One Calorie at a Time

My highest aspiration in life is to be healthy.

Emotionally.

Spiritually.

Relationally.

Physically.

While over the past several years, I have really focused on becoming more emotionally, spiritually and relationally healthy, I have slowly let my physical health slide to the bottom of my priority list.

I have not been taking care of myself with good nutrition or exercise. I have been giving in to binge eating cycles and being lazy. And while my beloved Gilmore Girls can eat and eat and eat while avoiding the gym like the plague, it apparently doesn't work so well in real life. Lame.

I have fallen into a stupid cycle of faux healthfulness where I eat healthy for a week and then telling myself that “oh, those french fries won’t be so bad” or “I’ve been so good lately, it’s ok if I cheat a little today”. Then “today” turns into the next day and then it’s been a week since I’ve eaten a vegetable that isn’t in a greasy combo something or other.

It’s time for me to refocus on being a physically healthy person. So this week I have been reestablishing healthful eating patterns. Patterns that used to be so deeply a part of my daily life that I couldn’t imagine eating any other way (for example, I once cut a donut in half, ate one half and saved the other to eat the next day. Seriously? Who is that girl? Because now I would shovel 2 down and tell myself I’d do an extra half hour on the treadmill to make up for it…and then “forget” to go to the gym).

In order to accomplish this I am using Spark People. It is a free website thingy that is so freaking awesome.

It really really is.

I promise.

What makes Spark People so awesome are all the great tools and support systems it has (forums, meal planning, fitness plans with demonstrations). My favorite tool is the nutrition tracker. It's like keeping a food log but sooo much better. Mainly because I type in a food and then it figures out the calories for me. (Plus I always lose my food journal and I can't lose the internet, now can I?)

It is really helping me to think about what goes into my body and how I want to “spend” my daily allotment of calories (1300ish daily...eep!). I’ve eaten pretty well so far today but I am at 600ish calories and am headed over to my inlaws for lasagna tonight.

My plan is to fill up on some salad and just eat a teeny tiny slice.

We’ll see how I do. It will be the first big challenge I’ve had yet and I really really want to eat healthfully. But I also really really love cheesy noodles with meat.

Perhaps since I have posted here I will have greater internal fortitude and self control.

Or maybe I’m just doomed.

ps...For those of you who have never experienced the Gilmore Girls. Well. I am sad for you. And I recommend that you get to Netflixing Season 1 ASAP!!!!

*edited to fix a bunch of typeos and title issues