Over the past few years, I resolved to make changes in my family’s eating habits in hopes of becoming healthier, as well as losing weight. I think I’ve been somewhat successful, considering that during the past 10 months I managed to lose 7 lbs. without really trying. I would like to lose more weight before I get any closer to the big 5-0. This summer, I’ve decided to take on the challenge.
About one month ago, I learned about a local health and wellness
clinic that had contracted with our health insurance to provide FREE services
by certified nutritionists. I decided to look into what they had to offer.
Why not? My visits would be completely FREE because they would be paid for by
our health insurance. Plus, I would be
under no obligation to continue after the first consultation.
During my first consultation I was told that there was no magic pill, no special drink, or anything spectacular to eat. I would be guided through the entire process by monitoring what I ate and how much I exercised. It sounded wonderful to me! My goals the first week: drink 8 glasses of water each day and keep track of my food intake using a FREE on-line program called My Fitness Pal. Easy enough, right?
Right…It was so hard to drink so much water in a single day! But I did it and within a few days time noticed something – my skin wasn’t as dry anymore! I guess my skin had been begging for more water, but I ignored it.
The second part, tracking my food intake, was a little easier. I first created my FREE account on My Fitness Pal where I had to log my current weight as well as how much I wanted to lose. The program provided me a suggested maximum caloric intake based on my current weight and my desired weight. As I began to log my food, I started taking a closer look at the calories and portion sizes for the specific meals I was logging. Boy – the reality of it! I hadn’t really thought too much about HOW much I was eating, mostly just WHAT I was eating. Ok. I think I’m starting to get it.
I found the on-line food diary super easy to use. It seemed to “memorize” the food I ate and would make these foods available for me to use again if I ate them on another occasion. It also tallied for me my calorie consumption. Whoa! Really?!? I consumed that many calories in one day? Well, after that first day, I vowed to keep closer tabs on my intake.
