000 credits from steps, and then the rest come from things like exercising, being outside, cooking, tracking your food, etc. This challenge has helped me realize how little I actually move in a day. By the time I leave work I'm lucky to get in 3,000 steps. The exercise she suggest for the calorie cycling program is really very easy. Mostly body weight exercises, sometimes using bands or light dumbbells, and can easily be done at home.
So, for anyone interested, start by checking out her site and podcasts. From LeighPeele.com check out the archive section for her old blog posts, and subscribe to her podcast on iTunes (Ask Leigh). Those things are all free. For $10/month you can become a member of her site and get access to the Ask Leigh forum (a really great resource) and most of her training material. If you buy FLTS ($40, including the audio version and a cookbook of breakfast foods) you can get a free months subscription to the site.
Sooo, that's about it. Leigh is awesome. She's active on the boards and answers e-mails very promptly. She's known as the Fat Loss Troubleshooter and really knows her stuff.
We'll just not tell H about this little fact, m'kay?
Re: Weight Loss and Leigh Peele
Sweet! Thanks, raynes. Can I ask how low your calorie count can go for the day? Are you still doing heavy lifting on occasion, or is that rotated out until you start another program that features it?
I'm doing FBB right now (first phase), and while I really love the workouts, I know it's my eating that stinks. And while I do try to keep it in the 1,700 range, too, and make smart choices, I feel stuck and nothing's moving. Everything still fits well clothes-wise, but I just don't feel good anymore.
This sounds really worthwhile--H also wants to lose and has been feeling out of sorts thanks to shoulder injury that's limited his heavy lifting. Is your H doing it with you?
My lowest day is right around 1000 cals (ETA: I just checked, and it's more like 1100), but my highest is also maintenance, so, like, 2400 cals, and maintenance day follows low day, so it's a LOT easier to deal with the hunger on the low day when you know you can basically eat whatever the next day. My lowest day and the one before it are the only days that really suck. I've found I get through my low day easiest if I just skip breakfast. Leigh's also got a really great Activity Test to help you figure out what you're actual activity level is, which helps a lot with figuring out calorie ranges. That's also why I'm getting the FitBit.
I'm not lifting heavy right now at all, and I'm missing it. Leigh suggest more of a BW program, most so to just keep you moving. She puts the most emphasis on keeping moving through the day, so a killer workout that leaves you just wanting to sit on the couch and sleep isn't really the best.
Derek's not doing it with me, but he does eat the same meals (I just usually end up skipping the bread/bun/starch). He also has a big problem with snacking when he gets home from work, which isn't helping his cause at all. He's up to a weight he's not happy with, but won't stop snacking. Yesterday he ate half of a McCain Deep and Delicious cake when he got home!!
As for workouts, I've been reading NROL4A and might start that soon. I'm on to my next "round" with the fat loss program, so the exercises are changing, so I'll give them all a try first, and see how that goes.
We'll just not tell H about this little fact, m'kay?
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We'll just not tell H about this little fact, m'kay?
Yeah, I guess that makes more sense. I'm between 1250-1550 each day and I'm almost always between 1350-1550. The thought of going lower? Ugh. But, while I'm losing weight, it's certainly not peeling off me like it has been you! So maybe I need to think about it some more.
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Thanks for all the info, raynes. I've heard of calorie cycling before, but haven't tried it. Maybe it's the thing to jolt my metabolism. I'm adding Leigh Peele research to my to-do list this weekend.
That is very interesting and I've thought about calorie cycling since most of my days are pretty stable...similar foods, similar calorie counts. I'm creature of habit.
I was looking into the whole fitbit thing and it really just seemed like a pedometer? I'm thinking I might be more interested in the Body Media Fit or something like that. I am worried that my metabolism is either much slower or much faster than I think it is and I don't know which one!
Props to you being able to survive on 1000-1300 calories a day. I honestly can't do that right now. Anything under 1500 and I can't function. I really love my long run days since burning 1200 calories can help me justify a few extra calories that day and the next!
Keep us updated!