Wow! A lot has happened over the past three weeks and I haven’t had time to post! I will get you caught up but let’s start at the beginning….

It is hard to leave my family, go to a new place and live with people I have never met for a whole month! I am lucky…I have such a supportive family. The kids seemed almost too ok with it…it kind of hurt my feelings. I asked my youngest if he was really ok with me being gone so long and he said, “Yeah Mom, I want you to to be healthy…besides I will be at school anyway”. Now, I just have to convince myself. It is not going to be easy to break the patterns I have created after 38 years!

So the family has driven me to the “Ranch”, unloaded my things, and kissed me goodbye. I am starting to get nervous. Can I do what they will ask me to do? Will I be the only one who can’t? After unpacking we had a meeting to go over the basics and I will share this with you…

80% of weight loss is controlled by our diet
20% by exercise

It is all a numbers game. The number that goes in has to be smaller than the number that goes out! We talked a little about foods and I was shocked to learn that when I thought I was making a “better” choice it actually had more calories! For example, if you had to choose between a Old Timer hamburger at Chili’s or a Grilled Chicken sandwich which do you think would be better? The chicken right…wrong! It has more calories than the burger! Lesson #1 do your homework before going out to eat. Most restaurants have their nutritional information listed on their website. Decide what you will eat before you go so you can control the calories, enjoy your meal. You won’t have to worry about whether or not you made the right choice! Do you know of any “better choice” meal options when eating out? If so, leave a comment and share it with us.