Thank You...And How I Get Through This First Week Of Counting Calories

Good Morning!

It's Tuesday and I have officially ten weeks until I'm due.

Also, wanted to just say that you guys are great!

I wasn't really expecting anyone to jump on board and start counting calories with the pregnant mama in the house, but, some of you did and I do feel encouraged.

I kept track yesterday and did really well in making healthy food choices. So much so, that I actually dropped two pounds. But, I think that may be due in part to probably eating bad over the weekend and retaining fluids and stuff. I also drank a lot of water yesterday which always helps to flush out the fluids.

I picked out a blue notebook and plan to put some pictures of myself on it this week so as make my notebook more personal and also to give it a feeling of a safe haven where I work out my eating frustrations. I plan to put pictures on it where I am looking good...and usually I also try to find a current overweight picture to also motivate me too. So, that I can visualize where I want to be and can see the reality of where I'm at.

If you don't have any pictures you feel you have that you can aspire to, pick out one from a magazine and put your head on it. The more you see what you want to be, the more you will try to make it happen.

Whenever I start calorie counting, I make it a point to not restrict my calories the first week. It's very tempting to restrict because at any given moment you may be feeling positive about succeeding. But because we can't see into the future, it's better to eat a little more and be a little happier the first week...why?

Because you just want to get through the first week...making sure you keep track. You are trying to develop a new habit of keeping track of your calories and what you eat. And that's a big deal. Keeping track isn't a habit that is easily developed overnight. So, you want to take the pressure off a little by not "making" yourself keep to a certain number of calories.

Besides, even if you don't try to restrict, you will anyway because it's so hard not to when you are keeping track.

But, also, having a record of what you ate the first week, will allow you to look back and help you to see what you can cut out to make your choices healthier for the next week.

Technically speaking, the first three days of keeping track are the hardest. The rest of the week and getting through the weekend are the second hardest.

So, that's my spiel today. Give yourself grace this first week. You probably won't eat perfect the first week, but that's ok. The goal for the first week is to simply write it all down.

Anyway, that's how I trick myself into starting a food journal. Ha! Ha!

Other than that, there's this donut in our house and I'm suppose to make cookies today. I'm really thinking I'm going to skip the donut and have maybe one cookie.

I'll let you know how I did tomorrow.

I'm so glad I have you all as blogger friends!

Hope you all have a good one!

Sincerely,
Sunshine Mama