Losing Weight

So I guess I have to admit that they were right. All the books and trainers and tv shows and magazine articles. If you want to lose weight you need to burn more calories in a day than you eat in a day. And you need to keep doing that every day. For a long time. Once you get down to a good weight, and your body gets used to the new way of living, then you can mess up a day here or there...as long as the mess up days don't become regular days.

Simple concept. No matter which diet or exercise plan you use, that's the bottom line. Knowing what to do to lose weight is easy. Actually doing it...not so much. But I've finally found what works for me. WiiFit. Yep...the Nintendo thing.

I hop on my WiiFit board every morning and weigh in. It recorded my goal a while ago and when I want to reach that goal. Then each day it charts how I'm doing. So I know immediately how I did the day before. Did I work out enough? Was it okay to eat that yummy homemade chocolate chip cookie that someone brought to work? Is one slice of pizza okay at dinner?

The WiiFit also has exercises that I can do right there at home. Great for days when I don't have time to get over to the gym. And it adds up the minutes you've been working out so you know when you've gotten in the recommended "at least 30 minutes". It's in four different categories: Yoga, Strength Training, Aerobics, and Balance. The yoga and strength training are simply exercises you do. There are a bunch in each category that you can choose from. I pick the ones I like and ignore the others. The aerobics choices are pretty fun. They include boxing, hula hooping, running (I love the island lap! I actually get to run in the waves on the beach, with seagulls flying by. Very cool.), step dance, and some others. Then the balance exercises are actually short games like slalom skiing and soccer headers and sliding around on an iceburg trying to catch fish. Again, very fun.

There are also basics that need to become regular parts of your life related to food.

• Drink lots of water - a full glass when you wake up and before you go to sleep, and a lot in between.
• Eat more fruit and vegetables.
• Daily multi-vitamin.
• Limit your biggest temptations - Figure out the things that you can easily eat way to much of and limit it to one every now and then. And never alone! Frappuccinos, cheeseburger & fries, soda, movie theater popcorn, whatever.
• Foods that are off limits - white flour, white potatoes, white rice, white pasta, white sugar, juice. Whenever you have the choice to not eat these things, say no and choose another option.
• Balance every splurge with a sacrifice.
  
• Eat smaller portions.
• Eat three meals a day and two snacks. That's it! I make a point of eating something healthy every two hours or so. Even if I'm not hungry. That way I don't ever get to the point where I'm so hungry I just give in and eat something I shouldn't because it's there.
• Walk. Take the stairs. Park farther out in the parking lot. Walk.