The Magic Formula

One of the things that I've learned over all these years of struggling with my weight (and with the whole weight loss process) is that most people don't really want to hear "the magic formula". Even if they ask you how you lost your weight, they really don't want to hear it was thru eating a healthy diet and exercising (a lot of exercising).

The formula is easy, implementing it, not so much. Quite frankly, the only magic formula to lose weight is to burn more calories than you consume. For me to make this work, that means food logs and lots of extra exercise. It's hard work, it's a lot of sacrifice and it takes a lot of honesty.

I think it's the honesty that most people don't want to deal with. Food logs only work if you track every single thing you eat. Whether it's the taste of pasta while preparing dinner, or just a little of what ever the kids left on their plate before you do dishes, or a piece of hard candy. It's the serving and a half compared to just one serving. Those things do add up. They add up a lot more than most people realize.

If I cheat on my food logs, the only person I cheat is myself. My weight loss may be slow, but it has been steady. I haven't stopped eating carbs or meat or really anything. I've cut down on certain foods (a moment of silence for the beloved grilled cheese sandwiches which are no longer a daily staple for me), but that doesn't mean I won't eat those foods on occassion.

My birthday is Sunday. I am going to splurge. I will have birthday cake. The food log will be put away for the day (maybe even the weekend, as I think Matt and I will go out for lunch on Saturday and I'll probably have a beer and some ribs). Will I beat myself up for this weekend of decadence. Nope, but that also means that come Monday, the food log will come back out.

I'll also add that the workouts will not be stopped. Just as I plan on brushing my teeth over the weekend (twice a day, thank you very much), I will keep to my workout regimine.

I guess my point on today's entry is that there is no magic formula, but a life style that must be adopted for sucess. Even tho' I'm still 20-30 lbs from my goal, I do feel that I've adopted, and even to some extent embraced a healthier lifestyle. Making healthy choices most of the time makes the times I do splurge more fun!

Today's Positive Comment:
At age 36 I weigh 60 lbs less than I did when I was 30.