Reading food labels one lesson learned during Fittest Loser challenge

After reading one of my salad dressing labels, I immediately apologized to my kidneys for years of unintentional abuse.

It had almost 600 milligrams of sodium per serving. Since the FDA recommends somewhere between 1,500 to 2,300 milligrams per day, I felt betrayed. I wondered who else has been making a monkey out of me for all these years.

I reached into my purse and pulled out a granola bar with very bold “healthy” labeling on it. It had a list of about 30 ingredients I couldn't pronounce — and almost 100 milligrams of sodium. The paranoia started to set in. They've been making a monkey out of me for a long, long time.

But that's beginning to change.

I've learned a lot in the past six weeks since starting the Fittest Loser Challenge. Today, I'm happy to report that I've become more aware of what I eat. I'm not claiming to be a health fanatic, but at least I'm eliminating the element of surprise on my plate.

As a result, my body is experiencing a lot of surprises as well.

My kidneys are probably thanking me for reducing my sodium intake. My liver must be shocked by the amount of water I've been drinking in the past few weeks. I've been gulping down half of my body weight in ounces. In my case, that's about 80 ounces a day – though I usually consume more.

I've also been consuming loads of potassium, dietary fiber, folic acid and vitamins — in the form of vegetables. There have been days I convinced myself that I overdosed on veggies, but my personal trainer assures me that it's safe to eat more of them.

My lungs are probably the only part of me that feel somewhat cheated — because I still force them to inhale smoke almost daily and then expect them to function without coughing when I go for a run. They've been treating me relatively well, but I promised them that two weeks before the Fittest Loser group runs its scheduled 5K race, I won't make them endure more than five cigarettes a day. (Yeah, I know what some of you are thinking, but that's as good as it's going to get for them at this point.)

I'm most surprised that I've been enjoying this journey as much as I have. My favorite elements of this program are the physical workouts at Push Fitness in Schaumburg.

I look forward to my sessions with my trainer, Joshua Steckler, owner of Push Fitness. He's taught me that there's a science to a good workout. It's not about random cardio exercises on the treadmill or the elliptical. Plus, Steckler started teaching me how to box — probably the most fun I've ever had in a gym.

The best part about this program is how it's making me feel. After a good workout, I get an emotional lift. In addition, I have much more energy throughout the day and I don't feel hungry at night.

That's probably a combination of both exercise and diet. Overall, I feel happier, less stressed and more even-tempered.

The most difficult adjustment that I've had to make is my diet. It takes a lot of time to plan and prepare my food in advance. Since I'm often on the move, that means I have to pack my snacks and lunches.

I pack protein shakes in the trunk of my car and I always carry a bag of raw almonds in my purse. However, that's not always enough.

So, I often find myself stopping at a grocery store for lunch and piecing together my meal at its salad bar. It can get tricky because I'm required to have a certain combination of carbs, fats and proteins with each meal. I suspect that I am a source of amusement for other shoppers as they see me circling around the salad bar mumbling things to myself such as “I need more fat” and “dang, I'm missing a protein” or “what kind of a freaking carb is this?”

Though I don't necessarily miss fast food, I do miss its convenience. Picking up your meal at a drive-through is definitely easier. But it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.

In the past six weeks, I've noticed my body change. There's more definition in my muscles and I've lost inches around my waist. My friends tell me that they can see some weight loss in my face as well.

However, I am surprised at how difficult it is to lose more than one pound per week — considering that I exercise seven times a week. I've seen some contestants lose five to eight pounds in a week.

I'm told that it's probably because I'm not eating enough. That may sound strange, but we're supposed to eat five to six meals per day. That's a huge challenge for me.

But I still have another six weeks to work on that. I'm going to have to work a little harder.

• Kat Zeman is a freelance journalist who only recently realized that food companies have been making a monkey out of her. But she's changing that by starting to read food labels. She lives in Darien.

By the numbers

<span class="fact box text bold">Starting weight:</span> 163

<span class="fact box text bold">Current weight:</span> 159

<span class="fact box text bold">Total weight lost:</span> 4 pounds, 2.5 percent