The Worst Thing...

Well, one of the worst things. There are a lot of "worst" things when it comes to trying to lose weight. One of them is this:

Counting calories.

Having to mentally tally up how many you've eaten so far and subtract that from your calorie goal and...gah! I hate it! I hate having to count out the Pringles I eat to make sure I have a serving size or, in most cases,  half a serving size. Counting out almonds and measuring out liquids. I try to make it easy on myself by buying single serving items. That's what's so great about eating protein bars or drinking the Special K/Slimfast shakes--it's all pre-measured and easy to tally up any time of the day...so long as I have a calculator nearby. The harder things to count are the items I cook/prepare. Like the pizza thin bagels. I have to measure out each individual ingredient to a calorie specific serving and then tally them all up for the final calorie mark for the dish.

Do you know how freaking annoying that is??? Well I will tell you. It is as annoying as a buffet that's out of orange chicken.

All day long I count the calories I've consumed and decide how many I have left for X. I can't focus on anything else for having to keep my brain focused on being careful with what I consume. I have to plan everything. And I am not a planner. At. All.

That being said, counting calories is the sure-fire way I know to stay on track. Trying to vaguely "cut back" is too ambiguous. If I knew what I was doing wrong to start with, I doubt I'd be needing to lose any weight at all. And besides, I've done that before with lackluster results. I have to have the numbers, the measurements and the calorie goals. I have to know exactly what I need to eat and how much.

Speaking of cutting back, this past Saturday was my allowed Saturday breakfast for July. I went to Sonic and got my usual and it was delicious. Of course their coffee machine was broken so I had to get coke instead. But he breakfast burrito was still  yummy. I ate lightly the rest of the day, knowing how many calories I'd eaten in that one breakfast.

The thing is, I enjoyed it but I almost talked myself out of even getting it. Mostly out of guilt but also because it didn't feel as necessary as it used to. Not so long ago I felt cheated and mistreated if I didn't get that Saturday morning treat. Now, a month away from it all and I realize that while a lot of it was the enjoyment of the food, yes but also a lot of it was habit. I am a terrible creature of habit.

Anyway, I know I just veered off topic but I forgot to report on it earlier. And if I don't do it now, I'll forget. ;-)

So, back to topic--Counting calories sucks but is a necessary evil. I'll just suck it up and do it until it feels natural.