Alamo Shape

HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT AT ALAMOSHAPE FOLLOWING THE CHADALA CHALLENGE

The ChaDala Challenge helped Charlotte and Darla wow the audience at the Fitness New Mexico Championships!

CHADALA CHALLENGE: WHAT IT IS

Okay, what is this mystical sounding thing?  Some of you know that Charlotte and Darla (CHADALA!) both entered the Fitness New Mexico Muscle Mania Championships on May 22 in Albuquerque and these gals kicked butt all over the 20-some-year-olds that entered!  Both moms-wives-professionals, just amazing women at age 43 they took on a challenge that would have some shaking in their sneakers.  Charlotte lost almost 100 pounds in the last two years and toned her body to amazing proportions.  She does a full set of barbell squats with 255 lbs, just awesome.  Darla lost about 20 pounds and went from a size 10-12 to a size 5 during that time.  She did a full set of dumbbell shoulder presses with 30 lb dumbbells close to the competition.   These women became smaller, more toned, and unbelievably strong and you (guys, too!) can do the same.  

STATE YOUR GOALS

Charlotte wanted to lose 20 more pounds before May 20 in order to be in the best shape possible.  Darla needed to lose about 10-15.  You can follow their lead.  The first step is finding out how much weight you need (or want) to lose.  Use this BMI chart to find your current height/weight and where medical science says you should be.  Be realistic and if you are obese just try to get to the overweight range.  If you are overweight get to the normal weight range.  If you are on the high end of that consider if your bone structure allows for you to lose a few pounds to get to the low end.  We don't encourage going below 18.5 on the BMI chart.  If you don't have 10 lbs to lose on the scale but want to lose 10 lbs of fat and gain 10 lbs of muscle we can do that, too!

COMMIT TO YOUR GOALS

Darla and Charlotte both committed to their goals back in December 2009.  They had to think long and hard about what was involved.  You need to commit, too, on paper, by e-mail, somehow, and let us know where you are, where you want to be.  Get online to start charting your nutrition at Spark People (see the calorie counter link on our website).

HAVE A PLAN

You have to know what you are eating and how much you are exercising and then have a plan in order to reach your goals....kind of like the syllabus in a college class. There has to be a daily commitment...you can't read your whole chemistry book in one night and you can't lose 10 lbs in one week.  A little bit each day will make you successful.  If you backslide one day or two make up for it and get back on track...you haven't lost the race: "Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat."--- F Scott Fitzgerald.

HOW MANY CALORIES DO I NEED

In order to lose 1-2 pounds a week plan on cutting out 250-500 calories from your diet every day and adding 250 calories worth of cardiovascular exercise every day (run, walk, swim, bike, Zumba, Step, Turbo, Low Impact Aerobics)  You can get all the info you need on these steps at Spark People or follow the steps below.  You'll need to know how many calories your body needs at your height/weight/age.  Use this Harris-Benedict formula to get an accurate number.   

HOW MANY CALORIES AM I EATING EACH DAY

Get a book to count calories (usually only $8 at Hastings) or go online to www.nutritiondata.com or www.caloriecounter.com    

HOW MANY CALORIES AM I BURNING EACH DAY

Figure out how many calories you burn doing various exercises at www.caloriesperhour.com (make it cardio...not housecleaning or bowling!)

USE OUR CLUB

Check out our schedule of over 120 classes a month.  Try to come to something different every day!  We like seeing you and all your friends are here anyway!  Soft and Super Shape students have lost tremendous amounts of weight: Verna 8+ pounds, Sena 10+ pounds, Trina 20 pounds. Kathy and Candice are rounding the bend with more than 30 lbs each in SuperShape. Eileen lost 45 pounds, Jere lost 20, Stacy 8, and Michelle 35 pounds in 5 months in SoftShape! 

MEASURE

Use this form to track your measurements.

CHART

Note how many calories you eat and how many cardio calories you burn every day on this form or this Excel form .

Email me with any questions you have regarding the above.  Weight loss isn't hard...it isn't world peace and it isn't about eating whirled peas, either!  You can eat the foods you like if you fit them into your budget.  Having a favorite treat now and then is fine, just budget your other calories so that you can fit in those treats.  If you cut back on other fried/fatty/empty calories wherever you can then you can have a candy bar every single day and not gain weight.  It's like a checkbook....you get so much you can spend every day and you decide how you are going to spend it.  As long as you stay in your budget you'll be okay.  Of course if you spend your rent money on earrings, well that day you won't feel so great, right? Come to our AlamoCafe potluck each month and learn more.