GUEST POST: Twenty in Sixteen Part 2, Denise Vega

So last week I wrote about why I wanted to lose twenty pounds - I wanted to feel
healthy, fit into some of my fave clothes, be around for my kiddos. This week I want
to talk about how I did it. The how is a little more involved, and I’ll be going into
a lot of detail about it in a book I’m writing about my experience. (It will be in
paper, e-book, and iBook interactive format. I will be donating to Fitness Felines
for giveaways so stay tuned!) For this post, I wanted to share a few things I did that
really made a difference.

The thing I did that made the biggest difference?

Counting Calories.

I know - blech. Who wants to do that? And who has the time? But this was THE thing
that opened my eyes. On the one hand, I couldn't believe it had come to this - 
calorie counting? Me? On the other, I couldn't believe the amount of calories I’d
been putting into my mouth. No wonder I wasn't losing inches even though I was
exercising!

One of my sisters had told me about MyFitnessPal so I signed up for that and
got the (FREE) app on my iPhone (it’s also available on the Droid platform). Then came the
hard part. Making time to enter everything that went into my mouth into MyFitnessPal. I was also weighing and measuring my food. If I was having some deli
turkey, I plopped it on the scale before putting it on a sandwich or rolling it around
a slice of avocado (one of my favorite lunches). What about ice cream? I scooped it
into a measuring cup before putting it in a small bowl or egg cup (visual trick there.
Using smaller plates and bowls made my normal-sized meals look filling so I didn't
overeat). The weighing and measuring helped me start to see what those serving
sizes really were and also not deprive myself of foods I loved. Now I can eyeball a lot
of things and be close; others I still will weigh or measure.

I also checked out restaurants in advance and decided what I would order before I
got there. If I wanted to indulge in something with more calories, I divided the meal
in half and took one half home.

It wasn't easy at first, but now it’s a habit. I keep it up even though I've lost the
weight because it’s too easy to slip into my old ways, and I don't want to see the
number creep up on the scale or have my clothes feel tight again. It’s a new way of
life for me; I can’t go back. But that’s OK, because I feel so much better!

Finding a reason to get healthy and fit that mattered to me and monitoring what I
put in my mouth were keys to my success. Here’s to everyone who works hard to
reach their fitness and health goals!