Monday, April 14, 2014

My Fitness Pals

Last week, I was a bleary-eyed, weepy basket case.  It was crazy late at night, and the cat and I sat there*, staring in a combination of disbelief and defiance at the words I'd written on the laptop screen.  Before I could talk myself out of it, I clicked "publish" and went to bed.

The next day, I felt like George Bailey when the entire town shows up at his house on Christmas Eve.




Bank Examiner? Who cares?
I've got friends.  And they've got my back.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

In related but less emotionally fraught news, I'm now an official fan of MyFitnessPal.  The website (also available as a great app) is a game-changer!

You put in a weight loss goal, and the app sets up a target daily calorie range.  You can also set goals for things like sodium intake and how much water you drink.  After a meal, I just search their ginormous database (and believe, me, it's got everything in there) and fill in a food diary in seconds.  I can log every walk to work or workout, too.  Sounds simple, but for me at least, it's been a profound help.   My sister,  the psychologist, could explain in scientific terms why this works**, but basically, it makes me think about every bite that goes into my mouth.  Plus, if I exercise, I see right away how much flexibility I have to enjoy a nice dinner out. It's instant accountability, and it's easy enough that I have no excuses not to do it. I love it.

Best of all, there's a social feed where you can cheer on friends, exchange notes, and vent about the person who brought doughnuts into the office when they knew you were trying to cut down on treats.

Who does that?
Not my pals.

My pals are getting their wings.


* The cat was actually asleep on the power cord.
** The woman researches the relevant academic literature before she gets out of bed in the morning.  Apparently, people who lose weight and keep it off successfully are tracking what they eat, and have support from friends and family.  Check!   She's the one who got me onto MyFitnessPal, and she's got a great little group going over there.  If you want in, just let me know!

2 comments:

  1. Sounds awesome and right up your alley!! You rock chica! So proud of you! Keep it going!!!

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  2. So awesome! Cheering you on over here!

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