Thursday, May 3, 2012

Tracking my health

With all the stress about our 20-mo son (J) not eating -- I know it's small potatoes compared to real world problems -- I decided to increase my visits to the gym to 2 times a week. I think the time away from home and also the release of some toxins will help with relieving stress. And losing a few pounds won't be so bad either ;). I hate the treadmill but I also know it'll be my fastest route to my goal weight of ah hem ma nah pounds.

[Source: MyFitnessPal]

I even rediscovered the MyFitnessPal app on my phone. Based on my sedentary lifestyle, anticipated workouts a week, weight loss goal per week, and goal weight, MyFitnessPal tells me how many calories I should consume. Darn peanut M&Ms really did me in one day. They're so good though!

I've never been a calorie counter, never kept a food journal, and thus never really thought about what I put into my body. When we eat at home, we're pretty good about eating well-rounded meals. But when we go out, I don't give food a second thought. Those calories listed inside menus were just numbers to me -- I didn't translate them into pounds. If I had a hankering for an iced latte or Frappuccino, I'd consider the price over the caloric content. Oh, and now that we have J, I find myself eating his leftovers for no reason except that I hate to waste food. Like one morning, I ate his Nutri-Grain bar just because I had opened it, he didn't want it, and I didn't want it to dry out and go to waste (120 extra calories!). I had already eaten a PB sandwich, and not the low fat kind either, ew.

I don't want to become obsessed with calories because I know there's good and bad, filling and empty. But using the MyFitnessPal app at least gives me a ballpark of calories to shoot for. It's ok to snack and indulge, but I just need to be aware of it. The image below shows that I was pretty on-track with my net calories (consumed minus burned) last week.


Do you count calories and/or track exercise? 
How? Paper and pencil, or app? 
Share in the comments!

Show some love. Leave a comment below and I'll definitely respond!
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Originally posted at expandng.com - Tracking my health

13 comments:

  1. i am so horrible at keeping track of calories and so forth, right now i am trying to work out 3 times a week but it's still really hard to do so. Luckily i work out during lunch since i have no time once im home with baby girl!

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  2. i have try this app out. i am not a calorie-counting person, either. i just try to work out more, and just watch what i eat. haha, m&m peanuts always gets me, too! :) you're too cute.

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  3. I used to use something called My Plate, but I didn't use it often enough. I found that just writing down what I was eating every day was a lot easier for me.

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  4. A friend of mine is a personal trainer / new mommy trainer and I've started working with her to try to lose some weight and get back into shape. One thing she emphasizes is to eat good fats (olive oil, avocados, etc.) and to try to eat heavier meals earlier in the day. These days, my dinner usually consists of a salad with a side of whatever meat I'm making for my husband and son. First weigh comes next week, so we'll see if it's working or not. I hope this app helps you - I hate counting calories and it's about killing me to keep a food journal for my friend!

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  5. Mmmm! Peanut M&Ms! Oh sorry, I mean, I used to count calories. I did WW a few months ago and met my goal weight. Woohoo! Cool App you have. Good luck with your weight loss. You will do great!!!

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  6. Wait, J's not eating? I think I might have missed a post on this? Gonna have to scour your blog and catch up.

    By the way, my husband used the app, Lose It!, and lost about 30 pounds in one summer and he's kept it off ever since. Just thought you might be interested in checking it out.

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  7. i don't count calories or weigh myself because IMO, healthy living shouldn't feel like a chore and counting calories or always weighing myself to see if i've lost weight is just too much work for my lazy ass.

    having said that, i have been eating very healthy since jan 1 and i've also been exercising on a regular basis. i've already hit 2 of my goals and i judge my progress based on how my clothes fit and how i feel.

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  8. I don't count calories but try to go for smaller meals. But have not been doing so for the past two weeks as I need to be out in the afternoons for meeting and the weight is slowly creeping up again.
    As for exercise, I run and use the app run keeper. highly recommend it :)

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  9. I recently read about a similar APP from another blogger, she is using it for her wedding. Since I turned 30 last year...the weight has not been the same. I should use this but ehhh I know I'll get discouraged.

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  10. I use the app LIVESTRONG and it's been a good way to track the stuff that goes in my mouth and well, into my body. :) Yesterday was a horrible day, but at least I know why the scale is glaring at me. ;) I also am going to revise my scary goal of working out 5x a week to more like 3x. :) I like the simplicity and ease of the LIVESTRONG app... I also used to use the FitnessPal app but have since deleted it. :)

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  11. Nup, I don't count anything, not even the number of chocolate bars I shove down my face. I'm going to live my healthy life through you, its sounds easier, go girl!

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  12. I love apps - I don't what I did before them. This app in particular sounds useful because it keeps you accountable. Best of luck with your eating right and exercising! You're right about exercise. Not only is it good for you physically, but also mentally to get away from the house for a little bit and focus on yourself.

    I hate dieting. I was forced to diet during both pregnancies due to gestational diabetes and cut all the fun carbs out (rice, noodles, potatoes, etc. - seriously, what's an Asian supposed to eat after cutting those out?). With V, I lost all my weight plus some extra by 6 months post partum. With E, I've lost all my weight but this dang belly is bigger than ever. Just recently started exercising so we'll see how long I can stick with it :)

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  13. Thanks for the app tip. I've never really been one to keep a food journal. I love food and have always been blessed to have a great metabolism. I have basically been the same size (minus years of prego) since I was in college. Over the last two years I've added exercise to my routine not to loose weight just to tone up the things that need it. Cardio Kickboxing is my new fav!

    Hopefully with the help of the cardio and this app I can balance the food and exercise a little better.

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