A Calorie is a Calorie is a Calorie...

So, there I was! Losing weight lickity split! Then BLAM! I hit a brick wall (yes, yes, I know I wrote a blog similar to this not too long ago, and I told you I cried, blah blah blah. I didn't cry this time.).
I was perplexed. I couldn't figure out why I wasn't losing anything. I was keeping to my allotment of calories...I was being good!
Grrr...
I kept my chip intake low.
I was only having a few Hershey Kisses a day...
I restricted my cookies.
And brownies.
Ice cream.
Cake...
Pizza.....
ALL these things fell under my daily caloric requirements.
But then I thought aloud, "Gee, maybe a calorie isn't a calorie..."
Jeremy snorted and said, "I could have told you that." (Well, maybe he didn't snort or stress it like that...)
It makes sense, I suppose. I mean, if you have 2000 calories of lard and 2000 calories of, say, cucumbers, it's easy to guess which one is going to inflate your thighs.
The trouble was I read up on a diet a few years ago that said you could have a "cheat" day once a week. The author sagely (or so I thought) said, "It's not how you eat all the time; it's how you eat most of the time."
I latched onto that idea quickly. Unfortunately, I discovered that it is possible to undo all the good you have done in a week in one sitting. That's not good....
So, after coming to a standstill, I decided to integrate smoothies back into my diet (I had previously thrown them out because I figured I had enough fruits and veggies. No no no...that, and I hated washing the blender. Jeremy insisted that I take the whole thing apart every time. Bleh...so what if it smells a little funny??), and, if I needed to splurge, I should choose something that was healthy. And LO! I have lost weight. I currently only have 10 lbs to lose! Woo Hoo!
Seriously, if you want to lose weight quickly, drink smoothies. Fill them up with spinach (you can't taste it), grapes, plums, oranges, strawberries, marion berries, black-blue-and raspberries, bananas, anything! I use light soy milk or almond milk (40 calories a cup! Plus it is tasty.). I don't need to add any honey because it is really sweet already.
I frequently fall prey to indulging the idea of a get-thin-quick scam, ie. acai (Ah-Sigh-EE) berries, colon cleanse, etc. Fortunately, I haven't actually done any of them. I have looked into them, and found two truths: 1) To trust in a pill is wrong. It appeals to the lazy side of us. The only way to lose weight permanently (or at all) is to change your lifestyle (ya know, stop eating pizza everyday, and switch to healthy whole foods, like fruit and vegetables, whole grains, etc.), to exert self-control, and EXERCISE (VERY VERY IMPORTANT. The 11th commandment is to exercise. Or, you could look at it as a pre-commandment. I mean, Moses hiked up that mountain before he even got the commandments...telling, isn't it?). 2) Most gimmicks are gimmicks. I read up on acai (Ah-Sigh-EE) berry, and they say you get more out of a blueberry than you do from an acai berry. That's not to say that they aren't good for you. In general, ALL berries are a super food.

As for colon cleanse, well...Let's just say that you probably DON'T have layers and layers of plaque on your intestines like they want you to believe. I heard a report from a doctor who said that your intestines are the most amazing organ and they really don't need help from a colon cleanser. But if you feel like you need to clear out your system, just eat a pile of raw veggies and that should cure you.

Hopefully I will be able to reach my goal in about 5 weeks. Wish me luck and a boatload of self-control!

Comments

Katscratchme said…
Enjoy your pre-thirties years... Eh... you make me want to barf. Hey... maybe I should try that..... :-{
Tina said…
I wish you all the luck that I have in my body. I'm so excited for you to loose those last 10 lbs. I've got about 5 until I'm content, 10 would be wonderful but I will be good with 5 and it is so hard!! You can do it. The fact that you need to update us in 5 weeks should motivate you! I can't wait to hear about your success!!!!!
Rebecca's Oasis said…
That is really cool! Smoothies are great! I make mine without the milk. Bananas make them pretty smooth and thick already. :)

Well, I am fast behind you. Since Christmas I have lost 15 lbs. (never gained the weight back from being sick). :)
Bethany said…
Oh boy am I looking forward to that post partum weight loss! Bleh .... Good luck with your self-control.
Anonymous said…
Awww, Emily! That made me cry inside! You can do it too!
Thanks for the support, everyone!
I can NOT lose weight. All last summer I ate super healthy, exercised my but off, and didn't lose one pound.

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