Realizations of Weight Loss

I haven't loss anymore weight than the last time I posted, however there are a few realizations that I have had while losing those five pounds from before.

1. Food lasts longer when you go by serving size.
Duh, right?  At my old job (I started a new one last week) I'd keep a box of Triscuits at my desk for snacking.  This year when I started focusing on my health, I started eating serving sizes and I was amazing at how much longer my box of Triscuits lasted! Which also means, I'm saving money by not buying as much! Bonus!!

And this takes us into the next....

2. Tracking calories sucks, but it really helps with portion control.
I HATE tracking calories.  It is the worse!  However, I don't realize how much I'm eating when I don't track, so tracking is a real good idea for me.  Even if I only do it for a little while to learn.  I haven't been tracking for the last two weeks, but I learned from the weeks previous, what I can make for lunch and still been in the right calorie range.  I am hoping that in future weeks, I can get back into it, get a good grasp for portions and move on, so I don't have to do this forever.

3.You don't need as much food as you think.
Okay so I'm trying to do the whole three meals a day with two snacks.  Sometimes my lunch would look so small, but it would be right where I wanted it to be calorie-wise.  That small lunch would keep me full, until snack time. I'd have my snack and then be good 'til dinner.  I didn't need my lunch to be as big as I thought it did, since I had the snacks to get me through.

And the most important realization...

4. I feel better when I work out
And I don't mean, the whole "I have more energy" "I'm sleeping better" type feel better.  This past fall & December every time I'd put clothes on or look in the mirror, I'd just see how much weight I gained and I'd feel terrible.  Terrible about how I looked, how I felt and how I disappointed myself by letting go of my healthy lifestyle.

However, the DAY I started working out that changed.  I still looked the same, my clothes fit the same terrible way, but the difference was I was doing something about it and I knew the state I was in was only temporary.  Guys, that is the best feeling.

Do you have any realizations that have come from a lifestyle change?