My big sister and I were chatting on the phone this afternoon. Early in the conversation, we talked a little about weight - a common topic. She said she had recently heard or read that if you reduced your calorie intake by 115 calories a day, you would lose a pound a month. If, in addition, you exercised every day enough to burn about that same number of calories, you would lose 2 pounds each month. Wow, that is 24 pounds in a year's time. How encouraging. Through the years I had read similar information many times, but our conversation today reminded me that every day matters and that I don't need to take giant steps, but that little ones make a big difference.
The other piece of insight I gained is that I think I need to stop blaming age and thyroid, etc. for my weight gain. I know I accepted the blame in a recent post, but now I accept more fully:)I suspect with more time at home I have been eating, without noticing, just a few more calories per day than in past years. And, with my bum foot, I am sure I have reduced my exercise by enough to make the difference, too. I certainly haven't gained 24 pounds in a year! But over the last seven years, I have crept up more than ten pounds. Why that could be accomplished by considerably less than a hundred extra calories a day!!! Just a tiny amount of food. Almost unnoticeable.
So the good news is that when I went to the art center for a reception this afternoon, I found it easier to avoid cake, cookies, and all manner of temptation. Why all I have to do is cut back just a tiny bit!!!!! Since the reception food was serving as my lunch today. I selected just a few savory tidbits and moved totally away from the food table to visit with association members and friends. I think I saved way more than a hundred just by avoiding the cake!
So the funny news is that toward the end of our conversation, my sister moved from her deck to the kitchen. When she did, she found that her daughter and granddaughter must have been there to deliver Girl Scout cookies. So when I told her that I was happy that no Scouts had come to my door this year, she checked one box for calorie count: 170 for three cookies. I proposed that if she ate just one, she would save 100 calories for today. So we laughed a long time at my math logic. Don't you like it?
I read once that if you ate only 3 peanuts every day for a year, you'd gain like 50 pounds. Isn't that discouraging?
ReplyDeleteThat is about the most discouraging thing I ever heard:( About a month ago, I banned nuts from the house - even the almonds that are so good for us. After we improve our status, we will let the almonds back in.
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