30!

OMG! People, I've lost 30 pounds so far! I am not kidding. It must be due to how I'm eating, as I'm not exercising as much as I should. I've been doing my part in trying to move MORE throughout the day, such as parking far away from the store so I have to walk, trying to go up and down my stairs more :P, playing Rock Band drums on "hard" - hey, even though it's not a hard work out, my body is moving, and a moving body is burning calories. Heck, even a stationary body is burning calories, but you get my drift. LOL

I've noticed recently that I'll be really hungry by mealtime, but when it comes to making my plate, I only want smaller portions. I look at the portions I used to eat and think dang! That was a lot of food. Yesterday for lunch, I had half a ham sandwich, ten wholegrain rice-cake chips, and a small cup of yogurt and I was stuffed. Dinner time was pork chops, of which I cut some meat off of mine and even so, didn't manage to eat it all. I ate most of my baked potato, half of my corn, and about half of my unbuttered roll. I just couldn't eat it all.

These changes are only for the better. I'm starting to think like a skinny person, I'm noticing. A smaller amount of food fills me up nowadays, and I'm keeping my calorie intake between 1500 to 1800 calories a day (except for the days I "cheat", which is usually Friday and/or Saturday). I used to eat about 3500 calories a day, just whatever I felt like. Fast food, chocolate, 3 rolls with dinner, a huge bowl of ice cream.

The big change for me is thinking of food as fuel for my body rather than an entertainment or some kind of reward or solace. I don't really cheat during the day, meaning, I don't pour myself an extra half cup of cereal. I don't take another handful of chips. I don't double up on my snacks. I do, however, still have the cravings and the urges to do that, so I'll drink some water before I eat, that way, I feel more full when eating the portions I should be eating. Then, I get used to being full with those portions, and before I know it, the thought of eating more makes me go, UGH, no thanks.

What's really helped me is finding the 100 calorie packs of junk food. LOL If I want salty chips, I grab one of the small 100 calorie bags. If I want chocolate covered pretzels (one of my favorite things), I grab a 100 calorie pack sold by Hershey's at Costco. Sure, it's only got two medium sized pretzels in the pack, but it gives me that taste of chocolate I crave at times while giving me a light snack if I'm not too hungry.

Anyway, I'll probably only shout out when I lose ten pounds at a time, as every five pounds might be a bit excessive. :P My goal is to reach a 50 pound weight loss by the end of May. I'm going to be buying a new bike the beginning of May, so I'm hoping that will seriously help me with some weight loss. Sometimes it's hard to get out and walk, but riding a bike is fun and is something I can do with the kids and not have it feel like "work".

Probably not going to get the "Karma" beach cruiser from my Hottie post, I'm thinking about getting a pink Townie with black Hawaiian accents - a black seat with white Hawaiian flowers, black handlebar grips with the same pattern, and black fenders with the same pattern, not to mention a black bag that fits between the frame bars with the Hawaiian flowers as well. Think this bike, but in this color. :)

YAY! The big three-oh. I'm feelin' good!