Best Solution - Weight Loss - Update 1

Today I hit a milestone in my weightloss plan. I dropped from a size 44 waist to a 42! Woohoo!!!

In my recent fascination with finding the best solution to a problem, I thought I would update my post from March 11th. My weight loss plan is based on 9 principles:

1. Daily Weigh-ins.
2. Calculate daily caloric intake needs.
3. Subtract 1000 from principle 2's calculation.
4. Divide the remaining amount over five meals and a late snack.
5. Try to eat healthy foods and stay frugal.
6. Exercise regularly.
7. Cycle Caloric Intake.
8. Evaluate Weekly.
9. Constantly look for ways to improve.

The Principles

Principle 1 - Daily Weigh-ins:

I weigh myself every morning to keep my weight loss goal firmly in my mind every day. I weigh myself at 5:00 AM every morning for consistency. I also use pretty much the same clothes - shorts and a light shirt when weighing in.

Weighing in every day also shows me if I "lose consciousness" of my weight loss and begin to slip. Seeing the numbers rise the next morning really focuses me to evaluate what, if anything, I did wrong the previous day.

Principle 2 - Calculate daily caloric intake needs:

I now use a great website I found since my March 11th post to calculate my daily caloric intake needs. I use the RMR calculation instead of the BMR calculation. I highly recommend reading all of the articles on this site. I particularly found the Calculating BMR and RMR and Calculating Daily Calorie Needs very helpful.

Let's take a look at an example of using this wonderful website. Let's say you are a 30 year old woman who is 5'7" tall and who weighs 187 pounds. You could calculate your ideal weight and discover your ideal weight is 139 pounds with an ideal range of 118 to 159 pounds. You realize you need to lose 187 - 159 or 28 pounds to be in your ideal weight range.

So you need to calculate how many calories you need to maintain your weight in one day. There are several ways to do this and you decide to use the BMR/RMR calculator. You have to make a decision on your activity level. You walk 3 times a week and decide that you are lightly active. The results of your calculator are a BMR of 2255 calories and an RMR of 2201 calories.

You want to lose 1 pound a week for 28 weeks so you subtract 500 from your daily intake need. Using the RMR calculation that means you can eat 2201 - 500 or 1701 calories per day for the first week and lose 1 pound. Of course you'll have to re-evaluate your weight and calories each week to maintain the weight loss.

Principle 3 - Subtract 1000 from principle 2's calculation:

This step is based on the theory that if you take in 3500 calories less than what your body needs, you'll lose one pound. I find this theory to be pretty accurate. So to lose 1 pound per week I would need to take in 500 calories less than what I need on a daily basis 3500/7 days = 500/day. To lose 2 pounds, I would need to eat 1000 calories less per day. My goal is 2 pounds per week so I subtract 1000 calories from step 2's calculation.

Principle 4 - Divide the remaining amount over five meals and a late snack.

On Monday through Saturday I eat at the following times:

6:00 AM
9:00 AM
12:00 PM
3:00 PM
6:00 PM
9:00 PM - Cup of milk only

I spread my total daily calorie count as evenly as possible across all meals except the 9:00 PM meal in which I just have a cup of fat free milk. I don't like eating after 6:00 PM.

I am a diabetic and eating 5 smaller meals helps me control my blood sugar and helps prevent me from getting that hungry feeling and it works great!

Principle 5 - Try to eat healthy foods and stay frugal:

I don't eat perfectly, I sometimes like to eat things I actually want to eat, like a cheese coney every once in a while. I do eat healthy most of the time, high fiber whole grain cereal (Kashi) as well as lean meats and vegetables.

I don't like fancy recipes and meals that involve 12 different ingredients. I am trying to watch what I spend and typically eat easy to prepare inexpensive healthy foods. I buy cereal, bread for toast, fruit cocktail in pear juice, chicken breasts (when they're on sale), fat free milk, etc....

I shop at Walmart most of the time and have a strict budget. I only buy what I need for the week and am able to save money and eat healthier at the same time.

Principle 6 - Exercise regularly:

Exercise is obviously important in any healthy lifestyle change. I walk at 2 1/2 miles per hour for 30 full minutes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I just began doing this because I hurt my hip in 2007 and have had to take it easy for a while. I will increase my exercise progressively until I'm exercising daily for 30 minutes at a minimum and at a higher pace.

Principle 7 - Cycle Caloric Intake

If you eat 1000 calories less than your body needs long enough, it will adjust and burn 1000 calories less than it did before and you'll plateau (stop losing weight). It has been suggested by some to cycle your calories once or twice a week to fool your body into burning the same amount of calories.

Every Sunday I eat 200 calories more than my body requires. The next day I might stay the same or even gain a little bit of weight but it's enough to convince my body that it doesn't have to go into "starvation mode" and drop my metabolism.

If I plateau in the future anyway (so far so good), I may step up my calorie cycling to two days a week (with a couple of deficit days in between) but that would be the maximum.

Principle 8 - Evaluate Weekly

Evaluation is a necessary principle and I do this every week on all of my goals. First I review my goals - what is it I'm trying to do? Then I measure against specific criteria - in this case did I lose 2 pounds this week? If I was successful on my weekly goal then great, if not I need to try and figure out what is going on and make necessary changes to improve my system.

I would only change a system if at least 2 weeks of data supported the need to do so. I already recalculate my calories once a week at a minimum. To tell you the truth I do it everyday as I have the information in a handy spreadsheet. Planning the entire day of eating takes me about 5 minutes now so it isn't even a bother.

Principle 9 - Constantly look for ways to improve

This system is working great and I'm beginning to see less and less of a need to change anything but that doesn't mean I'm not looking.

I think it's hilarious when I tell people of my success. The first thing they do is suggest changes to my system. Hello! I said it was working perfectly! Doesn't matter, folks just need to prescribe changes from their own experiences. I guess I do the same though so it doesn't really bother me. I listen to them with the intent of possibly getting some actual good suggestions. The calorie cycling was one such suggestion from a friend of mine.

I will continue to read and learn about healthy habits and incorporate the "pearls" into my system. I can't wait until I'm ready to do the P90X system, but that day isn't until late in 2009. But having those eight-pack abs will be worth the wait!

The best solution so far

The Egyptian philosopher Ptolemy theorized that the Earth was the stationary center of the Universe. About 1400 years later, Nicolaus Copernicus displaced this theory with his theory that the Earth actually moved around the Sun. This was a better solution in explaining how the heavenly bodies moved.

The theory was not well received. In fact, 90 years after Copernicus released his theory in De revolutionibus orbium coelestium , Galileo Galilei was convicted of grave suspicion of heresy for "following the position of Copernicus, which is contrary to the true sense and authority of Holy Scripture,"^[21] and was placed under house arrest for the rest of his life.

People have a hard time accepting different ways of seeing the universe. It is hard to change from one way of thinking to another. Stephen R. Covey calls this a paradigm shift. I, however, am starting to embrace new ways of thinking.

The more I learn different ways of looking at the world, the more I realize that my way of thinking is flawed. For example, I used to believe there was a job out there I would love so much it wouldn't even seem like work and I wouldn't be happy working until I found that job.

I now believe that I can choose to be happy at my present job and I am proving that this way of thinking is a better solution. I still believe there is a job which I can naturally be happy doing and I'm still searching for it, but this dream job is no longer the only way I can be happy.

Asking the question "Is this the best solution I've found so far to address this problem?" is quickly becoming my new habit of choice. I ask myself this question in regards to my health habits, my money habits, when dealing with other people in my relationships, when meditating on my religious beliefs and so on.

I am now constantly trying to improve the process by challenging my current ways of thinking and doing things. I have a weight loss program that is working very well. I recently watched a show called I can make you thin featuring Paul McKenna. I found that my system of weight loss utilizes very similar techniques as his system. I didn't find much reason to adopt anything he suggests but at least I viewed his suggestions with an open mind. I currently don't have any "issues" with my system, it is the best solution I have found so far.

I am also very happy with my financial plan and the way I live my life with balance using the 8 habits that Stephen Covey has taught in his many books. I am confident I have very good systems in place to help me live a live of health, wealth and happiness.

But I'm still looking to improve them.

Best of the Breed

When you read enough books about a particular subject you will eventually discover the Best of the Breed. These are the books that actually give you two to four hundred pages (or more) of quality information that stands out above all other books in their category.

This is my list of Best of the Breed books in their respective categories. I am not saying they won't be replaced by another, even better, book someday (Well, I am saying that for the last one) but these are definitely the finest works and worthy of ownership.

Audio Versions

Before I give the list, I want to say that one great way to stay motivated on a particular subject is to buy the Best of the Breed book in audio format. I listen to these CDs on my 1 hour commute to work. When I do, I get fired up all over again and rededicated to the material. I will say that being disciplined is better than being motivated but "self-inflicted" motivation is still an effective tool to keep on track of your goals.

Internalizing What You Read

It's not enough to read a book. Information that is life changing should be internalized. I have a simple definition for internalizing a book. Here it is:

If you can't teach it to others from memory start to finish, re-read it or listen to it again until you can.

Internalizing a book will make you an authority in some of the vital dimensions of your life. You'll be rich, successful, healthy and bound for Heaven. What more can you ask for?

Personal Finance

Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover is awesome! I am so excited about being debt free and building huge wealth in just 7 years (when I am only 45 years old). That is debt free as in no payments, including my house, woohoo!

Today I had a huge discussion with my wife about Dave's 6 simple steps to financial freedom and she is on board and ready to make sacrifices to get to freedom as fast as possible. This is literally our only financial focus for the next 7 years.

I won't reinvent the wheel with a summary of this book, you can read those on Amazon, but I will say that I have never been so excited after reading a finance book and I highly recommend you add this one to your library!

Investing

I love systems that tell me what to do, how to do it and when to do it and William J. O'Neils book does exactly that concerning investing in stocks. I have invested for years and my first three or four years were horrible (don't invest in stocks until you know what you're doing)! O'Neils book taught me how to choose winning stocks, when to invest in them and, the hardest part, when to sell.

It's unfortunate that I won't be investing in stocks for a while because I'm currently following the Total Money Makeover and the investing step is now a few years away but I will faithfully listen to the audio edition of How To Make Money In Stocks until I'm ready to get back to the market.

Human Interaction

No other book comes close to explaining how to get along with others. This book is full of useful information with very little fluff. Every chapter had me either saying "That's right" or "Wow! I never thought of it that way!". I thought this book was so excellent, I bought the unabridged audio version and enjoy every minute of it.

Mr. Carnegie details 30 principles worth memorizing and implementing with sincerity when interacting with any human being (including your in-laws - Ha!). When talking about his book I am hearty in my approbation and lavish in my praise. (Read the book and you'll understand).

Personal Effectiveness

I have listened to this audio book so many times I could probably recite it verbatim. This book really taught me I need to take personal responsibility. I haven't done that yet but at least it taught me I need to do it. Just kidding! (sort of)

Covey divides his book into 3 personal habits, 3 public habits (dealing with other people) and one encompassing habit that allows you to perform the other six with peak efficiency and effectiveness.

The biggest benefit I've received from this book is the skill of listening. Covey does a superb job of teaching a skill that is not taught by anyone else - school, parents, churches or otherwise. My parents used to tell me I need to listen. It seems like a lot of people tell other people they need to listen (to them of course). The problem is I didn't know how to listen and I didn't learn until I was 25 when I first read this book. Get it.

Success

Napoleon Hill has interviewed more people viewed as successful than I will probably ever meet, successful or otherwise. In this book he details 17 principles he found common in all of the people he interviewed.

This was another book I bought in the unbridged audio format. Every word is necessary, relevant and very useful. I am implementing every principle in my Daily Discipline process. Success is not a matter of if but a matter of when.

Salvation

Money, health, relationships and the Earth will all pass away. The best insurance in the world is not Whole Life or Term. It's Holy Insurance.

Let me get one thing straight - I can't prove anything in the Bible is true. I'm not going to try and prove to you it's true either. It rather annoys me when Christians tell you the gospel as if they know it's fact in worldly terms. They don't. They may know it's a fact in spiritual terms but spiritual terms provide no proof to others.

I believe Jesus died on the cross to save me from my sin because I choose to. Christians have a little buzz word called faith. Simply put, it means to believe without proof - end of preaching. :-)

Anyway, I love the King James Bible because it's poetic and a beautiful translation of scripture not to mention I have a Baptist background.

I didn't place the Bible last because it is the least important on the list. I placed on the bottom to signify that it is the foundation of all success in any area of your life. All the above books simply take what's already in the Bible and explain it in a different way. If you have a plan to be healthy, rich, successful, and so on, shouldn't you have a plan to live forever? This is definitely the book to internalize.