Baby Steps Revisited

Small changes first. Baby steps. You may or may not have heard this before, but for me, it really was the KEY to making myself commit to losing weight last year. (If you want to read little about my story, I posted about it last year here.) Every time I'd tried to 'diet' before, I tried to change everything at once - given up all the things I loved - cold turkey. I'm here to tell you - IT DOESN'T WORK. You will start to crave those things you love. Even things that you didn't like before, but you know are bad for you. So, in starting this weight loss journey again, I'm reminding myself, and maybe helping you in the process, to remember to change things a little at a time. Pick a few things to work on, and once you're comfortable with those changes, make a few more changes, and pretty soon, you've done some significant things to improve your health and help you lose weight. Some ideas of things you can do:

• Control your portion sizes. Be aware of how much you are eating of something. Read labels and find out how much a portion of something really is. (1/2 cup of rice is 1 serving. 3 oz of chicken/turkey is one serving. I'm pretty sure before WW**, I never had just one serving at a sitting of either of these things before I went on the program. Seriously, a 1/2 cup of rice!?)
• Make yourself move more, starting today. I'm not talking full on gym work out (yet!) Right now, it could mean just parking further away from the office/grocery store/apartment, etc. Taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Get up and walk around for 5 minutes instead of surfing the net during a break (ahem.) Go dancing. Play with your kids. Just make yourself move.
• Get rid of trigger foods. If there is something in your fridge or pantry that you know you can't just have ONE of, dump it. Don't let it tempt you right now. I have recently determined that Vanilla Cheerio*s totally have my number. I can't eat just one serving. I eat half a box they are so yummy. So, GONE. At least for now.
• Drink more water. (See Sonia's post from Monday on water.) Your body sends the same signal to your brain for thirst as it does for hunger. When you feel hungry, you might actually be thirsty. So, if you feel hungry, drink a glass of water first. Wait 20 minutes. If you're still feeling hungry, then have a snack (a healthy one!)
• If you drink alot of coffee with the extras (cream, flavorings, sugar, etc) or regular soda, start weaning yourself a bit. Realize how many extra calories those things are and start to decrease your intake. I was a 4-5 cans a day Coke drinker. I started substituting water or Crystal L*ight for 1-2 of those sodas each day early on in my weight loss. Within a few weeks, I had stopped drinking regular soda altogether (who needs that extra 1,000 calories a day!?)
• Cut down on caffeine. It dehydrates you and you have to drink more water to compensate.

Any other 'baby steps' or quick start tips you want to add? Let's get everyone started on the right foot!

*I lost my weight using the Weight W*atchers points plan. We don't endorse any specific plan here at The Pool, but I often refer to it since it worked for me.

NOTE: Yes, that is my adorable son when he was learning to walk. And no, I no longer have that ugly ass carpet, table, or couch that I tried to completely crop out. Ahem.)