Getting our priorities straight

Chad and I are trying to make our health a top priority, and I'm hoping that you will join us! Please, if you're at all interested in losing fat, gaining lean muscle, detoxifying your body, reducing water retention, increasing your metabolism, --whatever-- please join as an author of this blog, and add in your two cents! I'm taking what I know from my nutrition and anatomy classes, and trying learn all I can so that I can apply it and become healthier.

I've been struggling to "get my body back" ever since Mason was born almost a year ago, and Chad (as much as he hates to admit it) isn't as fit as he wants to be. Well, last week to kick-start our cruise, we each took a body composition test (I know you're thinking: why on earth would we subject ourselves to this when we should be having a fun-filled, carefree vacation?). It was actually very informative, and well worth the fee to take advantage of the spa/gym (which we don't have where we live).

So, here were the results of 1/12/09:
Megan:
Age: 27
Height: 5' 6"
Weight: 146 lbs
Body Fat: 26% or 37.8 lbs
Basal Metabolic Rate (# of calories you burn at rest): 1493 cal/day (that's all?!)
Total Body Water: 33.1 liters, or 49.9% of body weight
Target Body Fat: 20% (need to lose 6%)
Target Weight: 135 lbs (need to lose 11 lbs)
Target Body Water: 60%
Chad:
Age: 32
Height: 5' 11"
Weight: 200 lbs
Body Fat: 24.3% or 48.6 lbs
Basal Metabolic Rate (# of calories you burn at rest): 2089 cal/day
Total Body Water: 49.3 liters, or 54.3% of body weight
Target Body Fat: 17% (need to lose 7.3%)
Target Weight: 183 lbs (need to lose 17 lbs)

Wow! There it is out in the open! Now you know what our goals are, and we think they're very attainable. It's just going to take some work. It's been a long time since I've weighed less than 140, and it was really hard to maintain because of my unhealthy diet. And we're not doing this only to look good, but we want our hearts and our organs to be healthy too. Plus, cancer is a big culprit in my gene cesspool, and I want to do all I can to avoid it.

So, what's the plan? Well, for starters, we're committed to getting at least 30 minutes of cardio exercise at least 3 times a week, plus extra resistance training for stronger muscles and bones (this week so far we've done weights, running at the track, and yoga). And, of course, we're watching what we eat. There are so many theories out there about what you should eat, and it can get confusing. Dragan (the guy who did our test on the cruise) subscribed to the Zone diet (balancing each meal or snack with 7g protein, 9g carbs, and 3g fat), I have a personalized diet plan from the Mayo Clinic (daily servings of 2 protein, 2 dairy, 3 fruit, 4 veggies, 4 carbs, 3 fats), and I also like the Dr. Phil approach (daily servings of 3 protein, 2 dairy, 2 fruit, 4 veggies, 2 carb, 1 fat). Dragan told us not to go on a low-calorie diet, or our bodies would go into "starvation mode" which causes a loss of lean muscle mass, which I've heard before. What are your thoughts on this, and what you think the ideal diet is? Is there a minimum calorie limit we shouldn't go below? We're confused.