I have had a few people ask me about my routine recently. Some asked me if I have go-to meals, or workouts. So I thought I'd would give everyone a brief glimpse into my routine and maybe provide some insight for anyone else who may be curious. Before I share, I want to make sure that I am clear about two things. The first is that you need to consult your doctor before you start any weight loss program. I am not a doctor and I do not want to act like one. I'm not a nutritionist, nor am I a trainer. I'm just an average guy who realized if something didn't change in my life that I wouldn't have much life left. I sought advice from my doctor and then put that direction into practice (I must confess it took me nearly a year to finally follow this direction). The second thing is that what is working for me may not be best for you. Everyone's body is different. I want to encourage you to do what works best for you.
My routine is so simple. I have intentionally made it this way, because I don't want my weight loss journey to infringe on the rest of my life. The whole point of me getting healthy is to improve the other areas of my life. Also, while I do have a job that pays the bills, we are by no means wealthy. So I keep things simple and within our budget. For the reason of simplicity and being budget conscious, my workout was created out of what I had available to me. I started out riding a recumbent bike (that we already owned) twenty minutes a day, and slowly increased it to fifty minutes. I didn't want to spend money on gym memberships (or the time driving to and from the gym) or new equipment. I'm just doing the best with what I already have. As for my diet, I am not a breakfast person. I never have been. I would rather have brunch, lunch, and dinner honestly. Still, I know it is important, so I do eat a small meal each morning. I'm the type of person who figures if it works, keep doing it until it stops working, or you figure out a way to improve it. Also, it is easier to have a little variation for my lunch and dinner if I know what the calories for my breakfast are going to be each day. So for me, I typically have egg whites and sausage. Lately, I've tried to lower the amount of sodium I'm taking in, so I changed it up (for a little while) to one egg, an egg white, and less sausage (the number of links varies by the size and calorie value). Lunch is almost always a salad. I eat spinach (sometimes mixed greens, but usually baby spinach) with carrots and meat. I usually have cheese, goldfish (if you haven't tried them on a salad you need to), and croutons. Depending on the meat that I have, I'll alternate between buttermilk ranch and raspberry vinaigrette for my dressing (but I never have more than a tablespoon). I always try to have my fruit with my lunch. It is usually an apple or banana, but sometimes Bekah switches it up for me. For my dinner, I will usually have a meat with at least two vegetables. Sometimes I'll put it all together in a second salad. Like tonight, I used the leftover veggies in my grilled chicken salad. It was amazing! I always adjust the amount I have for dinner to keep me under my 1500 calories/day limit.
There are a few basic things that I go by. For exercise, make sure it is something that gets your heart rate up. If you are as big as I was (well, still am) then it won't take much effort. You will probably need to workout for at least twenty to twenty-five minutes. For my food, I have learned not to waste my calories. I still have a few snacks during the day, but I don't have things like bread or drinks aside from water. These are just calorie thieves. I want to enjoy the food that I allow myself, and not feel like I'm wasting it. I still allow some tasty things (gummy bears or snack crackers), but I can do that, because I don't take in things that waste my calories. Lastly, you will get nowhere without accountability. First you need accountability with yourself in the form of a daily calorie counter (I recommend MyFitnessPal). Second you need accountability with others. Get a good friend, or family member (or the entire world by writing a blog) to hold you accountable by sharing your calorie tracker with them daily. I'm hoping this helps give some clarity. If you have questions or suggestions feel free to share anytime. My hope is that maybe I can inspire someone who is on a journey themselves. This is what's working for me and helping me lose my butter half.
My calorie intake today was great. The salad pictured above was amazing. The marinade Bekah uses on the chicken goes so well with ranch dressing. My workout was really good tonight. It was a little uncomfortable with my sunburn, but Advil helped ease the pain some.
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