The first thing I did when I decided to lose those unwanted pounds was get myself a Fitbit. I never wanted to have a smartwatch and I did try out the Apple Watch, I quickly got bored and returned it. I found it to be more of a novelty gadget than a health tracker. The Fitbit, on the other hand, monitors heart rate, sleep cycles and provides prompts for me to get moving every hour. Coupled with the app, it even helps with tracking food, calories, exercise activity and flights of stairs climbed. (Oh, those flights)

Although I never wanted to have the gadget, it has proven invaluable to keeping me moving despite being a desk jockey. Without fail, each time I get the alert to get my steps in (250 minimum per hour) I get up, take a short stroll and get back to work with a clear head, increased circulation and best of all, an awareness of my daily health. (Something I took for granted for way too many years)

On top of the activities I try to maintain, I also decided (at long last) to work on my diet. I knew someone who was trying the Keto diet and watched as the pounds came off and energy went up. That's when I realized how I've been ignoring the most important part of being healthy: Food.

The diet we follow matters. After spending most of my life eating what I want and not acknowledging the effect, I took a good long look at myself and made up my mind to follow the Keto diet. (Drop carbs, add more fat and moderate protein.) This decision did not come lightly. I was a proud chocoholic and expected to have my candy drawer present for the rest of my life. Turning 50 with an ever-increasing weight and a shock from my doc gave me the incentive to do something about my health at last.

It's a good diet. I eat foods that I enjoy such as eggs, bacon, meat, veggies and berries. (Love them blueberries!) among others. Snacks are harder to come by but are still possible. It took me a couple of months to make the habit of checking labels on food. Carbs are kept to a bare minimum and good fats are plentiful. I've seen great results so far and besides the weight loss, I've lost that brain fog that I hadn't realized was present before. (walking around and sometimes struggling to focus)

I've also found I have more energy throughout the day. I guess it makes sense. If you train your body to stop burning something like sugar and carbs in favor of turning fat into energy, your body realizes the best fuel source is already plentiful without having to get a sugar rush followed by a crash. (I remember plenty of crashes in the past)

The only struggle I have now is holding firm at my job where people often bring in donuts/candy to work and sometimes have potlucks or birthday cake to share. At home, I don't worry about avoiding carbs, but at work I get to see all the stuff that I gorged on for decades before deciding my health was more important than treats.