Making Good on a 2012 Resolution

So, it’s July and not January! I’m about 6 months late on this one but, better late than never, right?  In January, I said that I wanted to lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle.  It’s so much easier said than done though.  

I started off “watching” what I ate but not really sticking to anything formal.  I contemplated joining Weight Watchers because that worked for me (a little) years ago.  But, I dreaded the thought of paying for something that I would end up not sticking to.  And then, just a couple of weeks ago, my cousin posted something online about her membership to MyFitnessPal.com.  I had never heard of it before so I went to check it out.

I signed up and right away set up a profile and started playing with the different features.  Honestly, it’s kind of like Facebook but for people who are monitoring what they are eating.  Their food database has a lot of different foods in it because the actual members can add to it.  I have found very few foods that weren’t actually in there. Plus, you can make your own meals.  So, instead of adding every element to your favorite homemade salad, you can do it once, and create it as a meal for future, one-click use.

It also tracks your exercise for each day.  There isn’t a lot of activities in the exercise database outside of aerobics, cardio or strength training but again, you can add your own.  

When I started this, it was more like “oh, I’ll see what this is all about” and in just a few days into it, I’m obsessed.  I’ve never been so into reading labels like I am now.  I even check menus and nutritional information before going to dine out and plan out what I can have before I even leave the house.

It’s been 6 weeks since I have joined and I’ve lost 15 lbs.  Granted, the holiday (which happens to be my birthday too) proved to be a little difficult as far as fighting the temptation of good food and birthday cake.  But, I’ve held steady - not really losing much - but not gaining either.

I’m not sure why something so simple works so well with me.  I guess going back to the basics can really be beneficial.  No points to count or weird calculators - just look at the label.  And I think adding it to the daily log sort of keeps you accountable.  If  you do better with friends working for the same goal, I’d say MyFitnessPal is right for you.  

The other great thing I love about it is that there is a phone app for it.  So, if you find yourself picking up something to eat at the spur of the moment, you can find the calorie count in seconds.  Since I’m gone so much of the day, this is really helpful to me to keep track of my intake all day long.

Since I have signed up, my brother, sister and my Mom (who’s also lost 13 lbs) have joined too.  If you’re ready to get to a healthier you, I’d highly recommend MyFitnessPal.  When you sign up, be sure to search for and friend me (TarynLgh) so we can motivate each other.