The Tools and The Rules

Day Two

Well, two days have passed on this new blog adventure. I have been very diligent in keeping track of my success or lack thereof. I decided that it would be nice to share the tools I am using to help me remain focused on the Serving Size Plan.

I downloaded this App on my phone years ago and have used it off and on to track my food intake. It is so easy to use. I can also scan UPC codes to access nutrition information, make a plan that records my calorie intake against my available calories for the day, and keep a log of exercise. If I upgrade this App, there are even more features.


My old calorie counter paperback (first publishing 2003-this is the 2007 version-not that old), fits right into my purse and has been useful when I didn't understand the serving sizes the way they are spelled out.

Along side this book is my iPhone loaded with the very handy Lose It! App and the Camera App which I have and will be taking photos to illustrate what serving sizes look like compared to what I have been consuming.


I will use these tools along with my trusty weigh scale which always has better news than the doctor's weigh scale. I don't understand why they would use faulty equipment.

The weigh-in is not as important as the "how I feel" aspect, but I do need to keep track to see if I am losing too fast. I know, most of my life I couldn't lose weight fast enough but lately I have been more patient.

In January I started the cliched "New Years Resolution" weight loss plan and have lost 17 pounds up until I started this plan. That is almost three pounds per month. Very slow... however, I have noticed my body seems to like this pace of adjustment.

I began my serving size challenge yesterday and overnight I have already lost another 3 pounds. It could be reflecting water weight falling away as often happens in the first few days of starting a new eating pattern. It could reflect the fact that after eating breakfast, a snack, lunch, a snack, dinner, a snack/dessert, my caloric consumption added up to 1,686. I had 472 calories remaining.

In these first few weeks, I am not going to deny myself things that I like. I will still eat the potato chips but I will stick to a serving size... lunch today was a challenge for me when I put 3/4 cup of chili in the fridge because 1 cup was the recommended portion. Three days ago, I would have eaten the whole can, today I am having fun being in control.

My Serving Size Summer Plan has very few rules but, nonetheless, I am going to be strict about following the guidelines I have set in place. They are listed here:

1) Use Food label Nutrition Facts for serving size information (or a calorie counter/book)
2) Keep calorie intake under 2000
3) Daily weight checks (If I lose too fast after the first week, I will increase daily calories)
4) Be honest about my progress

There you have it. These are my tools and my rules, granted this is a very unscientific experiment and I am not a doctor, nor have I played one on TV, although, I was Mrs. Hyde in a play a few years ago.

And now a quote from one of my all time favorite movies: "...thems' my rules....!" Richard Dreyfuss From Goodbye Girl.

   Until next time...