I always seem to go back into weight loss in some sort of dramatic way. Last January I joined Jenny Craig. I go hard core into Weight Watchers. Whatever it is. It works! But it's impossible to maintain. I can't do a DRAMATIC change today and keep it going forever.
And I know the point is to make small meaningful changes that you can keep, but that's less dramatic. I started at 162 and today I'm down to 158. I go up a pound, and down a pound, then up a pound and down two. So I've lost one and moving in the right direction, but it's taken me a week. That feels WRONG...even though it's right. Even though it's what I need to do to make the right stuff stick in my life.
I'm exercising three or four times a week. I tried joining gyms and I go hard core in the beginning, but then it's hard to maintain. So I've accepted that doing a dvd in my basement is the best I can do. But it's SOMETHING and that's better than nothing.
I'm creating menus for the week and going food shopping. I'm looking for healthy alternatives and not eating out all the time. Sometimes I eat too much, but generally I'm listening to my body and only eating when I'm hungry. I want to be a naturally thin person, but it has to come naturally. It can't be something I decide to do today.
So my goal is to lose 15 pounds by May 10th. That's 16 weeks. That's one pound a week. One pound. That's not impossible. Some weeks I will lose two pounds. Some weeks I will gain a pound. Some weeks I will not lose or gain.
But slow and steady will get me to where I need to be. It's not a race. Fast is not the right way. I understand that now. Rushing to 10 pounds is what gets me gaining five. It's frustrating and not possible to maintain.
I have a plan to make this birthday not about food. Think about it. What does everyone want to do when it's your birthday? They want to feed you! They bring you cake or cookies, they make you dinner or take you out to lunch. It's all about food!!
I got an iPod from my husband so this morning we stayed in bed and listened to it together. That was cool. I got up and exercised and then we had a nice healthy relaxed breakfast together.
Today I'm heading into work, but bringing my lunch. I will accept Birthday Wishes, but no food. I will share all food offerings with everyone else!
I've already mapped out the menu for the week, so the special dinner is healthy and being cooked by my husband (I usually do the healthy cooking). We will have some wine and enjoy an evening together. But it's not centered around food.
Sort of. My last post was about inertia. Three months ago. Oy. I was doing so good. In August I was breaking into the 140's and now I'm in the 160's.
I'm hearing the message my life is giving me, though. It's not about dieting. It's not about "losing weight". It's about being healthy and happy. Eating right and exercising makes me feel better. When I feel better, I'm happier. Motivating myself to not be a sloth who can't cook and has to go out every night can only be good for my life.
New Year, New You, I know...but whatever it takes to get me moving right? I'm notoriously famous for starting things, but not really known for finishing them. Let's see if 2008 is the year I change that. Why can't my "natural weight" be something that I'm happy to see pictures of? My "natural weight" is only "natural" because I've let that become who I am. I am someone who does not exercise and who goes out to dinner four or five times a week.
So I'm food shopping. And cooking. And not taking the easy way out. Anything worth having is worth working for, right? Having a body I'm proud of is worth something. Living life in a healthy way is worth something. Cooking my own meals and not living on junk is not me depriving myself. I still have a glass of wine. I still have a little cheese on food. I just don't eat three portions at one sitting. I just don't eat all day long. I get up and move.
How can that be bad? And if it's good, how hard can it be to maintain?
I turn 37 tomorrow. Let me not have this same conversation with you all again when I turn 38, okay?
Bodies in motion tend to stay in motion, bodies at rest tend to stay at rest.
When I'm working out and eating right I keep doing it. Then I bump into something and I stop. Then I stay stopped. It's so much harder to GET moving than it is to KEEP moving. I worked out and stayed on plan Monday, so it was easier to do it Tuesday and again today.
I don't know why I'm so on again off again. Well, I guess I do know. I don't prepare and I don't plan. When I go food shopping it's all good. When I don't food shop, it's all eating out. Eating out is hard to do in a healthy way. It's hard not to order stuff that's not good for me.
The weird thing is, when I'm food shopping and actually cooking, I eat well, and I'm happy with what I eat. I feel good, I sleep well, I floss my teeth, drink more water, exercise. When I do one thing to take care of myself, I do many things. It's a cycle. It's good when it works...but when it breaks down the entire system breaks down.
So I'm on again, hopefully for a little longer than last time. I'm going to stop weighing myself. I'm not focusing on a number goal this time, but on feeling better and eating better. I think when I get close to my goal I somehow ease off a bit instead of kicking up the pace.
Tomorrow I'm going to work out and aim to do it all week. I have to figure out good lunches for the week. It breaks down a bit when I travel to different locations for a few days. New locations that I help open don't always have fridges or microwaves, and it limits what I can bring. And I can eat out, but that tempts me to get pizza instead of a salad.
I have to focus. I work so hard to lose weight and get in shape and then I let it all go away. So I worked for nothing. I have to make it worth something.
Yesterday was my first wedding anniversary. DH cooked me a very Core dinner which was very tasty. He's a good guy.
Then we went out for a drink at the restaurant we had our first date and we shared a Molten Chocolate Cake. Holy Canoli...afterwards I went to the Chili's site and found out that the entire thing is 30 points!!!! 1250 calories and something like 60 grams of fat! I didn't even eat half, maybe a quarter (he ate the rest and is perpetually skinny...the bastard!), but I gave myself half of the points. Fortunately, I've worked out every day this week, so that will combat the gain. I am back up a pound today, but a small price to pay for a delicious Molten Chocolate Cake.
I'm noticing a definite trend. When I exercise I lose weight.
It's not totally due to exercising of course, although that's helps. When I'm exercising I'm staying on plan and when I stray, it's small. Small strays are covered by my exercising. When I don't even stray a little bit I see the scale move down.
I'm back in the 140's again. I got there briefly a few months back, maybe for a day. I'm a little nervous about the fact that I JUST got to 149.5 today and on Sunday we leave for our summer vacation in Maine. Not that we eat that badly when we're with his parents. It's just that it's harder to exercise and easier to eat ice cream.
I'd like to bring some stuff with me, like sugar free jello and stuff. Hopefully that will help.
I am very proud of my successes this week. Of course, I'm usually more successful during the beginning of a new program/diet/whatever because it's new and still fun. But I'll take my wins where I get them!
I had a lunch meeting yesterday, and of all the places around the only one I could think of that might have something I can eat would be the diner. So that's where we went. I got something called the Popeye Wrap, which was grilled chicken, spinach and balsamic vinagrette wrapped in a tomato tortilla. I counted the points for the wrap, but the rest I think was core. I worked out a ton yesterday too, so if I'm off a few points, I'm still covered by my fp/ap's.
OH! Another win was that we went to the movies last night (Live Free or Die Hard!) and I snuck in my own bag of popcorn and crystal lite water! It was like the real thing only better!
I'm with the way I'm looking and feeling and I hope I can continue!!!
I've only been doing the Weight Watchers Core program a week, but I feel good. I'm down two or three pounds (I haven't weighed myself today) and I feel confident about it.
The best parts so far aren't that I've lost a few pounds. I've lost and regained these particular pounds ten times over the past few months. No the best parts are:
1. I'm cooking again. I love to cook and create and sleuth around the house to make something cool and unusual that's also tasty. When I go food shopping and all my choices are Core choices, that's an easy thing to do.
2. I'm having dinner with my husband again. When I was doing Jenny Craig, I was microwaving something and maybe he was cooking something for himself, or maybe not. Usually I just ate my dinner in front of the tv and he fended for himself. Now every night we've been home for dinner we've cooked and eaten together, which is cool.
3. I'm motivated to exercise again. Since Thursday (and today is the following Wednesday) I have only not worked out one day. I feel good when I'm working out, especially when I do it first thing in the morning.
4. I'm drinking water again. I've got these water bottles stashed all over my house and work and I fill them up and drink them as much as possible. I can see the difference in my skin already, which pleases me.
It's annoying to me that I'm saying "again" because I've already done these things. I've already "learned" to eat right and exercise daily and drink enough water, but somehow I forgot how important that is. Hopefully this time the lesson will stick.
Okay, off to the basement, I have a date with Stephanie Huckabee, Firm Master Instructor!
It's after midnight, so the post shows as Monday, but I'm talking about Sunday.
I'm back on Weight Watchers. Not that Jenny Craig wasn't a good program. If you're doing the program, it totally works. But when you're not doing the program, well, it doesn't. I get bored so easily with these programs.
I'm doing the Core program, which means no counting points, but you HAVE to be prepared. I went food shopping and have been making meals. I've avoided pizza, ice cream and countless other items.
Today, though, today was a great day. A day of many successes.
Success 1: The family wanted Perkins this morning. Perkins. There is little I can trust is made in a healthy way there. But, despite their not really knowing how to make cereal, I ordered cereal instead of pancakes and sausage. And despite their not knowing they HAD green tea, I ordered tea instead of juice.
I was good!
Success 2: I was unprepared for lunch. Made TWO pb&j's for my step daughter (oh, and I love pb&j), but I resisted. I was feeling uninspired (didn't want a salad again), but then suddenly found tuna and fat free italian dressing. It was tasty AND on plan!
Success 3: Step Daughter wanted to go get ice cream. It's hot and it's the summer and no real reason she can't get ice cream except I don't want ice cream. So I sent my husband and her off to have their ice cream and I WORKED OUT! Yes, after dinner (which I cooked and was completely on plan) I popped in a step DVD and worked out.
So I'm inspired. I overcame many obstacles today and it wasn't hard!
