October is *my* month!

Brownseabottles

Hi everyone, I've been using this site for a while, and it's full of invaluable information. Whenever I do a general Google search for anything diet-related, these message boards are usually within the first couple of hits.

I've been logging my calorie intake for 22 days, (1,300 cals) and over that time I've lost 7lb. I realise the loss will slow down now, but just a pound a week is good enough for me.

What motivated me to post here tonight is that I need to publicly declare a couple of decisions I've made - I think doing that will help me to change my habits! My partner is away on business from today until 26th Oct, so I've decided that this is my time to concentrate as much as I can on changing my eating patterns and exercise habits for good.

So here are my goals for the next month:
- Plan my meals in advance and gradually reduce to 1,200 calories per day (MFP's suggested amount for me),
- Exercise gently but regularly - I'm very overweight and if I try something crazy like 30 day shred, I know I'll give it up quickly, so things like yoga and walking are much better for me in the long term,
- Give up Diet Coke! At present, I have about five cans a day. By Oct 26th, it will be down to zero.

The last one will be the hardest for me, I would say that I'm addicted, but I've read all about it and know what it can do to a person. I'd like to watch the 'Hungry for Change' documentary, but it's not available online in this country (UK) and the DVD is £16. Anyway - I *have* to cut it out, I have a constant sore throat for starters and I think that may be the cause. No doubt it's affecting my ability to lose weight too.

This is actually the second MFP account I've had, I deleted my first one. It all went wrong for me when I opened up my food diary. People were being very helpful, but their comments about my food choices weren't too kind - so this time I've decided to keep it private. :-)

Thanks for reading everyone, and keep up the good work, I love reading these message boards.