It has officially been over a month since Paul and I started counting calories.
Now, to you guys, this may not seem like too big of a deal…but for me…
It’s a big freaking deal!
I have never, NEVER, been able to stick to any kind of deliberate weight loss/fitness endeavor for more than 2 weeks. In college, I did manage to go running every day with my best friends, but that was because we had nothing better to do in the afternoons, and it was mainly just fun to be with my best friends.
I think, however, that that was the kicker. It wasn’t deliberate, it was fun…and that’s an attribute that is pretty important to have when you’re talking about exercising; if I’m having fun, it doesn’t hurt so bad.
Except for ab exercises. Those were never fun for me, Marissa. Those were never, ever fun.
ANYWAY, I’m getting slightly off-topic.
Now, I’m not going to turn this into a weight-loss blog, and I’m really not trying to brag, but I’m pretty goll-danged proud of Paul and myself.
We have lost 5 pounds…together! And has it been painful, unpleasant, or a huge stressful burden? No. In fact, I’d say that it has been a great marriage activity. Paul and I aren’t very good at sticking to things. We just aren’t. We get easily distracted. We started doing theCouch to 5K plan this spring, and then we moved into a new apartment. And that went down the proverbial crapper. But this? Counting calories has been (are you sitting down?) not bad at all. The other miracle is that I’ve managed to exercise at least 3 times a week…every week. Miracle, I tell you.
There is, however, a secret weapon involved. www.livestrong.com I’m telling you, I don’t know if we would have stuck to this if it weren’t for this website. My friend, Jessica, turned me on to this site, and I don’t think I’ve told her this yet, but she looks F.A.B.U.L.O.U.S. (Obviously, simply visiting this page will not make you magically shed off pounds like little weight-loss fairies came and melted them off of you with a sexifying blow-torch; you’ve got to put in a little work.) This page allows you to enter your height, weight, etc… and calculates your caloric needs. You enter your goals and progress, and it even gives you fun little ‘badges’ along the way…as a reformed Zynga game junky, this is un-surprisingly motivating. The cool thing is, however, that as you enter your exercise, it changes your calorie needs throughout the day. “You ran 19 miles?” Says Livestrong.com, “Well, for cripes’ sake, make sure you get enough calories so that you don’t pass out halfway through the day.”
What’s totally, crazy awesome about this site is its enormous food database. You type in, let’s say, “Edy’s slow churned mint chocolate chip” and it brings up about 13 different kinds of Edy’s ice cream…and if I can’t find the exact kind, I can find one with the same amount of calories. Then it does ALL OF THE CALUCLATING FOR YOU.
(Notice here that I am eating ice cream. Obviously, I’m not eating 5 bowls of it…I’m having a serving. Why? Because it’s yummy and sometimes I need a little ice cream. Does it derail my endeavors? Nope. Because I’m not eating like an idiot. I’m being aware…and that’s what it’s all about.)
Anyway, I’m going to wrap it up for today, because this is getting long…but I’m not done. I’m fairly excited about this whole situation, so bear with me on the calorie posts…This isn’t going to turn into a diet/fitness blog, though, I promise.
Also, I had a friend mention last time that, because of a history of eating disorder problems, she can’t count calories…it makes her feel a little neurotic. That’s a good point. While calorie counting has been a really good experience for us, it doesn’t mean it’s good for everyone. Please remember, that I am BY NO MEANS a weight-loss expert, and if counting calories isn’t for you, for goodness sakes, don’t do it!
I just haven’t had much experience in my lifetime with doing a happy dance nearly every time I step off the scale, so I wanted to share my excitement with my friends. (That’s you guys, by the way. Hi, friends. 🙂 )
Thanks for reading! Now go! Go forth and be productive! Finish your coffee and create spectacular things!