Diet-to-Go(ne)

About two months ago, I decided that it was time for me to stop ordering Diet-to Go and start preparing my own meals. This was an intimidating decision because I was not sure that I had the discipline or the know-how to come up with nutritious, calorie-controlled meals that would also be delicious and filling. Well, so far so good and I am doing it on my own. Here are a few things that I do to keep myself on track:

• Always read nutritional labels. Before I buy or eat anything, I investigate the nutritional facts. I even go online to view the nutritional information for restaurants. In most cases, if something is too high in calories and/or fat, I avoid it. To some, the thought of getting so caught up in counting calories, fat grams and the like, maybe daunting. Even for me sometimes all I want to do is just enjoy a meal without having to be so technical. But, living a healthy lifestyle is about making informed choices. Having an understanding of what is in the foods I eat allows me to do so.

• Stick to a serving size. When I am preparing my meals, I limit myself to one serving size. If twelve sweet potato fries will keep me at 130 calories, I literally count out the twelve. It can be tempting to throw in a few extras, but that would throw off my calorie count. Being the type A person that I am, the thought of things not being just right is enough to keep me in line.

• Keep low calorie, low fat snacks handy. I do not let myself run out of fat-free yogurt, string cheese, fresh fruit and Special K protein shakes. These items are great on the go and they keep me from feeling so hungry that I end up in a McDonald's drive-thru!

Of course, I could go on and on. It seems that every week, I discover a new trick to help me to continue on my weigh. I am so excited and proud of myself for initiating and maintaining these lifestyle changes. I hope that you too are finding success as you reach for your goals!

Running Along...

I have been running for over a month and I am making great progress. I am now at the point where I can run two miles non-stop. This is a huge leap from a few posts ago when I could only run .10 miles before having to take a walking break. How on earth do I manage to do this, you ask? Well here are my secrets:

Lifestyle Changes--if you have been following my blog, you will recall that I started this journey back in July 2009. I did not go on any fad diets or start any fancy exercise plans. I simply made drastic, yet sustainable lifestyle changes. I have reduced my caloric intake to about 1200-1400 per day and I exercise regularly. These changes are the foundation for my running.

Read, Read, Read--one of the most important things I do is read about running. I found a great website, active.com, that has tons of information on any aspect of running that you could think of. The saying that "knowledge is power" is spot on in my case. Advancing my knowledge of running has contributed greatly to my growth as a runner.

Practice Pacing--at this point in my running journey, I am most concerned about distance. I simply want to be able to run the entire 5K in September. Speed is much less of an issue for me right now. I realized that I failed at my previous attempts to run because I was running too fast! Now when I run, I focus on pacing myself so that I can complete my run. I have found a pace that challenges me but doesn't defeat me. I am currently able to do a 15-minute mile--not bad for a beginner!

Relax, Relate, Release--I allow myself to rest! I only run on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings. This gives me plenty of rest days in between. During my rest days, I still do some form of exercising. I just don't run on those days. Eventually, I would like to increase my running days but I will have to work up to that point.

As you can see, I am well on my weigh and I hope that your are too!