Friday, February 10, 2012

Nothing a Chocolate Chip Cookie Can't Fix -Sister 4

If you're like me, you've tried all the diets, tons of exercise plans and still aren't exactly satisfied with you weight. As a result, your self-confidence has suffered.
If only confidence were based on the number of diets attempted. There's the coffee and grapefruit diet, the protein diet, the fruit diet, the vegetable diet, the only-green-things diet, the only-whole-food diet, the only-handmade-food diet, and even the cookie diet.
I've actually never tried the cookie diet, simply because it sounds too good to be true. The idea behind it is that you eat so many cookies, you'll get sick of them and then just stop eating. Stupid idea really, considering how many different kinds of cookies there are in the world. With all the choices, I wouldn't get sick of cookies in time to loose any weight before I had to get gastric bypass surgery.
Honestly, the only plan that really succeeds when it comes to weight loss is cutting back on what you eat and getting more exercise. (I know, you're all astounded. I've just told you the secret to the universe and everything you've ever known is completely turned upside down.) Except, that doesn't always work either.
In my latest escapade to achieve the perfect weight, I've been counting my calories with the help of my smart phone and a free app, "Lose It." Lose It is actually a pretty amazing app. It scans bar codes, has a huge database of food and exercise options, and is very easy to use. To use it, you start by entering your current weight and telling it your goal weight. Then it tells you how many calories you can eat a day and when you can expect to reach your goal. Any exercise you add gives you a bonus on the amount of calories you can consume.
I thought for sure, this time, my efforts would work. And I'm convinced they would work, if I could also convince myself that I can live on 700 calories a day. Okay, I'm not being completely truthful with that number, but the magic number Lose It gave me really wasn't much higher. Despite the ridiculously low number, I was determined to make it work.
I started logging my food intake and exercise. I started taking the stairs at work and skipping the three o'clock sugar break. I stopped drinking soda altogether. I even bought a new digital scale so I could see the progress in ounces—even if it was only ounces. Weeks went by and I really didn't get anywhere.
So, in a moment of weakness, I caved. I exceeded my calorie intake by a thousand for one day, ate a chocolate chip cookie, drank a soda, and ate some chocolate. Know what happened? The next morning, the number on the scale was down. Fluke right?
That's what I thought. But I was too dissuaded to count calories the next day too. I ate what I wanted, and low and behold, the number on the scale was down again. What is going on? I'm eating candy, I'm drinking soda, I'm not counting anything and the number on the scale gets smaller. It's not right. It's not fair. So for the last week, I have skipped counting calories and steps, I have drunk a lot of soda, I have eaten cookies, and candy and everyday I've floated within six ounces of where I was.
So, the next time you're feeling like you need to loose a pound or two, remember, it's nothing a chocolate chip cookie can't fix.

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