I consider myself a master at this subject.
Not sure if that is something to brag about... Don't worry mom, I know that I have to grow up eventually.
Anyways, here is a pet peeve of mine.
When my friends don't want to go do something on the weekend because they are "trying to lose weight"
......okay? So am I?
Newsflash Karen- The vodka water isn't making you fat, but spending all your free time binge watching Netflix in bed while eating a potato chips might be.
**Sips tea** Also, instead of having "cut out alcohol" be your first instinct when cutting calories, how about you cut out something like fast food, potato chips, microwave dinners, soft drinks, or something else you eat several times a week that is equally as bad for you!!!!!!!!!
There are 97 calories in a vodka soda.
There are 950 calories in an 8 count nugget meal from CFA and a small coke.
It would take me 10 vodka sodas to match the calories in your nugget meal.
But I only need 3 to have a good time ;)
Also- It is possible to go out and be social and not drink alcohol (gasp!) I am a big fan of going downtown and babysitting the same beer for the entire night. Sometimes I'm not in the mood to drink, but I am always in the mood to dance!
Anyways, there's this method called the 80/20 rule. And it is my jam.
The 80/20 Rule
Basically, this means that you are going to eat clean and be active 80% of the week. For the other 20% of the week, you can be a little more lenient.Let's use my calorie log from last week as an example:
As you can see, I purposely leave myself in a calorie deficit on the weekdays. I do this because I know that I am going to want to go out to eat several times on the weekend, and usually I will go downtown at least once as well. On weekends when I don't plan on going out, I pretty much eat the same, I just skip all the extra cardio I usually add in to cushion my overall deficit.
I track my calories using the free app, My Fitness Pal. To lose fat, you must be in a caloric deficit. I like to track my deficit by the week, instead of by day, because it keeps me from "freaking out" if I go over my goal one day.
There are two ways you can work towards having this weekly deficit.
1. My Method: Make working out each day a priority so that you burn more calories, allowing you to eat more. I would rather work out harder and eat the same amount of calories as I usually do, than cut calories in my diet in order to eat under the amount of calories my body naturally burns on a day when I don't workout.
2. Traditional Method: Determine how many calories your body typically burns in a day without activity. Most apps that track calories will do this for you. Then, aim to eat about 50-250 calories less than that each day.
For example. I am 5' 5", weigh 140 pounds, live a very active lifestyle, and am 24 years old. My body will burn around 1700 calories on a day when I don't workout. I will aim to eat about 1650 calories at the most, but no less than 1500.
For a woman my age, eating less than 1200 calories will actually LOWER my metabolism, making it harder to lose weight. If I don't give my body the proper amount of carbs, protein, and fats, it will completely wreck my metabolism and hormone production.
Obviously, I favor my method because I believe it keeps women from worrying too much about cutting calories.
Cutting calories and counting them are two different things.
I honestly don't cut calories. I eat when I am hungry and I eat A LOT. But I count them so that I am aware of how much I am eating in correlation to how much i burn just to stay mindful. If I didn't go out each weekend, I would not count my calories. I know that I almost always eat enough good, whole foods to keep me healthy. And I can tell when I am not eating enough because I am tired all the time and have mood swings. Our bodies are really great about naturally letting us know when it needs something. Start listening!
So it really is not that hard to lose weight and still get to do the things you want with friends on the weekend! It just takes a little monitoring and some extra discipline in the gym.
I'll conclude with a few other relevant tips.
-At the bar, stick to using sparkling water or tap water as mixers. Avoid the sugary mixers like soft drinks or juice! I will have a post with more recipes and recommendations for low calorie cocktails soon!
-Dance it out! I actually will burn over 3000 calories on most Saturday nights when I go out on Broadway just because of how much I dance and jump around with my friends!
-Try** to avoid late night food. This is my weakness. I always want something to eat when I get home late at night. I have found that if I keep a somewhat healthy option in stock (specifically for late night food) then I am less likely to order a pizza or something. But tbh I ordered macaroni & cheese from Postmates 156 times last year so..... if you are just closet fatty at heart like I am, just force yourself to work it off the next day.
I HOPE THIS WAS HELPFUL! LOVE YOU GUYS!
XOXO KARRAH
