2 1/2 Months and 26 Lbs Shed!

Hello everyone,

I'm not big on writing posts, but I thought it might be nice to share my success and maybe give some encouragement.

So it's only been about 2 1/2 months since I've been logging my food in earnest, and I am AMAZED at the results!!! I can't believe how easy it was to shed 26 lbs! It was really just a matter of educating myself - really knowing how may calories I was putting into my body. This site is a great educational tool that way! I don't put a lot of stock into seriously restricting any type of food (salt, sugar, fat). Why suffer? Have a little chocolate! Better than binging later! I simply make sure that I have enough to eat throughout the day to ensure that I won't be hungry. Then, if I have a little wiggle room at the end of the day - bring on the chocolate! I think that cooking for myself (and really reducing a lot of bad stuff that way) has helped a lot. I can simply make wiser choices this way and not end up feeling hungry.

Some tips if you're just starting out:

1. Do some research - learn which foods have high and low caloric values. If you have a big appetite (like I do), this will help a lot in staving off hunger by making wiser choices!
2. More research! - find new recipes online and in cookbooks to add some variation to your diet!
3. Don't be scared of a little bit of sugar, oil or salt - a little bit here and there is not going to make or break a diet - just be sure to add it to your food diary!
4. Cook for yourself as much as you can! - It tastes soooooo much better and will have less added salt, oil and sugar.
5. Measure EVERYTHING - we always underestimate how much food we are eating. Once we know what a cup or tablespoon of something looks like, it might be easier to guesstimate when logging foods we have eaten when we are at a dinner party or restaurant.
6. Log ALL food and liquids you eat - it's amazing how a lot of small stuff can really add up.
7. Get some exercise - you'll feel great and then you will also have more wiggle room in how many calories you can eat!
8. Definitely drink lots of water!
9. Keep track of your weight AND your measurements - it can really be less disappointing if you haven't shed any weight but find that you have shed an inch on your hips!
10. Don't be so hard on yourself! - So what if you don't shed weight one week? There are lots of different reasons that weight may fluctuate, and you might be pleasantly surprised when you weigh yourself the following week!

One last tip - think about it as "shedding" rather than "losing" weight. I don't know about you, but I don't feel like I've lost anything and certainly don't want to go out looking for it!