A new aproach

A couple of years ago I lost quite a bit of weight, but I didn't keep any of it off. At the time, I logged every bite that went into my mouth, counted calories, and I obsessed with tracking my steps with my Fitbit.

Sounds like a great approach, doesn't it? Well, at the time it worked for me, but I am not so sure it was a healthy way...physically and mentally. I allowed myself a certain amount of calories per day. It didn't really matter where those calories came from. Healthy food, junk food, fast food, empty calorie food...everything was fair game as long as I didn't go over my allotted calories.

This time I am not counting any calories. I am trying to feed my body healthy foods, foods with nutritional value. I will exercise, but I will not feel like a failure if there is a day without exercise. I do not have to be perfect to be successful. If this does not work for me, I can always re-evaluate.

Here are some strange ways my mind used to work:

* "I can't have that banana, there are way too many calories in bananas."
* "I didn't exercise today, so I might as well give up for the day and splurge."
* "I can't believe I had a donut this morning. Oh well, I will start again tomorrow morning...which means I can eat whatever I want for the rest of the day."
* "I forgot my Fitbit at home...so why bother walking more."
* "I am not hungry but have 200 calories left for the day... so a scoop of ice cream it is!"

Writing some of these thoughts out makes me realize how warped my thinking was! It worked for a while, but not in the long run. Time to overhaul my thought process!