Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Calorie Counting

I have never been one to diet. Ever. I never needed to. Forgive me if you think I am bragging, but I have always had a fast metabolism and could eat whatever I wanted to without having to work out. I have always been an active person, whether it be going to the gym, rollerblading or extreme sports and have found that as I'm getting older the bragging rights to the previous statement are diminishing. I am not overweight and my husband thinks that I look good but when I look in the mirror at myself I am not satisfied. It's the "type A personality" coming out in me.

My clothes still fit and I only wear one size bigger than I wore in highschool (which was 12 years ago). Since them, I have had a child, gone through a divorce, moved from Va to Ca and Ca to Az, gotten married, went through extensive training for dispatch, all while maintaining a pretty healthy figure. Numbers shouldn't matter to me, but they do. I know what weight I am at when I feel my best and I know what the scale has been telling me every day for the last two weeks. I'm sure that a week of going out on nightly dates with Paul is where those extra 3 pounds came from.

My goal isn't to be "skinny" but to be able to look in the mirror and think, "damn, I'm hot!" I want a certain pair of Guess jean shorts to fit again and I want to be able to fit into my wedding dress. It will be two years on March 14 since I've worn it and it fit me perfectly.

Is it because I turned 30 or is that all in my head. I can swear I've seen a difference in my body over the past few months and can't help but blame it on getting older. Is it the BC pill I've been taking for 5 years? What is it that has caused my metabolism to slow down? Thinking about all of these reasons is what got me thinking I wanted to start keeping track of what I'm eating, how much I'm exercising and actually use a calorie budget. There is a great app for my iPhone that I have downloaded and am using called Lose It. I recorded my current weight (which is 130) and my goal weight (which is 120-123). Once recorded, it allows me to choose how many pounds I want to lose a week and over what period of time I want to lose it in. Based on me choosing a pound and a half a week the application has projected that with a calorie budget of 1176 a day, I will lose all of that weight by April 5, 2010.

Ready. Set. Go.

I am on day 3 and feel amazing. I have been getting up and working out at 6 am instead of putting it off until mid morning. I have had more energy and am happier. Counting calories has made me more aware of portion sizes and makes me double think getting a frappacino just so that I can have a little scoop of ice cream instead. Paul, Joey & I have also started walking after dinner again. It's great exercise and awesome couple/family time.  It allows me to talk to Paul without the interruptions of phone calls, text messages, twitter, homework, and whatever else goes on while we are at home, all while burning calories!

Time to go swimsuit shopping...

2 comments:

laura said...

Rene you are beautiful!
Its true, what we think about ourselves and what we see is what ends up mattering the most no matter what others tell us.
What i like the best out of your post is that you guys are taking family walks and how that gets you away from all the technology! :)

Rene said...

Thank you so much Laura. I agree with you that no matter what others tell us, that doesn't always make us internally happy. But, don't get me wrong... I love when Paul tells me the things he does and makes me feel like I am loved and am desirable. :) You too are so beautiful. You have such a beautiful family. I have loved getting away from technology lately, especially as I've gotten a little more "addicted" to it, having it so easily accessible on my phone!