It amazes me how I continue to learn things about food and about myself! You grow up learning about protein, carbs, sugars, etc. and what they do to your body, but knowing and understanding are two very different things!
I've only recently begun to truly understand how carbs, protein, and sugars work on my body. Before, I would just eat whatever I wanted whenever I wanted it and never really paid much attention to how my body was feeling. I didn't stop to consider why I was hungry when I'd only eaten an hour before or why I couldn't sleep when I ate a bowl of ice cream before bed.
When you start paying more attention to what you put into your body and when you put it there, you really start to understand the feelings that your body is sending you. A few weeks ago, I had an apple, about 1/2 cup of grapes, and 1/2 cup of cantaloupe for breakfast. I was full, satisfied, and content after I finished eating, but only about an hour later, I was STARVING. I sat there feeling a little baffled as to why I was so hungry when it hadn't been all that long since I'd eaten. I started to realize that maybe it was because I'd only eaten fruit and hadn't eaten anything with carbs/protein to sustain me. I went to the mini-convenient store up the stairs from my office and bought a low-point granola bar with lots of protein. And you know what?? I stayed satisfied until it was lunch time! It was a true "a ha" moment for me and I've started making sure that protein is in my breakfast every day...usually in the form of the same granola bar or greek yogurt.
Now, that is a positive example of something I've learned. But, sometimes we make boo-boos and learn things the hard way. This weekend I had to take some students on a trip to the hills of West Virginia - about a 6 1/2 hour drive. We stopped for lunch around 1, but by the time we got to the school, got registered, dropped off our belongings in the hotel rooms, etc., we didn't have enough time to get dinner before the conference opened. Then, we had to sit through the opening ceremonies, attend the socials, and weren't going to be free to leave the school for the evening until around 9:00pm. So, the "socials" ended up being "dinner" and consisted of fruit, cheese and crackers, cookies, and brownies. Not the healthiest choices, but I needed SOME sustenance. And then I laid in bed that night and despite how much my brain wanted to turn off and go to sleep, my body was all sugared up and not ready to go down without a fight. I laid there so sleepy and cursing myself for eating those cookies. Thankfully, my brain eventually won out and it didn't take too long to fall asleep. But, I will most certainly think about that the next time...
Initial weight: 257.2
Week 57: +1.6
Total weight loss: -57
Current weight: 200.2
I hate seeing that number again, but to be perfectly honest, after the week that I had, it should have been much higher, so I will take these numbers and be happy about it. It'll go back down next week.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Monday, February 4, 2013
The Tortoise and the Hare
So I've gotten called out by a couple people about not posting in a few weeks. I feel like time just keeps slipping away - I weigh in on Monday and before I know it, it's Friday and I haven't posted...then I think to myself, why bother when I'm going to post again in two days?? Well, that's what happened the week before last. Last week, I didn't get to go because of work stuff. Yes, I could have still posted even though I didn't weigh in, but I didn't.
This past week wasn't anything super special to write home about. I slipped on the ice Monday on my way home from a meeting and landed directly onto my left knee. Man, did it hurt! When I first fell, I didn't think it was that bad, but after I got home it started to ache and then I saw the damage. I skinned a big chunk, about the size of a 50-cent piece, and then bruised an area even larger than that. I iced my knee for the evening, but it still hurt pretty bad for the next few days. More ice and no exercising for a few days and my knee is almost as good as new.
The weekend was a little challenging - I was on duty (which always makes life a little more challenging), had a birthday dinner at a Mexican restaurant, and a Superbowl party. But, I managed them the best that I could. No snacking in between duty calls and balancing my brunches to save room for my special dinners. Frankly, it could have been better, but I also could have done MUCH worse.
Today, however, I had a slight revelation. I realized that for quit a while now I've been really frustrated with myself that I'm not losing fast enough. Granted, I know that I'm the only one standing in my way and I need to get my butt moving if I want to see the results. However, I have often found myself thinking about how much weight I'm going to lose this week/how much I HOPE I lose this week, versus actually working to lose said weight...and then I continue to get frustrated that I'm not seeing the results on the scale. But, my revelation today told me that it's okay.
In the story of the tortoise and the hare, the super fast rabbit gets cocky, takes a nap, and ends up losing the race. The slow little tortoise takes his time, goes at his own pace, and wins in the end. I feel like I started out as the rabbit - doing my thing, working super hard to lose as much weight as I could in as short a time as possible. I remember sometime during the beginning of this journey thinking about the "average" weight loss that is recommended by Weight Watchers (1-2 pounds per week). I knew that I needed to lose about 100 lbs and at an average of the max 2 lbs a week, that was going to take a year. I thought that seemed like such a long time and I'll admit, I was a little disappointed it was going to take so long. (Even though it certainly took longer than that to put it all on...) But, my giant revelation is that I've become the tortoise. It may be taking longer to get the weight off now, but when it comes down to it, after I get all of the weight off, this is going to help me be more successful. I will have a better understanding of how to live every day without worrying about how much I'm going to lose that week. I will know what it takes to be in the slow lane and to live my life in the balance to keep the weight off. So, I may not lose weight as fast as my ego would like, but just maybe my life in the slow lane will help me win the race in the end.
Initial weight: 257.2
Week 54: +0.8 (not too shabby since I'd lost almost 4 the week before)
Week 55: no weigh in
Week 56: -0.4 (hey, after the week I've had...I am super happy with this!)
Total weight loss: -58.6
Current weight: 198.6
On the super exciting side - I had to get a new school ID today...four years of swiping it multiple times a day will wear that little black strip out. I got it back to my office and saw it next to my drivers license which was taken 2 1/2 years ago...all I can say is WOW. I mean, it's only my face, but the difference is just incredible....and bonus - there's no double-chin!!
This past week wasn't anything super special to write home about. I slipped on the ice Monday on my way home from a meeting and landed directly onto my left knee. Man, did it hurt! When I first fell, I didn't think it was that bad, but after I got home it started to ache and then I saw the damage. I skinned a big chunk, about the size of a 50-cent piece, and then bruised an area even larger than that. I iced my knee for the evening, but it still hurt pretty bad for the next few days. More ice and no exercising for a few days and my knee is almost as good as new.
The weekend was a little challenging - I was on duty (which always makes life a little more challenging), had a birthday dinner at a Mexican restaurant, and a Superbowl party. But, I managed them the best that I could. No snacking in between duty calls and balancing my brunches to save room for my special dinners. Frankly, it could have been better, but I also could have done MUCH worse.
Today, however, I had a slight revelation. I realized that for quit a while now I've been really frustrated with myself that I'm not losing fast enough. Granted, I know that I'm the only one standing in my way and I need to get my butt moving if I want to see the results. However, I have often found myself thinking about how much weight I'm going to lose this week/how much I HOPE I lose this week, versus actually working to lose said weight...and then I continue to get frustrated that I'm not seeing the results on the scale. But, my revelation today told me that it's okay.
In the story of the tortoise and the hare, the super fast rabbit gets cocky, takes a nap, and ends up losing the race. The slow little tortoise takes his time, goes at his own pace, and wins in the end. I feel like I started out as the rabbit - doing my thing, working super hard to lose as much weight as I could in as short a time as possible. I remember sometime during the beginning of this journey thinking about the "average" weight loss that is recommended by Weight Watchers (1-2 pounds per week). I knew that I needed to lose about 100 lbs and at an average of the max 2 lbs a week, that was going to take a year. I thought that seemed like such a long time and I'll admit, I was a little disappointed it was going to take so long. (Even though it certainly took longer than that to put it all on...) But, my giant revelation is that I've become the tortoise. It may be taking longer to get the weight off now, but when it comes down to it, after I get all of the weight off, this is going to help me be more successful. I will have a better understanding of how to live every day without worrying about how much I'm going to lose that week. I will know what it takes to be in the slow lane and to live my life in the balance to keep the weight off. So, I may not lose weight as fast as my ego would like, but just maybe my life in the slow lane will help me win the race in the end.
Initial weight: 257.2
Week 54: +0.8 (not too shabby since I'd lost almost 4 the week before)
Week 55: no weigh in
Week 56: -0.4 (hey, after the week I've had...I am super happy with this!)
Total weight loss: -58.6
Current weight: 198.6
On the super exciting side - I had to get a new school ID today...four years of swiping it multiple times a day will wear that little black strip out. I got it back to my office and saw it next to my drivers license which was taken 2 1/2 years ago...all I can say is WOW. I mean, it's only my face, but the difference is just incredible....and bonus - there's no double-chin!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)