I’m Losing Weight, And Here’s How I’m Doing It

I've never been clinically overweight (good genes, I guess), but I haven't had a healthy body since I was in the military. (That is NOT me in the pic, btw; it's just a stock photo)

My issue with my weight isn't about being overweight, it's about having fat where I don't want it: you know, the Muffin Top, the Dunlop, the Michelin Man rings.

I know what I need to do: exercise. If I would only exercise, I would probably be happier with the way my body looks and feels. Until I can psychologically work myself up to exercising, I have been keeping an eye on what I eat.

Before you stop reading, keeping an eye on what you eat is a lot easier than I had imagined. I found an online program that allows you to enter in the foods you eat so you can track your caloric intake. (There are dozens of apps for your phone out there, just pick one!). When I downloaded the app, it asked me what my goals were, and then it told me how many calories I could have each day and still reach that goal.

My goal was to lose 10 pounds in 10 weeks and, in 2 weeks, I'm already down 3 lbs! Caloric intake tracking is really working for me.

Not only do these apps track the calories, most of them can track nutritional values (sugars, fats, carbs, sodium, etc) and can also sync with your smartphone to track your exercise.

From what I understand, keeping track (or writing down or entering into an app) everything you put in your body helps you keep a better grip on your daily intake and, just like writing down every dollar you spend each day, can help you reach your goals!

I also cut down on sugary drinks (I drink mostly water) and I cut down on my alcoholic beverage intake by about half.

Now, if I could only convince myself to exercise, I'd probably feel much better about my health!