A friend told me about a weight-loss website called Lose It (www.LoseIt.com) and I’ve been using it for over a month now and I have to say it has really helped me! I’m down 2.4 pounds, but that’s not the main point….it’s totally changed the way I eat…what I eat…when I eat…how much I eat…
The premise is pretty simple: log in your weight every day, and log everything you eat.
To start using it, you weigh yourself, plug that number in, along with your height and age….and then tell the program how much weight you want to lose…and how much per week you would like to lose in order to reach that goal…and it calculates the number of calories you should be eating each day. It also adjusts based on your performance.
When I first started using it, it told me I could only eat 1150 calories per day. Ouch. It was super hard to not go over, and I usually went over daily. I realized that prior to using the website I was eating around 2400 calories a day! I had NO idea.
I gave it a week and a half, but I was absolutely starving at the 1150 calorie limit. So I adjusted my goal and it came back at 1350 calories a day. Much more attainable. Even then, I ended my second week 3,327 over budget. The next week 1,626 over. The week after that 12 calories over. Last week I was 1,414 UNDER!
This is how LoseIt.com has helped me….
I’m aware of what I put in my mouth.
I have to track every bite I put in my mouth. It’s really not that difficult to track. There’s a lot of food- either restaurant or grocery based- already in the system. Most food items have the nutritional value posted on the label. If you make something from scratch, simply plug your recipe into this website along with the total number of servings the recipe made, and it will calculate out the nutrition per serving.
For example, my homemade blueberry muffin recipe makes 12 muffins (Demarle pan size) which ends up being about 80 calories per muffin. Not bad!!
I make better choices now. I know that a gingerbread latte has much fewer calories than a white mocha. I also know that getting a Tall versus a Grande or Venti saves calories (and money- duh!). I know that one egg for breakfast has about 90 calories, whereas a bowl of cereal has nearly 300! Plus I’m not so hungry so soon after.
I’m also aware of my calorie output….
I’m still rockin’ the 5am wake-up call. I spend 30-45 minutes on the treadmill or elliptical usually 4 to 5 days a week. Even if I only have 20 minutes it’s better than nothing, I’ll take it!
On the days that I exercise, I’m almost always under my daily calorie goal. Usually by a few hundred calories! And if it takes me 45 minutes to burn 400 calories, well I’m certainly not going to blow that on two poptarts!! YIKES! I did that once. Won’t happen again. Two poptarts are not worth 45 minutes on an elliptical. Actually, not much IS!
I stopped drinking Coke. At least on a daily basis. I’ll still get it if I’m out and about, but we don’t really go out and about that much.
Moral of my story….
If you are trying to eat healthier, or lose weight….start with LoseIt.com. I promise you if you use it daily (like you are supposed to) it WILL help you.
(You can read why I’m trying to lose weight here)
Elisa's Ramblings 
I thought you looked like a million dollars last Sat. at the memorial. I don’t think you need to lose anymore, just stay looking like you did Sat.
Aw… Thank You! I had to buy new pants for Saturday because I can’t fit in any of my older black slacks, so yes- I am trying to lose some weight. Just 10 pounds. Just want to secure myself in my wardrobe again.
I love it too, and I am so much more inspired to keep up with it now that we are linked. Here’s a tip, don’t eat the Costco hot dogs. Yikes!
Although, Zoe, the Costco hot dogs are the least calorie and least fat choice!! Well, other than the fat-free frozen yogurt. I always thought the hot dogs were bad, the pizza is worse! The turkey wraps even worse!!