So for the whole month of January I decided to try working out at least 3 times a week, about 1 hour for each workout. At first, I could only go for 15 to 20 minutes each workout but that didn't matter. I stuck with the plan. As far as diet goes, I decided to sign up with MyFitnessPal to track my calories. After filling out my information, I learned I should be eating approximately 1400 calories a day if I wanted to lose about 1/2 pound a week. Of course, the program allowed me to eat a little more on the days I exercised. Some of the first diet habits that changed included me replacing all the caloric drinks with water, except for 1 cup of coffee a day. I still allowed myself 1 12-ounce soda a week, if I wanted it. It wasn't before long before I rarely ever had a soda. I am not much of drinker to begin with, so I really didn't consider them. Another habit that needed to change was that I need to prepare most of my food at home, at least 75% of all meals, even if it was a bowl of cereal. It was a two-fold situation: I was consuming way too many calories each day and it was costing me a fortune to eat out.
I was still not very motivated, I just did what I planned to do because I was set on sticking to the plan. For too long I had been chunky and unhappy in my own skin. So many years had I been putting myself down. My big stomach. My big chin. Just feeling very doughy all over. Within a month, I actually had lost 5 pounds and in 2 months lots of people, friends I hadn't seen very often had noticed that I was losing weight. Most months I didn't lose any weight, but people insisted that I looked thinner and that I looked good. I was never one to take compliments well--unless they were related to my cooking and baking skills, or other things I did well. Learning to accept compliments on my appearance was challenging, but honestly, I think they were commenting on my efforts more than how thin I was looking. I still have a lot of work to do...but each day of progress is one step closer to my goal.
Now, counting calories is terribly boring for me. Luckily, I am okay with eating the same breakfast, lunch and dinner several times a week, so that made the counting a little easier. When I shop for products, or cook dishes, since there are only two of us, I often cook several servings of a dish for meals for a couple days. Being prepared by planning and making all my meals ahead of time really helped me stay within a reasonable amount of calories. As the months progressed and I was able to increase the intensity and amount of exercise, I focused less on the calorie counting. Of course, at the beginning I hadn't really paid much attention to what I was eating, just how much and how many calories. It was tough to stay within the allocated number of calories. I had to do something! If I only ate as many calories I was allowed, I still felt hungry, I was never full.
The answer was to replace more of my food options with fresh fruit and vegetables. I skipped high-fat meats such as sausage, and replaced with leaner meats and added vegetables or fruits. That allowed me to eat more food without consuming too many calories. Also, I don't eat as many processed bread type products as I used to. That includes bread, tortillas and pasta. I try to eat meals balanced in protein, carbohydrates and fats. During this whole time I was reading articles online to see how I can eat balanced meals, and for meal ideas. Most of the carbohydrates I eat now are complex ones: such as oats and other whole grains, quinoa and from sweet potatoes and squash. I do still eat bread-type products but not as much or as often. I try to avoid eating foods with excessive salt or sugar, which mostly all packaged processed foods.
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