Since we are nearly three weeks into the 100 Miles and Lighten Up in 100 Days program, it's a good time to pause and take stock of where we should all be at this point.

1) By now you have logged at least 16 miles of walking or other kind of aerobic physical activity. Feel better? Stronger? Have a routine yet?

2) You recorded your June 1 weight and kept track of at least two days of what you ate and how much.

3) You used the online resource http://www.calorieking.com/ to calculate how many calories you got on those two days.

4) You've learned why calories count as well as how to count them, and why the extra ones we eat get stored as fat.

5) By doing all that you have also figured out whether you are someone whose "style" can adapt to counting. Don't be discouraged  if calorie-counting seems like a drag to you - you don't have to do it forever. But the truth is, to lose weight you really do have to learn what it is about what you are doing that is preventing you from being at your ideal, healthy weight.

Which brings us to the subject of LABELS. It's not Mission Impossible, but your next assignment is to become a label detective.  The USDA requires that all foods we buys be labelled with the nutrional content including recommended serving size and the calories, fat, and other nutrients for each serving - and that is an invaluable tool for you to use to plan what you eat each day.

If you are not used to reading labels, you can check this website:
http://www.fda.gov/food/labelingnutrition/consumerinformation/ucm078889.htm

One of the most important ways to use the food label is in planning the amount of food you will eat.  For example, you may see that a serving of cereal is 120 calories, but the serving size  may be a half cup at 120 calories.  If you have filled your bowl, you may actually be getting 3 times as much before you even add the milk!

So use your labels to guide your shopping, eating at home, and eating out.

Happy hunting! And have a great day walking!