Moving

Ok sorry it has been so long since I last posted. We moved states over the past two weeks and it has been hectic to say the least. Unfortunately I have not been able to locate my GWF cord to download information but I did finally get internet back up! I hope to be back on track (wearing and downloading again) within a week! I burned so many calories the day we moved I think I probably lost 2 pounds just that day! There were crazy spikes on the graph that day! How is everyone else's GWF working out for you?

There is nothing wrong with a little obsession!

So yes the calorie counting has become obsessive and the meal portions have definitely been cut and are containing healthier choices and thus far I am still highly motivated. I think the calorie counting, although it has become an obsession, is a really good thing for me right now. I never realized how many calories foods contained. The first day I wore GWF I was meeting my family at Cracker Barrel for breakfast and even though I knew I was going to log my calories, I ate what I usually ate which was momma's pancake breakfast complete with 3 pecan pancakes (I only ate 1.5), 2 scrambled eggs with cheese, turkey sausage and an added side of hashbrown casserole (because I love it). I also had a large glass of cranberry juice. I came home and uploaded my arm band and then proceeded to figure out how many calories I ate....this is where it got ugly. At that point I had burned approximately 1000 calories and after I finished googling how many calories were in the cracker barrel foods I ate right down to the ketchup for the sausage, syrup for the pancakes and cranberry juice in the glass the total calories for just that breakfast meal was 1470 which I was shocked to see. That is how it all started to come together in my head regarding calories in vs. calories out. I was already eating more than I was burning and it was only 11 AM. Then because it was such a bad ("carby, fatty and greasy") meal I came home and napped with my GWF on and so later that day I saw the flat line on the graph and that I had only burned a few calories. I could also see where I would have calorie burning spikes on my graph and all it took to get those spikes was to walk around the house a little bit. Then it was becoming clearer to me that simply moving burned more calories (which we all know but to visually see your day on a graph has been really effective for me). To date I have drank nothing but water since that Sunday because I don't want to "waste" calories. I hate the thought of adding an additional 100-200 calories because I wanted to drink some flavored beverage. I won't do diet drinks or crystal lite because I don't do artificial sweeteners so I am left with water and sometimes I will squeeze a little lemon or lime into it. I also want to make sure I am putting nutritious foods in my body since I am restricting calories, I don't want to become deficient in vitamins and minerals so I am making sure my calorie choices "count" for my body. Last night my husband and I went out for some Japanese hibachi and I ate half my meal and boxed the rest up. I was fulfilled (not bloated like I usually am because I eat the whole thing) and I had the other half for lunch today. Cut the calories in half, spread it out over two days and proud of myself for doing it!

Calorie Obsessed

So I am officially obsessed with counting my calories! Right down to the tablespoon of Kung Pao sauce that I cooked my chicken in today! I have never counted calories before and although I had a significant weight loss once before, I didn't pay attention to calories which is probably why it came right back on. I prefer to eat organic food and do like vegetables so I figured I was eating OK but now that I can visually see it on a graph everyday I really feel like I understand what everyone means by "calories in, calories out"! I am amazed by the change in behaviors I am having as result of wearing the GWF and it is even getting me out of bed in the morning so I can see what my sleep patterns were and how many calories I burned overnight.
I am impressed with the fact that you can "edit off body" in the activity manager program for the GWF, so for instance yesterday when I went swimming and had to take it off (I almost felt naked without it) which means it didn't count any of those calories but when I uploaded it I was able to put in 30 minutes of swimming and it even allowed me differentiate what type of swimming i.e. breaststroke, backstroke, freestyle etc. You can even put in showering and it will estimate how many calories you burn based on the time you were in the shower which you also input. It is also making me want to exercise because I see what a difference it makes in the calorie burn section. Oh and because I am watching my calories so closely I am choosing lower calorie foods which in turn happen to be foods that are healthier i.e. vegetables, brown rice, grilled chicken breast etc. which is giving me more energy! So all around, life is good right now! Welcome to my two followers and thank you for your positive words and encouragement! I am new to the blogging thing so bear with me if I am not doing something right!

GoWear Fit is Amazing!

I have been wearing the GWF for 7 days and it has caused some significant behavior change! WOOHOO! I have become extremely aware of the number of calories I consume and am making choices based on calories. I am also obsessed with getting my "calories burned" graph to spike which is making me workout. The only thing so far that has been inconsistent with it is yesterday I worked out on the Arc Trainer that we own and it showed my calories burned for 30 minutes on that as minimal which is really not the case as that machine kicks my butt and had me breathing heavy. So it didn't pick it up for some reason. Also the other day at the gym I was on the stepper and it didn't show that as vigorous on my activity log even though my heart rate was way up. However we bought the Wii Active Trainer and I did a 25 minute program on that at medium intensity (which was actually pretty hard but not as hard as the arc trainer or stepper) and it did show vigorous on that....go figure. Anyway I am a very happy customer with the GWF as right now it has been the only thing that has got me motivated.

Day 7 with GWF

OK so today is day 7 with the GWF and it is working! Hallelujah! I have lost 7 pounds by watching every little morsel that goes in my mouth and I have eliminated wheat (gluten) from my diet. I was allergy tested several years ago by a nutritionist and he said I had an allergy to wheat, not in the sense that I would break out in hives or my throat would close up but in the sense that my body doesn't process it well. I feel better this week and am definitely motivated by the weight loss! I love love love the GWF! I am tracking the calories out vs. calories in and try to get about a 2000 calorie deficit. I had dvr'd a rerun of Oprah showing the biggest loser secrets and found out the women burn 4000 calories a day and eat 1200 so I am not doing as much as they are but living in the real world I think I am doing great! I realize the weight will come off much quicker when I am larger and that this trend won't continue but I am loving the ride right now! Till the next time!

Introduction

Hello Everyone!
The bad news is I am a 355 pound female standing at 5' 4"......yes you read that right and yes I realize I am ridiculously overweight (obese). The good news is I am trying to do something about it. I purchased a GoWear fit (GWF) this past Saturday May 30th, 2009 from Dick's Sporting Goods. I have been working out at a gym for the past couple of months with a trainer 3-5 times a week mostly doing weights with about 20-30 minutes of cardio tacked on at the end and I wasn't losing weight like I need to or should be. I felt I was watching what I ate but after a few days with the GWF I realize I wasn't watching nearly as close as I should be. This little device is really cool and as of today I would recommend it to anyone looking to lose weight. Just in the 5 days I have been wearing it, I have become obsessive about putting in data and tracking calories and picking low calorie foods which, for someone in my situation is a really good thing. This little armband tracks calories burned, physical activity, number of steps and sleep duration without you doing a thing except for wearing it! The only thing you have to do is log your food/calories in and it will tell you your calorie balance and whether you are on a weight loss trend or not. I am obsessed about looking at my data! Ok let me clarify here, you do have to have access to Bodymedia's website for their activity manager to see all of this data which does cost after your 3 month free subscription runs out (the device came with a code for a 3 month free subscription but I did have to "buy" a plan with a credit card and it credited me for 3 months). After the free subscription runs out you have to pay either monthly or for 6mos or a for a year with the price getting cheaper the more you buy. So far for 5 days my daily averages of calories burned is 2868, calories consumed is 1491, calorie deficit is 1377, daily steps is 3494 and hours slept is 6.20. On workout days I burn around 3900 calories and non workout days I burn around 2880 calories in a day. If that sounds high to you, don't forget I am carrying around a lot of weight which would burn calories all by itself. The program allows you to set a weight loss goal of maintain, .5, 1, 1.5 or 2 pounds of weight loss a week. I went with 2 pounds per week and it told me I need to burn about 4230 calories a day assuming I consume 3230 calories a day which so far I haven't come anywhere close to that. As you can tell I have some work to do as far as my calories consumed (I need to eat more) and calories out (I need to burn more) but I will figure it out in the weeks to come. Well that is all for now! I must go workout so I can burn more calories!