You guessed it. It’s Monday! Thus starts the commitment to a new diet.
In this case, it’s an old diet. I’m recommitting to the Paleo Diet [I’ve been cheating a LOT lately, thank you EASTER CANDY!] but I’m combining it with calorie counting, as I’ve been over indulging in the “good foods” so much that they’ve turned into bad ones.
For example:
One handful of raw almonds = good.
One BAG of raw almonds = bad.
With that in mind, I’ve dusted off the ol’ login information for http://www.myfitnesspal.com and set a calorie goal of 1,300 per day to keep me on track.
I forgot how quickly 1,300 calories can be used up! Especially if you enjoy raw nuts as a snack throughout the day. This is going to be a balancing act, to say the least.
It is nice, however, to be tracking my exercise again. I’m less likely to skip the gym if I plug my workouts in at the start of the day. Once it’s in writing, it feels too permanent – too absolute – to delete. So I go.
If I plug in 90 mins of cardio, I do 90 mins of cardio.
If I plug in a kickboxing class, I take the evening kickboxing class.
Plug in wrestling a gorilla? Dang it, I’ll find a gorilla and wrestle that jerk. [I’m assuming he’s a jerk but he’s probably a nice gorilla just trying to hug me.]
Funny how keeping a diary – especially a public one, like My Fitness Pal – makes you more accountable. Knowing that several of my friends and coworkers can see my food journal, my exercise journal, and even my public body stats [currently posted: weight, waist, and hips] makes me feel that much more committed to sticking with a plan.
And right now, I need the commitment, because my will power has been slacking.
On that note, I think it’s time for a snack! 🙂
~ Tori
The Memoirs of a Yo-Yo Dieter 
“One handful of raw almonds = good.
One BAG of raw almonds = bad.”
Thank you! This is the EXACT point I have been trying to drill into my husband’s head, who can’t understand how he isn’t loosing weight when he has a pretty clean diet of healthy food. Amy
It’s absolutely true, Amy! At the end of the day, a calorie is a calorie. If you’re eating 3,000+ calories per day – even if it’s clean food – your body will eventually start to plateau or even gain. When I originally started the Paleo diet last summer, I dropped a ton of weight and I was eating 2,000+ calories per day. However, once my weight came down, I had to start reducing my calories more and more to see continued loss. I quit the diet over the holidays and picked it back up in January, but I’ve been overeating since and struggling to get back on track.