How I got started...

Someone (a very fabulous someone I might add! Miss Monica, you know who you are!) asked me last night how I got started. It was the hardest decision to finaly make...but once it was made, every step after that seemed a little tiny bit easier than the one before. I started changing my diet/lifestyle by taking Alli.
What is Alli?
Alli is the reduced-strength version of orlistat, a prescription drug to treat obesity. It's approved by the FDA for over-the-counter sale to overweight adults 18 years and older. Alli is meant to be used in conjunction with a low-calorie, low-fat diet and regular exercise.
How does it work?
Alli promotes weight loss by decreasing the absorption of fat by the intestines, which reduces the number of calories you absorb. Alli is taken with fat-containing meals, up to three times a day. Because of how Alli works, it's recommended that you eat no more than 15 grams of fat with each meal. Eating higher amounts of fat can cause unwanted side effects, such as urgent bowel movements, diarrhea and gas with oily spotting.

I did not take Alli because of any grand promises. I did not take Alli to do the work for me. I needed to learn that there are consequences for my bad decisions. That's how I got this big- by not realizing that there are consequences for the food that I shoveled into my mouth or the hours I spent on the couch. I started with the Alli and with Livestrong.com website and iphone app so that I could track my calories and fat gram intake as well as the calories burned through exercise. Let me just say- I LOVE livestrong.com! That is such a fantastic way to keep track of how you are doing!
I starting making bigger changes slowly at first... I cut back to diet soda for a week, and then began to slowly cut it out completely. Once I got through the tension/caffiene/sugar addiction headaches I felt so much better! So then I cut out coffee and starbucks as well. I will occasionally let myself have a diet lemonade and sometimes I sneak in a crystal light packet or two, last week on my cheat day I had a diet coke, but for the most part I drink water. At least two of the big 1.5L bottles of smartwater a day. That has been the biggest change. Kicking the soda habit was HARD but completely worth it.
I downloaded a few workout videos and did Carmen Elektra's Stripper Aerobics. It got me moving. It didn't do much more than that, but it got me moving! I would not exactly recommend these videos. When I was officially a month in, I joined a gym. I was SO SCARED to walk through those doors... So scared of being the big girl in the gym. But I knew that if I were paying for a gym membership it would force me to be focused and be accountable. And that is exactly what it did. And more importantly- it taught me that I can push myself!
As far as diet, I started by simply looking at fat grams. I just focused on that until I could get my bearings and wrap my head around everything else. I just focused on the Alli reccomendation of 30-45 grams of fat per day. With lower fat, there are generally lower calories, so that naturally lowered my calorie intake. Now I am able to focus on the bigger picture and have calorie, fat, sodium, protein and fiber goals for each day. (Especially fiber! Thats an important one if you wanna feel fuller!!)