I know I'm a few days late writing this, but at least this time it's just late and not at all....
Anywho, as everyone who struggles with maintaining/losing weight (read: pretty much everyone...period.) knows, the holidays are rough! Any holiday is rough on a diet because so much of it revolves around food. Valentine's Day gives you fancy dinners and chocolate, St. Patrick's Day gives you green any kind of food and beer, Easter is ham and candy and hard boiled eggs, birthdays is cake and ice cream, Memorial Day/4th of July/Labor Day come with picnics, Halloween is candy, candy, and more candy...you get my point. However, from the last week of November until after the first of January is arguably the worst time ever. It doesn't even matter what religion you are...Thanksgiving, Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Festivus, New Years. All right in a row (and if you're in my family there are six birthdays thrown in that time frame, too!). What's a person to do??
We're about at the mid-way point right now - and my goal this year has been to conquer the holidays and not let them get the better of me! We all know I've been struggling for the last few months, but I'm really trying to give myself a push to get through the next few weeks with hopefully losses, but at least not gains! Thanksgiving was actually pretty good! I lost a little, which was more than I could say for most of the people at my meeting after the holiday. Thanksgiving was relatively easy to handle because it was one/two days and I could easily get a taste of all the foods and be good to go. Not to mention the simple fact that I can't fit as much food in my stomach as I used to, so it was physically difficult to overeat! But, Christmas is the worst for me. Everyone having holiday get-togethers/dinners/parties with lots of delicious (fattening) foods and all the desserts, candies, and cookies you can eat! I love cookies...almost any kind. They are just so deceiving! They're so little and innocent looking, but just one cookie packs a powerful punch! The average cookie runs about 2 points a piece...for reference, I can eat 31 points in a day. Fresh fruits and (most) vegetables have 0 points...a grilled chicken breast is about 3. I can have a nice salad which some grilled chicken and 2 Tbsp of a vinaigrette dressing for about 5 points...and a cookie...one single, solitary little cookie costs me about half that. Yikes!! But they're soooooo tasty!!
So, what's my plan to combat the evil little beasts? Well, I've done a few things. First of all, Mom and Dad have lots of friends and family over for a Christmas party on Christmas Eve. I'm usually home several days in advance so I can help get stuff ready, but this year our calendar is running quite late and provided I can get out of here when I'd like to, I still won't get home until late on the 22nd. That doesn't really give much time for me to help...so, I'm helping from here! I volunteered to make most of the Christmas cookies. Yes, that sounds contradictory, I know. If cookies are a weakness, then why would I put myself in that position? Well, for three reasons. 1. I can be in control over what's in them! In several of them I replaced the sugar with Splenda and the brown sugar with Splenda brown sugar...it doesn't cut down on the points a WHOLE lot, but a little is better than nothing! 2. I love baking and they're only a temptation if they're out where I can see them...so as soon as they've cooled after baking I pack them up in a box, tape up that box pretty tightly, and stick them in the freezer. I haven't been tempted by them pretty much at all! I allowed myself to have one or two as I was packing them up, but then that tape and the freezer kept them out of sight and out of mind. And 3. having them around and allowing myself to have one or two while making them will help me be less tempted by them when they're all out on the table. I already know what they taste like so I don't need to "just try them" at all. Well..that one's the hope, at least.
I've also gotten my butt back to the gym several times this past week! It took a couple times to get back into the swing of it, and my body could definitely feel the difference from not going for about a month, but I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly I got my groove back. Actually, I went this past Thursday morning and kept pushing myself to go further. I usually run the first mile then take a quick walking break and then alternate running half a mile-walking about .10/mile. This time, I made myself keep going after I hit the mile and I actually ran the whole first 20 minutes without stopping! (The only reason I stopped at 20 was because the treadmills have a 20 minute limit on them so I had to take a quick break and reset since there will still about 18 other treadmills open if anyone else came to run.) I did a walking .15/mile but then I ran until I hit my overall 30 minute goal! I was pretty darn proud of myself!
Now, I can't do my usual Saturday run because we're closing tomorrow, so I'm hoping to be able to get something in at home on Sunday. Hopefully this snow doesn't get it the way!
Initial weight: 257.2
Week 49: -1.0
Total weight loss: -56.2
Current weight: 201.0
It's so close!! Wouldn't it be the ultimate Christmas present to myself to weigh in the day after and hit that elusive 200?? Keep your fingers crossed for me!
Friday, December 21, 2012
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Excuses, Excuses, Excuses
So I have been forced to admit something difficult to myself...there is a major difference between "reasons" and "excuses" - and I have been trying to pass a lot of excuses off as reasons.
The fact that my hip was out was the REASON I couldn't run...but it was my EXCUSE for not doing much activity at all.
Being busy at work is the REASON I am tired...but it was my EXCUSE for not working out more often.
And PMS was the REASON that I occasionally gained some water-weight...but it was my EXCUSE for sometimes eating things I shouldn't.
It's tough being brutally honest with yourself - I actually even had a whole argument with myself in bed this morning! For the last few months I've been struggling with my weight loss...lose a pound, gain a pound, rinse and repeat. I've never been really good about tracking my food - I have no problem being honest about that...and while I'm sure I could be more successful if I was better about that, I think my real success has come from simply being more active.
I got a real taste of that this summer when I pretty much didn't track at all, but was going to so many classes that I was earning beaucoup (that's French for "a lot") activity points. Now, when I first got back to work in August, I really was putting in a lot of hours at work. Was it extremely difficult to get exercise in? Yes. Could I have still done it? Yes. I may not have been able to get in four Zumba classes every week like I did over the summer, but I could have done more than I did. And I have had even less excuses since about mid-September. Yes, there are after-work activities that make things difficult...but that's just it...they make it difficult NOT impossible.
But, I also have a problem of getting comfortable in my routines and not straying far from them unless jolted. So, when my routine was becoming less and less active, I got comfortable with that. I'll be perfectly honest...I HATE getting up at 6am to go to the gym...I always have. So when I got an excuse to not do it? I jumped on it! My hip was out, it hurt my knee to run. I just got my hip in then it went out again. I got it put back in again and the doc said not to do much vigorous exercise for a few days while it adjusted to being back in. Well, a few days turned into a few weeks cause I got lazy.
I got hit with a hard reality this week. I was on duty and had to go to a call on the third floor of a building. I was a good little girl and took the stairs instead of the elevator...but I was winded by the time I got to the third floor. That hadn't happened in quite some time! During move-in in August, I was running up and down four flights of stairs several times a day and barely got winded, but I got a bit winded walking up three flights of stairs once. It was an eye-opener for me. I realized how easy it is to get out of shape...and I'd let myself fall into the trap. So, this morning, I got tough on myself and had a literal argument with myself in bed when the alarm went off at 6am until the good self won and I got out of bed to go to the gym. Getting back on the treadmill wasn't QUITE as difficult as I had thought that it would be, but there was a clear difference in how well I was running this morning vs. the last time I ran before the hip issue. I need to continue to move my tush if I'm really going to do this marathon in a year...but I got 2.5 miles done in half an hour, so I'm still happy with that!
So as I eluded to in my last post, I got a new toy to help motivate me to get my butt back in gear. Weight Watchers teamed up with Phillips and made the ActiveLink...a super super super smart pedometer-like tool. It's a little rectangular device, about the size of a thumb-drive. You wear it on yourself all day long - on your belt strap, in your pocket, on a necklace, on your bra strap, wherever you'd like. You just tell the device where you're wearing it and it measures your activity all day long. Unlike a pedometer, which only measures your steps, this little baby registers any movement...forwards, backwards, frontways, and backways, and sideways, and slantways, etc. You spend the first week wearing it to monitor your general everyday movement so that it knows what you already regularly do. Then, it gives you goals to reach over the next few weeks. You wear it all the time, then you plug into into your computer through the USB port and it tells you exactly how many points you earned that day. Even better, you can check out how active you were every day down to the MINUTE!! It's pretty awesome!! Other than my trip to the gym today, I didn't do much that I don't do every day - yesterday, I earned about two points for my general daily activity...today, with the addition of my run, I earned 10!! Now, THAT is a good incentive to keep going!
Initial weight: 257.2
Week 47: +0.4
Week 48: -0.8
Total weight loss: -55.2
Current weight: 202.0
The fact that my hip was out was the REASON I couldn't run...but it was my EXCUSE for not doing much activity at all.
Being busy at work is the REASON I am tired...but it was my EXCUSE for not working out more often.
And PMS was the REASON that I occasionally gained some water-weight...but it was my EXCUSE for sometimes eating things I shouldn't.
It's tough being brutally honest with yourself - I actually even had a whole argument with myself in bed this morning! For the last few months I've been struggling with my weight loss...lose a pound, gain a pound, rinse and repeat. I've never been really good about tracking my food - I have no problem being honest about that...and while I'm sure I could be more successful if I was better about that, I think my real success has come from simply being more active.
I got a real taste of that this summer when I pretty much didn't track at all, but was going to so many classes that I was earning beaucoup (that's French for "a lot") activity points. Now, when I first got back to work in August, I really was putting in a lot of hours at work. Was it extremely difficult to get exercise in? Yes. Could I have still done it? Yes. I may not have been able to get in four Zumba classes every week like I did over the summer, but I could have done more than I did. And I have had even less excuses since about mid-September. Yes, there are after-work activities that make things difficult...but that's just it...they make it difficult NOT impossible.
But, I also have a problem of getting comfortable in my routines and not straying far from them unless jolted. So, when my routine was becoming less and less active, I got comfortable with that. I'll be perfectly honest...I HATE getting up at 6am to go to the gym...I always have. So when I got an excuse to not do it? I jumped on it! My hip was out, it hurt my knee to run. I just got my hip in then it went out again. I got it put back in again and the doc said not to do much vigorous exercise for a few days while it adjusted to being back in. Well, a few days turned into a few weeks cause I got lazy.
I got hit with a hard reality this week. I was on duty and had to go to a call on the third floor of a building. I was a good little girl and took the stairs instead of the elevator...but I was winded by the time I got to the third floor. That hadn't happened in quite some time! During move-in in August, I was running up and down four flights of stairs several times a day and barely got winded, but I got a bit winded walking up three flights of stairs once. It was an eye-opener for me. I realized how easy it is to get out of shape...and I'd let myself fall into the trap. So, this morning, I got tough on myself and had a literal argument with myself in bed when the alarm went off at 6am until the good self won and I got out of bed to go to the gym. Getting back on the treadmill wasn't QUITE as difficult as I had thought that it would be, but there was a clear difference in how well I was running this morning vs. the last time I ran before the hip issue. I need to continue to move my tush if I'm really going to do this marathon in a year...but I got 2.5 miles done in half an hour, so I'm still happy with that!
So as I eluded to in my last post, I got a new toy to help motivate me to get my butt back in gear. Weight Watchers teamed up with Phillips and made the ActiveLink...a super super super smart pedometer-like tool. It's a little rectangular device, about the size of a thumb-drive. You wear it on yourself all day long - on your belt strap, in your pocket, on a necklace, on your bra strap, wherever you'd like. You just tell the device where you're wearing it and it measures your activity all day long. Unlike a pedometer, which only measures your steps, this little baby registers any movement...forwards, backwards, frontways, and backways, and sideways, and slantways, etc. You spend the first week wearing it to monitor your general everyday movement so that it knows what you already regularly do. Then, it gives you goals to reach over the next few weeks. You wear it all the time, then you plug into into your computer through the USB port and it tells you exactly how many points you earned that day. Even better, you can check out how active you were every day down to the MINUTE!! It's pretty awesome!! Other than my trip to the gym today, I didn't do much that I don't do every day - yesterday, I earned about two points for my general daily activity...today, with the addition of my run, I earned 10!! Now, THAT is a good incentive to keep going!
Initial weight: 257.2
Week 47: +0.4
Week 48: -0.8
Total weight loss: -55.2
Current weight: 202.0
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