RESULTS: Lost 2 pounds!

So the first week of actually trying to lower my calorie count was successful! Yay!

EXERCISE:
I started out the week at the end of a cold, so I didn't go for a walk the first day. Since my goal is reasonable – lose one pound per week – I wanted to move slowly into the whole process of exercising more and eating less so that I wouldn't burn out the first week as I have in the past.

I went for a 20-minute walk Tuesday but I was still coughing, so I skipped Wednesday. (It was also raining last week and I didn't want my cold to return.) Thursday, Friday, and Sunday I walked for 45-50 minutes each day, about 2.5 miles or so. (I had an all-day meeting Saturday.) I did almost no other exercise, but I'm going to add that in this week.

FOOD:
Monday I ate way too close to how I normally ate until now, Tuesday and Wednesday were better except I was still finishing up holiday desserts (razzleberry pie and cookies). Thursday I felt like I was finally eating how I need to in order to start losing weight, and I came in under my calorie goal on Thursday and Friday.

Saturday…I don't know what makes my brain decide to just forget it all and do what I want. I had a big but mostly healthy breakfast before I went to my meeting, and a moderate lunch. But I had a Lindt chocolate truffle at the meeting, and then two. Our evening plans changed and it seemed John and I just ate and drank the night away while watching TV.

I felt really bad about losing control in my usual way, but when I entered everything in My Fitness Pal I saw that if I had done only two things differently, it would have been an on-target day. I was 965 calories over for the day – my margarita was about 436, and all the little bites of chocolate and chocolate-covered almonds that I ate throughout the day came to 560 calories. If I'd not eaten either of those…

So Sunday was my make-up day. I had 24 hours to undo the damage before weighing myself this morning. I had my usual protein shake for breakfast and a high-protein, low-sugar bar for lunch. I was absolutely starving by dinner. 🙂 Between the walk Sunday morning and the broccoli and chicken for dinner Sunday night, I came out 732 calories under goal – even with two cookies!

When I got on the scale this morning, all I could think was, “Whew!” Haha!!

This week I plan to walk more (I'm trying to get back into running shape, which I lost after two weeks of cold and cough), and I'm adding calisthenics and some light weight training. I also have a lot of chicken and vegetables here now, and very few leftover holiday sweets. I should be able to hit my goal of losing one more pound this week. 🙂

I wasn't sure if I was going to post this picture John took yesterday, but sometimes the threat of a little humiliation can go a long way. 😉

The only good thing about showing you what I look like now is being able to compare it to what I hope to look like 49 weeks from now. That picture will then have a lot more power behind it, and it will not only motivate you in your journey, but it will remind me what can be accomplished in other areas of my life when I put together a plan, gather a little willpower, and work the plan with friends cheering me on! 🙂