In March of 2015, I pulled out my least used (actually my least favorite) household appliance ….my digital bathroom scale, in order to make a life style change. I took a deep breath and climbed on. After moving it around the house to find a more level surface and pressing the reset button to recalibrate it, I realized that the number was, in fact, what I really weighed on a Monday morning, before breakfast and only wearing the lightest pajamas I own. How could this be? I went to the mirror and took a peek; I still looked the same as I did the day before and the day before that.
All day long I reassured myself that this must be a mistake and that Tuesday morning’s weight would be much less. It was not and neither was Wednesday’s. So I now knew for sure that I needed to lose weight. I chose to count calories – a method that has proven successful for me in the past. Please note that this was also a very self-exposing moment when I realized that I was not eating 1800 calories a day like the app so kindly suggested, but more like 3500.
So, I persevered and very diligently documented everything I ate over the course of 5 months. Every crouton, every tablespoon of salad dressing…everything. And the weight came off. Not in huge numbers, but eventually. I have lost 28 pounds and have managed not to gain weight in one year.
Looking back, I am trying to think of what I learned from my weight loss experience. To put it simply, I learned that if ice cream tasted like Brussels sprouts and French fries had the consistency of okra, I would never have to count calories again.