So we're back from vacation. I didn't know the amount of calories in everything I ate while we were gone, and I know a lot of meals were more than I normally eat, but not a lot - like 400-450 cal, but I didn't really snack, so overall, I don't think I went over most days. I also really watched portion sizes, so I think that helped. I'm hoping that I may still have a small loss at WI tomorrow, but TOM is this week also, and I usually have a 3-5 pound water gain around that time, so I'll probably have to wait a week to see how everything really balances out. I do feel happy and optimistic that I can manage all right on vacation. We ate out a couple of times, and DH and I split a meal once to limit both of our calories. His brother-in-law actually cooked many meals for us, and they eat pretty healthy, so that was really nice.
Activity was good while we were traveling. We went for a walk every day. I also put on many miles while shopping.
It's kind of weird because today feels like a Monday...
I have to say that I have been looking at restaurant nutrition information, and I'm happy more restaurants have it available, but frankly I'm SHOCKED by how many calories are in one dish. Many of the entrees at popular restaurants are over 1000 calories. If I ate there, I wouldn't be able to eat the rest of the day. This eating out while traveling is going to be a challenge...
I'm thrilled that I'm finally done with my class. I had the final today, and it was much easier than the one on Tuesday, so I was really relieved. Now I get to relax for 2 weeks before starting grad school full time.
Now for a little bit of irony...as I was driving home from school I was thinking, since I worked so hard I deserve a treat. And the first thing that comes to mind is chocolate, candy, or bakery. Now if you recall, on Tuesday after my exam which was hard and I was upset, I felt like I really wanted some junk food - to ease my disappointment. So it appears that whether I'm happy and in a celebratory mood or disappointed and sad, my default setting is to crave junk food.
Luckily, I was on the road, and didn't have any treats within reach. I was able to intercept the thoughts and replace them with the prospects of other rewards. I'm going to buy a new pair of shoes this week - yay! And this afternoon I'm going to do my new workout DVD. Plus, when I'm able to avoid going on a junk food binge, I get a little boost and I feel like "maybe I really can do it, this time!"
Well, we're going to be traveling soon, so I have to go finish finding healthy options to choose from when we're on the road.
Yesterday, I was inside all day studying for my final tomorrow. I didn't mind much because it was raining most of the morning and early afternoon, so I wasn't longing to get out in the sunshine. Around 6:30, I ate dinner and DH and I decided to go out for a walk because the rain had stopped. It was mostly blue skies and sunshine. As we were putting on our shoes, a sudden downpour started, even though in other areas there was still blue sky. I was kind of frustrated because I had been sitting most of the day, and I really wanted to get out and get some activity for the day. I had a brief moment of feeling like the universe was conspiring against me...melodramatic, I know.
Anyway, the down pour stopped about 5 minutes after it started, and we went for our walk. It started raining again towards the end - there were just these little clouds passing over and the rest of the sky was still blue and sunny. It was really weird. However the combination of rain and sun produced a huge bright rainbow, and we could see it arching across the sky right over the house as we got home. It totally brightened my mood and my day. It was like a little message saying that sometimes you might get rain when you don't want it, but when you do, it might turn out to bring something beautiful along with it.
Well, I'm going on a vacation in the not too distant future, and it will be the first time that I have traveled since getting back on plan. We will be driving to my husband's hometown and staying with his sister and her family. There will be a family picnic with his parents and all of his siblings. I can see many hurdles that I am going to have to jump while we're gone. I've made a list of potential pitfalls, and some of the strategies I'm using to counteract them.
- I love to snack in the car...so I'm trying to stock up on fruit, nuts, and I'm planning to pack some sandwiches so I won't get hungry and decide to grab something unhealthy off the rack in a convenience store.
- We usually eat out for quite a few of our meals - I have talked to DH though, and he thinks that his sister would be fine with us picking up some groceries and cooking some meals there. I've also been looking online at restaurants that have their nutrition info posted, and trying to pick out menu options that will be healthy. Finally, portion control is going to be the biggest thing, and I really need to watch the amounts of food that I'm eating.
- There will be a lot of food at the picnic that I don't really want to eat. I don't really feel that comfortable telling DH's whole family that I'm trying to lose weight, so I hope no one gets pushy about the food.
- It's sometimes harder to get exercise in - DH's sister is quite active, so I think I will try to get walks in with her. Also, she has some guest passes to her gym, so maybe I will go to the gym with her once or twice. Plus I'm hoping to do some shopping, and that usually adds up to quite a few steps
So that's my plan. I still have time to add more ideas, but I'm not feeling as worried about it now.
Oh, what I wouldn't give for some chocolate right now... So, my first of two exams was this morning. It didn't go so hot. Out of three problems (worth 100 points) I know I got the first one wrong. Now I have to wait to see if I get partial credit at all or not. Grr, I'm pretty type A when it comes to school, and it's really frustrating to put in tons of time and then not have it work out well.
My default setting when I'm upset or frustrated is to reach for candy or chocolate or cookies or cupcakes...you get the picture Anyway, l'm in luck because there is nothing like that in the house. If there was, I can't promise that I wouldn't binge right now. However there isn't, so since I was really hungry, I had a yogurt and some cantaloupe. Now I'm venting here, and then I have to get back to studying for the final on Friday, and since I didn't do so well on this one, I really need to do well on that or I'm going to lose my grade in the class.
I think it's a positive step to be able to express disappointment, anger, or frustration without feeding those feelings. That has been my biggest obstacle to weight loss in the past, and is basically the entire reason that I have weight problems to begin with. At times I wish I could just eliminate all bad feelings from my life, but I know that's an impossibility, so I have to learn coping skills that are non-self-destructive. So first of all, I'm not going to ruminate. I'm disappointed, but what's done is done, and all I can do from here is move on and hopefully do better on Friday.
I will go for a walk later. It relieves frustration and helps me sleep better when I'm active during the day. I like spending time with DH and getting outside as well. Also, one thing I need to keep telling myself is that with school, I'm learning the material in spite of a terrible professor, and that is more important than the grade that I get in the class.
So for now, I'm ignoring temptation and moving forward...one foot in front of the other, and one day at a time...
Weekend was very busy studying for this week. First exam is tomorrow and second is Friday, so I've been trying to prepare as best I can. Foodwise, I've been on track - right around 1400 cal most days. That seems to be a good level for me. I had a minor freak-out last week when it seemed like my scale was stuck on the same number forever...it was actually only about a week, maybe less. But today, I finally bumped down a little, and I'm now down 13 overall - which I'm thrilled about. Exercise has been good. DH and I have been walking every day, and we recently increased or mileage, so I'm burning a few more calories every day. Haven't added the weight lifting yet...I want to, but when it's nice outside, I'd rather get out and walk, and that's about all the free time I have right now. So I'll probably save the lifting for a rainy day...and the fall is coming, so I spend more time inside when the weather isn't so nice.
Next week I have two exams as the summer semester winds down. My stress level has been high, but I've been finding time to exercise every day, and I have been trying to maintain on plan eating. I know that if I go off plan that would be more stressful that just dealing with school.
The hungry monster reared it's ugly head yesterday. When I'm trying to lose weight, obviously I have to cut down on calories. Most days, I'm ok. I eat about 6 times per day ~ 300 calories at meals and ~100-200 calories for snacks. This is usually enough to keep the extreme hunger at bay, and feels like something I could maintain for a lifetime. However, yesterday, it felt like I was starving all day. I would eat, and no sooner than I would finish than I would feel like there was a monster clawing at my stomach. I was getting so frustrated because I didn't want to feel rotten, but I didn't want to eat too much either. I managed to make it through the day staying under 1500 cal, but my stomach wasn't thrilled about it.
However, I was looking back at my food journal, and when I started, I was doing really well getting a lot of protein in with every meal/snack. However, over the last few days, my snacks have been shifting to more carbs and less fat and protein. My body apparently burns through carbs before I can get up from the table. So today, I'm making sure that I get more protein and fat along with my snacks. I think I will add more nuts...though I'll definitely have to watch portions because they are calorie dense, but they are filling and the fat is healthy monounsaturated fat, so I don't have to feel guilty about it. I like getting some of my protein from nuts, because I get really sick of meat if I eat it too often.
I will see if this works. Hopefully the hungry monster will go back into hibernation and give my stomach a little peace
Yesterday, I had not one, but two BBQ's to attend. First in the afternoon with my family - brother was visiting from out of town, so it was nice to see most of my family. Then another in the evening with coworkers. I was able to avoid the chips, Cheetos, and the heavy salads. I had a hamburger for lunch and a chicken breast with fruit salad and veggies for dinner. Overall, calories weren't too high for the day, but today no loss - no gain.
I think I'm entering a plateau, hopefully brief. I looked back at my food journal and my calories are all within 1200-1500 per day, and I'm being very careful with counting, so I know I'm not eating too much. I had big losses the first two weeks, a lot of which was probably water, so now I have to wait for the fat loss to catch up. I have been walking for 30+ minutes everyday, and my foot feels like it is getting better, so I'm hoping to be able to bump up the intensity of my workouts within the next weeks.
Today, I've been having to fight feelings of "why should I bother, because I can't lose weight anyway" and "I should just give up". I'm trying to fight them and stay positive. The changes I have made are making me a healthier person everyday, regardless of what the number on the scale says, and I've made good progress already, so I'm going to keep plodding along on this journey and hopefully, the scale will eventually catch up.
Anyway, l'm in luck because there is nothing like that in the house. If there was, I can't promise that I wouldn't binge right now. However there isn't, so since I was really hungry, I had a yogurt and some cantaloupe. Now I'm venting here, and then I have to get back to studying for the final on Friday, and since I didn't do so well on this one, I really need to do well on that or I'm going to lose my grade in the class.