How I Lost It (those extra ten pounds, that is)

Today is Day 27 (96 days until race), but that is not the point.  At this time, I have nothing to say about running, except that I can't do it right now.  I took two, three, four days off and my knee could barely handle five minutes of a light jog today.  My current plan is to give it a whopping FIVE DAYS to heal, which puts me running again on Friday.  I went from running 15 miles a week to a measly three.  My hope is that once my knee is completely healed, I'll be able to pick right back up, slowly but surely to ensure it doesn't happen again.  Until then, I will share with you my latest revelation: how I lost those extra winter pounds!!!

Without Further Ado:
Tips on How to Lose Those Extra Winter Pounds (and what I learned)
1. Run
2. Run
3. Walk
4. Run
5. Write down what you eat or use a calorie tracker like LoseIt or MyFitnessPal--that is the only way you will realize what mistake you are making and how to fix it.  Studies show that this process alone helps people eat more healthy because they know they will have to write it down and see it later!
6. Let yourself indulge once a week, but leave it at that.
7. Find a healthy treat you can eat every day or so that you will enjoy but that will not make you feel guilty.  I like the Healthy Choice Fudge Bars (100 calories) or Sugar-Free Dark Chocolate Jello Puddings (only 60!).  Speaking of which--I'm taking a jello break.
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8. Start logging exercise so you learn how few calories you really burning running a mile (100 if you are lucky, depending on your weight and speed).
9. Stop consuming calories in your beverages--water is your new best friend!  (I've learned that it's just not worth it to drink 100+ calories of OJ in the morning if that means I'm going to have to run AN EXTRA MILE! I've cut back to strictly water and homemade coffee with a little creamer.)  This was a hard one--I love me some mochas, but even the "skinny" version is more like a dessert than a cup of joe :(
10. Find an exercise you like to do that you can do almost daily without getting bored (or find a few you like so you can rotate to prevent boredom).  Even a simple daily walk can start to make a difference in more than one way!  You will feel the difference physically, mentally...
11. Don't obsess and weigh yourself everyday, and if you must, yes, weigh yourself naked first thing in the morning before you consume any liquids.  Trying to track your weight can be very messy because your daily water weight can differ from hour to hour (up to a few pounds!).  From my experience, I was thrilled to work, work, work, and then shock myself when I had lost the first five pounds.  I didn't weight myself until I was a month into my plan.
12. Avoid going out to eat (sorry, but you just don't know what is in the food!).  If you do, try to look ahead at the menu/calorie count to pick something that you will enjoy but will not make you depressed when you put your fork down on an empty plate.  OR, pick something you will really enjoy, but only eat half.  Take the rest to go.  I even know some people who request the waiter to bring out half the meal on a plate and the other half already wrapped up--it's not that weird; it's smart!
13. Start with a reasonable goal.  If you have to lose 50+ pounds, it's not going to happen overnight, so don't expect it to.  But yes, you can lose 4-6 pounds per month THE HEALTHY WAY, but it is also known as THE HARD WAY.  It's not about a magic pill that will change your life.  It's about having the attitude that YOU can change your life.
14. This is a bogus tip because I felt like having only 13 would be bad luck!  But, if you must have one last tip, I dunno, maybe blog about it or something! :)

Quote of the day: "Sweat is fat crying!" (Insert picture/poster of woman's sweaty chest, which is PG by the way.  If you think I'm kidding though, google 'sweat is fat crying!')