My New {Fitness} Pal

It seems like just yesterday that my brother and I could consume an entire pan of Chocolate Mint Brownies and not one little teeny tiny ounce of weight would be added onto my skinny little legs…

Well, I guess that’s a bit of an exaggeration. My teenage years were quite some time ago, weren’t they?

Now that I’ve gone through the delightful process of birthing 3 children and my birthday calendar says I’m “over 40”, things have changed greatly in the weight department.

A few years ago my doctor summoned me into his office to tell me recent blood work indicated high cholesterol levels:

“Just eat healthy, exercise, and lose some weight and you’ll be fine,” he assured me.

Oh, how easily that sentence rolls off the tongue.

I wanted to strangle his {blessed} skinny little neck!

“Just lose some weight” is not an easy thing for me.

***

As I’ve been cooking away up at the camp kitchen, I’ve been observing my husband and his handy dandy IPhone.  He started a new “healthy lifestyle” program about 2 years ago.  He implemented an app called MyFitnessPal and was diligent about recording his eating and exercise habits.

As I observed his dedication, I also observed the effectiveness of the program.  He’s now lost over 35 pounds (and yes, he looks amazing!).

My Fitness Pal

I’ve recently been gifted an IPad mini, so was anxious to try this little app myself.  I’ve tried other weight loss programs (like Weight Watchers online and other bizarre ‘quick fix’ diets), but really haven’t had any long term success.  So, with my husband as a great coach on the topic and app, I jumped right in a little over a week ago.

My Fitness Pal

I love it!  I started by entering in a few facts about myself ~ like my current weight, height, and goal weight.Then it calculated how many calories I should consume each day, and predicts how fast the weight will come off.  (I couldn’t get mine to go lower than 1 pound a week.)

My Fitness Pal

Mine is 1290 (which doesn’t leave much wiggle room for chocolate mint brownies or snickers bars!!).  As I go through the day, I hit that “plus” button every time I eat something, and it calculates how many calories is taken away from the amount I started with each morning.

It’s a visual that finally works for me.

Likewise, if I go for a 40 minute walk, it will calculate how many calories I’ve burned, and will add that to the amount I can consume that day!  (I’ve never been so motivated to walk in my life!:))

At the end of the day, I love that I can see clearly if “success” was achieved.  That’s also when living with my healthy eating coach is a bonus.  He assures me that you “can’t expect to get it right overnight”.  Like most things in life, this, too, comes with a learning curve.

But, I’m sure having fun while I’m learning!:)

I admit I haven’t had the courage to step on the scale since day 1, but I do feel so much better already.  I’ve been researching and finding (much to my surprise!) some really delicious recipes ~ and I don’t feel like I’m starving all the time.

As part of the Summer Series here on Harbour Breeze, I’ll be sharing some tips and tricks I’m finding on this new healthy living journey.  I am in no way an expert on the subject, but would like to encourage you if you are considering going a little “healthier” in your eating and lifestyle, too.  Obviously, one of my motivations is to be able to buy smaller clothes but another (even bigger one) is to be more healthy and strong.

If you are already on a healthy lifestyle journey, I’d love for you to share your tips with us!  Where do you go to find low calorie and delicious recipes?  What are your favorite snacks?  And here’s a big one for me…what kind of exercise do you enjoy?  I’m sticking with walking right now, but we’ll see…

If you are interested in MyFitnessPal app, you can check out their website here, and there are lots of YouTube videos on how to use it.

**I was not compensated in any way, shape or form to say good things about the MyFitnessPal app. I just really like it!

 

 

 

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5 Comments

  1. Good for you!! I have been on My Fitness Pal for several years and it is helpful (I get 1,200 calories per day). Remember to record EVERYTHING you eat for that day. Even the little bites and nibbles add up and record your water intake. When I started out I would just record my calories and not the exercise that I did that day. When you record the exercise, it adds more calories you can have for that day and you mentioned you wanted to lose more than a pound/day. I didn’t record my exercise so I considered that a “bonus” towards my weight loss. Get a friend to encourage you along your journey and to go through it with you. I also have a FitBit – which I love!!! It records your steps, calories burned, etc. If you don’t want to invest that much – get a pedometer and get at least 10,000 steps in a day. Lastly, I get a lot of my healthy dinners and snacks off of Pinterest. Pinterest has a wealth of good and healthy foods to try. Good luck and can’t wait to hear more 🙂

  2. Good for you Rita!!
    I walk 5 km most days (a couple of days off). When I walk I pray, think about my day/whatever is on my mind and enjoy my country views.
    I also try to have fresh vegetables already washed, cut, and ready to go. I also limit my baking as I love my sweets. Pinterest has a ton of good recipes as well.
    Looking forward to your summer series.

  3. Hi Rita, I’ve used My Fitness Pal, too, for a while, which really helped me get a feel for how easy it is to eat way more than I need! 😉 And it was nice to see the benefits from exercising — getting to eat more! Another tip for healthy eating is to cut back on breads and sugary food, but you probably already know that. Eating lots of protein and veggies) makes me feel better, too. All the best with your goals!

  4. Everyone wants to be slim and beautiful, but very often people think that this is a painful, laborious process, consisting of strict diets and grueling workouts. In fact, keeping in shape is not difficult, the main thing is to want and take the first step.

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