But I decided NOT to turn this blog into a look-how-much-weight-I-lost-or-gained or here-is-what-I-ate-today blog, because that's just..... well..... obsessive. And you probably don't care. I will offer periodic updates as to how it's going. I would really like to lose 35 pounds. I actually enjoy exercising, but unfortunately I like eating a lot more. If I forget to update, you can remind me. Or you can assume that I have abandoned all hope and decided just to remain fat.
One cool feature of myfooddiary.com is that at the end of the day, it gives a report of where your weight would be in one month and three months if every day were like today. It also tells you, if every day were like today, the date at which you could expect to be at your goal weight. Mine has varied from August of 2010 (eating out at Logan's last night sort of threw that one off) to May of 2009. Sort of a different tool.
This post isn't really about determination, dedication, dieting, nutrition, or any of those other boring things.
It's about what motivates us.
On this website, as you enter calories consumed and burned, you get a daily report. It gives general statements about progress so far, and it gives smiley faces and frowny faces. So far I've gotten frowny faces almost every day because I've consumed over 2400 mg of sodium. I just can't figure out how to cut sodium out. I've always known that I should eat less sodium; but now I'm trying harder. Why?
It's all about the smiley faces.
I've gotten smiley faces every day for exercise, because I make myself exercise so I can get a smiley face. Not because it's good for me or I should be doing it anyway, mind you.
It's all about the smiley faces.
I've also received smiley faces every day for water consumption, because that's just about all I drink anyway. I've abstained from beer for the past 5 days because I didn't want to enter those calories into my food log.
I've received frowny faces two times for eating TOO FEW CALORIES. What's up with THAT? That makes me look at my caloric intake at the end of the day and go back to the kitchen if I haven't consumed enough (rare occasion though that may be) because I DON'T WANT FROWNY FACES.
It's all about the smiley faces.
I'm a grown woman, nearer to 50 than 40, college educated, and self aware. Why is it that the smiley faces will motivate me to do/not do things that common knowledge and years of research have NOT motivated me to do?
It's all about the smiley faces.
2 comments:
It might feel pretty good to just flip them the bird, too.
I want to go to that website and enter how many calories I burned reading this post and then re-reading it aloud to my father who cackled with me.
:)
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