6/30 - Thoughts

I have gotten a fair amount of encouragement since I posted my measurements this morning. This actually surprised me, but it also made me realize that people were actually reading what I was writing -- and considering their own changes because of it. That's a powerful thought and it makes me feel more responsible. Therefore, I will try to write more and explain more of my processes.

Right now, I'm taking it one step at a time. Instead of "omg start dieting, start exercising, count calories" all at once, I have simply started to count calories. I write down what I eat as much as possible, and I try to stay within a 1600-1800 calorie range for a daily value. Today, I began using http://www.sparkpeople.com as a way to record what I'm eating. They have a nutrition tracker and a lot of other resources as well, including recipes, forums, groups and other such things to really help you on your journey.

Last week was 'rough' as far as my diet went. I 'cheated' a few times. Chips here. Soda there. But I *still* lost three pounds, and I still lost another half an inch off of most of my measurements. That's encouraging; it tells me that even if I sneak junkfood now and again, as long as I continue to try and keep my caloric goal in mind, I can still continue to lose weight.

Getting down to 220 pounds from 225 may not seem like a lot, but for me, it is. 220 is where I always seem to peter out and 'stop.' This time, however, I am feeling empowered. I am feeling encouraged. I feel loved. I know I need to take care of myself, not just for me, but because so many other people love me. Taking care of myself means eating the way I should.

The other big thing is Portion. Control. I can't stress this enough. When I first started this, I actually measured my cereal. My life cereal, for example, is a 3/4 cup serving. When you actually measure that out, you realize it's not that much. Just pouring cereal and going, I was eating more like 4-5 servings for breakfast.

Now, instead of pouring a big bowl of cereal, I use one of our smaller bowls. I know where the cereal should hit on the bowl for the serving size I've chosen, and I've added a 6oz serving of greek yogurt to breakfast as well. When school starts, I will probably try a few other recipes that I can make ahead of time that will give me a little more protein to get through the day. Luckily, Spark People has a -lot- of awesome recipes that look good for what I'm attempting.

A lot of publications stress exercise. You see it on reality shows. Exercise. It seems like all these people are exercising their weight off. What they show less of is the diet side of things. They don't show that these folks are also eating less than 1000 calories and still working their asses off. Calories are essentially what you're wanting to change first. You can burn calories by exercising, but if you're still eating 3000 calories, that 500 from walking isn't going to make a damned bit of difference.

That's why I decided to begin with changing my caloric intake. In two weeks, I've lost five pounds -from diet alone-. Imagine what it'll be like in the fall when I'm walking on campus and using the stairs (potentially three flights, sometimes) and so on. I'm actually looking forward to it.