Who's Counting?

I started calorie counting again, and did pretty well on Monday!! My total count for that day was 1,560. That's really really low for me.

Tuesday was not so low, but still slightly below my maintenance level (2,500) at 2,250. Tonight... hmmm... so far I'm at about 2,800. I blame my hubby for the barbecue steaks and fries ;-)

Mind you, I walked a lot today. I took my son to Strong Start in the morning, and then both kids swimming in the afternoon, all on foot. At the moment I'm trying to figure out a way to incorporate more exercise into my routine. Walking is easy, because I have to get places. I just need to make other types of fitness into unconscious habits. I'd never dream of going an entire day without brushing my teeth at least twice, why can't the same be said for sit ups?

Sunday Night `When Will I Start My Diet` Musings

There really is no excuse. I haven`t been doing what worked last year. Once I get motivated I can accomplish a lot - I just have to figure out how to motivate myself this time.

Anyway, here`s my Sunday night confession ;-)

132!!!

(sigh)

The upside is, my dog is looking great!!!

Eight Things I Did To Lose 18 Pounds

This worked for me a year ago. I've gained about nine of it back, which is why I started this blog. I thought I'd look back and review what has worked for me in the past.


1) Counting calories. It may be a pain, but it truly works.


2) Writing down everything I eat (and drink, and chew... did you know that Double Bubble gum is 10 calories per stick??)


3) Measuring stuff. Like, the cream in my coffee (30 calories per tbsp), the cereal in my bowl, etc.


4) Categorizing food. When I simply count calories I end up eating too many calories. However if I require that a certain amount of calories be protein, veggies, fruit, carbs, etc., I end up eating fewer. The reason for this is that protein fills you up longer than carbs, and I don't tend to reach for the protein unless I'm consciously thinking about it (I'm a carbaholic!!).


5) Not eating the leftover food on my kids' plates. Tough habit to break, but it all accumulates....


6) Walking, instead of driving. Walk walk walk (oh yeah, and then walk some more).


7) Eating small amounts frequently, and avoiding large meals.


8) Avoiding "fillers". For example I could still treat myself to bacon and eggs, but have only 2 or 3 strips of bacon, and skip the toast.



Anyway, you get the idea. It's all about food and exercise consciousness - there is no easy shortcut. When you're ready to get serious, it works!

A Blessing in Disguise?

I chipped a molar.

Actually that sounds better than the truth, which is probably that the tooth broke apart because it was more filling than tooth, and probably needs a crown.

It doesn't hurt, but now I'm afraid to eat anything that requires chewing. This is not necessarily helpful to my "diet", as ice cream doesn't require teeth. It should, however, cut back on my snacking a bit.

Tomorrow I'm going to call my dentist and see when I can go in to get it fixed. This may not happen as quickly as I'd like, since we're going to Vegas in about a week and a half, for four days. I'm hoping that nothing else happens to the tooth in the meantime, in case I can't get an appointment until we return. I'm not really too keen on being south of the border with a dental emergency.

If only there was pain. It would serve as a helpful reminder, and deter me from chewing... (Honestly, I'm kidding).

Here's to a few weeks of careful eating, more thorough brushing, and good luck in getting a dentist appointment soon...

Quality Control

In addition to limiting my after hours food consumption (so far so good tonight!) I need to practice some quality control over what I eat. The chocoholic in me is not so happy about that.

I was really happy when they came out with this business about really really dark chocolate being good for you... I bought a bunch of those "97 %" (or whatever) cocoa bars, and praised myself for my dietary accountability (Note - I actually like those - a lot of people I know think they're too bitter and don't have enough sugar). Not me. I used to horrify my Mom by eating (and enjoying!) Baker's unsweetened chocolate squares.

Anyway, back on track here - in the past I've written down everything I've eaten and sorted it all by food type, which was extremely useful in ensuring there wasn't a hole where a certain nutrient group should be. I discovered, as many people have, that if I increased my protein intake, I could stay full longer on fewer calories. Unfortunately chocolate is not a protein, so that strategy didn't stick with me too long.

My fall from grace began last Halloween, and has carried on ever since. In an attempt to rectify this I've converted our mini-fridge, formerly my husband's canned beverage fridge, into a produce fridge. I was tired of the plant food being shoved behind the left-over take out in the big fridge. How am I supposed to eat it if I can't find it? Now every few days I wipe the chocolate off my face and open the mini-fridge, and look in. Ahhhh!!! Now I can see it!!! My compost worms are pretty happy about it all, that's all I can say.