Checking In
So, I’ve been tracking my calories on The Daily Plate for the past few weeks. It’s been such a tremendous help as I continue my attempt to lose those 4 pounds I regained over the holidays. It’s been about 6 weeks and I only have 1 more pound to lose. Yay!
What’s refreshing to know is that I finally seem to have an effective plan to keep my weight in check forever. To lose these 4 pounds, I am basically doing what I did 2 years ago when I lost those 50 pounds. In fact, I am doing the same exact thing I have been doing to maintain that weight loss during these past 18 months: I keep track of my calories and eat a healthy low-glycemic diet. The only difference is that I had to lower my calorie intake to lose the weight again. It also became imperative to actually track my meals online because I found that I was a little forgetful about what I ate during the day and I can’t afford to just guess what the actual calorie amounts were for certain meals.
I am looking forward to being back to my maintenance calorie intake again, though. I’m definitely going to be a little more careful with the cake and pie consumption during the next holiday season, too. I really don’t want to have to do this every year. 
In any case, I am definitely going to try to come back every few months or so and just spend a week tracking my calories again. It’s too easy to get lazy or forgetful about how much I am eating throughout the day. Tracking keeps me honest and accountable. Oh…and healthy and thin!
As for my exercise…I’m on self-imposed bed rest for the next week or two. Those crunches the other night really really did something bad to my abdominal muscles. At least, I think that is what happened. I started to feel some pain the other day and it has now turned into a ripping/burning feeling when I use my abs. Even getting into a car hurts like crazy. Add that pain to my recurring neck and back and pain and this makes for a sad little Jen. I swear that the mono I had last year has changed my body forever. I went from healthy and strong to this broken little me. 
I’m in physical therapy for the neck and back – I have some kind of spondylosis and muscle spasms…and a compression fracture, too. I have no idea where the heck that came from…weird! But, at least that kind of explains the pain. I am going to see my doctor on Monday for the abdominal pain. Just want to make sure it’s not something serious. You know, like a tumor or something. I always think “zebras” instead of “horses” when I hear those darned hoofbeats! 
