Minus 10 Without Trying (Too Hard)

A close family friend stopped by the house earlier after spending the entire day with my little sister. Shortly after she left, my sister says: "Janel says you lost weight." Naturally, I responded with: "Really?" Naturally, she says: "That's what I said." I laughed, smiled, and carried on with graduate school applications.

The good news is, I wasn't on a diet. The bad news? I lost weight without even trying, which technically is good news but can be frustrating when I actually am trying to lose weight and I don't! I lost 10 pounds actually, in about two months. The big secret? A gym membership, and a food diary. And yes, that's all it took. I'll be honest, I signed up for my gym months ago, and I don't go every day either. But I am trying to really push myself to go. This week I've gone a whopping two times, and last week must've been three. Weeks before that? I was lucky if I went once. So, don't assume that just because I have a gym membership that I'm all muscular and go every day. Not even close (although I do get a kick out of pretending like I know what I'm doing in the weight room). The point is, you can lose weight the standard way. And it's really not as hard as we all make it out to be. Baby steps, right? Baby steps.

Baby step #1: Work it out. Sign up for a gym membership. Preferably one that's easily accessible and the most convenient for you to go to so you won't have excuses not to go. For example, I go to one that's on my way home from work so I pass by it every day, which increases my chances of going. And days when you don't work out, or if you can't afford a membership, just try to be as active as possible. Be on your feet, move around, park far away from the building and walk it out, do chores willingly, etc.

Baby step#2: Dear Diary... Start a food diary! And don't bother going out of your way and buy an actual food diary either. Take a notepad, an old notebook, staple pieces of paper, use your planner...be creative. Or if you have access to the internet, there are innumerable virtual food diaries. Write down every single thing that you eat, and how much of it that you eat. Be aware. Know what you put into your body.

Baby step #3: A,B,C,1,2,3 Educate Yourself. Do you know how much you should be eating in the first place? How does that compare to what you're actually eating? How much should you really weigh? What risks are increased if you're overweight? Here are just a few sites that you may fine useful.

MyPyramid Plan
MyPyramid Menu Planner
MyPyramid Tracker
Weight and Waist Management