It feels like only yesterday that my brother and I could eat an entire pan of Chocolate Mint Brownies and not a single teeny tiny ounce would land on my skinny little legs…
Well, I suppose that’s a bit of an exaggeration. My teenage years were quite some time ago, weren’t they?
Now that I’ve gone through the delightful process of having 3 children, and my birthday calendar says I’m “over 40”, things have changed a great deal in the weight department.
A few years ago my doctor called me into his office to say my recent blood work showed high cholesterol:
“Just eat healthy, exercise, and lose some weight and you’ll be fine,” he assured me.
Oh, how easily that sentence rolls off the tongue.
I wanted to strangle his {blessed} skinny little neck!
“Just lose some weight” is not an easy thing for me.
***
While I’ve been cooking away in the camp kitchen, I’ve been watching my husband and his handy dandy iPhone. About 2 years ago he started a new “healthy lifestyle” program. He set up an app called MyFitnessPal and was diligent about logging his eating and exercise habits.
As I watched his dedication, I also saw how well the program was working. He’s now lost over 35 pounds (and yes, he looks amazing!).
I was recently gifted an iPad mini, so I was eager to try this app myself. I’ve tried other weight loss programs (like online Weight Watchers and other bizarre ‘quick fix’ diets), but I haven’t had any long-term success. So, with my husband as a great coach on both the topic and the app, I jumped right in a little over a week ago.
I love it! I started by entering a few facts about myself, like my current weight, height, and goal weight. Then it calculated how many calories I should eat each day and predicted how fast the weight would come off. (I couldn’t get it to go lower than 1 pound a week.)
Mine is 1290, which doesn’t leave much wiggle room for chocolate mint brownies or Snickers bars!! As I go through the day, I tap that “plus” button every time I eat something, and it subtracts those calories from the amount I started with each morning.
It’s a visual that finally works for me.
Likewise, if I go for a 40 minute walk, it calculates how many calories I’ve burned and adds that to the amount I can eat that day! (I’ve never been so motivated to walk in my life! :))
At the end of the day, I love being able to see clearly whether “success” was achieved. That’s also when having my healthy eating coach at home is a bonus. He assures me that you “can’t expect to get it right overnight.” Like most things in life, this comes with a learning curve.
But I’m sure having fun while I’m learning! :)
I admit I haven’t had the courage to step on the scale since day 1, but I already feel so much better. I’ve been researching and finding (much to my surprise!) some really delicious recipes, and I don’t feel like I’m starving all the time.
As part of the Summer Series here on Bildirimlerim, I’ll be sharing some tips and tricks I’m discovering on this new healthy living journey. I’m in no way an expert, but I’d love to encourage you if you’re thinking about eating and living a little “healthier,” too. Obviously, one of my motivations is to fit into smaller clothes, but an even bigger one is to be healthier and stronger.
If you’re already on a healthy lifestyle journey, I’d love for you to share your tips with us! Where do you go to find low calorie and delicious recipes? What are your favorite snacks? And here’s a big one for me… what kind of exercise do you enjoy? I’m sticking with walking for now, but we’ll see…
If you’re interested in the MyFitnessPal app, you can check out their website here, and there are lots of YouTube videos on how to use it.
**I was not compensated in any way, shape, or form for saying good things about the MyFitnessPal app. I just really like it!
