Back on SparkPeople.com

Warning: TMI post ahead!

I was dismayed to find I’d gained 7 pounds since January, which I know doesn’t sound like a lot, but for someone my height (5’2”) it translates into one pants size up, and so I only barely fit into ONE of my pants and ONE of my pair of shorts! Aargh!

I have been wearing sweatpants and occasionally a stretchy corduroy pair of pants ever since my Oklahoma/Texas trip because I was working on multiple deadlines and I got sick twice, so I was pretty much not going outside much. I didn’t notice my weight gain until I tried to squeeze into a pair of jeans for a lunch out with MaryLu Tyndall and I couldn’t button them.

So I got back onto SparkPeople.com (friend me!), which I hadn’t logged into because I had been on deadline and SP tends to be distracting for me (so many neat articles and forums). MaryLu also inspired me to start watching my eating more than I used to.

When I was training for the Honolulu Marathon, I didn’t put as much effort into my food choices because I trusted in my running to help me lose weight. So I never trained myself to know what a proper portion size was or to choose foods that would ensure I was within my ranges for fat, carbs, and protein intake per day.

I’m very slowly breaking into my Vibram FiveFinger running shoes, but that means I can only start out at 30 minutes each run and increase by only 10% each week, so my exercise minutes are not as long as they used to be (I used to run for about an hour 3-4 times a week). So I can’t rely on my exercise to help me lose weight. Instead I have to train myself to eat better.

I’m sticking to the calorie range calculated by SparkPeople.com for my age, weight, height, and amount of calories burned per week in exercise. I was really happy to lose 4 pounds the first 2 days, which was probably all water weight.

But now comes the harder part of changing my eating habits and, even harder, sticking to them in order to lose a pound or two a week. Self control is so hard for me because I realize I’ve become used to eating all day without thinking about calories or food choices.

So here’s hoping I can train myself in my food choices and stick to my calorie range!