Calorie Counting

Let me give you a brief update since my first post (February...4 months ago...yikes.) I moved (that was hectic/stressful/didn't go well), I started my new job, I started my gym membership AND my personal training sessions. Where am I now? heavier....sadder...more determined and better educated. I have been steadily gaining since I moved, three months ago. Which (mostly) baffles me. I work out more (not enough), I eat better (not great)...but I have IMPROVED my habits since moving. Yet, I have gained about 12 pounds. My only guesses are that A) my new job is a sitting job. At least at my old job I was rushing around in a retail setting all day. Also,B)  its MUCH more stressful. I've heard that leads to weight gain. Other than that, it doesn't make sense. I should have taken measurements to see if I'm possibly gaining muscles and losing inches. But my clothing tells me that's not the case.
Anyways, here I am, on June 24th, 2013. 177 LBS. 

I've decided to start counting calories. Not because it's another diet gimmick, but because it will help me learn more about my food and what I'm putting in my body. Who knew salsa has like zero calories?!?! (probably everyone but me) and is that bowl of Doritos really worth the 250 calories?? I'm just as happy eating my baked tortilla chips and heaps of salsa, as I am eating processed Doritos. (MOST of the time). I've always heard about counting calories...some famous weight loss programs are based on it...but I always thought; "That's stupid. and hard. and a waste of time. Ain't nobody got time for that". But then, my lovely family forced a cellphone upon me, luckily a smartphone, and just this past Saturday I discovered an App. That I'm sure 8 billion people, or more successfully use. My Fitness Pal. I signed up, put in my details, my goal weight, and it calculated how many calories I should be consuming to meet my goals. I simply search a food item, pick what matches the closest from a list, and BAM. My favorite feature so far is periodically it tells me how much I will weigh in 5 weeks "If everyday were like today". So basically, no excuse to NOT count calories anymore. I'm learning lots, and enjoying preparing my own meals, cutting out calories where I don't even need them. Want to save 119 calories? DON'T use  olive oil to fry that quesadilla that tastes just fine without it.

How is Calorie counting going so far? Well, today was day 1. If I entered everything correctly, I consumed about 1500 calories, instead of the 1200 goal. I would have been fine If I didn't eat that unscheduled bowl of Doritos, TBSP of butter (ON food, not by itself), package of Thinsations, and tortillas with Salsa. Ooops I'm too snack-y when I'm home.

So, to summarize today's post: I gained weight, it sucks. But I'm never giving up. I'm trying a new tactic, learning about my food and counting calories. I will continue to go to the gym, and try to eat clean food. I've also just ordered a small, apartment sized elliptical. I know it won't be anything like the ones at the gym, it was cheap, I will get what I paid for. BUT if I can use it while watching TV, rather than just sitting, it will be worth it.

Stayed Tuned for next week: I will update with a weight in, measurements, and how my calorie counting diet is going.