"A year in the life of an apple..."

Yesterday I had mentioned that I would share my past experiences from this past year and how I lost 30 lbs. While that is a great accomplishment, I feel that it should have been much more with the amount of exercise I was doing on a regular basis and the amount of food/calories I cut from my diet. After all calories in vs. calories out= weight loss right?... (more about that later)

My diet for the past year was by no means perfect... after all I live in the "real" world and events like weddings, holidays, company parties etc. arise and sometimes you just consume more than you should. However I did the equation and on average I have cut about 300 calories from my diet each day in food (obviously some days had a more significant cut like 600-800 calories and other days had no cuts). Most of these caloric cuts came from eliminating most of the complex carbs from my eating habits. There were many weeks where I would have very low carbs (ie: 40g or less a day) and other weeks where I would "fall off the wagon" a little and have the bun on the hamburger or sweet potato fries or a margarita etc.

My exercise plan was much more intense. For over the past year, I have been working out 5-6 days a week (exception: vacation) for an average of 1 1/2 hours a day.
The following is what my workout plan has been for the past 6 months:
3 days a week of intense interval cardio for 45-60 minutes (Indoor cycling class, stair climber, eliptical)
2 days a week of moderate-intense cardio for 30-45 minutes (Incline walking, running, eliptical)
4 days a week of weight training (full body, alternate muscle groups, body work classes)
1-2 times a month Yoga or Pilates
I wear a calibrated heart rate monitor and on average I burn at least 400 calories a day. (on the 2 days I do indoor cycling and weights together I burn around 1200 calories... it is that intense).

... now back to the calories in vs. calories out= weight loss

So for arguments sake lets say I drastically overestimated my caloric intake and I only cut out only 200 calories a day for the past year.
200 x 365 days= 73,000 calories divided by/3500 calories per pound= approx. 21 lbs lost

Now lets assume that even though I wear a calibrated heart monitor I overestimated my exercise calories burned and I only burned an average of about 250 calories for 5 days a week. (1250 calories)
1250 calories x 52 weeks= 65,000 calories divided by/3500 calories per pound= approx 19 lbs lost.

21 lbs + 19 lbs= 40 lbs (well why have I not lost those 10 lbs???)

Here is where some of you will say that I must be doing the math wrong and calories are a simple math equation.

Well not exactly...

" Food isn't just calories. Every bite you take or sip you take has an inescapable metabolic consequence."
Dr. Mary Dan Eades from 6 Week Cure for the Middle aged Middle

Some people can cut calories by just cutting portion sizes of what they already eat and lose significant amounts of weight, but for others like myself that has no significant impact on my body. If I ate only 1000 calories a day for everyday of the year, but most of that consisted of carbs I would lose very little weight and none of it would come off my stomach (I have actually tried something like this a few years back). This is because due to my genetic make-up based on my doctors assessment and family history I am severly insulin resistance, which means that I process carbs into fat vs. energy.

So sometimes... most of the time... weight loss has less to do with the "number" of calories you are consuming and more with the "type" of calories you are consuming.

" The key to lowering calories and achieving weight loss lies more in the quality of those calories, than in their absolute number. The right food choices in metabolic sync with your underlying biochemistry, can make an enormous difference..."
Dr. Michael Eades from 6 Week Cure for the Middle Aged Middle

What are the next steps in my weight loss, specifically my stomach fat lose?
6 Week Cure for the Middle Aged Middle by Dr's Michael and Mary Dan Eades
Protein Power by Dr's Michael and Mary Dan Eades

Next post: More about the 6 Week Cure for the Middle Aged Middle and my first day

Frustrated with Fighting the Fat in the Middle

Welcome!

This is a blog about fighting "The Fat in the Middle" (aka: belly fat, stomach fat, love handles, back fat, etc...). I hope to share my past and present experiences with the frustrations of having an "apple shaped body" and how it affects my life.

A little about me

Female

Age: 32

Height: 5' 4"

Weight: 147.6 (1 year ago I weighed 178 and my waist was 38 1/2")

Waist: 36 1/4"

Hip: 37"

Married

No Kids

I know what some of you may be thinking... how can a girl who weighs 147 be writing a blog about weight loss and stomach fat. The title of my blog explains it all... I am an "apple to the core". The majority of weight that I gain goes straight to my stomach and it is very very difficult to lose (look at my waist to hip ratio). I hope that whether you weigh more or less, you will find this blog is for any woman (or man) who is struggling to lose the belly weight!

Next Blog: What I have been doing for the past year to lose the 30 lbs and why I think it might not be coming off the middle.