weight

Sarah - posted on 03/25/2010

I too am working on getting that weight off. For me I always knew that eating the right foods and amounts and exercising is how you stay fit, but putting that into play in not easy. I found that if I try to with hold some of my favorite things I crave it just makes it worse for later one because eventually I cave in and eat all the stuff I have been not allowing myself to eat. I am 34 years old and just decided one day that I needed to really do something or it was going to get worse as I got older....meaning flexibility and moving. I am a very routine person so I knew that if I could just get into the routine of doing something and it get to the point of feeling like a part of my day I would stick with it. I am not a morning person but that was the only time I could do something on a regular basis....I knew it had to be about the same time everyday for it to feel like a routine. So I started by getting up everyday and walking for 1/2 hour before I would need to get ready for work. Not to say I would wish that alarm would not go off so soon, but I got into that routine and was doing a 1/2 hour 6-7 days a week. I also developed little rewards for me. I don't have much exercise clothes or stuff so I would set goals. If I continued to stay on my routine for a month then I would buy myself something then I would set another goal, so that way it helped me to keep going. The next thing I did was decide to cut down on my portions that I take. Without knowing over the years I started eating bigger and bigger portions. I still make the same things I have always made (this may have to change as I get closer to my weight goal and it gets harder to get that weight off) but for now I just take less of whatever I am making. I have also started to pay attention to how many calories are in things. There were somethings I was eating as a small snack that shocked me how many calories were in it. I love sweets so I still continue to eat them I just am more wise in how and what I eat. Instead of a hershey bar that has over 200 calories I put in a small bag some m&ms or choc. chips that have about 100 calories....this way I can still get my choc. fill, but I keep the calorie count low. I have also started to bake differently. I love to make cookies and I have found that you can take out the margrine and sub. it with applesauce. This cuts the calorie count way down. The cookies taste even better with applesauce....you don't taste the applesauce it just makes the cookies more of a softer/doughier cookie. The first time I made them I did not tell my family what I did. My kids and my husband both said that those were the best cookies and wanted to know what I did differently. It has been about 3 months since I have been doing the portions and sweets thing and I find myself now not wanting/craving as many sweets as I used to. Another thing I do is when we eat fast food is to not order fries with my meal(unless I was craving them, then I order a small or eat a few from my husband or kids). I find that I still get satisfied with pop and a sandwich and don't need the fries. I know pop is another good thing to cut out, but that I have not gotten to yet. I do try to drink only about 1 can or less a day. When I was pregnant with my daughter I made myself a rule that I would only drink pop if we went out to eat. If I was at home then I would drink water. This did work really well and I think I may go back to that rule. These are what I have found to help me loose some of that weight. I still have a ways to go so I am sure some of my things I am doing now will have to change if I want to get where I want to be, but I think little steps and have success with those little steps helps you get to the bigger ones.