R1P2D6/31 - Aaaaaaand the scale keeps going down!

October 22, 2011

Day 6/31

I just weighed in again.  I'm down 11.8 pounds since Monday.  Holy buckets! So, today, Day 6 of 35 of the VLCD, I'd like to talk about planning ahead.  I have morphed over the years into a lazy eater.  I cannot blame this on anything or anyone other than myself.  Left to my own devices (and I call them sinful devices, because I let food become my master), I wanted to eat what I wanted, whenever I wanted.  I constantly stuffed my face when I ate something, like I was a death row inmate and this was my last meal.  Well, that food philosophy brought me to where I was on October 17 ... 2.5 pounds away from my lifetime, all time, bloated, uncomfortable high (which I was in 2009).  When I got honest with myself, I could see that I'd been in this weight-gain/food tornado for at least 5 years, and have been obese for 15.  Something had to change ... and diet pills, weight-watchers, stomach-staples were not my thing.  What was?

Planning.

Okay, those of you who know me are thinking, "Um, that's you, Julia.  So, how did that help you get fat?"  It didn't.  It was LACK of planning that enabled me to go-with-the-flow with food.  Even when I'd try to lose weight on other methods, I'd put about 1/2 of my heart into it and do some weight-loss program, but not really journal my food for long.  That's the absolute recipe for disaster.  You can't 1/2 plan anything and expect it to be successful. 

So, for those of you reading this who need to lose weight and find yourselves like me -- with a pit in your stomach at the thought of having to (gulp!) journal your food -- let me tell you, if THIS lazy, short-attention-span monkey can do it, so can you.  It truly isn't hard.  Let me explain how you can be "lazy" and love/be successful at journaling your food:

1. It works -- you'll lose weight.
2. You won't be surprised by/dread your weigh-ins.
3. It works!
4. You will have what you need in your house for healthy food (by planning ahead)
5. It works!
6. It's easy.
7. Did I mention?  It's easy and it works!

So, here's how it can be done.  I'm sure there are a lot of websites that can help you, but I found (thanks to my Abbie's Angels peeps) a website (and iPhone/Droid app) called myfitnesspal.com.  Yes, it's a website.  I've tried a couple of websites in the past.  But, unlike others, they don't send you spam, it's FREE, and it's easy.  Are you starting to see a pattern?  Easy seems to be tattooed into my DNA.

You can put in how many pounds you want to lose each week, how much exercise you want to do, each meal (every food item on the planet is in there ... the carbs, calores, protein, etc.), water, your weight, your measurements, you can blog (which is where I started this, then moved it here ... and I've never blogged before!), get reports on your progress, see a cute little tracker of how much weight you've lost (mine is pasted on this blog), get recipes, invite and follow other friends who are using this app (sort of like FB for fatties/former fatties), etc.  It's easy.  Easy.  EASY.  And, pretty cool.

No, I'm not getting paid by them.  I'm just excited I'm using an easy tool that tracks for me.  I don't have to write stuff down (I'm NOT a paper person).  I can log it in, reference it any time on my phone, and go.  Without it, I would have gone over my 500 calories a day, for sure.  My portion control has been SUPER messed up over the years.

So, as I log off and go head-first into Day 6, I'm not hungry & obsessing about food, not discouraged and not afraid.  Maybe I should use the positive version of those phrases:  I'm satisfied, encouraged and fearless to face today.

I can't wait to see the scale tomorrow!