I never wanted to be the type of person to count calories, but I’ve started feeling super heavy, and the heat this summer is nearly unbearable. I know that if I was lighter, it wouldn’t be so hard for me to make it through my day, so it is with that in mind that I started researching how I can lose weight.

I have decided this time to play towards my weaknesses:

• I’m a picky eater
• I sit at a desk all day for work
• I’m fairly lazy when it comes to exercise

After doing a great deal of research, I’ve found that reducing carbohydrates and keeping my calories in a deficit are the two smartest things I can do to lose weight. To do so, I also had to make sure I didn’t feel like I was dieting. While it sucks not being able to consume three thousand calories a day, with most of them being carbs, I am quickly adjusting thanks to the high protein and healthy fats that I’m ingesting.

I have been keeping track of my food on My Fitness Pal (you can see my diary here: Davidcubed), and I’m trying to keep a caloric deficit of around 500 calories per day. From my research, this means I should lose around one pound per week or around four pounds per month. This seems like a great amount of weight for me to lose, and over the course of the next six months, I could, if I hold on and keep tracking each day, lose nearly twenty-five pounds.

If I can continue on beyond the next six months, which if my past experiences is any indication, I won’t, then I could see a weight loss of around fifty pounds by this time next year, which also puts me at what I consider my goal weight, and lets me go into a maintenance mode, where I don’t need a calorie deficit.

I have installed an application on my phone to help make tracking calories easy. I work from home primarily, which also helps. I am not denying myself any food or drink, but instead, I’m worried about portions. Lastly, I’m trying to reduce my carbohydrate intake. This part is definitely the hardest for me, but I am pretty happy with my progress so far.

I am awaiting some batteries for my scale. I’ve already been on this “diet” for a week and counting calories isn’t as hard as I thought it would be. I’ve always struggled with my weight, but more so as an adult than any other time. I was never really taught to have will power and I don’t ever feel satiated when I eat large amounts, nor do I feel really hungry when I haven’t eaten for a while. My main driver for eating or not eating has always seemed to be boredom or eating because it was meal time.

The best part about this whole thing is that I can eat some pretty amazing stuff, as I eat generous amounts of bacon, cheese, eggs and veggies almost every day without too many worries.

If you have any weight loss advice for someone like me, please let me know if the comments below!