Starting Off

"To reach a goal you have never before attained, you must do things you have never before done."

--Richard G. Scott, "Finding the Way Back," Ensign, May 1990, 74

As I venture once again into this portion control and exercise thing, I'm finding that having been there before and knowing that it's achievable is a HUGE help. The quote above is for anyone joining me who hasn't done this before.

Before I was in my late 30s, I never had to watch my weight--thanks Mom. Now it's a different story. A friend asked, as a comment to the last post, whether I was doing this for reasons other than health, and to be honest, I am. I mean, of course there's always health reasons. I'm right now just at the cusp of the healthy BMI for my height. I want to catch it before it becomes discouraging and too difficult to battle.

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To be completely honest, my main reason is more mentally based. I remember how great I felt about myself when I lost weight the first time. You know, when you first start out, it's a bit frustrating. The weight doesn't seem to come off as quickly as you'd like it to. But, once you get over that and continue to eat right and exercise, there's a point where your clothes become baggy and you start to notice the change. There's a great sense of satisfaction in knowing that you were able to rise above and control yourself and that that level of control has become somewhat second nature--you don't have to try so hard. That is my main reason for doing this. I just want to feel good about myself in that way again.

So, here's what's going on today....

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I had two pieces of 12 grain toast this morning with blackberry fruit-only spread on it. Although the website said bread was 1 point, I put in the numbers on the side and found that this particular bread is two. The jam is 1 point per tablespoon. I didn't measure it, but figured I put about a tablespoon's worth on each slice, so I gave myself 2 points for that.

Breakfast total:  6 points

I took the kids to the movies today. They had food to eat during the movie, and although I was tempted, I didn't touch any of it. Because of this, by lunch I was STARVING! We went to the Warden's school and had burgers. I threw caution to the wind and put mayo along with my ketchup and mustard on it. Ketchup and mustard are each zero points up to a certain amount, but mayo'll get you every time.

I'm SO LOVING onemorepound.com. I mean LOVE IT! I go there to search for point amounts. Just so you know if you go there, to find point amounts for jam and mayo, go to the section on the main page that says "POINTS for Thousands of Items" then go to "POINTS for Condiments, Dressings, Marinades, and Spreads."

I have the books that I purchased back in the day, but onemorepound.com means I don't have to spend the time looking things up in the index and rifling through the pages. Did I happen to mention that I LOVE onemorepound.com?! Well, now you know.

I also ate blueberries with lunch. They are zero points for 1/2 cup.

image credit: http://nutritionistics.wordpress.com

I created a simple spreadsheet to keep track of my current weight (I figure I'll weigh in every Monday), the points I have to eat and have eaten, and the goals I've set and where I'm at with those. I want to make sure I eat five servings of fruits and veggies a day, exercise for at least 20 minutes and drink a huge load of water. Normally that water would be somewhere around 64 ounces, but dealing with some health issues right now, it's been suggested that I double that. Ugh! But, I'm doing it. It seems to be making a difference.

Exercise is my hardest thing. It's just difficult to slip out of the house and get moving. I would also much rather have company, so I think I'll grab a kid or two once they get home from today's activities. It may end up being after 9:00 tonight, but it will happen! 

One other suggestion....As with all goals, in order to be successful, there must be an aspect of accountability. That's the very reason why I'm posting this here. Yes, dear reader, I'm using you for accountability purposes. I know if I'm going to have to fess up to what I'm doing, I'll be more careful about what I do, so thank you! 

Here's what's left to be done today....

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• 11 more points to eat
• At least 20 minutes of exercise to do (which will add more points that I can eat)
• 8 more glasses of water to consume
• 3 more servings of fruits and/or veggies--our garden's needing to be harvested a bit, so I think I'll be spending some time out there.

If you're joining me, I'd love to know how things are going for you. What are your goals? Do you have any additional pointers for me? If you do, I'd be happy to share them in a future post--if you're okay with that.