A new low

Well, for this year, anyway.

It's official: I've ZOOMED past the 10-pounds-lost mark, all the way to 11 since 1/1/12.

As both of you know, my body doesn't much care for giving up lard. So what's the secret to my fabulous success? (Please imagine me smirking. Eleven pounds in 14 weeks is, um, WAY less-than-fabulous for most folks, but I must be happy about it or the scale gods will MAKE ME PAY.)

I was able to maintain a seven-pound loss on South Beach, but moving to Phase II stopped the losses. And, frankly, I like whole-grain bread and rice and pasta, so moving back to Phase One felt like being put in a corner for eating normal food. "Nobody puts Baby in a corner."

Is that the kind of food relationship I want to nurture? I. Don't. Think. So.

While driving lately, I've been catching up on some of Jillian's recent podcasts. I heard something a couple weeks ago that we've all heard before. You may have dismissed it as I did, since there isn't anything magical or amazing or even terribly interesting about it. What she said was:

COUNT CALORIES 

So I have been, with a little help from the Lose It app. I've been using FatSecret for a couple years to intermittently record food and log exercise, but just as it helps to switch workout routines or have an occasional high-calorie day, I find it somewhat motivating to try a new way of tracking calories in/calories out. (LoseIt wasn't available for the BlackBerry, so I really should be giving all the credit to the new phone. Heh.)

What I like about LoseIt is that it works like a checkbook. You're subtracting food calories and adding exercise calories throughout the day, with the goal being a zero balance at bedtime. The difference between counting calories now and counting calories any other time I've done it is that I'm actually eating the calories I "earn" by exercising. Usually I think I'm doing myself a favor by sticking to the goal and creating a huge deficit. But, as Jeff and Russ frequently remind us, "Undereating always leads to overeating."

I've been burning a lot of calories lately, but as you can see from last week's summary it hasn't all been in the gym or on the road. I've had more energy to do things that need to be done outside. Yesterday I cleaned the garage, something I've had on my to-do list since we traded the old car for a new-to-us truck. I filled four large garbage bags with stuff; lifted, toted, carried and moved a boatload of boxes, and swept the entire floor with a broom and dustpan. It took three hours. Granted, I needed a bit of a rest afterward, but only a short one, after which I fixed dinner and went to two meetings.

Speaking strictly for me, I didn't have this kind of energy on South Beach. Some people find they do; that's not how it worked for me, at least after about a month.

To sum up, I'm not sure what the real difference is. I've created calorie deficits before and not lost a pound for weeks on end. Something's clicking, though. Let's just hope it keeps on doing it.