Sacrifice Vs. Maintenance

It's like I have two guys sitting on my shoulders. One wants me to completely put my effort into shedding this 20 pounds, and the other little devil keeps reminding me that I'm a pretty happy person who looks and feels good enough.
I just watched a home movie last night of Colin and Liam's 3rd birthday party...I looked really good. I was probably about 7 pounds lighter than I am now. 7 pounds isn't that much, right? Well, here's how much 7 pounds is to me:
7 pounds is fitting into those jeans that I really like.
7 pounds is not having to pull the sides of my jeans up onto my love handles to "cover them up." (I can't help but laugh that I even think this works!)
7 pounds is having more energy than I have now.
7 pounds is feeling a lot more confident.
I'm pretty sure I had a moment watching that movie where I sighed and smiled because I can totally remember how it was to look and feel that good. Do you have one of those moments, or pictures, or videos you can look back on to get inspired?
I keep reminding myself that it is worth the sacrifice now. I can work really hard for the next 4, 5, or 6 months to feel and look better for the rest of my life. So far this week my sacrifice has paid off...I lost another pound!
Okay, I'm convinced! I definitely want to keep going.

I HATE Counting Calories

Almost every time I try to lose weight I say to myself, "I'm just going to eat healthy food." As long as I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables and whole grains I'll lose weight, right? (Insert loud buzzer sound here) Calories are calories and whether they are from healthy food or junk food there is a limit to what your body needs to operate every day.
If you want to lose weight you have to cut calories out of your diet and you have to erase calories by exercising. The average person should be cutting their intake by 300-500 calories per day. In fact, if you want to avoid forcing your body into survival mode (which will slow your metabolism) you should not consume less than 1,200- 1,500 calories a day!
Unfortunately, the only way to know if you are cutting these calories or eating enough of them is to count them. It is such a tedious task. Not only does it mean counting, it means measuring your food...For instance, my idea of a serving of cereal is completely different from my husbands idea!Let's look at shredded wheat: completely healthy, no sugar, lots of fiber. It's a great base to your breakfast. My bowl is a serving size, 1 cup. Jason's bowl is actually about 1 3/4 servings! That means he is eating an extra 127 calories, and that's before adding milk or fruit!
If you want to lose weight you have to cut calories. If you want to cut calories you have to measure your food and keep track of your calories. And remember: if you take the time to measure now, it will become a habit and a very natural part of your daily life. So far today my count is up to 430 calories. What's yours?

Is it day 27 or day 2?

I set out this summer saying that "I have to lose that extra 20 pounds." I know that if I don't do it now I won't do it later. I've already been saying this for almost 3 years, since my youngest was born.
So, Thursday, June 2 was day 1 of 80 days of summer vacation. Life just seems to slow down with the summer and I was certain that with less time constrictions I would finally do this. Well, it's day 27 and guess what? I've lost a grand total of 1.5 pounds. Now, you might say, "good for you", or "a pound's a pound!" But, I know I could have done a LOT better! Let's just say that I haven't been behaving when it comes to eating right.
So, yesterday I started over with new gusto and survived. Today I keep reminding myself that I really do like to eat healthy. I love the way healthy food tastes. I feel so accomplished after a day of avoiding refined sugars and processed foods. I'm really looking forward to day 3.


Lunch today was a smoothie made with Stonyfield Organic French Vanilla yogurt, mixed fruit (frozen), and skim milk, as well as beans and red pepper in a spinach wrap. This is about 500 calories and filled me up even after running 2 miles!