Y’all.
I lost 2.5 pounds last week. And I did a little happy dance this morning because of it.
I knew I had to make changes so last week I made them. My dress pants will fit again before I know it. Which is good because I’m running out of dresses.
Here’s what I’ve done so far:
1. Just by virtue of returning to work, I’ve upped my activity level.
Instead of sitting on my ass all day in yoga pants, I actually have to get up in the morning, shower, and get out of the house. And then I have to walk the length of the building several times a day.
My classroom is the farthest classroom away from the front door of the building. And our parking lot is not really close to the building. So I get here and traverse the parking lot, then the building, then I’m FINALLY in my classroom. And then if I need copies or to see other adult humans, I have to go BACK into the building again. And if I have to go to the band room for any reason, I’m walking the length of the building and then some because it is actually further away from me than the front door of the school.
I do quite a bit of walking each day. Or at least way more walking than I did when I did NOTHING over the summer.
2. I cut out almost all non-water beverages.
I already drank diet sodas. I made that switch a long time ago. But drinking several a day isn’t healthy. So, I’m down to one a day, at lunch, and then water for everything else.
I have not given up my morning coffee, nor do I see this happening. Ever. And I still have the occasional glass of wine or cup of chamomile tea in the evenings, but for the most part, I’m water only.
3. I joined Livestrong.com.
It’s free, y’all. And it’s as good or better a calorie-counting website than Weight Watchers. And I’m kind of a fan of Weight Watchers. But this? This I like better.
I found out about MyPlate through the PA when I was at the doctor’s office last week. One of the nurses in the office has lost 90 pounds (yes, NINETY. As in, two small children!) in a YEAR just by writing down everything she ate. She eventually added exercise into the mix, too, and y’all. She looks GREAT.
The PA started the program, too and found that it was all about accountability. It was easy to sneak a Hershey’s Kiss or two here and there, but before she know it, she’d had ten. And that’s about 200 calories.
The MyPlate feature allows me to choose how much weight I want to lose each week and then sets my target for daily caloric intake. Right now, I’ve set a goal to lose two pounds a week. So I can have approximately 1500 calories a day. And that’s WITHOUT adding exercise. (If I added exercise, I could have more calories, obviously.)
Every time I eat something, I log onto MyPlate and start typing what I just ate in the “What did you eat?” box. It starts auto-locating the nutrition information for what I’m typing. There are over 600,000 grocery store and staple items in the MyPlate database, and 7,000 restaurant items. Last night when we went to Moe’s, I was able to input the nutritional data for my Junior Triple Lindy (with steak, please).
As I add in items throughout the day, my little “Calories Remaining” bar fills up. When it turns red, I’ve gone over my limit. (I went over my limit on Saturday. And a little bit last night. I do NOT like seeing the thing turn red.) When I input any exercise I’ve done for the day, calories get subtracted from the bar which allows me to have a snack after dinner if I want.
I can also add in how much water I’ve had to drink each day, and I do like the pie chart that shows me the breakdown of my carbs, protein, and fat consumption. (Maybe I like it because it’s called a pie chart??)
I’m a pretty carb-heavy eater. It’s totally not good for me. So I’m working on ways to get more protein into my diet. I know that protein will help me feel fuller longer and keep me from crashing mid-way through the day and then running for the nearest snack on the office table. However, I am NOT a no-carb girl. I NEEEEEEED carbs. But I can certainly cut back.
Did you miss the part where I said livestrong.com and MyPlate are FREE???
There are paid features, but the basic features that I’m using and finding beneficial are totally, completely free.
F-R-E-E.
How awesome is THAT?
(So, FTC, and everyone else, that means this is not a paid endorsement. The people at livestrong aren’t even aware that I AM endorsing their services. But if they wanted to upgrade me, I’d take it.)
Yay weight loss!