How I Do It: Working Out and Eating Healthy

I've got to be honest, I've put off posting on this topic for a few reasons:
1: If I share my goals I'm held accountable.
2: Sharing my goals and struggles puts me out there. I'm often worried about sharing these things because I think people who may have bigger struggles with this than I do may think "what is she worried about?" or people who don't struggle will think "well, it's about time." But then I realized this: Everyone wrestles with something about their appearance and we can't worry about what other people think. We need to do what's best for ourselves, encourage each other and though we may not look exactly like we think we should and have areas to work on, we should embrace what we have and think positive.
3: I'm going to have to log everything and be honest with myself.
4: Did I mention I will be held accountable?

So, let's start at the beginning. When I got married, I wasn't at my ideal weight but I was okay. (Let me interrupt myself: when I say ideal weight, I don't really mean just the number of pounds I weigh but also how I look and feel about myself. But of course the 2 go hand in hand.) Isn't it funny how at the time we think we need to lose weight but when we look back we wish we were what we were then? So, since getting married almost 2 years ago I've gained about 10-12 pounds. My sweet husband tells me that that's no big deal. And it's not, except that 5 pounds a year won't be pretty come our 20th anniversary! I would like to lose these 10-12 pounds and maybe a little more. I'd also like to be in shape. Where to start?

I downloaded the "My Fitness Pal" app a year ago, but never did anything with it. One of my friends lost 50 pounds using it, so I thought I'd give it a whirl again. Although the thought of counting calories seems like a daunting task, this app makes it really easy. It has pretty much every food imaginable in it. It even lets you build recipes. I have done Weight Watchers before so I know about counting the points, but I find the calories easier. With calories, I don't have to convert things to points. I had success with Weight Watchers so I know that counting everything and tracking it is what works best for me. It also tracks your workouts. Now, it's only basing how many calories you burn based on what weight you put in the app, but it gives you a good idea. I have thought about investing in a watch that tracks all that. The other thing I like about the app is that you can put in the percentages for carbs, fat and protein you want to make up your daily diet. I think this is super helpful because I know I don't eat as much protein as I should.

As I said in a previous post, we are going to Walt Disney World the first week of April for our anniversary. I might not be exactly where I want to be by then, but that's the date I'm striving for. There are some shorts I want to fit into for the trip. I know that slow and steady wins the race. I'd love to get to my goal quickly, but I know that makes it easy to gain it right back. So a pound to a pound and a half a week is what I'm striving for.

I've decided (at least for now) I'm not going to post before and after pictures or state what I weigh. It doesn't matter and I don't want anyone to compare. I'm doing what's best for me and you have to do what's best for you. I will post what I've been eating, how I work out and recipes. Stay tuned!