Drop 15 Pounds in 2 Months

What woman isn’t on a diet?  Diet is my middle name.  Self-awareness of where I land on the scales each week keep me in check.  Am I pencil thin? No way!  Am I obese? Nope.  Do I need to lose weight? You bet!  How would you like to drop 15 pounds in 2 months? Would you other women to encourage you with your war against weight?

Recently, my darling hubs sent me an interesting article  How to Lose 15 Pounds by Swimsuit Season.  Ironically, it was in Men’s Health on MSNBC’s website.  He’s always watching out for me. I appreciate the little tidbits he passes to me.

Did you know, to lose one pound a week, you have to decrease your caloric intake by 3500 calories?  That seems like an awfully lot, but in truth, you can whittle the number down by taking some small measures in your daily meal planning.

Last summer, I embarked on the Atkins diet for the first time.  I  needed to blast away 20 pounds.  One of the most important things I discovered during the process was breakfast.  I have always been a breakfast eater.  Skipping that vital first meal of the day has never set well with me and with good reason. Our bodies perform better when we give ourselves that energy boost to kick-start our morning.  More importantly, a breakfast which is high in protein leaves you feeling fuller longer and will stave off those mid-morning munchies. According to the article on How to lose 15 pounds, you can save 200 calories by not skipping breakfast.

Eliminate sugary drinks.  This wasn’t a concern for me too much on a daily basis because I did not drink soft drinks, but I would occasionally have hot tea a couple of times and then on each weekend night I always had a 12-ounce glass of cola.  I do not fall in the norm on this level, but did you know by cutting out sugary drinks and replacing them with a sugar-free alternative the average person can slash 450 calories a day? Wow, right?

Doing these two things has shaved your calories by 650. In a week this will save you 4550 calories meaning you will drop little more than a pound.  The article How to lose 15 pounds gives you other suggestions to omit a total 1500 calories per/day, which will give you a grand-daddy lose 3 pounds per week.

Are you looking for support in your weight loss?  Perhaps, Patricia from Everyday Ruralty can give what you need.  She hosts a weekly meme designed to encourage others walking the same path as she updates us on her own weight loss progress. To make this venture together fun, she throws five questions out there for us to borrow, answer, and share. It’s just a little way of getting to know the other ladies in the meme while having fun. Feeling good about yourself is an essential factor in succeeding in anything you do and that includes weight loss.

This week she asked:

1. What’s your favorite thing to do outside when spring arrives?  One of my favorite things to do in the spring is to play in the dirt.  I like setting out potted flowers in my planters.  Our soil which is mostly red clay is too hateful to dig up. You have just as much fun if you were to bust up rocks.
2. What flower are you most looking forward to seeing this spring?  Tulips and daffodils are always cheery.  I love tulips vivid colors. It’s a real joy to drive along the Dogwood Trails to see all the gorgeous homes and landscapes.  One day, I like to have a lawn as lovely as what I gaze upon each spring.
3. Is there someone who encourages you to be healthy? My husband is my biggest source of encouragement.  When you’re young, you don’t think too much about healthy habits but with all the education out there on eating and exercising then young people have a bit of an edge over someone my age.  For the last quarter century, I made conscience decisions to improve my health and I’m happy that I did.

4. Where would you go on vacation if money was no object? Okay, this has nothing to do with weight, but it’s a fun question!  If money wasn’t an issue, then I have a dream to own a nice RV and travel across the country.  There are so many national parks we’d love to see.  This would be the central point of our travels, I believe, to knock out as many of the national parks, especially those out west that we could.

5. Is there something nice you can do for someone else this week?  The nicest thing I can think of I can do is to pray for someone.  There are so many people who are having a hard time right now with the economy or health problems, not to mention the horrible natural disaster that affects the people of Japan.  Everyone needs prayers and we cannot get enough of them.  My mind in particularly on a little three-year-old girl named Delaney Wadsworth who passed away recently from a brain tumor.  So, my heart and prayers will be with this family for sure.

Weight loss is a challenge and it take tenacity to overcome the seemingly impossible.  As you see those pounds shed, jump for joy – you deserve it.  But, don’t jump into a bowl of ice cream to reward (or at least not often) yourself for the calories you saved. The work is just beginning. One thing I learned, which is an unexpected blessing with eating sensibly is my cravings for naughty foods began to diminish. The good news in short is, I managed to drop 24 pounds last year, but unfortunately over the holidays some of those unwanted pounds sneaked back. It’s back to the ole drawing board, but this time I need to knock off 10 pounds. It’s always an uphill, ongoing battle always.  Hard work isn’t new to me and I’m ready to drop 15 pounds in 2 months. How about you?

Hugs always, Cathy

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