How does it all add up?

So, things have been pretty darn busy this week, and as such, my goals for writing a couple blogs a week have been thwarted by work and basically, life. Life is rough, and it can get in the way sometimes. It sounds weird, but in order to stay on track, you need to be selfish. You need to put yourself first, and even though the kitchen needs to be cleaned, and there's laundry to be done, or projects that have looming deadlines at the office - you still need to put you and your health first and get your booty moving. Take that time to hit the pavement or get on the treadmill. Luckily, my little doglet, Rodeo, can be involved in these get up, out and get moving activities. He's ready and rarin' to go anytime. I could run 4 times a day and he would happily come along. And bonus - I have actually made some progress on this little Starfish venture of ours. I had a doctors appointment on Monday and.... drumroll please.... I have LOST 6 POUNDS since July 26th. Wahoo! Its nice to know the calorie counting and the all the efforts are paying off.

Which brings me to the point of this here little blog. Weight loss is really a simple math equation. Your body needs a certain number of calories to maintain your current weight, and if you eliminate (or expend) calories off of this number, the pounds should melt away. Theoretically. You do have to think about the type of calories you are eating - you can't just eat candy all day as long as you stay below your caloric maintenance point.

So. Simple math, you say? Really? Indeed, my friend!

But what is your starting point? How do you know how many calories your body need's the maintain your current weight? There are lots of complex equations and formulas based on not only your body weight, but your activity level, steps walked in a day, etc. This number is known as your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). I have found a basic, easy to use formula that also gets you close to this calculated BMR.

(Body Weight X 10) + 10 = the calories your body needs to maintain its weight

My equation looks something like this:

(230 x 10) + 10 = 2,530 calories

Or 17,710 calories a week. Yowza. Thats quite a few beers.

This is a lot of calories. A pound is equal to 3,500 calories. So if you can eliminate/expend 7,000 calories in a week, you should lose 2 pounds. I have been keeping track of EVERYTHING I eat and drink, and I am currently averaging between 1,200-1,500 calories a day (about 10,500 calories/week). The difference in what my body needs to maintain, and what I have been eating is almost 7,000 calories alone! This means I could just eat healthy and shed some poundage!

Of course, exercise is crucial just to be a healthy individual, and cardio activity should be a part of everyone's life. And anaerobic exercise - strength training - helps with muscle tone and speeds up your metabolism. You don't have to join a gym or pay for some high priced trainer in order to get fit - though the extra support and guidance is invaluable. Body weight exercises like push ups, squats, lunges, tricep dips and ab planks have fantastic toning results! Plus, you've always got your body weight with you (for now!). So, hit the pavement for a run/walk, and stop every 10 minutes or so to do push ups or squats! Lacking the upper body strength to do a standard push up at the moment? Start out against the wall, just working against gravity and your own weight.

Start small and take some baby steps. It all adds up!

Oh, and I want to thank my Mom for a great concept, and a fabulous gift. Ally & I both received adorable little Starfish magnets in the mail this week. Mine is located on my fridge, so I have a visual reminder of the Starfish Project and my goals. Its brilliant! She bought one for herself too! The project is spreading! My suggestion to you all, cut out a picture of a starfish and post it on your fridge. Remember that you have a support system!