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Progress Report

Posted by Trish Milburn Jan 26 2012, 12:01 am in eating healthy, exercise, guest blogger, weight loss

By Nancy Northcott

Well, here we are two months into my efforts to whittle down my weight. I have to admit those efforts haven’t been as zealous as they need to be. I’ve modified my eating habits but haven’t managed to get the exercise portion of the program going. Even so, I’ve lost 1.8 pounds.

This loss isn’t huge and could easily slide backwards, but it’s encouraging. I’ve done this by eating more salads and less processed sugar. More days than not, now, I eat breakfast (yogurt or fruit or cereal with skim milk). It does get the metabolism going and helps burn calories. I didn’t used to be a fan of skim milk, but the weaker taste isn’t as noticeable on cereal as it was by itself.

For snacks, I eat fruit or yogurt. We keep a bag of Hershey’s kisses on the kitchen counter for when I crave chocolate (or the dh does). I allow myself one from the bag, just enough to satisfy the yen, and chase it with water to get the taste out of my mouth so I don’t go back for more.

Sometimes I have nacho chips with salsa (very few calories in salsa, which is mostly veggies). I have to be careful to have just a few chips, not stand at the counter taking more out of the bag every few minutes.

I’m drinking more water, trying always to have water with me. My goal is to drink at least 48 ounces a day, spreading it out over the day so I don’t get waterlogged, and I usually have water with meals. For some reason, as I learned when working as a weight loss counselor, water helps with weight loss.

My most successful weight loss, 35 pounds, came when I was eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner in sensible portions of healthy foods, snacking on fruit or veggies between meals, and exercising. One of my favorite treats is a sliced apple with peanut butter on the slices.

I haven’t made as much progress as I’d like, but I’ve made some, and I realize whether or not I make more is within my own control.

Are you trying to make a lifestyle change? If so, how’s it going? If not, what do you think lets you maintain a healthy lifestyle?

10 Comments

Comments

10 Responses to “Progress Report”

Molly Herwood says:

January 26, 2012 at 7:00 am

Now that the Chromos are both back at school and it’s just TV Stevie & me in the house, my fridge is filled with produce. No junk. It’s amazing, really, how much better we eat when we’re not catering to the children’s lifestyles/plans. Or they’re not filling the fridge with their “stuff”. Meals are so much easier. And healthier.

Reply
- Nancy Northcott says:
  
  January 26, 2012 at 11:33 am
  
  Molly, congratulations on purging your fridge! I agree, it’s so much easier to make healthy choices when you aren’t around people whose metabolisms burn calories with every eyeblink, as our son’s seems to. I love fresh fruit, and the dh and I both like steamed veggies.
  
  Reply
Michelle Butler says:

January 26, 2012 at 10:45 am

Congratulations on the loss, Nancy, and getting more control over your eating and making it healthier. It sounds like you’ve accomplished a lot during a very challenging time – aka the holidays. It’s inspiring.

I’m impressed you’ve found a way to limit your tortilla chip intake. Chips and salsa are an absolute favorite of mine.

Best wishes on the next couple of months!!

Reply
- Nancy Northcott says:
  
  January 26, 2012 at 11:34 am
  
  Michelle, thank you ! I do love chips and salsa, and it’s so tempting to stand at the kitchen window and munch absently while watching the birds in the back yard. It’s a tough, sometimes, to remember I have to pay attention to quantities.
  
  Reply
Diane Gaston says:

January 26, 2012 at 12:18 pm

I’ve had tremendous luck with Weight Watchers – a shade under 18 lbs since Sept. The point system encourages more vegetables and fruit and so it has forced me to change to healthy eating habits, just because I can eat vegetables and fruit and still stay within my Points. Now it has become habit and I don’t have cravings for sweets or chips or things like that.

The key for me is recording what I eat. I can’t eat mindlessly if I have to write it down!

That said, I’m still not exercising enough at all. THAT’s my challenge for February!!

Reply
- Nancy Northcott says:
  
  January 26, 2012 at 2:49 pm
  
  Hi, Diane–Congratulations on your Weight Watchers success! Eighteen pounds lost is a wonderful accomplishment.
  
  I think it’s a great program and very liveable. I, too, need to exercise more.
  
  Reply
- Trish Milburn says:
  
  January 26, 2012 at 6:00 pm
  
  Diane, that’s fantastic progress! I’m so happy for you.
  
  I’m so looking forward to February because I can take all this mental energy I’m expending on all these deadlines and really focus on the health and fitness. Plus, the stress of the deadlines and the wacky sleep pattern should get back under control.
  
  Reply
Anju Gattani says:

January 26, 2012 at 5:54 pm

Hi Nancy,
I made a huge lifestyle change in Jan last year when my cholestrol was on the borderline. A recent check up this month and my LDL / cholestrol level is down by 18%! It was a combination of things and diet changes… but it worked! I’m sure whatever you’ve set your mind to will work as long as you follow through!

Reply
- Nancy Northcott says:
  
  January 26, 2012 at 7:20 pm
  
  Anju, congratulations on getting your cholesterol down! It’s hard to make changes sometimes, and I’m glad to see yours have paid off.
  
  Thanks for the good wishes.
  
  Reply
Nancy Northcott says:

January 26, 2012 at 8:59 pm

Thanks to all the Healthy Writers for having me, and thanks to everyone who dropped by, either to comment or to lurk.

Reply

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