We’ve all had them…those Aha moments when you realize something profound that impacts your life like nothing else.  When I realized I was sensitive to grains and sugar it was an Aha moment for me.  Most recently though was the realization that I needed to embrace the entire process of eating…from planning, shopping for ingredients, preparing meals, and sitting down and enjoying my meals.  I never did that before.  I never made time to plan my meals and hated going to the grocery store.  Preparing meals was always a challenge because I either didn’t have all the ingredients I needed (due to my poor planning!) or couldn’t find things in my kitchen to use in cooking.  And eating meals was always rushed because I was always focused on what I had to do after I got done eating.  Sound familiar?

Over the past month things started changing and I finally looked at all the obstacles (excuses) and resolved to correct them.  And the number one obstacle?  I needed to start tracking my calories and had every excuse under the sun as to why I couldn’t.  You see, I never had to track before.  Losing weight in the beginning was a piece of cake…I lost 10-15 pounds a month seemingly effortlessly by eliminating grains, sugar and processed food from my diet.  I was so happy that I didn’t have to track my calories.  But circumstances change and now I need to change.

Tracking my daily calories keeps me accountable!

During my plateau I managed to keep my weight between 168 and 171 without tracking calories.  My health management coach Jennifer said my body was adjusting and to not be too concerned.  I wasn’t upset about the plateau, but I was ready to continue on my journey.  And I realized that I needed to adjust my calorie intake and start tracking in order to lose the last 30-40 pounds

I use Crono-o-meter online to track my daily calories, input new foods and create new recipes.  They offer both a Free Edition and a Gold Edition.  Their database is huge and if something is not listed it is easy to add custom foods and easier to create your own recipes.  I aim for 1200 calories a day but often go over.  1200 calories a day is NOT a lot of food!  Tracking, like blogging, keeps me accountable and on focus.  So I learned to enjoy this part of the process instead of hating it.  It’s all about attitude and I realized that with the right attitude I can accomplish my goals…I can accomplish anything!

Tomorrow I will be sharing a recipe that my grandmother used to make…Tater-Tot Casserole!