Calorie Counting - Yes, it is very annoying. The myfitnesspal app makes it a lot easier but it is still a pain. I read on another blog somewhere that you will either be annoyed with calorie counting or annoyed that the scale isn't moving. This is probably a true statement. Until you get into a maintenance groove where you're eating the same things over and over again and know the calorie count, you should definitely keep track of your foods. If you can't keep track of your food, honestly, you're probably eating too much of the wrong things. I read in the latest Weight Watchers magazine that we make as many as 200 food choices a day - that is a STAGGERING number! 200 times having to decided whether you should consume something per day - no wonder dieting is so annoying! My previous issues with calorie counting was that I would start the day off great and then make that run to Wendys or McDonald's and didn't want to face the reality of how much and how many calories I just ate. I fell into a similar trap over Labor Day weekend and didn't log in for 2 days and, believe me, the numbers would've looked horrible! I ate pasta, pizza and drank a lot of calories celebrating birthdays and the long weekend. The bonus? I worked out every day and gave myself a bit of a calorie deficit, so I still lost weight (0.8 pounds), but not as much as I was hoping to. I know a few people that are on Weight Watchers, which was voted the number one weight loss method this year, and you still have to count points so it's all about holding yourself accountable. I can go back to my good weeks to see what I ate and that helps me to stay motivated. I can also look at bad days and that gives me motivation to stay on track. Believe me, if you're writing down too many burgers, fries and milkshakes, you will eventually get fed up and want to change if you're really serious. Which brings me to my next point....
Eating Habits - Most weight loss programs are based on the principle that you must deny yourself certain things to lose weight. What makes Weight Watchers so attractive is that you can eat what you want as long as you track it. Well, my personal opinion is that this is true, but only to a certain point. Some foods are TRIGGER FOODS - if you eat them, they lead you down a long and dark path of overeating and guilt. My trigger foods are brownies, pizza, garlic bread, freshly baked cookies, and burger and fry combos at the fast food restaurants. These are foods that I absolutely CANNOT eat in moderation and still stay on or below my calorie budget for the day. So once I fell off the wagon for a week or two after indulging in all these things, I made a decision to cut them out of my diet or find lower calorie versions of them when I have a craving. I eat Lean Cuisine or Smart Ones pizzas every now and then, gave up garlic bread, gave up cookies, and I make my own burger (on the grill) and sweet potato fries (in the oven) at home so I can control the type of meat I use, the bread, the amount of mayo, etc. So now, everything I eat has a purpose and is accounted for in my calorie counter. I have decided that bread is basically unnecessary unless I am making a sandwich and pick low carb pitas or even lettuce wraps when I really want to be good. I don't really crave cookies since I allow myself up to 6 or 7 Hershey Kisses Dark Chocolates a day. The Lean Cuisine pizzas are definitely NOT gourmet, but they fulfill my need and I eat a salad with them to get full. Now please don't think I don't have "cheat" items - I definitely do. But they are planned for or worked off in a longer gym session. Which brings me to my next point...
Working Out - Yes, you can lose weight WITHOUT exercise. Impossible you say? Studies show that simply limiting your calorie intake will result in a weight loss. Is it fast? If you drink Slimfast all day, probably so. Can the weight stay off? Maybe, but probably not if you're doing a liquid diet to get it off. A friend of mine lost almost 40 pounds with basically just eating healthy. But exercise has many other benefits besides weight loss - lower risk of heart attack, lower blood pressure, etc. I have always been active - I have playing golf since I could basically walk and I have played competitively which meant a lot of walking. I have also taken boot camp classes, tennis lessons, swim lessons and generally feel better when I'm exercising. As I stated in my last post, I don't use exercise as a crutch to eat what I want - I use it to lose faster and in a healthier way! How much exercise should you do? I'd say that depends on your activity level. My workouts are very intense as I was taught all of this by my dad, who is old school and thinks no pain, no gain. But if I am struggling to catch my breath, I know that I need to stop, take a sip of water, and maybe lower the intensity. Minus having any health issues, I have found that a good principle is to push through discomfort - if you did a workout in which you didn't sweat, weren't breathing hard, or your muscles weren't aching and you're not in shape, you're basically wasting your time. Whenever I'm doing an exercise video, I find that whenever I stop due to discomfort, I only had maybe 2 or 3 reps left to get to the end of the set. So I was quitting too early. Jillian Michaels says in her videos that the discomfort you feel is your body changing. If you always do the same things and never push yourself, you won't see the change. So now I am doing 60 minutes, 5 days a week on the Arc Trainer (similar to the elliptical machine) and burning around 850 calories, up from my 45 minutes and 650 calories from a few weeks ago. And since I've increased my workouts, I lost a little over 5 pounds last week. And I had a sausage mcmuffin from McDonalds, a piece of fried chicken, two Pillsbury biscuits, some REAL bacon, and a few drinks last week. So if you were thinking I'm perfect, I am DEFINITELY not!
I want to take a moment to make something clear - NONE OF THESE THINGS ARE SECOND NATURE OR EASY FOR ME! I love a lot of bad food and sometimes miss them. I have been eating badly for a lot of years, and there are things that I KNOW would taste delicious that I will not allow myself to have now. There are days when I have to drag myself to the gym and even then, after just 10 minutes into the workout, feel like going back to my car. Sometimes I just want to be lazy or hang out with friends and eat what I want at a restaurant. What keeps me going is knowing how good I will look at the end of this. How much better I feel every day after I eat right. How my clothes are fitting looser and I'm able to squeeze into the next size down. How I don't have to take my acid reflux medication anymore because I never have heartburn from my current diet. How one day, in the near future, I won't have to buy anything with an "X" or a "W" behind the size. And although I can feel fine and sexy in my outfits at this size, I know how much fine-ER and sexy-ER I will feel 40 or 50 pounds from now. Hell, maybe even 20 pounds from now! These lifestyle changes are hard to make, but you have to do them if you want to reach your goal. If you're just starting out, try adding a fruit or vegetable to each meal, or try a smoothie for breakfast. I eased into this and some decisions aren't as hard as they used to be. But the one thing I am determined to do is go into 2013 smaller than I entered 2012. I am already 20 or so pounds deep into this goal, but I am aiming to be 50 pounds down total by the end of the year. Who's with me????!!!!!
| Weigh-in | Date | Pds Lost/Week | Weekly Goal | Total Lost |
| START | 9-Jul | N/A | N/A | |
| Week 1 | 16-Jul | -10.3 | 5 | 10.3 |
| Week 2 | 23-Jul | 3 | 3 | 7.3 |
| Week 3 | 30-Jul | 2 | 3 | 5.3 |
| Week 4 | 6-Aug | -2.1 | 3 | 7.4 |
| Week 5 | 13-Aug | -3 | 3 | 10.4 |
| Week 6 | 20-Aug | -3 | 3 | 13.4 |
| Week 7 | 27-Aug | -2 | 3 | 15.4 |
| Week 8 | 3-Sep | -3 | 3 | 18.4 |
| Week 9 | 10-Sep | -6 | 3 | 24.4 |
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