Balls and Walnuts
more than you ever wanted to know
Dieting again
Soon after I got to Bakersfield, I started working out in earnest, and I also did a short bit (ten sessions) with a trainer. As part of training, she had me calorie count for ten weeks. Amazingly, I lost about 15 lbs while calorie counting (which for me is a big deal). After that I decided I could maintain my weight by working out and I didn’t need to mess with no calorie counting.
Eighteen pounds later, I’m still working out and the pounds have crept back with interest. I used the occasion of my new smart phone to get a free calorie counting app (My Fitness Pal, which is also available online). It’s a cool app. It will even scan bar codes, and it’s only occasionally stumped. (It thought my Lactaid Low Fat milk was Cheerios . . . that was interesting.) I’ve been at it for a week and a half and I’ve only lost about a pound and a half, but I’m not adhering to too strict of a count — 1700 calories per day. Two years ago, I was running anywhere from 1300 to 1600 per day.
But hey, we all know how worthless fast results can be. The diet I’ve adopted is fairly simple. Calorie counting forces me to think about what I eat, so I’ve stopped eating a lot of crap, and I’ve stopped eating unconsciously, just because the food is there. And that, I suppose, is what calorie counting is all about. I wouldn’t be surprised if in my non-counting days I was taking in 2400 calories a day or more. Donuts and candy bars add up after a while.
I will try not to read too much symbolism into the fact that I just dropped my new cell phone, shattering the face plate. Thank heavens for insurance.
D.
Good luck! I’m sort of thinking it’s time to revisit the whole weight thing, but as a compulsive-type it’s very hard for me to adopt the regular moderate habits that have a long-term impact.
Looking forward to hearing more about calorie counting. The mindfulness aspect makes sense on the face of it.
Will we be getting before and after pictures, showing the new sexier you?
Sadly, the only part of me that ever gets any sexier with diet and exercise is my ass, and then it’s more a feel-thing than a look-thing. But you’re welcome to cop a feel next time you’re out visiting 🙂
The horror… the horror…
Sorry, what?
No more popcorn for you. You’re getting too fat.