Maybe I Should *Not* Have Gotten a New Scale...

My old scale actually fell apart when I picked it up the other day, so yesterday, I went out and bought a new one. Nothing fancy, just functional. And according to New Scale, I weigh 5 pounds more than I did with Old Scale. Yep. Back up over 200 pounds. Which makes me feel like this...

But, it's all about progress, not perfection, right?

Right?

Maybe I should take both scales (no, I haven't thrown away the broken one, because my son might want to take it apart the rest of the way), and do a side-by-side comparison... Or I can just go with New Scale and work all that much harder!

Anyhow, last night I read a good article on simple, easy, doable ways to help your weight loss along: 15 Small Changes for a Leaner, Healthier You. I'm a longtime fan of Real Simple magazine, though I haven't been able to subscribe in a long time...

Now, some of the tips they offer are things I already do. Fruits and veggies, especially veggies, get free reign in my house (#2). I load up meals with them to help fill me up (think Volumetrics). For example, last night I made a pretty awesome chicken enchilada casserole, of which I had a moderate size portion. To fill the plate out, I had a small green salad, and some yummy roasted cauliflower with smoked paprika and a squeeze of lime juice. It was filling, satisfying, and I still got to eat the cheesy, saucy casserole, so I didn't feel deprived. This is something Andie Mitchell has addressed too, in her post on How to Roast Broccoli:

        "But slowly, that changed when I began eating more veggies. When I started pairing whatever meal I craved with a mound of vegetables, I found that I felt the fullness I needed and wanted while also satisfying the craving.

        I started filling half of my plate with vegetables, and then eating those first. And I didn’t just quarantine any green thing on my dinner plate and promise myself I’d eat it for health’s sake; I found out which vegetables tasted best to me and experimented with different methods of cooking them. I bought a new and different veggie each Sunday at the market. I used herbs and spices. I learned that roasting vegetables in a burning hot oven makes for sweetness without added sugar.

       Each night as I cooked dinner, I made sure that I paired that perfect square of lasagna, those two slices of my favorite spicy caramelized onion pizza, the two tacos — with at least double that of vegetables."

Now, back to the article...

I'm getting pretty good at number 3. Last time I went to a movie, I didn't eat anything. I just watched the show! And if I don't really like something, I tend not to eat more of it. I'm getting better about drinking water (#10). One of my "tricks" these days is to use my 20 minute commute to down a bottle of water with a squirt of fresh lemon juice. Then, by the time I get to work and really want that travel mug I filled with coffee, I already have 18 ounces of water down! And cooking at home (#14) is a no brainer. I do this daily, in part because I like knowing what's in my food, and in part because hey, eating out costs a lot of money! (Okay, unless you're eating off the dollar menu, but EEEWWW)

And of course, I vary on some of them. I do regard my morning break walk (one mile!) as a pleasant task. It gets me outside, in the fresh air (#11). I get to walk by a small creek, and listen to the wind in the trees, the birds singing... However, I'm not as lighthearted about other exercise, and believe me, I know I need more than that little stroll! Maybe if I actually download some music to my iPhone, that would help! I'm pretty good about sleep (#8), because otherwise I am a cranky bitch. There are some nights I get less than my ideal 7 hours, but I think that happens to everyone!

I like #12, and I think I might just make a list I can carry with me, if I can think of ten things I like to do that don't involve food (and that's just kind of sad, isn't it?). And I'm not good lately about #1. The thing is that I am not sure how much protein I really need. Not even the "experts" seem to know, though this Harvard article is decent, and I think 20-25% is probably pretty good. I could buy protein powder to up the protein in my favorite oatmeal, but I very much prefer real, whole foods, like all my morning go-to menus. Hmmph.

So there we have it. I think I am making progress, but I could be making more. I just need to DO IT!

Final note/edit: Adding in a link to ways to easily cut calories, so I can come back and read it later!