As the days go by - Part I

As we get closer to December 31st there are more and more blog posts coming up about resolutions for the new year and lots of reflections about all that has happened in 2011.

As someone who has struggled with my weight for pretty much my whole life, I think the goal to lose weight and adopt a healthier lifestyle is no longer just a new years resolution - it's an everyday, all the time resolution.

There are really only two basic principles you need to follow to lose weight:

1. Eat healthy foods in proper quantities

2. Exercise

That's it.

Of course you can go into more detail and become obsessed with numbers (I've definitely been there) - calories consumed, calories burned, body mass index, fat to muscle ratio, basal metabolic rate etc. etc. - but I think it all comes down to being more vigilant. With everything you put in your mouth - ask yourself - will this get me to my goal weight? If not, put it down. If it will, go for it.

Sounds simple, right?

Well, if it was that simple, I would have been at my goal weight years ago. The truth is, I'm not. In fact I'm still so far from my goal weight it feels like I barely got started.

I know that on December 31st, 2011 I will be a few pounds lighter than I was on January 1st, 2011. I should be happy that at least I didn't gain ... but that's just not good enough - why didn't I lose more? How is it that I've worked out so much (granted not as much as last year) yet have not managed to lose more? I know that the lack of exercise during my recovery period has had an impact on my weight loss -- but still, it's not all that.

It's my food. It's got to be my food. I am quite careful about what I eat -- but I could be more vigilant about my nutrition. I will be more vigilant about what I eat.

It's all in my control. I just have to find the courage to stick to the plan and keep moving forward.

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PS - Had a great workout today -- I shaved a minute off my 1 km warm-up and finished the second round of Workout B for NROL4W. I managed to up a few weights and even tried the reverse crunches (which I skipped last time). I'm still not back to my pre-surgery strength, but I'm definitely getting there!

I also wore jeans for the first time since my surgery! I was very excited about that. They fit just fine, not tight at all and, more importantly, not uncomfortable/painful - which is what I was most worried about due to the healing incision etc. Now I can continue working towards fitting into a smaller size!! :)