Wii or Should I Say Weeeeeee!

It's been ages since I stopped by this blog, not because I don't want to be here, but because my time has been more limited for blogging. Since the beginning of the year, I've fit exercise into my life consistently, and exercise takes time. Instead of a New Year's resolution, I decided to take the same approach to dieting and losing weight as I use to make progress with my writing...and it is working.

Instead of turning this into an essay, let's just say that I followed the No S Diet for the first 5 months, and lost the first 5-7 pounds. However, my weight stagnated for the last two of those months and so I went back to counting calories. But I only lost a couple of pounds by following a 1200 calorie diet. That kind of result would normally send me to the cookies or chips, but not this time. I stuck with my goals, but what to do next?

My daughter looked up how many calories I should be eating based on age, gender and height, if I wanted to lose weight. 1000 calories! I'm not a big person. Part of be rebelled, but then my daughter shared with me that she balked at counting calories again because it is so "unnatural."

It hit us both that our natural inclination is to satisfy our appetites, to feed the flesh. The scale confirmed this. An "unnatural" approach was the answer, and it's working! I stepped on the Wii Fit yesterday and for the first time this year I was "normal weight" instead of "overweight." This is a huge victory!

Now my goal is to get that little bar to move to the middle of the normal weight. Weeeeee!

January 21 Challenge Results

Hard to believe we are fast approaching the end of January, but this January I'm happy to say that I have stuck with my health and exercise goals. Most people fall away from their weight loss resolution goals by the middle of the month! The 21 Day Challenge approach works for me because I set goals for the first 21 days of the month. It breaks things down to smaller manageable pieces. Instead of a whole year, I focus on 21 days. It is said that it takes 21 days to establish a new habit. The days in between the 21st and the start of the new month let me see how well the new habits stick, and it also gives me the opportunity to tweak my goals for the next month. That flexibility helps me stay on target.

My January 21 Day Challenge goals were to:

Follow the No S Diet

Drink 64 ounces of water daily

Exercise 3-5 days a week

These goals worked and I plan to continue them in February. Overall, I'm going for slow healthy weight loss and as of the end of the January 21 Day Challenge I have lost 5.2 pounds. I was hoping for 3 pounds, so I'm happy.

Over this week I'll talk about why it is working for me and the new habits that are helping me move to a healthier weight.

21 Day Challenge: Day 19

Hard to believe we are already on day 19 of January's 21 Day Challenge. Life has been full of things to do including birthdays to celebrate. I still have two to go. Those kinds of special occasions used to derail my weight loss plans every January. I'd make an "exception" and before I knew it the exception became my way of life. So far, that's not the case this January. My 21 Day Challenge goals are really making a difference.

I'm following the No S Diet which basically means no sweets, no seconds, no snacks except on days that start with S. That includes "special days" like birthdays. The flexibility of this diet has really worked for me, plus I've been walking an hour a day 3-5 days a week. The thing that I've noticed is that I'm learning to know when I'm hungry and it is time to eat. With the no snacks rule, I wait to eat until my stomach tells me it is time. Even on the weekend when I can snack, I'm paying more attention to my hunger. Hopefully this is a habit that will carry me through the days off between this challenge and the February challenge!

The weight is coming off slowly and I'm hitting my target goal. I can eat what I want for my meals, just no seconds. I'm trying to include healthy choices that actually feed my body which helps me stay satisfied longer. All in all, this 21 Day Challenge has made a difference on a number of levels! I hope you can say the same.

How to Lose Weight in 2010

Here it is the last week of the month...heck it's the last week of year. It's the time when re-evaluating goals comes naturally. A new year, a new start and a new diet. Do I really want to start another diet? That's the real question. Bottom line is that I do want to lose weight. I do want to be healthy. I do want to fit into my clothes and breathe comfortably, and to bend over and tie my shoes without feeling like my air is cut off.

I'm taking steps toward the New Year and my plan for January's 21 Day Challenge. Today I bought a new scale. It not only tells me what I weigh but my percentage of body fat. Well, it hasn't told me yet. I didn't realize I didn't have two AA batteries. But I've taken that step, and will get the batteries this week. I also bought another book called The Maker's Diet. I'm looking for something to help inspire me and remind me of the importance of eating for health.

As I head toward January's 21 Day Challenge and putting together my goals for the first 21 days of the year, I'm considering following the No S Diet again and to walk at least 5 days a week. That's where I'm sitting with things right now.

Anybody else have any thoughts about the New Year and what they'll be doing with their weight? Have you set your goals?