Weight Be Gone

I don't really believe in New Year's Resolutions. Sometimes I might imagine one in my brain, but I'm not that into it. Because if you're ready to make a change, why shouldn't you just go for it right then, instead of waiting for the calendar to tell you it's time?

Recently I decided to get more serious about losing a little weight. Party because I want my pants to fit better, but also because I'm tired of the WiiFit telling me that I'm overweight. There's really no reason for me to carry around as much weight as I do. So I sketched out a plan at the beginning of October to lose 2 pounds a week until New Year's, which would get me down to what I feel is a reasonable weight for me.

My main problem with keeping my weight in check is overeating. That dinner was delicious, so I must have more of it. Or, we might as well not have leftovers, so I should finish this off. Also a lot of snacking, whether it is in the afternoon at work when I'm feeling sleepy or in the evenings after the kids go to bed.

I've usually given up fairly easy on weight-loss attempts because I don't like feeling hungry or don't want to spend a bunch of extra money on so-called "healthy" foods. So I decided that I would focus on just cutting out extra portions and unhealthy snacking and see where that got me. Also, I'm better at doing stuff if I make it like a game, so I decided to limit myself to 2,000 calories per day.

The first week went great. I kept track of what I was eating in a notebook and was conscious about every food choice I made. The results were good too - I dropped three pounds. The first couple of days were difficult, but it became easier as I got used to eating less. I also found that food actually tasted much better when I wasn't consuming so much. A small portion of vanilla ice cream at the end of the week was surprisingly delightful.

While playing the calorie game really helped me as far as keeping myself in check, I found that it is sometimes easier said than done. It's pretty easy when you're counting what's in a sandwich, or a glass of milk, or a stack of pancakes. But when it's some sort of homemade soup or casserole, it's much more difficult to figure out where you're at calorie-wise. At first, I just guessed, but then sort of gave up on keeping track of any of it. Still, I dropped two more pounds the second week.

I've tried to get back into the notebook thing, but haven't been able to. My birthday was at the end of the third week, which brought some extra treats and food along with it. I (gasp) gained a tiny bit of weight back.

Another trap is fresh-baked rolls. It's a well-known fact that these are not nearly as good the day after. So I haven't done well at stopping at one or two. To do otherwise would be a disservice to the rolls. Plus the kids were on fall break this last week and one of their activities was to make homemade donuts and donut holes. So to come home from work after a long day of restraining yourself and find a bunch of tasty treats on the counter, well, it wasn't good. The fourth week wrapped up with me losing the extra that I gained back in week three.

So my net loss for the four weeks is five pounds. Many of my pants do fit a little better, and I've found that I'm actually less tired lately. So progress has been made. I plan to keep it going, if for no other reason than to have the Wii praise me.