ONDERLAND!!! and Magic Numbers

ONDERLAND! ONDERLAND! ONDERLAND!  I have finally reached Onderland today.  I did a little happy dance in my bathroom this morning.  I was in the 200's for years, I wondered if I would ever leave them.  Since I started this blog, I have lost a little over 33 pounds.  I had already been trying to lose weight before that and have really lost 50 pounds.  My heaviest weight was 248.  WOW!!  50 pounds.

And, I have also met one of my Magic Numbers goals...199.  That one is for being out of the 200's.

Keep trying, don't give up.  I know I wanted to many times.  I was as sedentary as can be and I have a desk job.  You just have to find little ways to become active.  Every little bit helps and it does add up and make a difference.  It might not seem like it at first, but it does.

JUST KEEP TRYING

Moving Forward

So, I have been stuck between 201 and 205 for some time. 

After a year of doing this I believe I pretty much have my shtick down...not being on a "diet", learning proper portions, stopping when I am full and not cleaning my plate, cutting out fast, processed and prepared frozen foods, trying to eat real food like you would find in an old Betty Crocker cookbook, being aware of calories but not counting them, cutting back on sodium, allowing myself to eat whatever I want (allowing is not the same as doing, gives me time to pause and decide do I really want to eat "_____"?) and so, with these changes I have lost 30 pounds (along with added exercise).  My newest target of change is complex carbs vs simple carbs.

Now that the items I listed above have become a part of me, habit so to speak, I believe it is also time to start doing some fine tuning.  I have come across a pretty helpful book.  It is called 400 Calorie Fix.  It teaches you how to better judge the calories in your food.  The basic premise is to eat 400 calories at each meal, with 3-5 meals per day depending on your gender and activity level.  It turns out, my breakfasts and lunches were already coming in at just about 400 calories.  They give you LOADS of ideas (which is exactly what I was looking for).  The calories in the meal ideas come in at around 380-420.  There is a lot of good nutritional advice, teaching about proper nutrient and fiber levels.  And you are still not counting calories.  They do, however, suggest measuring and weighing your food for a while until you get a better idea of proper portion sizes.  Turns out, a lot of people underestimate and end up eating too many calories.

I hope someone finds this post helpful and that you're all having a wonderful weekend!

Whining

Is it just me, or does anyone else feel like all they want to do is whine? 

This is so hard, it is taking so long, I am tired of these plateaus, my body won't cooperate with me in the exercises and activities I want to do, I am sick to death of thinking about food and exercise, when is my body going to get stronger, I am sick of drinking all this water (enough to sink a battleship).  That's all I can think of for now.

I'm not fishing for sympathy, just need to get this stuff off my chest every now and then.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

A Quote

Hi All, I hope everyone is well.  I saw the following quote a few minutes ago and thought how appropriate with what I am struggling with right now (tired of the plateau...almost ready to give up).

Don't destroy yesterday's progress today.