Health topic - weight control (sigh...)

Have you ever noticed, standing in line at the grocery store that Every Women's Magazine, Every Month seems to have another article about how to lose weight?  Weight reduction is a Big Deal in this country.  So many of us struggle with our weight.  It is a fight I've been waging since I was 16 years old.  Mainly, I've won.  There was a time, after my youngest was born, when I had to shed 50 pounds to normalize my weight.  I was very fortunate to have a mother who was weight conscious - not in an unhealthy way.  She never tried to force me to do anything, but she would talk about her own journey and I remember her saying that "we" don't eat very many sweets because she and I were both good at gaining weight. She was very nutrition conscious, and did the best she could with what was known at the time. (Remember, I'm 65 years old.)  I am so grateful for her example.

It seems that for decades, there have been all sorts of pills, products, programs (alliteration accidental, ha!) and books and magazines and clinics, all eager and waiting to take our money to "help" us lose weight.  The result?  Well, you know.  It's not been stellar, to say the least.  Often the heaviest person is one who has tried the hardest.

I am perfectly aware that there are causes for obesity that sometimes are beyond a girl's control - some medications, some health conditions... but for the rest of us, it is just finding out what works for us.  I want to tell you, in case you need help with this issue, about a really nice and FREE website:

Fitness Pal 

You can sign up, putting in your own information and goals, how much you want to lose and how fast.  They have a HUGE database of foods that the calories are already calculated for you.  You can also do custom entries from your own recipes.  That is a little tedious, but you only need to do it once for each recipe and then you are good to go.  

You also can easily track your exercise including things like gardening and how many calories are burned that way.

I know, I know... there is a lot  more to losing weight than calories, but at least for me, the only real and long term success I've had is watching what I eat like a hawk.  I am too good at believing my own lies when I get stressed.  I lose sight of how much I can eat and not gain weight.  Fitness Pal is easy and free.  Check it out if you need help.  It might be exactly what you need too!