How I Lost 13 Pounds In A Year-- Day 3

Today's Change: No more fast food! Except for ONE

This was probably the most difficult change I made. I had given up pizzas but I found that I had cravings in the middle of the day or right after I got off work for something just as flavorful and unhealthy. I usually picked up a fast-food meal about 3 times a week. Sometimes it was fried chicken, sometimes it was burritos, rarely it was a sandwich. I found that my budget could not really support this habit, neither could my waistline. It wasn't so much that I was gaining weight from the fast food, it was that it left me feeling bloated, and it only perpetuated the vicious circle of cravings. The more I allowed myself to have a fast-food meal, the more I craved salty, greasy, fast-food like meals.

So I decided to make a change. I began limiting myself to ONE fast-food meal a week, with the aim to make it as healthy as I could manage. If I was having a really bad week, then I would let myself pick up something greasy. But usually I made a habit of choosing something with veggies. Doing one meal a week was very hard at first. Once I got a craving I would mentally wrestle with myself, trying to figure out if I really wanted to use up my one meal for that week. I usually made it past the first craving and gave in to it the next time. And it was usually Chipotle. After about a month I got used to only going once a week, and it really was not that difficult anymore. Plus I started subbing my burrito tortilla for a burrito bowl with extra pico de gallo and less cheese. Little swaps helped me to feel like I was making progress, and even if it was only 10 calories that I was saving, those 10 calories were MINE!

So. How many calories can you save? Are you picking up fast food every week, or do you drop in to Starbucks regularly for a latte? How about trying to just go once a week, and trading that latte in for a fat-free version, or even just a regular coffee? Remember: it doesn't have to be drastic. You don't have to cut things out of your life completely-- that doesn't work when you're changing your lifestyle, and if it does it's usually very painful. Instead of cutting things out, try to be creative. Can you find ways to save yourself 10 calories there, 15 here? Those are yours! They're little victories, and you get to celebrate them!