I think my HyVee dietitian, Jennifer, is more of a psychologist/counselor than anything. We don't just talk about what to eat/what not to eat, but we also discuss attitudes/beliefs/feelings toward food. One of the things I learned this week is that I have to work on my beliefs toward fast food/restaurant food.
It started with a simple comment about me worrying about a meal that Mike and I had at Arby's. It wasn't the worst food I could have chosen, but it certainly wasn't the most healthy. We started talking about how I felt about eating out and through a series of thought-provoking questions, I discovered I tend to elevate restaurant eating in my mind.
Growing up as one of 4 children, we didn't spend a lot of time at restaurants. Plus that just wasn't how it was done back then. To get to go to McDonald's was something very special. As a result, I still tend to think of these visits as very special and I want to get the most food out of the visit as possible. Plus I like a good "value."
She reassured me that my way of thinking is not bad, it just is how I think. I need to work on re-directing those thoughts and changing my views so that restaurants are just other places to get food and it doesn't have to be a gorge-fest. I have an assignment to complete for that in order to help her help me start to make that shift.
I'm very pleased with the money I've invested in these visits. It is NOT what I expected at all. If you live near Macomb, IL, and you want/need help with eating, I would strongly recommend that you invest in yourself and visit Jennifer. The program I am doing is $60 for 10 visits. The first visit is free, so you actually get 11 visits. At first, I wondered what on earth we were going to talk about for so many visits and now I wonder if it will be enough! She is very nice and easy to talk to, she does not make you feel judged for what you eat/how much you eat/what you don't eat. You are who you are and your life experiences have shaped you into that person. It is what it is, and she completely embraces that. Yet she will help you work on changing your thought processes so that you can live a better, HEALTHIER life.
Overall she is quite pleased with what I've been eating. I was quite proud of myself this past Tuesday for taking my own lunch to a lunch-time meeting where pizza was provided for us. I did not even want to go to the meeting but it was a very important one, so I put on my Big Girl Pants and went with the food I had prepared at home. There were about a dozen men there and one other woman. No one blinked an eye, said a word, or even tried to tempt me with pizza. Yes, I still felt pretty self-conscious, but I know I was making the best decision for ME and what the other people thought didn't matter. And I lived to tell the tale.
Monday night's Biggest Loser meeting was a counselor from the campus counseling center who talked to us about emotional eating. I am starting to become aware of when I am feeling stressed and want to eat everything. I have a few coping mechanisms in place, which involve texting or calling a few friends who I can count on to talk me down. The girl who is our nutrition coach for the contest has even agreed to be one of those people for me. I can also remove myself from the situation, such as when standing in the Walmart checkout line, faced that wall of convenient candy bars that are screaming my name. If there's no rush, I can exit the checkout and walk around the store, particularly in the ladies clothing area, and look at the stuff that I'd like to be able to wear.
It was somewhat of an interesting talk. Most of the other 4 girls really didn't have much to contribute, so it almost felt like I was having a very public counseling session with the woman about my disordered eating habits. She tried her best to engage the other girls, but for whatever reason, they were very reluctant to open up. Of course, I'm much older than they are with more life experience, and I don't give a fig what they think of me. They are within their peer group, so they may have been more self-conscious. Regardless, I am trying to get as much as I possibly can out of this experience. If I have to share embarrassing stories, so be it. I will very likely never encounter these girls again. And if I do, so what? It's nothing I wouldn't and haven't shared here! LOL
And now...the weekly weigh in! According to the scales, I lost 2.5 lbs this week. Yay! It's about time I see that scale moving in that direction. Hopefully it will continue.
Does anyone else have a problem with fast food/restaurant food? Do you feel like you have to get as much food for your dollar as you can, or am I the only one?
Showing posts with label support. Show all posts
Showing posts with label support. Show all posts
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Another weekly update...
This week the scales were a bit kinder to me, showing a 2 lb loss. It's not what I had hoped for, but I'll take it.
Starting out this week, I had to miss our 2nd Biggest Loser meeting because of the ice/snow storm on Monday. I was worried that I would be disqualified, but I emailed the lady in charge and she assured me that I would not be, as this was a legitimate reason to not be able to attend. If I lived right in Macomb, I would have been there.
On Tuesday, I met with Trainer Justin for my first actual workout with him. It was everything I had hoped for! We started with 20 minutes on the elliptical, which I abhor. I do it because it's one of the cardio machines that doesn't hurt my knee too bad, but I hate my time on it. He and I talked while I did it, so it made the time fly by. I need to have someone chat with me every time I have to use that hated machine!
Next we headed over to the training room for some back squats. I hadn't done those in a while, so I wasn't sure how it would go, but I gave it a try. I did some pretty light weights, but I could feel it in my knee a bit, so I didn't want to push it. After that, we did some straight-leg deadlifts, which were fun, but I can definitely do heavier than whatever I was doing.
We then had to go downstairs to the weight room for some leg extensions and hip abductors and adductors. The whole time he was really pushing me, which is what I love. He had his phone out to use the timer and made sure I only took 45 seconds to 1 minute rest between sets. Sometimes I sit and daydream and take a little longer, so it was good to have someone that stayed on top of that and kept me focused.
He offered to stretch with me or let me finish with some more cardio on the bike. I chose the bike. I hate stretching. I don't know why, but I absolutely abhor it. I know it would help and it's good for me and blah, blah, blah...but I still don't like it.
By the time I finished, I was soaked in sweat (LOVE) and my Polar FT4 Heart Rate Monitor showed that I had burned a little over 960 calories in 90 minutes. YES!
On Wednesday, I saw Jennifer, my HyVee dietitian. I told her about the gain I had last week, how it made me feel, etc. She reviewed my food journal and she could not figure out why I would have gained. She said that everything looked good, I was getting a good balance, and there was no reason why I should have gained. I felt good, knowing that she thought my food was pretty good. However that still doesn't explain why I'm not losing weight!
We talked about making sure I get enough water, so I made a mental goal for myself to drink at least ONE of my Casey's 33 oz bottles of water before I leave work every day. So far, so good. We also talked about my thyroid and how it may be contributing to this problem. My endocrinologist lowered my dosage of my meds in August. Since then, I've fought tooth and nail to lose and my weight has crept up. So we agreed that I should call and request some labs to be sure I'm in the therapeutic range. If I'm not, I can eat nothing but lettuce and would probably not lose because my metabolism has almost ground to a halt. It's a very frustrating disease to have. However, if I have to suffer from a disease this one is much better than others.
I called my endo's office and requested lab work to be done. I was fully prepared with my arguments, reasons, and logic because I expected the resistance that I've found with other doctors in the past. Much to my surprise and delight, they immediately agreed to do the labs and asked to what facility I wanted the orders faxed. They called me back 2 hours later to let me know the orders had been faxed and I could go get it done any time I wanted. I did, and now I'm expecting a call tomorrow (Monday) with the results. If it shows I'm out of range, then we'll adjust meds and carry on. It will take a while for my body to adjust to the new dosage, so I don't expect any immediate results.
If my labs are fine, then when I meet with Jennifer again on Wednesday, we'll have to explore limiting my carbs at each meal to a certain number of grams. I do not want to do that. If I am presented with a situation/diet plan/eating plan - whatever - where I know "I can't have that," then guess what? I WANT TO HAVE THAT! I don't like the restricted diets and I mentally fight them every step of the way. It takes me back to when I tried to follow the Paleo way of eating, where you cannot have breads/pastas/etc. Knowing that I "couldn't" have them made me want them more. It was all I could think about and it drove me nuts. I do NOT want to live the rest of my life like that. It works for some, and that's fantastic for you. However, that's not how I wish to live. Life's too short to be miserable like that.
I'm hoping I just need a tweak in my meds and all will be well. I hope I find out tomorrow. Or at least by Tuesday!
On Thursday I was sick and had to miss my training session. I was so disappointed, but there was no way I could have worked out even if my life depended on it. I'm still fighting that sickness off and on, and I'm ready for it to go away. One minute I feel fine, and then suddenly I'm chilling and have a temp. Right now I feel great, but last night before I went to bed, I looked like I had the worst allergies ever. My eyes were red and watery and I couldn't stop sneezing and I felt like dirt. It's been like this since Wednesday, actually.
I can't wait to hit the gym tomorrow and get a good workout because yesterday I got some new running shoes! I've needed some but did not have the time or energy to go to Springfield to find some shoes. I've been fitted before and I know I have a neutral gait, but the choices are so overwhelming that I just put off finding some. I decided to try J C Penney's in Macomb, so I checked out their selection online. They had some Asics that looked attractive and were inexpensive (for running shoes). I did some research and they are for people with a neutral gait (ME!) and for low-mileage runners (ME!). Since I'm not able to actually RUN right now, I thought they were perfect. So I went and tried them on and they were good. I hate other shoes, but I love running shoes.
So that was my week-in-review! Right now I'm putting off a paper that I have to write and a website I need to review/write about. I guess I'd better get my butt in gear because time waits for no one.
Oh, I just wanted to add - one of the things that has been incredibly helpful for me to stay on track and make my food journals look so good for Jennifer is that I've planned all of my meals. I used to do it faithfully, but then got lazy. So I've been doing that for the last 3 weeks and it's been a HUGE help. If you are in this battle with me, start planning meals if you aren't already! If you already know that on Wednesday, you're having baked chicken, salad, and green beans - then you don't have to worry about figuring it out at 6:30 on Wednesday night when everyone is hangry (hungry+angry because they are hungry) and fall to the temptation of getting take out or fixing something that is fast, but less-than-healthy.
AND - I was almost moved to tears on Wednesday afternoon when my husband sent me an email and told me he wanted to get on board with me more than he has been. He said he stepped on the scale and didn't like the number that it showed, and he wants to change that. I cannot fully convey how happy and excited I was to see those words from him. He's always been supportive of me, but having him take this journey with me is even better. I'm just going to let him do his thing at his own pace and be there to cheer him on. He knows that if he wants more help, I'm here.
How has your week been? Is your family supportive of your healthy journey? How do you deal with those that aren't? Are you able to keep them out of your life? Do you have a good support system in place? I hope you all do. It makes a huge difference!
Starting out this week, I had to miss our 2nd Biggest Loser meeting because of the ice/snow storm on Monday. I was worried that I would be disqualified, but I emailed the lady in charge and she assured me that I would not be, as this was a legitimate reason to not be able to attend. If I lived right in Macomb, I would have been there.
On Tuesday, I met with Trainer Justin for my first actual workout with him. It was everything I had hoped for! We started with 20 minutes on the elliptical, which I abhor. I do it because it's one of the cardio machines that doesn't hurt my knee too bad, but I hate my time on it. He and I talked while I did it, so it made the time fly by. I need to have someone chat with me every time I have to use that hated machine!
Next we headed over to the training room for some back squats. I hadn't done those in a while, so I wasn't sure how it would go, but I gave it a try. I did some pretty light weights, but I could feel it in my knee a bit, so I didn't want to push it. After that, we did some straight-leg deadlifts, which were fun, but I can definitely do heavier than whatever I was doing.
We then had to go downstairs to the weight room for some leg extensions and hip abductors and adductors. The whole time he was really pushing me, which is what I love. He had his phone out to use the timer and made sure I only took 45 seconds to 1 minute rest between sets. Sometimes I sit and daydream and take a little longer, so it was good to have someone that stayed on top of that and kept me focused.
He offered to stretch with me or let me finish with some more cardio on the bike. I chose the bike. I hate stretching. I don't know why, but I absolutely abhor it. I know it would help and it's good for me and blah, blah, blah...but I still don't like it.
By the time I finished, I was soaked in sweat (LOVE) and my Polar FT4 Heart Rate Monitor showed that I had burned a little over 960 calories in 90 minutes. YES!
On Wednesday, I saw Jennifer, my HyVee dietitian. I told her about the gain I had last week, how it made me feel, etc. She reviewed my food journal and she could not figure out why I would have gained. She said that everything looked good, I was getting a good balance, and there was no reason why I should have gained. I felt good, knowing that she thought my food was pretty good. However that still doesn't explain why I'm not losing weight!
We talked about making sure I get enough water, so I made a mental goal for myself to drink at least ONE of my Casey's 33 oz bottles of water before I leave work every day. So far, so good. We also talked about my thyroid and how it may be contributing to this problem. My endocrinologist lowered my dosage of my meds in August. Since then, I've fought tooth and nail to lose and my weight has crept up. So we agreed that I should call and request some labs to be sure I'm in the therapeutic range. If I'm not, I can eat nothing but lettuce and would probably not lose because my metabolism has almost ground to a halt. It's a very frustrating disease to have. However, if I have to suffer from a disease this one is much better than others.
I called my endo's office and requested lab work to be done. I was fully prepared with my arguments, reasons, and logic because I expected the resistance that I've found with other doctors in the past. Much to my surprise and delight, they immediately agreed to do the labs and asked to what facility I wanted the orders faxed. They called me back 2 hours later to let me know the orders had been faxed and I could go get it done any time I wanted. I did, and now I'm expecting a call tomorrow (Monday) with the results. If it shows I'm out of range, then we'll adjust meds and carry on. It will take a while for my body to adjust to the new dosage, so I don't expect any immediate results.
If my labs are fine, then when I meet with Jennifer again on Wednesday, we'll have to explore limiting my carbs at each meal to a certain number of grams. I do not want to do that. If I am presented with a situation/diet plan/eating plan - whatever - where I know "I can't have that," then guess what? I WANT TO HAVE THAT! I don't like the restricted diets and I mentally fight them every step of the way. It takes me back to when I tried to follow the Paleo way of eating, where you cannot have breads/pastas/etc. Knowing that I "couldn't" have them made me want them more. It was all I could think about and it drove me nuts. I do NOT want to live the rest of my life like that. It works for some, and that's fantastic for you. However, that's not how I wish to live. Life's too short to be miserable like that.
I'm hoping I just need a tweak in my meds and all will be well. I hope I find out tomorrow. Or at least by Tuesday!
On Thursday I was sick and had to miss my training session. I was so disappointed, but there was no way I could have worked out even if my life depended on it. I'm still fighting that sickness off and on, and I'm ready for it to go away. One minute I feel fine, and then suddenly I'm chilling and have a temp. Right now I feel great, but last night before I went to bed, I looked like I had the worst allergies ever. My eyes were red and watery and I couldn't stop sneezing and I felt like dirt. It's been like this since Wednesday, actually.
I can't wait to hit the gym tomorrow and get a good workout because yesterday I got some new running shoes! I've needed some but did not have the time or energy to go to Springfield to find some shoes. I've been fitted before and I know I have a neutral gait, but the choices are so overwhelming that I just put off finding some. I decided to try J C Penney's in Macomb, so I checked out their selection online. They had some Asics that looked attractive and were inexpensive (for running shoes). I did some research and they are for people with a neutral gait (ME!) and for low-mileage runners (ME!). Since I'm not able to actually RUN right now, I thought they were perfect. So I went and tried them on and they were good. I hate other shoes, but I love running shoes.
So that was my week-in-review! Right now I'm putting off a paper that I have to write and a website I need to review/write about. I guess I'd better get my butt in gear because time waits for no one.
Oh, I just wanted to add - one of the things that has been incredibly helpful for me to stay on track and make my food journals look so good for Jennifer is that I've planned all of my meals. I used to do it faithfully, but then got lazy. So I've been doing that for the last 3 weeks and it's been a HUGE help. If you are in this battle with me, start planning meals if you aren't already! If you already know that on Wednesday, you're having baked chicken, salad, and green beans - then you don't have to worry about figuring it out at 6:30 on Wednesday night when everyone is hangry (hungry+angry because they are hungry) and fall to the temptation of getting take out or fixing something that is fast, but less-than-healthy.
AND - I was almost moved to tears on Wednesday afternoon when my husband sent me an email and told me he wanted to get on board with me more than he has been. He said he stepped on the scale and didn't like the number that it showed, and he wants to change that. I cannot fully convey how happy and excited I was to see those words from him. He's always been supportive of me, but having him take this journey with me is even better. I'm just going to let him do his thing at his own pace and be there to cheer him on. He knows that if he wants more help, I'm here.
How has your week been? Is your family supportive of your healthy journey? How do you deal with those that aren't? Are you able to keep them out of your life? Do you have a good support system in place? I hope you all do. It makes a huge difference!
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Weekly weigh in and exciting things to come!
So the scale stayed the same as last week. At face value, that's rather disappointing, but digging a little deeper...it's actually a good thing (in my best Martha Stewart voice). Last weekend I spent some time self-sabotaging and the weight went up, up, up. I was actually up 3 MORE pounds by mid-week, so to be back where I started is ok with me.
I've been trying to surround myself with positive, motivational stuff. Whether it's a great Facebook page, an inspirational blog, or the reddit pages my little brother has shared with me (thanks Andy!). Many of them talk about "hard work," of course. I always felt I was working hard and doing what I can because I will work my butt off in the gym, and then some. The other night as I was driving home, I was thinking about "hard work" and what it meant. I came to the rather difficult realization that I'm NOT working hard...at least in a well-rounded way.
I give my all at the gym. Whether I'm lifting or doing cardio, I'm working up a sweat and giving 110%. If time were not a factor, I could easily spend a couple of hours working up a sweat at the gym. Ok, I've got the exercise part of the equation down. There is no doubt about that. Once I get this knee fixed again, I hope to crank that stuff back up again. But we'll see.
We all know the other part of the weight loss equation, and that is nutrition/food/eating. And here is where I have consistently fallen down for years. If you do not believe that weight loss is 70-80% nutrition and 20-30% exercise, message me and I can fill you in. I am the poster child for proving that is true. I. Am. A. Food. Addict. I'm not a binge eater, but I am addicted to food and there are certain ones that I just cannot resist.
Which leads to the thoughts I was having as I was driving home. Weight loss/lifestyle change/whatever you wish to label this journey...takes hard work. I'm only doing half of that work, so I'm NOT doing hard work. I'm doing half-way work. Medium work. Mediocre work.
What?!?!?!
What about all the sweat and tears I've given in the gym? What about all the pain I've put my body through with my workouts? What about the injuries? What about all the TIME I've invested at the gym?
I'm not saying that was not worth it, nor was it meaningless. My blood pressure is great and I have no real health problems. I'm way more healthy than I appear on the surface. So it was all worth it and will continue to be worth it.
But I'm not giving the full effort in the kitchen that I've been giving in the gym. Those two side of the equation have to balance or success will NOT be the answer. And by success, I mean weight loss. The food part of this journey has got to change. To do that, I'm going to have to step outside of my comfort zone and try some new foods, new spices, new methods of cooking, etc. I've had this thought in the past, but I've managed to quash it down and ignore it. It's time to bring that thought out to the open, take a good hard look at it, poke it, prod it, and figure out how to implement it. There is no other way. I've tried them all, so I know!
First step in this direction is to meet with Jennifer, the dietitian at the Macomb Hy-Vee store. I have an appointment with on Wednesday after work. I'm hoping she can give me some guidance, suggestions, and ideas on how to get my plan started. I know, from my friend's experience with her, that she will take me around the store and give me suggestions on things to do with various foods and how to bring them together to create something good.
I need that because I do not know how to combine foods. I'm ignorant when it comes to spices other than salt and pepper. But I've been AFRAID to try anything for fear of failing. I've let that fear paralyze me and keep me in this blasted rut for years! I'M TIRED OF THIS RUT AND I WANT OUT!
Another step in that direction will be research. Great recipes and food ideas are not going to fall from the heavens and land in my lap. Although I love Food Network, they do not have a show (yet) called, "Hey Angie! Let Us Cook You Some Delicious Food So You Don't Have To Think About It!" (This idea is MY property and if you steal it and pitch it to Food Network and make a trazillion dollars I will hunt you down and cut holes in your socks and I will also think bad thoughts about you.) So instead of wasting time waiting for Facebook to update, or playing Candy Crush, or any of the other timewasting methods I employ on weekends, I need to spend time scouring the internet, cookbooks, blogs, etc for food ideas. Pinterest is a wonderful place to "store" things you've found on the internet. I should put it to better use than for storing pictures of funny cats and witty quotes. Huh. Novel idea there, eh?
Ok, so I'm working on the food thing. And that's also a good thing (see 1st paragraph regarding how that should sound).
Yet another step I'm taking to move this journey along is I took a risk and applied for a spot in the Biggest Loser Competition that the Campus Rec Center is hosting. They only pick 10 applicants to work with. Well, there were only 5 applicants (so far) and I'm in. I'm sad that more people didn't apply because it's a great opportunity. There will be a weekly meeting and I'll get to work with a personal trainer (student) at least once a week for an hour workout. I'm always up for learning new things, so this excites me. I hope we get some more applicants so we have a bigger group for the weekly support meetings. But if not, I'm going to take these people down and leave them in my dust (except for my friend, KW, who Imade convinced to sign up with me). I want to WIN, dang it!
Change is hard, though, so I'm not trying to make myself do this overnight. My inclination is to do just that, but I know it will just make me mad/frustrated/irritated/upset and I'll withdraw and quit. Been there, done that! So I'm just trying to be more mindful of what I'm eating - and how much - for now. We've all heard it said: food is fuel. If I choose the foods that make my body happy, my body will do amazing things for me. I've never given it that opportunity because I've never been able to give up the junk. I'm not saying I will never, ever, ever, ever eat "junk" food again, but I am saying it's presence on my food logs needs to be greatly reduced.
I can do this. I've gone through harder changes in my life. And it will only be hard for a little while. Once we get used to new habits, they start to seem easy. I've just got to get to that point without quitting as I have before!
I've been trying to surround myself with positive, motivational stuff. Whether it's a great Facebook page, an inspirational blog, or the reddit pages my little brother has shared with me (thanks Andy!). Many of them talk about "hard work," of course. I always felt I was working hard and doing what I can because I will work my butt off in the gym, and then some. The other night as I was driving home, I was thinking about "hard work" and what it meant. I came to the rather difficult realization that I'm NOT working hard...at least in a well-rounded way.
I give my all at the gym. Whether I'm lifting or doing cardio, I'm working up a sweat and giving 110%. If time were not a factor, I could easily spend a couple of hours working up a sweat at the gym. Ok, I've got the exercise part of the equation down. There is no doubt about that. Once I get this knee fixed again, I hope to crank that stuff back up again. But we'll see.
We all know the other part of the weight loss equation, and that is nutrition/food/eating. And here is where I have consistently fallen down for years. If you do not believe that weight loss is 70-80% nutrition and 20-30% exercise, message me and I can fill you in. I am the poster child for proving that is true. I. Am. A. Food. Addict. I'm not a binge eater, but I am addicted to food and there are certain ones that I just cannot resist.
Which leads to the thoughts I was having as I was driving home. Weight loss/lifestyle change/whatever you wish to label this journey...takes hard work. I'm only doing half of that work, so I'm NOT doing hard work. I'm doing half-way work. Medium work. Mediocre work.
What?!?!?!
What about all the sweat and tears I've given in the gym? What about all the pain I've put my body through with my workouts? What about the injuries? What about all the TIME I've invested at the gym?
I'm not saying that was not worth it, nor was it meaningless. My blood pressure is great and I have no real health problems. I'm way more healthy than I appear on the surface. So it was all worth it and will continue to be worth it.
But I'm not giving the full effort in the kitchen that I've been giving in the gym. Those two side of the equation have to balance or success will NOT be the answer. And by success, I mean weight loss. The food part of this journey has got to change. To do that, I'm going to have to step outside of my comfort zone and try some new foods, new spices, new methods of cooking, etc. I've had this thought in the past, but I've managed to quash it down and ignore it. It's time to bring that thought out to the open, take a good hard look at it, poke it, prod it, and figure out how to implement it. There is no other way. I've tried them all, so I know!
First step in this direction is to meet with Jennifer, the dietitian at the Macomb Hy-Vee store. I have an appointment with on Wednesday after work. I'm hoping she can give me some guidance, suggestions, and ideas on how to get my plan started. I know, from my friend's experience with her, that she will take me around the store and give me suggestions on things to do with various foods and how to bring them together to create something good.
I need that because I do not know how to combine foods. I'm ignorant when it comes to spices other than salt and pepper. But I've been AFRAID to try anything for fear of failing. I've let that fear paralyze me and keep me in this blasted rut for years! I'M TIRED OF THIS RUT AND I WANT OUT!
Another step in that direction will be research. Great recipes and food ideas are not going to fall from the heavens and land in my lap. Although I love Food Network, they do not have a show (yet) called, "Hey Angie! Let Us Cook You Some Delicious Food So You Don't Have To Think About It!" (This idea is MY property and if you steal it and pitch it to Food Network and make a trazillion dollars I will hunt you down and cut holes in your socks and I will also think bad thoughts about you.) So instead of wasting time waiting for Facebook to update, or playing Candy Crush, or any of the other timewasting methods I employ on weekends, I need to spend time scouring the internet, cookbooks, blogs, etc for food ideas. Pinterest is a wonderful place to "store" things you've found on the internet. I should put it to better use than for storing pictures of funny cats and witty quotes. Huh. Novel idea there, eh?
Ok, so I'm working on the food thing. And that's also a good thing (see 1st paragraph regarding how that should sound).
Yet another step I'm taking to move this journey along is I took a risk and applied for a spot in the Biggest Loser Competition that the Campus Rec Center is hosting. They only pick 10 applicants to work with. Well, there were only 5 applicants (so far) and I'm in. I'm sad that more people didn't apply because it's a great opportunity. There will be a weekly meeting and I'll get to work with a personal trainer (student) at least once a week for an hour workout. I'm always up for learning new things, so this excites me. I hope we get some more applicants so we have a bigger group for the weekly support meetings. But if not, I'm going to take these people down and leave them in my dust (except for my friend, KW, who I
Change is hard, though, so I'm not trying to make myself do this overnight. My inclination is to do just that, but I know it will just make me mad/frustrated/irritated/upset and I'll withdraw and quit. Been there, done that! So I'm just trying to be more mindful of what I'm eating - and how much - for now. We've all heard it said: food is fuel. If I choose the foods that make my body happy, my body will do amazing things for me. I've never given it that opportunity because I've never been able to give up the junk. I'm not saying I will never, ever, ever, ever eat "junk" food again, but I am saying it's presence on my food logs needs to be greatly reduced.
I can do this. I've gone through harder changes in my life. And it will only be hard for a little while. Once we get used to new habits, they start to seem easy. I've just got to get to that point without quitting as I have before!
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Weigh in and set back
I was up 3 lbs this morning. It's really upsetting to see a gain, knowing I've worked so hard this week. I went to the gym 4 nights and burned at least 500 calories or more with every workout. I've eaten pretty decent and I've logged every single bite that went into my mouth. I have resisted a stupid bowl of caramel Kisses that sits less than 2 feet from my desk every single day. Yesterday I ate the lunch I had prepared at home instead of ordering out with the girls at work. And my body repays me by showing there's 3 more pounds of me to love and adore? Ughhhhh...I could do without that kind of humor, body.
So my first reaction to this is anger. And as an emotional eater, I want to soothe my feelings with food. ALL. THE. FOOD. So I let the feeling stew for a bit and explored it and poked at it. I feel angry because my body seems to be betraying me. I don't understand why my body does this, but this is not the first time I've had this happen.
I'm also angry because I know some may see/read/hear this and think, "Well obviously she must have been pigging out and lying about it." I have been guilty of this type of behavior and then feigning surprise when I gained, but this is not one of those times. But people will think what they want and we'll all go on with our lives.
Now that the anger has subsided and I'm not in danger of eating all the food (you're welcome), I've got to come up with a plan to figure this out and to help me. I'm tired of having this experience! Right now my plan is to continue to do what I've been doing. I'm going to eat as healthy as I am able, workout as much as I am able, and track everything with MyFitnessPal (as I have been). I think it's also time to consult a dietitian and see what light she can shed on the situation.
As soon as I publish this, I'm going to email Jennifer, my local HyVee dietitian and see when we can start meeting. She has a deal where I can meet with her for 10 sessions for $60. I've spent a lot of money on stupid weight loss gimmicks over the years, so maybe it's time to stop paying for magic solutions that do nothing and spend a little on something that will actually help. Now there's a novel concept!
How do you deal with an unexpected gain? Do you let it derail you completely or do you fight back? I'm planning to fight back and I sincerely hope that my next weigh in report is a great one!
So my first reaction to this is anger. And as an emotional eater, I want to soothe my feelings with food. ALL. THE. FOOD. So I let the feeling stew for a bit and explored it and poked at it. I feel angry because my body seems to be betraying me. I don't understand why my body does this, but this is not the first time I've had this happen.
I'm also angry because I know some may see/read/hear this and think, "Well obviously she must have been pigging out and lying about it." I have been guilty of this type of behavior and then feigning surprise when I gained, but this is not one of those times. But people will think what they want and we'll all go on with our lives.
Now that the anger has subsided and I'm not in danger of eating all the food (you're welcome), I've got to come up with a plan to figure this out and to help me. I'm tired of having this experience! Right now my plan is to continue to do what I've been doing. I'm going to eat as healthy as I am able, workout as much as I am able, and track everything with MyFitnessPal (as I have been). I think it's also time to consult a dietitian and see what light she can shed on the situation.
As soon as I publish this, I'm going to email Jennifer, my local HyVee dietitian and see when we can start meeting. She has a deal where I can meet with her for 10 sessions for $60. I've spent a lot of money on stupid weight loss gimmicks over the years, so maybe it's time to stop paying for magic solutions that do nothing and spend a little on something that will actually help. Now there's a novel concept!
How do you deal with an unexpected gain? Do you let it derail you completely or do you fight back? I'm planning to fight back and I sincerely hope that my next weigh in report is a great one!
Monday, June 20, 2011
1st Weigh In
It's Monday and that means time to weigh in! Starting weight, as we will recall, was 248.50. I needed to see the number get smaller to help me keep going. Since I opened my eyes Thursday morning, I have been putting one foot in front of the other, trying to eat healthier in order to drop these pounds. I've got the exercise down pat, but the eating is where I struggle. I am delighted to say that after 5 days, I now weigh 244.25. That's a loss of 4.25 lbs!
Our CrossFit workout tonight was finding our back squat max for 3 reps. That means seeing how much weight can I back squat 3 times in a row. I got 5 chances to find out. My weights went like this: 95-95-105-115-125. I was pleased with the 125. My max back squat for a single rep is 135. I think that one needs to go up now.
My Short Story class started today, so I have some reading to do already, so I'm going to cut this short. I have been learning a lot since I started this journey on Thursday. One of the things I've learned is that you've GOT to have a good support system in place. I am so thankful that I have people in my life that have expertise in several different areas. You are all helping me in different ways. By leaning on my friends and family when this becomes hard, I will be able to get through this and reach my goal. If I can convince any of you to take this healthy eating journey with me, then that will really make me happy. It's not an easy journey by any means. It's hard, it sucks at times, and it brings out my inner 3 year old...but it will be worth it in the end.
One day at a time, one meal at a time.
Our CrossFit workout tonight was finding our back squat max for 3 reps. That means seeing how much weight can I back squat 3 times in a row. I got 5 chances to find out. My weights went like this: 95-95-105-115-125. I was pleased with the 125. My max back squat for a single rep is 135. I think that one needs to go up now.
My Short Story class started today, so I have some reading to do already, so I'm going to cut this short. I have been learning a lot since I started this journey on Thursday. One of the things I've learned is that you've GOT to have a good support system in place. I am so thankful that I have people in my life that have expertise in several different areas. You are all helping me in different ways. By leaning on my friends and family when this becomes hard, I will be able to get through this and reach my goal. If I can convince any of you to take this healthy eating journey with me, then that will really make me happy. It's not an easy journey by any means. It's hard, it sucks at times, and it brings out my inner 3 year old...but it will be worth it in the end.
One day at a time, one meal at a time.
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