Okay, so I know what you're thinking . . . those are not the words to the song, but I want to take a second and talk about my food scale haha. So for the past 40 days my family and I have been competing in a "Biggest Loser Family: Edition Challenge," and well, to say it's been an minor adjustment is an understatement.
Last year, I had goals to get into shape and start being healthier. I completed the Bikini Body Mommy 90 Day Challenge, but never did anything to address my nutrition, and therefore didn't lose any weight. So, this year, instead of "dieting" and trying to follow some ridiculous fad to lose weight, I've decided that I would focus solely on counting calories.
I know, counting calories isn't the best route to lose weight; there are a lot of dieting fads out there that really work and the results they produce are amazing. The problem I have with these fads though, is I'm not willing to permanently give up all the foods I love (pizza, chips, ice cream & of course chocolate!) to keep off the weight I want to lose. I really want to make this a lifestyle change and not just something I'm doing for the competition. So instead I've been eating whatever I want as long as I don't go over my 1,700 calorie limit.
This may seem a tad counter productive, but this method really seems to be working for me. I've been using the My Fitness Pal app to keep track of my calories eaten, calories burned, my water intake, and the exercise I complete each day. It might sound a little corny, but this app makes my efforts feel more like a game, than something I don't want to do. I love seeing the calories I earn back as I exercise. It makes me happy, that I can instantly see the results of what I'm doing. I love how the app encourages me to keep up with what I'm doing by giving me predictions of what I'd weigh in 5 weeks if I were to eat a certain way every day.
I would lose weight quicker if I stuck to a dieting plan, like the 21-day fix, slim fast or any of the other programs out there, but I don't think I'd be as happy as I am. I love food a lot and I can get really cranky if I don't get enough haha. Besides, my little method really seems to be working thus far. I've lost 8 PDS since we've started, and that may not seem like much, but it's a HUGE start. My body didn't transform over night, it took time to get where my body is today and three beautiful little girls, so it's only fair that I give my body time to get back to where I want it to be.
Although, I haven't given up any of the foods I love, I have been trying to eat more fruits and vegetables and I've completely given up pop (well, almost). I discovered that Diet Dr. Pepper doesn't have any calories (I know it's still completely unhealthy, but I'm only focusing on calories at the moment.) Anyway, this is my go to treat drink. I have it maybe once every two weeks. I've really been trying to drink more water, which is something I've always struggled with, even when I was marching around in Swing Band in the blazing sun haha. I usually drink around 90 OZ of water a day, which makes me pee like crazy, but also means I eat less snack foods.
Anyway, the point of this post is do whatever works for you. If you're putting in the effort to better yourself and make a change, results will come. Remember change won't happen overnight, it might not even happen in a week, but it will happen if you keep pushing through.
