And so it begins -

As I said in a previous post - My Next Journey - I mentioned I'd be working on getting healthier and losing weight. Well, I've started =)

On November 2nd I started counting my calories again and doing portion control... eating every few hours and drinking tons of water. A few things have been helping me. For one, I have thyroid medication I have to take every day and so I don't forget, I set a daily alarm on my phone. Taking my medication is very important b/c if my levels don't stay right, I will never lose weight and I feel crappy. Next, I downloaded 3 apps on my phone. One app is called "Lose It". I put in my height, weight and age and said what my goal weight is and how much I want to lose each week. It tells me my daily caloric allowance. I have been keeping my calories around 1500 a day and I record EVERYTHING I eat in this app. I measure out everything I eat. The next app is a water app. I edited it to remind me 12 times a day to drink a glass (8oz) of water. This has really helped me keep up with my water intake. My third app is "jogtracker". I put in my height and weight info and then I track by GPS how far and how fast I walk. It then calculates the calories I burned. I can then put that amount into my "Lose It" app under the exercise section. The last thing that has been helping me is my weight loss support group. Bunch of great chicks who are all supportive of each other =)

Since November 2nd, doing only the things I have said, I have lost 2.5 pounds... in 9 days. I'm excited to start adding some exercise in there as soon as my plastic surgeon gives me the "ok"...and I'm sure he will at my visit on the 16th.

So for now, it is just baby steps... I intend on making slow but steady progress. A quick fix is never the right fix =)

Feel free to share any "health" or "weight loss" tips you have =) Success stories are welcome too, great for motivation for me and for those who read my blog =)