Inventory Yourself

In my reading I've found something that I think is really important to anyone starting a diet.

1 - List the reasons why you want to lose weight.  (Boy do I have a number of reasons!  - health and appearance are the basic reasons but they can be broken down to many sub-reasons.  Health - I'm tired of being tired.  I'm tired of being inactive.  Appearance - I'm tired of looking at myself in the mirror and not liking what I see.  I'm tired of looking at others that have a bit less fat than I do.  I'm tired of putting on clothes that simply won't button.  I'm tired of my smaller clothes being stored in the attic while my fat clothes are in the closet.  Those are just a few reasons I have for wanting to lose weight.

2.  Take your measurements and keep a record of what they were when you first decided to diet.  (I promise you!  Taking my measurements became one of my biggest pushes to go on a diet.  I'm looking forward to taking them every week or so to see how much they have changed.)

3.  List all healthful low-calorie foods you really like.  (Not such an easy task, especially if you're doing a low-carb diet.  I love my fruits and veggies, which most are high in carbs, but I also love chicken and fish which are higher in protein.  And of course I love rice and potatoes which are virtually out on the low-carb diet.)

4.  Record your eating patterns for a week.  (Boy was this an eyeopener.  Each day I wrote down everything I ate as well as my mood.  This amazed me but also educated me to the fact that a lot of my eating and what I ate seemed to be connected to my mood.  If I was upset I seemed to want nothing.  If I was bored I wanted sweets.  If I was tired I wanted quick foods.  Creating this list also helps you keep up with what you eat when you start your diet.)

5.  List your danger foods.  (I made a list of the foods that are completely off limits and posted it on the side of the refrigerator.  I put it there and not on the front because it felt more personal to me and was kind of out of site from others.  It wasn't that hard for me to always look at it before opening the refrigerator and was also there by the cabinets to keep me safe when opening them too.)