Fitness progress!

When I got back from Spain, I felt saturated, bloated, tired. I had decided it was time to lower the dosage of my antidepressants because I suspected that some of my fog and appetite issues might be related. i did it slowly, without skipping, and, although I did feel a little light-headed for a few days, I didn't get any brain zaps or mood swings, so I'm holding steady. After making sure I wasn't experiencing and major mood swings, it felt safe to start making diet changes.

After a couple of weeks with my fitness plan, I'm seeing measurable changes, and I have not been feeling tired, weak, or dizzy--no blood sugar fluctuations.  By keeping a food log with the MyFitnessPal app (which makes my home site accessible from both my iPod and my phone), I've been tracking my calories and nutrients, keeping within the 1200/day range. I'm only 5'3", and my weight range for many years was 118-125, but I still felt healthy if I was a little heavier. Since I didn't have a scale, I entered my starting  weight as what I was told at my  my last doctor's visit: 150 llbs. I might have been a little under or over that, but that was close enough. My goal has been to lose slowly and steadily over the next three months.

Changes I made: no more beer at home; no pastries for breakfast in cafes, in fact, no cafes;  no ice cream or chocolate; brown carbs instead of white; at least 3 pieces of fruit and 2 vegetables a day; portion control (keep a serving to a cup or fist size, and don't take seconds); a good breakfast; some kind of protein at every meal; non-fat yoghurt and 2% milk; beans, legumes, greens, all the good stuff; count servings of liquids and water intake. It's not rocket science, but I have found that entering the foods I eat in my log with this tool makes it really easy to see how I'm doing during the day, and I don't have to work at it. I also started adding up my minutes of cardio (mostly brisk walking), not for the calories, but just to observe what I was doing.
After a week, I could feel a shift, and I could tell I was shedding some water weight. The new scale I bought says I am down to 144--the quick initial loss being typical of resetting one's metabolism. I treated myself to a Surly Bender at a bar the other day (200 calories!) and still stayed in my daily range without being hungry or deprived.

I feel good! Now I need to see if I can make a dent in the menopot! I'm doing lots of brisk walking, and I have good energy. One day at a time.