First Month – Losing It!

Last Christmas Day, I weighed myself after dinner and I remember being completely disgusted at the number on the scale.  (Don’t ask why I decided to weigh myself on Christmas).  I haven’t been that heavy since high school.  I know I gained some serious weight as I couldn’t fit into my favorite jeans since the fall and most of my button-down shirts were extremely tight, but I didn’t realize how many pounds I actually packed on.  It was that day I decided to stop being lazy and get back to a reasonable weight that would work for me. 

Right before New Year’s Eve I started to watch what I was eating a bit more, but I wasn’t seeing much progress after a few weeks.  I lost maybe a pound or two and was feeling pretty discouraged, especially after I started working out a few times a week.  I considered joining Weight Watchers online but I really didn’t want to pay the money each month, and I’ve also heard negative reviews about their new points system. 

Luckily, about a month ago, I found a website called Loseit.com through the message boards at Weddingbee.com.  A few girls said it’s worked for them as it tracked what they were eating, and the best part is it’s free to use.  I signed up to start a weight loss plan right away.  The basic idea is that you add in exactly what you eat throughout the day into their site and it will keep track of your calories.   When you first sign up, it calculates a calorie budget for you based on your age, current weight, height, and how much weight you wish to lose.  You can do a plan to lose 1 pound, 1.5 pounds or 2 pounds each week.   Several foods and their calorie contents are already in their database, but you always have the option to create custom foods if you need to.  You also add in the work-outs/exercise you do throughout the week, so the more you burn, the more calories you get to eat for the day.

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My plan is to lose 2 pounds per week and to lose 30 pounds overall.  If I do lose 2 a week, I would be on track to lose 30 by mid-July.  I started on 3/27 and have lost 9.8 pounds in a month (going by today, 4/27), so on average I am losing 2 pounds each week.  It’s really helped me keep track of what I’m eating and has me thinking more about appropriate portion and serving sizes.  The biggest changes I’ve had this past month:

• I am eating less snacks, and when I do snack, I’m counting the exact number of crackers or chips in a serving size so I only eat one serving.
• My portion size for dinner has been cut in half – I was eating a lot of unnecessary calories and probably tripling the amount of food I should have been eating. 
• I am full after eating just a little dinner and I don’t try to clean my entire plate now – if I’m full, I stop eating.
• I’m drinking more seltzer and less juice.
• I’m working out at least twice a week on the treadmill.  I’m actually able to jog for a few minutes without stopping which is a big improvement.
• I try to look up restaurant nutrition facts if I know we are going out somewhere so I know exactly how many calories are in a dish I’m considering.  If I know it’s going to make a big dent on my budget for the day, I eat a very small breakfast and lunch.

For this next month, I need to work on:

• Exercising a minimum of 4 times a week
• Drink at least 3 cups of water or seltzer throughout the day at work
• When we go out to a restaurant, only eat half of my meal – this should help me stop going over my calorie budget on weekends. 
• Eat more fruits and veggies instead of eating just crackers and cheese for snacks (I do highly recommend Laughing Cow cheese wedges, though – they’re amazing and only 35 calories for a wedge, which is the perfect amount of cheese for a serving of Wheat Thins!)

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I already feel better – not as sluggish and I have more energy at work throughout the day.  I’m able to walk faster and longer on the treadmill without getting tired and omg I actually enjoy jogging now – never thought that would happen!  I have a feeling I will probably hit a plateau soon but hopefully these goals can keep me going for the next month.