Frugal Diet and Exercise Plan – February...

Well, I initially failed miserably at my noble plan to exercise vigorously and to eat more healthfully. I have however been reading a lot of information about the topic! Now, before you write me off . . .

Someone on Gather.com pointed me in the direction of fitday.com. This is a great site where individuals can set goals for diet, exercise, weight loss, etc. Progress can be tracked daily and users can even have reports generated in chart form so you can receive a visual of your progress. I've also been reading up on healthy weight loss, obesity, and the science of body chemistry.

I discovered a formula in my reading that I believe has opened my eyes in several ways. The formula was to determine how many calories you need to consume to maintain your current weight. I have to admit I redid the calculation several times because I was certain it was not humanly possible for me to be consuming the number of calories it said I was! But, oh, yes, I apparently have been! I felt both repulsed and empowered. An odd combination, I know!

I don't think I need to explain to any overweight or obese person why I was repulsed. Trust me - it was a LOT of calories! I mean really a lot! The liberating part of that discovery was that I could still eat half that number of calories and lose weight! As I continue to lose, I can continue to cut down on the calories until I achieve my goal and then recalculate the healthy number of calories I should consume.

Yep - that's workable. Of course, in order to reach my goal several months down the road, I do have to be fairly strict, but I don't need to feel as if I've blown it one day if I decide to splurge a little! Interesting thing is I don't feel deprived and I have chosen to eat substantially less than half of said calories! I think it's about having a choice and feeling more in control.

Another article I read - not sure if it was on Gather or somewhere else online - is that hunger pains won't last. That was also a "light-bulb" for me! This writing suggested that you just ride it out. Kind of self-talk yourself through the hunger until it passes. Then it gets easier to get through each one, until the rumbling in your stomach no longer rules when and what you eat. Guess what? It works!

So, I'm not doing any particular program. I'm simply using my new discoveries to be healthy and conscious of what and why and how I'm eating. What helps to keep me on track, too is that I enter everything I eat - including creamer in my coffee! - and watch the total calories consumed grow with each entry. I also get a graph of the source of my calories based on what I've eaten--carbs, fats, etc. That helps me modify my choices for meals and snacks.

The one area where I need to get on the stick is exercise. It's almost Spring, and I know that early morning walks will be so enjoyable and the home gym in the garage will be dusted off and actually used again any day now!

My results: I've been consuming between 1300 and 1500 calories a day - and I've had at least one homemade oatmeal cookie each day! I'm substituting yogurt for my beloved 2-3 serving size bowls of ice cream at night and made a few other changes in terms of how I snack. I keep apples around, and when I absolutely can't stand being hungry, I'll just grab one of those or another piece of fruit.

I've lost 4.5 pounds since January 29. I'm so excited I can't stand it because for the first time in my life I feel well-educated and in charge of my eating. It's wonderful. I think it's awesome that this new lifestyle coincides with the Lenten season. This year I'm not giving up anything! I'm gaining a healthier body! There is so much I want to accomplish in my life, and I know I will be more capable as a healthy person.

Oh, I can't leave out this important part: my husband has been praying for me to lose weight. I don't mean that in a facetious way at all. I prayed and prayed for more than a year - along with several of our friends - that he would quit smoking. He assures me to this day he has not had a single craving for a cigarette since he quit cold turkey a few years ago. He is certain it is due to those prayers being lifted on his behalf

That's how he's praying for me. He loves me as I am - honestly doesn't see the fat rolls! That's why I feel so blessed to have him as a husband! I do attribute my own prayers, coupled with his to be a major factor in my new found outlook on eating and living.

I'll be posting updates periodically. Hopefully my journey will help inspire someone else the way some of those participating in the tea diet challenge on Gather inspired me!