30 lbs. down and 100 days logged

100 days ago I publicly declared I needed to lose weight.  You can read that here.   I had a vague idea of what to do.
Get motivated.
Tell other people (family and the blogosphere) I was planning to get in shape.
Eat healthier.
Exercise more.
Make goals so I know if I'm winning or losing.

I had no idea what a difference how invaluable Fat2FitRadio podcasts would play in my journey.  They have played a HUGE role in my healthier thinking and healthier lifestlye.

I drank minimum of 8 glasses of water a day.  In fact, there were probably only 2 days that I drank that little.  Usually I drank 12-14 glasses.  Sometimes I drank 16.  Once I had 20. 

I learned that I should keep my sodium intake below 2300 mg. 

I ate my 5 a day fruits and vegetables.  There were only a handful of days I didn't get enough. 

I learned that I did NOT want to lose weight fast.  My goal was to lose 1% of body weight per week to make sure I wasn't losing muscle and inhibiting my metabolism. 

When things slowed down and I didn't seem to be losing even half a percent a week, I UPPED my calories and dropped the weight. 

I averaged (while nursing an infant) 2200-2600 calories daily. 

I didn't deprive myself.  I learned about portion sizes.  I discovered that if something was low-fat there was a good chance it was either high in sugar or sodium. 

I tried to eat whole foods with less processing.  But I am busy and a mother of 7 and therefore must be realistic with my time and money.  Oftentimes, sadly, processed foods are much cheaper.  Happily, they are making less of an appearance in our home and meals. 

I did eat Cheetos, ice cream, butter, fast food, even French Fries a handful of times.  But I kept things in check.  I didn't order the large fries or just eat Cheetos out of the bag.  I measured out portions so I could make an accurate journal entry.  I realized that oftentimes, one serving was plenty for me. 

So, yeah.  I didn't feel deprived.  I don't feel like a slave to the food scale or label.  I feel like it's liberated me. 

Now, after measuring so often, I can eyeball portion sizes pretty accurately. 

I find myself craving vegetables and fresh fruit more.

I'm not as tired in the afternoon.  2-3 p.m. used to be my low-energy, low-motivation and self-control time.  It was the time of day I was most likely to eat processed junk food or candy for a pick-me-up. 

Here's to the next 100 days!