Back in the Saddle... AGAIN!

So the last time I posted here was some time in November 3, 2010, more than two years ago.  It didn't take me nearly that long to become a weight-loss statistic.  After losing 52 pounds (down to 208 - 28 pounds from my goal weight of 180), I got all the way back to where I started: 260 pounds.

I told you back in 2010 that I finally just got tired of being hungry.  Using Fitday.com to help plan my diet, I'd restricted myself to 1500 calories a day.  That's what the system told me I needed to do to lose 2 pounds a week.  At the time, I'd had no idea what a collossally horrible idea that was.  (I was hungry for a solid six months and finally just gave in.)

On the up side, I did continue exercising.  I went to the gym for 30 minutes 3 days a week, but eventually that became difficult because of my schedule.  The best time for me to go was during the lunch hour (I ate at my desk), but other things started to encroach on that time.  I realized that I needed to make a change in order to get back to a regular workout routine.  So, against my own preferences, I started running.  We'd recently move into a big, quiet neighborhood with a couple of nice parks nearby, so I headed out 3-4 mornings a week, putting in about 2 miles each time.  I was never very good at it, but I definitely got in some exercise.  (I used the iOS app/web site RunKeeper to track my progress.)

I was laid off at the end of September.  My routine, of course, changed drastically, and I gave up running.

A co-worker at my new job, where I've been since November of 2012, recently introduced me to an iOS app/web site called Lose It! that finally got me interested enough to try again.  Since February 11, I've lost 4.2 pounds, bringing me down to 255.8.

Please pray for me.  Follow me on Facebook and Twitter, and encourage me.  I can always use it.

A couple of things:

1) I would not recommend Fitday.  The web site has a seemingly substantial database of foods and exercises, but I found most foods were not in the database, requiring me to manually input most foods.  Add to that the fact that - at the time I used it - there was no way to input recipes.  I had to use SparkRecipes to input recipes and calculate the calories, which is actually a pretty nice site.  Fitday eventually released an iOS app, but the interface was kludgy, and it ran slowly.

2) I would definitely recommend Lose It!  The iOS app includes a bar code scanner, and I've found only one bar code it didn't recognize (Starbucks Via Veranda came up as a 456 calorie sub sandwich).  There are a lot of restaurant and brand name foods in the database, as well as all the usual simple grocery items.  And you can input recipes directly into the app, either manually or by scanning bar codes for those ingredients that have them.  It doesn't take nearly the time that Fitday does.

I've always been a gadget freak, and I've discovered that a cool app or gadget actually motivates me to do things I wouldn't normally do.  I'm notoriously disorganized, but my iPhone motivates me to keep up with notes, appointments, prayer requests from friends, and all kinds of things I might not manage otherwise.  Lose It! motivates me to keep up with my caloric intake because it's a neat app, and it's easy to use.

Personally I'd love to see the impact a Nike+ Fuelband, Jawbone Up, or even a Fitbit One would have on my weightloss endeavors, but that will have to wait until some generous soul buys me one or until Nike, Jawbone, or Fitbit decide they want some free advertising from me! :)