Spending 1500 daily

In calories, not coins

There was a time when I chugged down a chocolate milkshake and thought nothing about it. Now I go online and look up the calorie content, because as of 24th January, 2014, I started a 1500-calorie-a-day diet.

I needed to lose weight, and random cutting of dietary corners wasn’t getting me anywhere. So, I went and got a diet plan made, which I kept as a guideline. Guideline, mind you—dark chocolate and Oreos weren’t anywhere in the plan, but at 50 calories a piece, it was a good mouthful of sweet-and-fatty goodness that kept the cravings at bay.

Mindless snacking was out, calorie counting was in. I looked up the calories for almost everything I ate, but I only bothered adding them up the first day.

It’s easy to become food-centred when you’re on a diet. The imagination sticks to the daily treats in particular. You find yourself waiting for the next meal or snack, filling up on water or green tea, and thinking regretfully to the times when you used to stuff yourself between meals. If you hadn’t been that much of a stuffer then, you wouldn’t have snack cravings now.

There are some things I don’t follow. I don’t believe in spot reduction when it comes to exercise, for one thing. Reduce weight overall, and fat will melt off generally until you reach a point where there is a noticeable change. The “three cups of green tea with lemon a day” didn’t catch on with me, either. I tried green tea with lemon once, but I couldn’t make a habit out of it. I found it easier to spend the time drinking water and reading jokes online instead.

Having non-food based rewards and pleasures helps, too. Games, texting with friends, napping, self-grooming all count.

So far I have lost 3 kg in the first month, which is, in my calculation, not bad. I don’t know if I can keep it up, but I will give it my best shot.

Now, where’s today’s Oreo…?