Fighting the Weight Battle and Winning....

I've found that the best tool to help me lose weight is the bathroom scale. No fancy diets, no "plans" or medications, expensive products, or exercise equipment can take the place of knowing where you are on the scale.
Of course you need to watch what you eat, exercise, and get plenty of rest in the process of fighting the weight battle, but it doesn't matter if you don't have a way to monitor how you are doing. That's why the weekly meetings some plans have, have weigh ins.
I check my weight daily. Obsessive perhaps, but it tells me if I'm eating too much, and tells me if I'm still losing or staying the same. My goal is to lose a pound a week to every two weeks. As long as I don't gain during that time I'm fine. If I start to gain then I can assess what I need to do, whether it's exercise more, or just eat less of those things that aren't good for me.
No, I'm not starving, I have plenty of fruit and veggies on hand as well as nuts, whole grain chips and crackers. We eat normal meals such as tonight, when we will have Chicken A La King over rice, with some sort of veggie as a side. I'm making peach pie for dessert because it's FHE night, but I will have a smaller slice and only half a scoop of ice cream on the side. I don't believe that losing weight means giving up everything good tasting, or enjoyable, though we really love fresh foods and dishes made from scratch so we never feel deprived.
So, if I can say anything to anyone trying to lose weight, start with getting a good scale. Have a plan for exercise. I walk with friends 3 days a week, and Kent and I will take a nightly stroll when we can. I also ride my stationary recumbent bike2-3 times a week, which takes up little space in our back room. Sunday is a day of rest and recuperation, which is vital to a good weight loss plan. Our bike cost $150 and the scale about $30 dollars. Such a deal when you consider the health benefits and money saved in going to the doctor, or buying into all the other expensive plans, equipment or "helps". How much weight have I lost this summer? 16 lbs so far, with 25 to go. It works for me!

Winning the fight?

I live for summer days in Oregon when I can buy blueberries by the bucket fulls and snack on them! So sweet and tart at the same time, they burst with flavor as you bite into them. I'm trying to fight the sugar cravings I get when I'm tired, and I'm tired because I had to take a Benadryl. I had to take a Benadryl because something is making me sneeze and I have an itchy mouth, even though it's been wet and rainy here. So I am fighting back by trying to eat things that will satisfy my sweet tooth without adding to my waistline. I find it easier when it's warm out, I seem to naturally gravitate towards fresh fruit and veggies, but it's downright cold here right now! Staring at a computer screen for too long doesn't help so I need to go for a walk and get my head cleared. I think though, that in order to win the weight loss war I do need to start a food diary so here goes.
June 18
Breakfast - 1 cup Left over beef stir fry noodles with extra peppers and onions. A bowl of fresh blueberries.
Lunch - 1/2 serving of low fat turkey slices on one slice of dill rye bread with lettuce, onion, yhonnaise and a sprinkling of Craisins. 9 tortilla chips with cheesy salsa.
Dinner - leftover lentil pilaf with a few chicken chunks, and more peppers and onions. 1/2 cup rocky road ice cream, more blueberries
I know, a lot of leftovers here, but we have been going out a lot and I can usually only eat a half a plate of food at a time. Tomorrow I will try and stay away from the ice cream and the cheesy salsa. The lentil pilaf is a wonderful recipe I will have to get my friend to share. It's full of nutritious ingredients, tasty and low fat as well. The stir fry wasn't too bad except I couldn't tell what the veggies were it was cooked for so long. That's another story though and we won't be eating at that restaurant again. For breakfast I think oatmeal with walnuts and Craisins will do the trick. I am not one to cut out carbs just for the sake of cutting them. If I eat carbs I try to go for whole grains, not processed junk. Honestly, we eat way too much meat and need to look to other sources for protein that aren't a heart attack waiting to happen. Marvelous Marvel has a wheat berry recipe she has been promising to share so I will snag that and share with you if it passes the Parsons taste test kitchen. :-) Regardless of how my menu looks right now, I am losing a bit of weight, probably due to walking up the hill to the lake, and lots of yard work.  Oh, and chasing the deer away from my flowers and lilacs, the little buggers! I also zigzag my way up through town on my bike alternate days. Why not go straight up the road? I've got too much to haul around right now...;-) I'm off to walk to the store for throat lozenges so taataa for now! I hope that if you are waging the weight loss war, you are winning!