What I've learned about ME losing weight so far...

OK, five and a half weeks and 21.5 pounds into this one year project I have learned a few things. Some of these are painfully obvious but I "get" them now. It will be interesting to see if this list stays the same as I progress further.

1. Weight loss is only about calories consumed vs calories burned.
No matter what anyone tells you to the contrary, this is matter of well-documented human anatomical FACT. It's true that certain calories burn faster than others and certain food makes you feel hungrier than others. In the end, it's always calories in vs calories out.

2. Never, ever, eat anything for which you cannot calculate the EXACT amount of calories.
I was eating about 500 calories a day more than I thought. I was really watching what I was eating but when I sat down and calculated things like my sub sandwich (mayo, cheese, special bread), I was really surprised at all the extra calories that were hidden. Since you have to burn 3,500 calories to lose a pound of weight, 500 hidden calories per day could cost you one pound a week. If you don't count the exact calories (rather than estimating what you "think" the calories are) then you are kidding yourself.

3. Whenever you eat, be disciplined about it.
If you are going to eat something bad, calculate how much, and then stick to that. Don't ever go hog wild. If you know you are going to be in a situation where you are going to fall off the wagon, figure out something realistic (four slices of pizza, five beers, 20 chips and dip, etc.) and then stick to it. You'll be off the wagon but it will be planned (disciplined). The same thing holds true when you are eating things low in calories. For example, if you want to snack on whole wheat crackers, don't sit down and graze until you feel full. That is not disciplined and reinforces "old" habits of eating what I want for as long as I want.

4. Plan a variety of meals
Monotony derails me on almost every diet. There are thousands of healthy recipes out there.

5. Don't get bored.
When I get bored, I head to my first level of "entertainment" which is eating. This is never a problem for me on week days but can be a problem on weekends when it is nasty out and I'm trapped in the house. As a result, I try to go into the weekend knowing how I am going to spend my time.

6. Keep things around you that conjure up the desperate feeling that started this whole project.
Before I started, I wrote down all of the things that suck about being fat. Some were funny, some were sad, some were down right scary. I review that list often. I also look at thin pictures of me every day.

7. Exercise, exercise, exercise.
Losing weight is a lot easier if you exercise. Aside from the faster weight loss, there are many other benefits. Before you start, talk to someone who knows about exercise and begin with a REALISTIC plan. Don't overdue it and hurt yourself but, at the same time, you need to push yourself.

8. Keep it simple
Every planned diet I have ever been on (LA Weight Loss, Atkins, South Beach, Optifast, etc.) always came with a level of complexity. I needed to find a simple way of monitoring what I eat. The more complicated I make it, the more likely I will mess up, and then give up.

9. Last but not least, have a lot of support on tap.
This blog has proven to be a good instrument to keep my family and friends in the loop on my project. The comments and e-mails I receive keep me going. It also makes me feel like I am accountable to a group of folks. Humans weren't meant to go through challenges alone. This is a group effort and I appreciate you all.