It may sound like it but this is not a paid post...

For the first time in my life I'm actively on a diet.  Although I'm not actually ON a diet.  I mean, I'm still basically eating the same things as I was, I just watch what I'm actually eating and how much I'm actually putting into my mouth.  If that's a diet, then I'm on a diet... but I really don't feel like I'm on a diet.  

MyFitnessPal

I'm using an app called MyFitnessPal.  A friend of mine has been using it since the beginning of the year and has lost a lot of weight and has had nothing but good things to say about the whole experience.  Since it wasn't a diet (really, it's a dirty word) and it was FREE to download I figured there wasn't anything to lose to try it.  So I did.  And since February 18th I've lost about 8 pounds.  I say about because I have a lame scale that's not digital so it's not 100% accurate.  I set me goal to lose 20 lbs.   So I'm almost half way there.  

                                                Created by MyFitnessPal - Free Weight Loss Tools

It's a pretty easy app to use, plus you can also log in online.  You tell it your weight, your goal and a few other minor details and it tells you your calories for the day.  Then you go about tracking what you eat while it counts down the remaining calories for the day.  If you add in exercise it adds more calories for the day.  That's my favorite part.  I get to eat more then.

I like it because it forces me to acknowledge all the food I'm sticking into my mouth.  When you're tracking what you eat you tend to graze less.  Or at least I do.  As a snacker, I loved to graze.  I get bored, I graze.  Emotional turmoil = graze.  There's just one food item left... I better eat it.  While I'm not severely overweight I do have some pounds I could lose.  

Since the app tracks and tallys everything for me it's sort of ends up being a game I play.  Can I beat it today?  Did I do better than yesterday?  Some days you are over your calorie goal.  Some days you're under.  And others you manage to figure it out and are even. Too many days under your calorie goal and it sort of yells at you... okay, it reminds you that you could be starving yourself.  When you end up going over your goal for the day you end up seeing that if you keep it up you may never get down to the weight you want.  It totally checks and balances you.

Plus, you can connect with friends who also have the app.  It's nice to have someone motivate you... either by comments or just by seeing how well they themselves are doing, how much they've lost to date or how they kicked butt in their last workout.

I ended up coming down with a horrible head cold (?) the middle of last week and was out of commission for almost 5 days.  I didn't log in to MFP for those days and missed my weekly weigh in so I'm a bit off track.  Since starting all of this, that's the first time I haven't logged in for that length of time.  Some times on the weekend I may skip a day because it's "impossible" to figure out the calories of a meal or I know I'm sooooo over my calorie limit I don't even bother to record that day but I do notice what I'm eating, how much and if I'm doing my part to make sure I lose weight and really that's what I love about this app.

If you're already on MyFitnessPal, feel free to friend me.  I know a lot of people feel their weight loss is a personal journey so I've been shy about who I have friended already, especially since I'm not a die hard user but I don't mind having more people to help motivate me if y'all don't.