How Do I Do It?

I've had a couple people ask me how I've lost the weight. Here's my response:

You really are going to hate this but it comes down to:

Eat less.
Move more.

There are no magic bullets.

You need lots of lots of patience. It takes a long time. A really long *(*&^$$&()#* time.

And I journal my food every day. Every bite gets recorded. Even on the "ugly" days. No matter what my calories are, it seems like if I track, I lose. If I don't track, I don't lose. Just being aware of what I'm eating really helps a lot.

Also ADD food. Add more fruits and vegetables. Add a handful of nuts a day. Eat them first. Getting that nutrition in is very important to satiety.

I don't starve myself or restrict my food. I eat anything I want. I just don't eat EVERYTHING I want. Portion control is key! There are VERY few foods that I can't control myself over. They don't come in the house. (Entemann's chocolate donuts and Pepperidge Farm Chesapeake cookies are evil.) But meanwhile, I eat full fat cheese, cookies, candy, etc. But I have a single serving. One ounce of cheese, 2 Oreos, 1 snack-sized Mound, etc.

Final tip: don't drink your calories. Get rid of soda, juice, wine, etc. For the same amount of calories, you can eat a lot of food. For instance, a glass of apple juice is about the same as 1 1/2 apples!