Lead a Fit and Healthy Life
Good Morning Friday!
Good Morning Friday!
Last night I did indeed do some cardio on the Elliptical but after 20 minutes I started shaking and profusely sweating and took that as a sign that I should stop. So I did and went back upstairs into my kitchen and had some whole wheat toast with some Almond Butter.
I have been tracking my food and exercise on myfitnesspal.com and it told me that I was not eating enough calories during the day. I have been told time and time again about this starvation mode your body goes into and for me apparently it’s if I don’t eat at least 1200 calories a day and then add in exercise, it is actually a bit more than that. I am not really sure how that all works because all I hear is calories in/calories out theory.
Anyway, I couldn’t finish the 30 minute workout because of the shaking, so I went ahead and decided to add the snack. I love Almond Butter! If you haven’t tried it, you should. I used Trader Joe’s Variety but you can find it at your local grocery store. Speaking of Almond Butter, I also read a blog called Heather Eats Almond Butter and she uses it a ton in her eating! Well it did definitely help me get over the shakes, so I made one for Scotty too. He’s been under the weather with a bad cold so I figured he could use a yummy snack too.
I have been using myfitnesspal.com to track my eating. I find these types of sites really help you see where your calories are going and they add an element of fun to the whole process. There are a ton of sites and apps out there that you can use. Some track your food, food and exercise, or some help you create an exercise plan. There really is an app for everything including the IPhone.
Here are just a few that I know about -
Sparkpeople
thedailyplate.com
Livestrong.com
Myfooddiary.com
realbeauty.com
Activity Based:
Nikeplus
active.com
beginnertriathlete.com
Runnersworld
yogaworks.com
mapmyrun.com
Iphone Apps
“iFitness”, “RunKeeper, Lose it!
Which ones do you use and why? Or do you not use one? Why not?
I don’t know if you’ve read this on my blog, but I have a good friend here in Providence who has a background in dietetics and helps me out when I have questions about diet, exercise and the biology behind it all.
She recommends the Harris-Benedict equation for figuring out your BMR. Then, there’s a multiplier you have to add in based on the amount of activity you do. You can use the BMR calculator and figure out which multiplier applies to you at: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/harris-benedict-equation/
You have to find that balance where you’re fueling your body and giving yourself enough of a calorie deficit to lose weight, but not so much of a deficit that your body starts holding onto everything. If I remember correctly, my friend recommends you eat at about 80% of your BMR (with the activity multiplier). Last summer I got my total BMR up to around 2500 calories, but I was only eating 1500-1700 per day. That wasn’t enough food and I wasn’t losing weight.
Anyway, just some thoughts from my friend who knows what she’s talking about.