Progress of a sort

145

It’s been several days since I’ve checked in. I’ve stayed pretty true to my commitment of hopping on the scale regularly, checking at least every other day. The benefit has been that the number is becoming just a number. It’s interesting to watch the difference a heavy meal or a salty day (you know what I mean) can make.

There hasn’t been much change to be noted in the number, but I have been making changes.

I’ve started tracking what I eat again. I’ve gone old school, using a pretty notebook that I’ve been keeping in my purse. I’ve got a good memory for numbers, and can sadly remember the values of most of the basic foods I eat regularly. When I’m in doubt, I just check on-line. But it’s ridiculously easy to estimate most unprocessed foods. Lean meat: about 120 cal for 100g (3-4 oz), fruit: about 100 cal for a serving (which is usually about a half a cup to a cup), vegetables: either almost nil for greens, peppers, broccoli, etc, and starchy vegetables yields more like about 100 cal/cup, fats/oils: 100 cal/tbsp. Starches are a bit harder to estimate, but 100 cal/half cup is about right, or the same for a slice of bread/half a roll.

It’s not perfect, but I’m trying to avoid being perfect. I used to sometimes reduce healthy foods from half a cup to a third of a cup just to save like 20 calories. I’d measure and fret, and for what?? Knowing my calories is useful, but I want to know within say 200 cal. I know I can lose by eating about 1600 cal/day. Some days it’ll be more like 1800 or even 2000, but I also know that some days it will be more like 1400. It’ll all balance out in the end.

I’m also very pleased to announce that I’ve gone for at least a brief run for the past three mornings. The puppy has been with me, and getting him worn out for the day provides much motivation. My knee kinda hurt this morning after bustin’ it up a hill, but I think I’ll just wear my brace tomorrow morning, and that should prevent anymore owey-ness. I currently plan on hitting the gym for some upper-body weight madness before the game this evening.