What's in a Number?

Of course I have been buzzing around my head thinking of all the juicy things to write lately in regards to diet and exercise but something came my way today that stopped me dead in my tracks. I know I've already discussed the relevance of the almighty calorie and hate to be redundant, however, this is along that same vane so bear with me. I'm cashiering at my restaurant today drifting in and out of consciessness when I overhear a small exchange between another cashier and two guests.  This is a father/daughter who frequent my place and she is looking in our nutrition book. Not for carbs or sugar or even fat, just calories. Her dad explains, "She's watching her calories. She's doing so well too!" and at this point she interjects, "Yeah! I've lost 3 pounds in 3 weeks!"  Uuuhhhh.... did she just say that? Forgive my negativity but this does not seem to me a very significant weight loss. Firstly, she didn't even look like she needed to lose any weight and secondly, some people lose that in a day just in water!
At any rate this got my wheels turning about all the numbers that we find significant. I want to focus on the number the majority of women seem fixated on. Weight. Who knew a number could cause so much stress and anguish? I haven't weighed myself in over 6 months. Not because I'm so unconcerned and in perfect shape that I don't think I need to. I don't weigh because I, like many others, get fixated on that one number. I applaud my losses even if they are a loss in muscle mass and punish myself for any gains no matter how slight. I could literally weigh an extra 6 pounds if I weighed in at the wrong time of the month, after eating a big meal. Luckily I decided this was an arbitrary measurement and my attention would be better placed in other arenas. Weight to me is like calorie counting, easily measured and standardized. Not the only way to track progress though! What about measurements? Body fat percentages? I have been a notch tighter on my belt and weighed the same as I did one notch out. Explain that! I digress, now I'm ranting. My point is that I wanted to shake this girl and tell her that 3 pounds in 3 weeks is not something to jump up and down about. Effort should always be applauded but I wish people could see beyond the one thing they have decided to get stuck on.I suppose I should be happy that this girl is making a start but cutting calories does not necessarily equal healthier eating habits and if she really is going for only weight loss she better up the ante and start shedding!
-Whitney

Smile! You're on camera.

I while back I was having serious trouble financially. I was spending way beyond my means and "robbing Peter to pay Paul" so to speak. I would swipe my debit card without even looking at the total. If you were to ask me how much I had just spent on a pair of shoes and miscellaneous jewelery I would have had no idea. I paid no mind to price tags and my card never declined, thanks to my good credit. What a slippery slope that is! After receiving a few hints from some friends who know how to budget their money, I decided to switch only to cash. I started paying all my bills with my checking account and paying for everything else in cash. This helped me immensely. If I really wanted something and I didn't have the money for it I would have to drive to an ATM to get the cash for it. Oftentimes by the time I got to the ATM I would have decided that what I wanted wasn't worth the money or that I couldn't really afford it. Not only did I have to see my balance every time I made a withdrawal but I also paid attention to what everything was costing me. Seeing the money actually coming out of my wallet gave me more of a reality on the state of my finances. Okay, so let me get to my point of how I've translated this into dieting. I started taking pictures of everything I eat. Disclaimer: this was not my idea. I took this from a book I'm reading called The 4-Hour Body by Timothy Ferriss. I thought this idea was so similar to my cash switcharoo I wanted to share the success I've had with it so far. I've only altered my diet slightly but now I don't eat anything without snapping a shot of it with my BlackBerry first. The biggest changes I have noticed are that I am more aware of the things I snack on and I am more hesitant to eat something I know I shouldn't. I'll grab a treat and remember that I need to take a picture of it and think, "Oh man! I don't want to take a picture of this!". Likewise I have found that when I eat something bad I happen to "forget" to take a picture. Almost all of my dessert pictures are of half-eaten foods! I'm a firm believer in the idea that all changes start small and this is just one thing I am experimenting with on my road to a healthier diet. I hope it helps some of you on your way too!

-Whitney