There are a few things that I believe have contributed to my weight loss so far. One new habit is planning out my meals for the whole week. By deciding in advance what I will eat everyday during the week I am able to make smart choices from the start. I can guarantee that I will have my required number of fruits and vegetables. I also know the total caloric count for the day and know where I would have room for a drink with a friend. Then again, I can also plan my own healthy snacks!

And I will also add that this cuts down on the grocery bill. I only buy what I know is on my meal plan and shopping list and not extra food that usually ends up as empty and unhealthy calories.

I realized that I have never actually posted where I have begun on this journey. Technically it started with the new year. While many people make resolutions on January 1st, I normally don’t. That was until I got on the scale. I officially weighed my all-time record life-time high: 173 lbs. Which is a lot for someone who has to strain to keep claiming the half inch when I tell people I am 5′ 2.5″. If I calculate my BMI, I am over 30, which is officially obese. I have never been “obese” and do not like the feeling of having such a label placed on me. Funny thing is, looking at me you would probably never think “obese.” Don’t believe me? Check out my photos in December 2007 on my Flickr account.

That is when I realized that things need to change. I was unhappy being that weight and that size (usually a size 10 in jeans, Large - XL in shirts). Being unhappy and unhealthy, well, the opposite of that is happy and healthy! I can do that. I was healthy in high school when I played volleyball and softball and was a cheerleader. I have always considered myself happy (at least before realizing what my weight was). I knew I could recover that again.

My initial changes were only 2:

1. Exercise
2. Eat Less

So I started working out on most days of the week. Then I began cutting back on the foods I ate. I exercised a total of 43 times between those first two months. I also tried to keep my calorie intake under 2,000 and usually around 1,600 per day.

Now I am happy to say that as of the end of February I am 158 lbs. That puts me into the “overweight” category. And for those math geeks out there, that is a 15 pound weight loss in 2 months. I feel like I am on to something here!

I now question whether or not I should be setting a goal weight. To get to a BMI of 20 I would need to weigh 115 lbs. The last time I weighed that amount was before puberty. I think 120 would be a bit healthier for me. That is only 38 more pounds to go. At the rate I am going, I should be able to do that before the end of the year easily.