Monday, September 17, 2012

Getting Healthy

You know how you get all dressed up and think "Dang I look good!" but then you see pictures of yourself later and think you looked like a hot mess? I hate that and it seems it happens to me ALL THE TIME.

(This is not a cue for anyone give me compliments, just so you know.)

Anyway, I know I look ok most of the time. I also know that I'm not a healthy weight for my body type. I also know that if I drop some pounds, I'll probably enjoy being more active and the kids would like that.

My husband recently started calorie counting and has shown some immediate and impressive results. His discipline has inspired me to do the same. I added a widget to my sidebar to track my progress. Brad found a cool app for our phones to record what we eat and both of us are just OCD enough to enjoy the calorie counting.

My daily goal is 1500 calories. Because I'm still nursing Harper, I added 500 calories a day to my routine, which takes me to 2000. (Good thing too because without those calories I'd never even come CLOSE to the calorie limit.) I'm treating the calorie goal as a guideline more than a rule because I need to eat enough and stay healthy to keep breastfeeding. I also track exercise and try to do something daily because the more I exercise the more calories I get to add to my day.  :)

Yesterday was my first day and after adding my breastfeeding/exercise allowance I was at a goal of 2,117. I went over a bit and ended the day at 2,281. That was a good lesson for me about watching what I eat. (Those cheese-filled breadsticks from Kwik Trip are my weakness. Next time I'll eat one instead of BOTH.)

Counting calories for me is more about accountability. If I have to be mindful of everything that I put in my mouth then I'll make better choices. Making better choices puts me firmly on the road to healthier habits.

My weight right now is 167 pounds. My goal is to lose around 40 pounds. I don't have a deadline for this and if I lose a pound a week I will be happy. Like I said, this is more about getting healthy than losing weight. The weight loss is more of a good side benefit.

Rule number one: Check the label before you put it in your face hole. Is it really worth the calories?

Rule number two: Find a sweet thing that you can nibble on in small portions when you really feel like cheating. (Did you know that Reece's Pieces are 4 calories each? A couple of those are yummy but don't break the calorie bank AND have a decent amount of protein.)

Do you have any good weight-loss tips? I'd love to hear them.


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P.S. I am already dreading all the Halloween candy that will be in our house soon. 

P.P.S I just got a great deal on Groupon for a voucher for IHOP. When Brad and I are ready for a treat day we'll be going there. If you want to pay $8 for $16 worth of food (select locations in the Twin Cities area), click HERE and I get ten bucks for the referral if you join. This is not an advertisement and they didn't give me anything to tell you this...I just love a great deal and I also love IHOP. :)

1 comment:

Barb said...

Exercise every single day. :) If you're using myfitnesspal as your calorie counter, it gives you "Net calories" so if you exercise and enter that in, it accounts for it. One thing you realize quickly is that if you are allowed 1800 NET calrories, the walking 3-5 miles allows you to eat 300-500 more calories a day. I love food way too much to simply limit my calories, so I've gotten into the habit of running a couple miles every day so I can eat more. Just like a checking account... the more you save the more you can spend. :) Good luck. This is a tough time of year to cut back on foods that give us comfort.