Back in early December I decided to step on the scale. For weeks I had been noticing that my clothes weren't fitting properly - almost everything, including my pajama bottoms!, felt tight. I was also becoming quite concerned about my eating habits & the fact that no matter how much I ate, I never felt full. My appetite seemed to increase on a daily basis. Worse, I started to binge eat. I would skip breakfast & lunch so that by the time dinner rolled around I was absolutely starving. As a result, I would eat a huge dinner & then snack all night until bedtime. My eating habits were so incredibly unhealthy. I had no portion control. I wouldn't just eat a few cookies - I would eat several cookies. I wouldn't just eat a handful of chips - I would eat an entire large bowl of chips. I had no willpower & really no want to eat any differently. Until I stepped on the scale. The 3 numbers that flashed back at me were shocking. I stared at the scale for a long time, trying to will it to change for the better. But we all know that the scale doesn't lie. The numbers were accurate. I was 15 lbs over the heaviest weight that I had been before I gave birth to Savannah. 15 lbs over!
And so I decided, then & there, that I needed to make some pretty serious changes in my lifestyle. Within minutes I had identified all of my eating habit problems & I also realized that despite being "on the go" all the time with the kids I wasn't getting any real exercise. I sat down that night & came up with a fairly simple game plan: Eat less, Eat better, Exercise more. Easy peasy, right? Well, not so much.
I found that eating less & eating better weren't as easy as I thought it would be. I was still skipping meals & over-eating in the evenings. I was still snacking a lot before bed. The only thing that I found "easy" was exercising. As an early Christmas gift Jim bought me a treadmill. I put together a solid exercise routine & began using the treadmill 5-6 days per week. Despite my bad eating habits the weight started to come off. By February I had lost 20 unnoticable pounds. My clothes still weren't fitting any better & I couldn't see any changes in myself. There were only two things that I did notice & that was when I had first started out on the treadmill I felt like I needed an oxygen tank after having been on it for only a few minutes but after a few weeks I wasn't gasping fo air anymore & I could stay on it for longer periods of time & also, the numbers on the scale were slowly but surely decreasing. Even still, I knew I wasn't healthy. I didn't feel healthy. I felt discouraged. I enjoyed going on the treadmill - it was kind of like my little 20 minute "escape" from life in general. But I wasn't being honest with myself in regards to my poor eating habits. Instead I found myself making excuses (to myself) - the biggest ones being "I don't have time to eat better!" & "I had three children. I can't expect myself to be skinny!". Such silly excuses, I know. If I have time to go on the computer than I definitely should have time to eat better & who says that you're destined to be fat just because you've given birth multiple times?
In early March my sister Sandy emailed me with a link to LoseIt! - a free weight-loss website. One of her friends had convinced her to join & she was trying to get me to join as well. I clicked on the link & skimmed through it but if I'm being totally honest I had no real desire to join. Who the heck has time to count calories & log in every single bit of food that goes into their mouth? I told myself that calorie counting just wasn't an option for me. Yet I knew I needed to make changes & I knew I needed help. Maybe this site could help me. I decided I would give it a try for 1 week. 7 days. No more, no less. Stay strict with it for 7 days so that I could say that I gave it an honest try & then move on.
The date was March 10th.
The first 3 days were pretty difficult. I logged in my starting weight & just as I had suspected, counting calories was no small task! It was not only time consuming but also very tedious - logging in every single thing that I put into my mouth, whether it be food or drink. But I had told myself that I would commit to the program for a week & so that's what I was going to do! I faithfully logged in all of the calories I was consuming, along with the calories I was burning via exercising. The program calculated a daily calorie budget for me & the goal is to stay within range of the daily calories. Sounds easy, but believe me when I tell you that it's not! 160 calories in 2 Oreo's? Who can eat just TWO? 180 calories in 2 eggs. 200 calories in a handful of chips. A handful. 140 calories in 1 slice of cheese. 80 calories in 1 cup of coffee. Holy crap. I was "allowed" to eat 1350 calories per day. At the time it sounded like a lot...until I started to log in my foods. On average I was consuming double (if not more) that amount. I was only burning approx 170-200 of those calories via the treadmill.
After the first 3 days I knew where I needed to make changes in my diet. When you're logging in calories you become SO aware of what you're eating. Being able to view what I ate during the day online was a huge eye opener for me. Right away I noticed that I wasn't eating nearly enough (if any at all!) fruits & veggies. My meal portions were way too big & my snacks were full of fat & calories.
All at once everything became so clear to me. It just "clicked". The time had come to incorporate good eating habits with daily exercise. I knew if I could do that, not only would the scale move in my favor but also I would get my body healthy.
And so I began my own personal Weight Loss Challenge. I became borderline obsessed with counting calories. I learned to read the back of labels. I researched proteins, good calories versus bad calories, good fat versus bad fat. I learned how to make low calorie meals that were not only tasty, but filling. I learned how to mix a good variety of fruits & veggies into my every day eating. I turned my 80 calorie cup of coffee into a 10 calorie cup of coffee. I switched out no-fat yogurt for no-fat greek yogurt (which gives me additional protein every day). I traded iceburg & romaine lettuce for fresh spinach in my salads. And, as a direct result of calorie counting, I learned portion control. I learned how to self-motivate myself.
The date today is April 24th. I have lost 13.8 lbs so far. I have dropped 2 full sizes in jeans.
And I notice everything. I notice how healthy I feel. I notice my stomach getting smaller. I bought a smaller size in jeans 2 weeks ago & now those jeans are too big. I notice the scale dropping 1-2 lbs per week on a regular basis.
I've changed my whole outlook on food in general. I finally, finally, finally have willpower. I can bake brownies for the kids & not even want one. I can go through the drive-thru at Burger King & order food for everyone except for myself & not want anything. I can go out to a restaurant & order something healthy without feeling like I'm depriving myself. I've discovered that I can eat whatever I want, providing it's in moderation. If I want a piece of chocolate, I'll eat a piece of chocolate. I'm aware of what I'm eating. I enjoy exercising. I enjoy the challenge of staying within my daily calorie budget. I'm still learning, but it's getting easier. It's no longer "Can I do this?" - now it's "I WILL do this!"
I am about 20 lbs away from reaching my goal weight & for the first time ever I feel confident that I will get there.
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