Another successful day

I woke up this morning and was down 2.5lbs on the home scale.  This is good news.  I felt better than I felt yesterday too.  More in control.  I know I always say this, but again it just boggles my mind why I don't spend more days on program when that's the best I ever feel anyway.

I didn't sign when I got up because we had modem problems it took most of the day to correct.  By then we were running around doing last minute shopping, which is where the exercise came in.  I went shopping for the Christmas dinner at a store I'd never really been in before, so I was back and forth, up and down, all around that store at least fifteen times to get everything.  Spent an hour and a half shopping both there and for my secret Santa gift for my son Timothy (that's how we decided was best for the kids to use their allowances to buy gifts for other people - they just had to buy one gift for one person, drawn from a hat, with a limit of $10).  That burned 255 calories, which took my overall intake from the 1768 calories to 1513 calories.  It went a little over because I forgot about some graham crackers I ate last night and just now put them in. 

It was a few calories over, but still, I have to be proud of what I accomplished today.  Tomorrow will be better.  I just need to remember to write everything down right when I eat it so I don't have any extra calories, even if it's just a few.

I'm just proud I got some exercise in, even if it wasn't at the gym.

The good news is I feel much better than I did the last week and will be able to get back into that groove very soon. 

Anyway, getting ready for Christmas Eve.  I remember back to last year when I wouldn't even let that stop me from our exercise.  I feel chagrined.  I need to take a lesson from that girl.  She may have been heavier, but she was wiser. 

There won't be any walks at the park, as evidenced by the photos above.  We are going to get our white Christmas.  It's frickin cold.

But I still have a Pilates tape and an exercise bike here at the house.  So I don't really have any excuses.

Tip for the Day:  AVOID THESE DIET TRAPS!

• Eat all you want and still lose weight. Sounds too good to be true, right? It is. The laws of physics still apply. Your extra weight is energy stored up as fat. To lose weight, more energy has to come out than goes in. Energy is measured in calories. When you move your body, you burn calories. When you eat or drink anything other than water, you take in calories. If you burn more than you take in, you lose weight.
• I have to starve myself to lose weight. Very low-calorie diets are dangerous. This should be done only with medical supervision, and only when there is a medical need to lose a lot of weight as fast as possible. Gradual weight loss is much healthier -- and much easier.
• I have to diet to lose weight. One diet after another isn't the answer. A consistent plan for a healthier lifestyle lays the groundwork for lasting weight loss.
• A fad diet worked for my friend. We all know someone who went on a diet and swears by it. These diets rarely work for long. A sudden change in your eating habits can lead to a pattern of quick weight loss followed by rebound weight gain once you go back to a normal diet.
• Lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks! Early weight loss from fad diets is usually from water loss. The bathroom scale may show that you lost weight, but it is not fat weight. Most experts say that losing a pound a week is an excellent goal. This means eating 500 fewer calories a day. This can be done by learning -- and practicing -- healthy eating habits.

Diet Programs

There are lots of diet programs out there. Before you sign up, the FDA suggests that you ask these questions:

• What are the health risks?
• What data can you show me that your program really works?
• Do your other customers keep their weight off after they leave the program?
• Do you have a weight-maintenance program? Does it cost extra?
• What kind of supervision do you offer? What credentials to these supervisors have?
• What's involved? Are there special foods, counseling visits, or exercise plans?

Stats:

Calories: 1768
Fat: 31%
Sat. Fat: 8%
Fiber: 25g
Carbs: 233g
Calcium: 997mg
Exercise: burned 255 calories

DAILY AFFIRMATION: Every day is a brand new chance to turn it all around.