Finding a Spark

Like nearly every other person out there, I've often had the desire to "get in shape." While we all generally understand what that means, there are a few different aspects to it. There's losing weight, building muscle and developing cardiovascular endurance. While I'd like to see all of those happen, I'm currently working on the first: losing weight.

Before I go any further, let me make a disclaimer. I find it very annoying when someone responds with, "You don't need to lose weight!" I appreciate the intentions when we say that to someone, but unless you suspect them of anorexia you should let them be the judge of that. I am quite confident that I'm not at my ideal weight, and I know that the challenge will only get harder the older I get.

As I write this, I've been actively pursuing this for almost exactly one month. In that time I've lost 10 or 11 pounds and have about that much left to go. I simply wanted to share a few of the things I've found to be helpful along the way.

First off, I got serious about utilizing Spark People. It's an online community of over five million people striving for a healthier lifestyle. There are tons of resources on there and many different ways to find help and support. For me the most useful tool has been the nutrition tracker. All I have to do is keep track of how much I eat and enter it into the website. It keeps track of how many calories I've had, including breaking it down into fat, carbs and protein. And since I told it how much I weighed when I started and what my target weight/date were, it tells me the calorie range I need to stay within.

In order to best measure the food I've eaten we picked up a digital scale. I got this one at Amazon.com for $25 (and another shout out to Amazon Prime for free shipping). It's very simple and since you can zero out the scale at any time, you can easily keep track of each thing you add to your plate.

Another thing that's been instrumental is drinking more water. Spark People (along with many many others) suggests drinking at least eight cups a day. A while ago we picked up this Brita water filter which does a fantastic job in making Maryville water drinkable. I also have a large drinking "jug" that is marked off to let you know how much water you've had.

Another useful development has been the increase in fruits and vegetables as part of our diet. It's certainly frustrating that this leads to an increased grocery bill, but the health benefits are worth it. And having our finances in order simply means we'll have to make a cut somewhere else.

It's been very gratifying to see results as I follow a tried-and-true method of weight loss: making wise choices daily and seeing the cumulative effects. I enjoy the fact that it doesn't require absolutely cutting certain things out of your diet, but rather endorses moderation. It's like having a calorie paycheck and a calorie budget. You know you have this much to spend each day, and if you make a large purchase in one area you're going to have to cut back somewhere else.

Now that I'm getting this area under control, I'm soon going to add in some work to strengthen my lower back (a constant source of frustration) and work to develop more softball related areas.

For anyone out there in a similar pursuit I want to encourage you not to give up. I weigh in every day, and some days the number on the scale goes up instead of down. However, the method is proven and if you just stick with it the results will come!