Manic Monday

It's Monday again! I can't decide if I'm happy for a new week or still pining for the weekend...I think I'll choose happy for a new week! Each Monday offers me a new start to live a healthier life than the last week. I was actually pretty successful last week, but I know I can do better.

My goal for the week is to exercise at least 6 days, and to eat around 1200-1500 calories each day. This is the key to losing weight. When your calories burned exceeds your calorie intake, that's the point at which you lose weight.

I found a good article about weight loss myths that I thought I would address. Here are the myths, and my take on them:
#1: Carbs cause you to get fat. NOT true. As I said above, calories in versus calories burned is the cause of weight loss or weight gain. Therefore carbohydrates alone are not the cause. That being said, carbs do contribute to the calorie count of any food/drink you take in. There are 4 calories in every gram of carbohydrates, so they are definitely a piece of the equation. And in carb-heavy foods, the calories can add up quickly. However, there are also 4 calories in every gram of protein and 9 calories in every gram of fat. Those are the 3 things that make up the calorie total. Since most foods have more carbs than protein and fat, carbs are the biggest contributor to the calorie total of what we eat, so they're definitely something that we need to monitor carefully.
#2: Drinking tons of water will make you lose tons of weight. NOT true. Again, water alone is not the cause. Drinking tons of water does not automatically cause weight loss, and it may even do the opposite if you easily gain water weight. It can also make you feel bloated and uncomfortable. What does water do? Several things. 1)It can help you cut down your calorie intake by replacing sodas or juices that contain calories. 2)It helps keep hunger at bay, making you less inclined to munch or overeat. This helps even more with calorie intake. 3)It helps keep you hydrated which gives you more energy. If you have more energy, you will feel better and you can do more in your workout to burn off those calories! So, water is great for weight loss, but too much is not so good. I usually try to shoot for the recommended amount (8 glasses per day), but some people need more or less, so just drink however much feel right to you.
That's all for today, but I will address some more later this week!
You can go here to see the article in full.

Stay fit!