Counting...

Calories.  Calories are so elusive.  Truly.  I never thought I'd be the kind of girl who would count calories.  To me, "those kind of girls", the calorie counting ones, are too rigid, controlling and dare I say it....mean!  That is how strange the thoughts of a girl (okay I'm 35, but still) can be in this day and age.  Are we not totally getting strange messages from our culture about bodies, and health, and beauty and weight?  Ick!  And somehow, I ended up here, being overweight, and really disliking the idea of counting calories, because I was afraid that somehow it would turn me into a cold-hearted woman. (or something)  Yes, I know I have issues.  blech!

Okay...so....having explained all of that....I would like to tell you that I am doing well on my weightloss journey, because....I'm counting calories.   I just finally decided to really be honest with myself about what I'm eating.  So I found this free online calorie counter and have been keeping track of what goes in my belly.  I like that the website explains how many calories a person can have a day based on their height and weight and helps you set up a goal.  It also has exercises and how many calories you expend for your weight and age, etc.  It's interesting and I find it helps me stay accountable.

The other thing I have done that is helping is that I bought myself a pedometer!  It's really quite fun.  And I find it is encouraging on days that I don't have time to spend a big chunk of time on exercising, to just watch how many steps I'm taking and just push myself to do more.  Currently I'm doing about 6,000 steps a day!  Thats about 2.5 miles, just taking care of my kids!

My goal is to lose ten percent of my body weight by March 7. (I have a physical scheduled for that day)  I have to lose about 2.5 lbs a week in order to do that, but I think I can do it!  J is being really supportive about this whole thing and I'm so glad he is cheering me on!  It helps too, to share here with you all.  I can't believe how many of you, dear friends, have sent me an email, or said something in person about this to me.  Thank you!  It means so much to me!

If you are trying to make some changes for a healthier lifestyle, I encourage you to set a small goal for yourself.  It might not be to lose ten percent of your weight, but maybe just to drink more water!  Or to just start writing down what you eat.  Give it a try!  We CAN do this!