I'm Making a True Lifestyle Change, I Swear!

Calories are evil. They are just evil little trolls who plague your every thought and action when you're trying to lose weight. Not necessarily like the trolls that live under a bridge, but more like the troll dolls that have the fluffy, funky colored hair and jewels for belly buttons. You know what I mean? There is just enough creepy and cuteness to make them fun even though they stare at you while you sleep and seem to always follow you with their eyes


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Anyway, to make matters worse, not all calories are created equal. Have you seen that commercial yet? the one that shows 100 calories worth of veggies, cheese, crackers, etc? Well, here...

Check it out. I'll wait...

It's not fair, is it? Sometimes, all we want is a fewpotato chips, or a hunk of pepper jack cheese, to snack on in the evening and yet, you can't help but think "how many calories are in this?" and then "is it really worth it?" and if you do indulge you get all those lousy feelings and realizations like "I really shouldn't have eaten that." and "I'm going to regret that at my next weigh in..." It SUCKS BUTT sometimes.

Now, don't get me wrong. I think that in order to be healthy, and to be the best me I can be, I need to put down the chips, chocolate and crackers more often than not, and I need to pick up the carrots, peppers, broccoli, kale and Brussels sprouts a little more. But it sucks that, because of the calorie counting, I'm beating myself up when I want to indulge in a couple of cookies or a handful of potato chips.

So, I've decided that I will no longer be counting calories. I will still make healthy choices, but I won't be counting every single calorie that I ingest. Here is how I plan to do that, and still stay accountable and on track:

• Portion Control --Instead of eating my meals off an 8 inch dinner plate, I will be transitioning to the 4-6 in saucer plates. If I finish my plate and I'm still hungry, I will go for more veggies, and maybe a bite of protein. NOTHING ELSE.
• Exercise! --I'm going to work on my workout schedule and make sure that I am active, at minimum, 5 days a week. No more "days off" from exercise. I will work on training for a 5k, and building lean muscle through strength exercises, and circuit workouts.
• Water only after 8:30 pm --As it is with many people, night time is the worst time for my snacking. I'll be sure to get all my nutrition in before 8:30 pm, everyday so my body has a true fast overnight, and I'm not "storing fat for the winter."

So there you have it, my first 3 steps to getting healthy on "auto-pilot." My main goal is to retrain my mind and body to crave what it needs. I'm ready for a true lifestyle change. Not a diet of counting calories and eating as little as possible.