I'm having to change my way of thinking a bit.
For the last year I've been losing weight fairly steadily at an average of about 2 pounds per week (possibly less than that if I also include my weeks of holidays), but at a bmi of obese (and indeed morbidly obese) 2 pounds per week seems to be a very healthy average. Now though I'm merely "overweight" - granted, only by about 4 pounds, but still, for about 4 weeks now - which means that my caloric needs to lose 2lbs per week would be 1200 a day. Now, I know that I have done quite well on 1200 calories in the past (see the majority of the side bar), but, it now seems like that's going to cause my poor abused bod to think that I'm trying to starve it. So I need to change my ways.
Having done a bit of reading around the interwebs it seems to be that 1 pound per week is about the right level once you're under the magic bmi number of 30. Which is about 500 more than I have aimed for for the past year. The thought of that number of calories frightens the life out of me, the control that I exercise over my food these days is a little bit iron fisted. I know I have eaten that in the past, but the majority of the time I've been eating around 1200 - 1600 so it's not that big a deal really. I guess this is just the next step to intuitive eating and "normality". So lets do the sum:
BMR = 655 + (4.3 x 197.5) + (4.7 x 69) - (4.7 x 30) +20% = 1687.55+20% = 2025.06
To lose a pound a week now will be 1525.06 calories per day.
So there we go.
That will be my new daily target. And I'm not allowed to be disappointed by small losses anymore. It doesn't take a quick amount of time to lose weight. Remember missy, it took you 29 years to put it all on, It will be ok if it take 3 years or more to take it off.
*sigh*
I'm completely freaked out by this, really annoyed that I don't have anyone that I can talk to about it here "Oh boo hoo you, you have to eat more food than you used to waa waa waa" but hey, lets give it a couple of months and see how it goes.
Head melt
I'm sure anyone who has tried to lose weight understands. It's like increasing your budget after saving for a trip: will you use that extra money wisely and perhaps still save some, or will you go out and buy a whole bunch of crap that you won't remember in a week? Will you use the 500 cals to eat more veggies, greens, and healthy snacks or will you use it to justify a half serving of chips when you're out with friends?
ReplyDeleteLook how far you've come. You'll be awesome! It'll just take a little time to adjust your mental game to the new number.
Also, was thinking of you last night. I was hanging out with my step-family from Armagh, having a good laugh at the expense of the family in Dublin (the expression 'those bloody Dubs' may have been used once or twice) and talking about my travel plans. I know it's not the 'normal' accent my Canadian friends think of when someone says Ireland, but I can't wait to hear the Northern accent again :)
Belated congrats on the One-derland, by the way. That situtation is right deadly ;)