Wow, can't say that in too many places can you?
Happy New Year everyone! I hope it is a great new beginning for you.
I'm Susan and for those of you that don't know, I'm Kris' sister-in-law.
Anyway, I've been at this weight loss thing seriously for the past 6 months now and thought I'd share something I've learned in the process.
I've found that for me, the key to losing weight is all about knowing what you put in your body and what if anything you're doing with it. I always thought calorie counting was silly, but I've realized it really does help. I started about 6 months ago by signing up for a package deal at my local 24 hour Fitness. The package included a Body Bugg that kept track of calories burned. Being the gadget freak that I am, I decided to give it a whirl.
The program recommended that I burn 2000 calories and eat about 1500 calories everyday if I wanted to lose a pound a week. This program "forced" me to keep a log of everything I ate. Every time I looked at food, I had to ask myself if I really wanted to write that down and would I be ok with it? I have horrible willpower when it comes to food in general so I would have set myself up for failure if I went on a strict limiting diet. I knew I just couldn't limit myself to only certain foods and I personally hate the taste of diet foods. By keeping a food journal, I'm more aware of what and how much I'm eating because it makes me think about it before I put it into my body. But, ultimately I can eat pretty much anything I want. I'm just more aware of what it is that I'm eating.
Keeping a food journal is a pain, but ultimately it really makes sense. There are several medical studies that have been done to confirm that food journals really work. How often do you find yourself eating something mindlessly? Do you remember what you ate last night? It works even better if you partner up and check in on each other's food journals. This way you're accountable to someone else other than yourself. It doesn't have to be fancy. Just a notebook and a pen will do. You just have to be honest with yourself and log EVERYTHING you eat or drink. There are all kinds of free resources on the internet to help you calculate the calories you are consuming. Give it a try and see for yourself.
Happy losing!
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Thanks Susan for the bit of a road map. Your success is an inspiration...hopefully this competition will help you keep it going!
ReplyDeleteGreat advice Susan! I agree about the food journal idea. I have also been on the weight loss trek for awhile... about 16 months or so. I have been on Nutrisystem. I lost about 50 lbs and don't have too far to go. Although I did gain a few pounds this holiday season which I have to "relose" again! I did best on Nutrisystem when I was dedicated to logging my foods online. It is such a big help. Total accountability!! I am excited about this Biggest Loser challenge with you guys because I have been at a plateau for quite awhile now and haven't been logging my foods online or been fully committed to my diet. I think this will help get me back on track to lose those pesky last pounds (in addition to the holiday ones I added back on!!). I look forward to watching all of you succeed. I hope for a small money pot at the end for the winner... that means more weight loss for all of us!!
ReplyDelete-Temple (Kris' old college friend)