20 Pounds in 10 Weeks

Here’s my big weight loss goal, written in public to hold myself accountable: 20 pounds in 10 weeks.

I’m going to Hawaii with the hubs in June, so from now until then, I need to lose two pounds a week. If I do this, I’ll be at my college weight, which is a pretty easy weight for me to maintain. My theory is that I can hopefully reset my “set point” so that if/when I get pregnant again, my body will naturally want to go back to that weight afterward, instead of the weight I’ve been the last two years. That’s probably not good science, but sometimes the placebo is the best medicine.

Here’s my food plan:

I don’t want to “diet”. For several months, I’ve been formulating a food lifestyle that focuses on food that is food and cutting out food that is not food. For instance, most sugar, refined carbs, and “bad fats” are not considered food in my book, so I’m not eating them. All of my daily calories comes from proteins, “good fats”, unrefined carbs, and produce. On Saturday, if I’ve had a long run, I’ll treat myself to a cheat meal and even dessert, as a reward for a good week and to settle any cravings I’ve had during the week.

I was losing weight easily, yet slowly, for the bulk of a year. Now, however, since the stakes are so high (I will owe my friend lunch, LOL) I’m temporarily tracking my food in order to speed the process for the next ten weeks. I’m using the myfitnesspal app on my phone. I find that, just logging what I eat helps me make better food choices. I’m less concerned with calories and more concerned with nutrients, but I’ve found that if I focus on nutritious food, I’m ALWAYS under my calorie limit for the day (after adding in work out calories).

Also, I’m drinking over a gallon of water a day. I keep a pitcher of water on the counter by the fridge and use that to fill any glasses or water bottles I use during the day. If I finish two pitchers of water, that’s a little over one gallon.

And my exercise plan:

I joined a gym. I’m logging between 1.5 and two hours a day working out, six days a week. Every day is an hour of cardio, and the rest of the time is strength training. I’m following a strength program that has me focus on one body part each day of the week, from bitesizedfitness.com. Much of my cardio comes from running, as I’m training for a half marathon. The rest comes from gym classes. Saturday is a long run. Sunday is my day to rest.

And because every weight-loss-goal blog post needs a sexy selfie, behold, Lindsey with a cat and a sexy kissy face. Enjoy. Men, try not to lose your chastity over this pic.