The December challenge!

So, we have now gone from November to December, like every year. And has things regarding my change to a healthier me gotten any easier? Not as much as I would have loved it to be but I am getting there…. slowly. Progress has happened! And boy am I happy to say that. But it hasn’t been without its ups and downs.

MyFitnessPal – the calorie counter

MyFitnessPal is a free app I use on my Android phone, which my sister, the dietitian, recommended to me. (Please note, I only use the features the free version offers.) It has a lovely diary section where you can fill in your daily consumption of food and drinks. There is a database filled with thousands of different consumables, so searching for specific things are made easy. If you are unfortunate and the items you are eating/drinking are not listed, then you have the choice of adding it yourself and thereby sharing it with the rest of MyFitnessPal’s users. At the same time there is the, much used by me, possibility to scan the barcode of your chosen item. In that case, if it knows the code, it will provide you with all the product information on screen and you can fill in the amount as you otherwise would. I use that function the most and can count on one hand the few times it could not find the product I was looking for.

This app has made it easy for me to keep an eye on my daily calorie consumption. And it has suggested a 1350 calorie intake for me per day, since I chose the “Not Very Active” activity level for my profile. According to my sister, it actually fits nicely with what she would recommend a person in my situation. At the same time it helps me keep track on how much protein I get every day. This is, apparently, a very important factor for my overall health. Especially because of my illnesses (Fibromyalgia and Multiple Sclerosis).

My progress

Today I am proud to announce that some progress has happened, since my first post regarding change. I started using the above mentioned app on the 4th of December and at that point my weight was at 77 kg. Now (19th of December) I can say that my weight is at 74 kg! So that’s 3 kg gone in two weeks time. Not bad, in my opinion at least. Another thing, I can happily tell you, is that I have been able to enjoy some goodies once in a while. Even several times in one week. The trick is just to keep an eye on those daily calories. At the end of a day I often have ~300 calories left to spend. Sometimes I choose to leave them alone and enjoy the fact that I had a low calorie day, which will eventually leed to weight loss. Other days I spend them on half a bar of chocolate (50 g.) or something else within that range. It might not look like much but combining it with a good size mug of tea, helps the enjoyment last longer and gives a nice full feeling afterwards. Plus, you can end the day with a good conscience!

Some people find it insane to have started such a diet change around the holidays. It really isn’t the easiest time to try to limit unhealthy habits. But if not now, then when? If I had let the bad habit rule until the beginning of the next year, it would all have been that much more difficult to handle. I would have gained even more kilos and felt even more insecure about myself. The chance of success would have been quite smaller and I am not sure that I could have managed to pull myself together without a couple of months of trial and error. Truth be told, I am proud of myself and my accomplishment. It feels great to step on to the scale every Sunday morning and see a decrease in numbers. To feel the clothes hanging looser around my belly and bum. Knowing that if I can keep this up, my goal of reaching 67 kg. is in the nearby future.

If you are planning to take on the challenge as well, then here is a bit of advice from me to you:

• Ask for support from the people around you!
• Create an overview of your calorie intake!
• Never give up despite having given into a craving – dust yourself off and try again!

I wish you the best of strength and luck!
May the force be with you!