Christmas is over.... gained my typical 5 pounds in a week. Back to the basics!!

[Duffpic]

I'm new to fitbit and have only had my Charge 2 for a week.   First 3 days over 12,000 steps!! did great exercising but not watching my foods.  I think that if you give yourself "permission" to indulge over the holidays and accept that you probably are going to gain a few pounds, that's OK!

So now that it's over I can focus on the new me/new year.  My goal is to lose 78 pounds by December 2018 - and I know exactly what it's going to take.  Being a "professional dieter".... when I really take a look at my day I know that exercise, portion control is going to do the trick.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the food logging with Fitbit.  The foods are so easy to find on the lists - I know that I won't be perfect every day, but that's OK!  Don't give up the fight is my new motto - 

[MarciM]

Hi @Duffpic I love the attitude, but I'd make one minor adjustment. Don't think of it as permission to "indulge", instead to 'enjoy life'. If you focus on a diet or restriction, it become a negative in your life, but if you change your lifestyle and from time to time you get to enjoy a bit more, that sounds and feels better. I too gained a few pounds, but I'm ok with it. It was treats and meals shared with friends and family. I wasn't about to miss the experience and joy of the moment. To that point, I'm about to travel to see more family and thus will have a few more days of joyful eating. There will also be time spend walking with family or to see family/friends. I truly believe the key to success if to make it your lifestyle, love the food you eat, have fun while getting your steps in, and make time for sleep. My first step to get back on track is to simplify my food and go back to the basics. If the food didn't exist 100 years ago, I don't eat it. This eliminates processed foods, which aligns with my lifestyle and will correct my weight. I'd suggest you try something similar, which can become your new normal, so you aren't a "professional dieter", but instead a healthy eater. Happy to chat more about food and how I got started seven years ago and lost 40+ pounds in three months. Best of luck to you. 

[Duffpic]

Marci (thinking that's your first name?)

... you have such great feedback and ideas!  I have to always focus on my husband's food because he's type 1 diabetic (very healthy) yet I have to do that for myself more too!

I truly know in my heart that it's all about portions - true portions.  We pretty much shop the "outside aisle" of the store because processed foods are high in carbs and salt.  I bought a food scale and have been trying to weigh my portions so I get a "true" idea of what I'm really eating.

By the way - I've lost 2 of the 5 pounds I gained - I also have to cut out the red wine I have at dinner.. Not completely, but I know I'm drinking alot of calories.

Any helpful advice would be appreciated!  my goal at this point is to lose 26 pounds and be below 200.  After that, I'd love to lose 25 pounds so I weigh less than my husband!!! LOL

He's over 6 feet and weighs 182.... so he's very thin. He loves my curves, so I can't complain - he just wants me healthy.  Also my biggest goal is to get off the blood pressure meds.  I'm doing great with that - if I can get below 200 that will happen too!!

Happy New Year to you  - let's stay in touch

Honora

[Cowgirl1973]

I too love the food tracking feature, I have lost 20 pounds since summer without making any huge adjustments in what I eat, by simply focusing on how much.  I love to bake, and if I want a cookie, I want a cookie, I just make sure I log it and use a reasonable estimate. 

My goals are a little less than that. I set myself a goal of getting down 35 pounds to start with, knowing that I will probably reset my goal once I get there. But the key for me is that I'm just being honest with myself about what I eat. If I eat a little more than I should, I move on - this is something I haven't had much success with in the past, but am working on it much harder now.

One other thing I've done is I check myself by finding out approximately how many calories I need to maintain my current weight, by doing that and consistently tracking, I know that if I come in under that number of calories I will be losing weight. Maybe not a pound or more a week, but for me it works.  

I'm trying to focus on this as a lifestyle change, not a diet, therefore I have not made myself cut anything out - just cut back and really keep on track of what's going in...and what exercise I'm doing to burn it off.