Strategy...

If you eliminated 100-200 calories a day from your diet without changing anything else in your diet, you could lose up to 2 pounds a month. Imagine that. Without really going nuts about your "diet" one simple change could help you lose a couple of unwanted pounds without much thought or aggravation. Ways to do this are easy.

Change the bread in your lunch sandwich to a low fat bread like Arnolds or Pepperidge farms Sandwich thins. Two pieces is 100 calories compared to regular bread that has 110 calories per slice.

Switch from regular soda to diet, or even better, flavored water. Each 12 oz can of soda averages 144-160 calories. Diet soda and water = 0.

Change your condiments; Regular mayo has 130-150 calories a tablespoon. Hellman's Light has 35.

Saute your veges in Pam, not olive oil or butter. Depending on which you use, you could save 200-300 calories per serving of food.

Simple.

I like simple.

8 week challenge....

Robert Ferguson is starting an 8 week weight loss challenge beginning Monday, Feb 1 and I signed up for it! Good motivation and it will keep me on track and honest. Over the weekend I expect to have more info on the challenge so I'll post it here. Until then, I'm still plugging along. I KNOW my metabolism is finally working again ( after 30 years!) because I am HUNGRY routinely every 3 hours and I wake up starving! I carry a backpack to work everyday filled with water, drinks, snacks and my lunch. From the outside it looks like I've got enough food to last me for a week! But it's only for 8 hrs! It looks pretty funny. My patients ask me almost daily "is that your lunchbox?" And I laugh and say, "Yup." I have to tell you, I do get some strange looks.

Hopefully, when I'm at goal, those strange looks will change to looks of appreciation.

One can hope.

Week 4 begins....

not with a bang but not a whimper, either! One of my bestest friends, Jill, sent me a card today with a caterpillar on it. Inside, she wrote that she chose the card because of the transformation I am in the process of undergoing - like a caterpillar to a beautiful butterfly. Boy, Jill ALWAYS picks the best and most appropos cards! She's a Zen master at it; she just gets it right. I do feel like this weight loss journey is a metamorphosis of sorts. I am finally starting to emerge from my cocoon of fat and self loathing into a new being. And like any change, it takes time, dedication and consistency. So as I enter my fourth week, I am reminded of why I started this journey: to become healthy and whole in mind, body and spirit as I approach my 50th year on earth. It will not happen overnight but over time; it will not be easy, but will require me to fight and work hard - just as the butterfly must work hard and fight to free itself from the shackle of its cocoon. Once free of the weight, I will "fly" off into my newfound life of health and wellness.

That Jill. She always - and I mean ALWAYS - gets it right!

Induction complete!

So you can see by the pounds countdown to the left that I am down 5 solid pounds! That may not seem like a lot for some people, but for me to be able to eat and lose weight is nothing short of a miracle. I would be lying if I said I didn't wish it was more, but 5 for me is a good thing. Considering the last time I tried to lose 5 pounds I starved myself for a month and didn't lose a thing, So maybe there really is something to eating to rev up your metabolism.

The rest of the program begins today -FATLOSSFORLIFE. More techniques and situational eating to lose weight, so I am up for it. The exercise gets bumped up too, and that is good because I need to do more.

One major breakthrough this morning was that I actually went into a different numbered zone - like going from the 130's into the 120's ( not me of course! I am way higher). I haven't been in a different weight zone for almost 4 years. This is a red letter day!

I can weigh myself weekly now, so that will be posted and updated every Tuesday to really see my progress. Later on today I can measure myself too, to see if there are any differences in my body makeup.

I'll let you know.

One more day...

and I can weigh and measure myself! Funny, today was the first day I woke up and actually "felt" like I had lost some weight. We shall see tomorrow.
After I see if and how much I've lost tomorrow, I am going to start exploring the reasons why this journey was needed. I have such food "issues" that they really need to be addressed and analyzed. Is this the proper forum for public pyschoanalysis? Probably not, but it's the best and cheapest I've got! So if you're following me and sometimes have problems with food or eating habits, try to think of the reasons why. I KNOW I am an emotional eater and food abuser when times are - in my mind - trying. I KNOW I depend on food sometimes to be a friend, and I KNOW that overeating is not the way to solve problems.
KNowing why you are doing something and correcting it are two entirely different beings in two different galaxies.
So..........for today. I will follow the FOODLOVERSFATLOSS plan and hope tomorrow is full of great results.
I'll let you know.

Home and on track!

Well, I had a little blip yesterday, but I am back on track today. I think I may have eaten too much yesterday for an afternoon snack, because we had hors d'oerves after the ballgame. I had only a few nuts and cheese, tho, but I think the combo might not have been the best thing. Oh well, I had a grilled chicken salad for dinner, so that kindo f offset it.

Home now and back on track! Today is day 19, only 3 more to go until the induction phase is over and I can weigh and measure myself. Yippie.

My metabolism is definitely changing because I am really hungry every 3 hrs or so, and that it what is supposed to happen when you are burning and not storing fat. I really hope it's burning the fat from my hips and waist more than anywhere else. I couldn't care less if I lost inches on my arms or inner thighs. Hips and waist, baby, that's where it's at!

SLoppy Joe's for dinner with a salad tonight. Yumm!!

Exercise today is supposed to be 36 minutes of cardio. I think I'll hop on the treadmill a little later on to get that done.

Wish my luck!