Starting Again - Moderation

Okay, I have been preparing myself mentally the past couple weeks to get back into healthier habits.  The first thing I did more than 2 weeks ago was to cut out Coke.  No, that is not cocaine, rather Coca Cola.  I am taking full responsibility for where I am and not going to blame anyone for my poor choices.  No more excuses.

This time, however, I will employ moderation and that I do not have to be perfect.  Everything is allowable for me to eat, however, some things I would consume may slow me down from achieving my goals in these areas.  And, if I choose to make those choices, then I must accept the responsibility and consequences for those choices.

Some things I've learned over this past year.

1.  You do not need to exercise to lose weight, however, to be physically fit and toned, exercise plays a big part in this.  I will have to admit, I have not done any formal exercising, rather, just hiking when it was cooler and periodic walking, which I know is not enough.

2.  Everything is allowable to consume, but PORTION CONTROL is key.  If you choose to eat higher calorie foods, eating the same physical quantity of 2 cups of raw broccoli and 2 cups of french fries is a vast difference in total calories and nutrient value.  Do I accept the consequences for eating either?

3.  Get enough sleep every single night, not just periodically.  I have been very lax on this and often go to bed after midnight unless I am completely exhausted and cannot stay awake any longer.  My goal for bedtime is 10:30 pm, but no later than 11 pm.

4.  EXCUSES GET YOU NOWHERE.

5.  I need accountability.

6.  For me, I need to control my sugar intake, and that not only means things that contain sugar, but also those foods that convert to sugar quickly.  Limiting the amount and frequency of starchy carbs would be in my best interest.  Yes, I could give this up entirely, but at this point, I'm unwilling to do this.  I did do this last year for about 6 months and really felt great, but it was costly and a lot of work.

7.  You do have to be intentional about your choices.  Haphazard does not cut it.

8.  CONSISTENCY in right choices is the key to success.  It's not one big choice or the right choice here and there, but consistently making right choices, including the really little ones.