Day 2 - I Choose Results

My Thanksgiving vacation has been extra enjoyable. I didn't do any schoolwork, which is a major accomplishment for me. I finally made up my mind to do less. Doing less schoolwork leaves more room for other things - like exercising and planning meals. It is a major shift for me to do less. This sounds silly, but it kind of just amazes me that all it really took was for me to just make up my mind. 


The same thing is true of my weight loss efforts. I am choosing results. There are other appealing choices like sugar comas or sleeping in, but I choose results. That is my new mantra.  :)  It reminds me that it is always my choice and helps me focus on what I desire most.  My journey to making my healthy habits part of my everyday life will require me to continue to choose results. There will be many, many, little daily decisions. Those small decisions will add up to powerful results. The journey doesn't end at goal weight, either. I will have to continue to choose health and fitness over other things. That is the road to making permanent changes in my life.

Day 1 of 188

I plotted out how long it will take me to lose 15 pounds and came up with 188 days. I should hit my goal on or before June 1st. I planned on losing 2-3 pounds a month. I am sure the first month will be a little more but then it usually slows down. 


I started counting points today. I don't like counting, but I don't have to like it, I just have to DO IT. Weight Watchers is truly very livable. Why do I always manage to forget that? Today I planned in two  three homemade chocolate chip cookies with milk. (11 points) It was well worth it! I use my full 29 points plus up to 7 of my weekly points each day. 


When I made lifetime many years ago using an exchange program, I always ate the fullest amount of exchanges they gave me. Some people didn't eat their personal selections or 100 optional calories but I always did. That is what keeps me sane.


I had my daughter take a bunch of before photos today. I couldn't decide what to wear, so I did several photos - bathing suit, jeans, dress, etc.

I feel very motivated and confident right now. I bought new running sneakers today and I plan to wear those babies out!!!

Turkey Day

We had a wonderful dinner at my mother in law's house and I did not overeat.  :)  In fact, I skipped dessert - because I just didn't feel like any - not because I had to.  


I finally tried the Jackie Warner treadmill workout today. It was a good change of pace. You walk two minutes at the highest incline, run 2 minutes at an incline of 1 and then recover for 1 min. at 0 incline.  Walking with the treadmill on 15 is challenging!


I am trying to really reflect carefully on my weight issues. I want to figure out the million dollar question which is - If I want it SO much why don't I just DO it??  I am trying to figure out exactly what derails me.  


I am highly consistent with breakfast, snack, and lunch being well planned and healthy. Dinner is the meal that is hit or miss. It is hard with having kids and working full time to always plan well enough to have a healthy dinner. I know what to cook but sometimes lack the energy or just find it tough to keep enough fresh food in the house. The produce never seems to last the whole week.


Today I made a master list of possible dinners. I am hoping that will help me do a better job planning and following through. Each week I can select 5 dinners to shop for. (The other nights will be something simple like eggs.)


Next week I am going to have to start counting points or something but I really don't want to. It makes me crazy. I obsess. But how else can I lose??


I used to enjoy scrapbooking. I don't anymore - too much guilt/pressure. That's what happens when you are a pefectionist.  I always admired Cathy Zielske (scrapbooker) because her style was clean and simple. I recently discovered her blog. She has gone on a 2 year weight loss journey (gradual). Naturally, she documented her journey with monthly scrapbook pages. Here is a page from her scrapbook:

Anyway, she is going to start a class in January. It looks intriguing.


At $36 for the year, it is affordable. I thought it might help me stay on the overall journey even when I slip off the path momentarily. I need to stay focused on the BIG picture instead of vacillating day to day.


http://www.bigpictureclasses.com/movemoreeatwell.php

Almost Thanksgiving

                                                                          


This morning I woke up to snow! The kids were delighted. Thie photo above shows the playhouse in  my backyard.  It has rained all day though, so the kids didn't actually get to play in the snow. But it creates a festive mood. My son has a friend over and my daughter is at my mother in law's house, helping her cook for tomorrow's feast. I feel peaceful and cozy. I love days like this.


I am doing great with my two goals this week of exercising and tracking food. I am not actually limiting my food - just tracking and easing into things. I sometimes think limiting my food makes me stress/obsess and eat more. That's why I hate to even go there. It is counterproductive in some ways. But the reality is I won't lose weight without cutting calories - at least to some degree.


I weigh around 133 or 134 right now.  I would love to hit 129 by Christmas - only about a month away. 

First Goal Accomplished

Last weekend I set a goal for myself to fit in 3 exercise sessions this week, even if the house fell down around me and I didn't get any lesson plans done.  I did manage to fit in 3 treadmill sessions despite an unusually busy week.


I know many people say weight loss is 70% nutrition and 30% exercise. But for me, I think exercise powers the weight loss engine in a mental way. When I exercise, I do a lot of positive visualizing and saying positive things to myself. I don't do this at other times. Therefore I think exercise fuels my weight loss efforts. The million dollar question is why do I have to keep learning these lessons over and over? Why can't I remember them and hang onto them??


My goal for the upcoming week is to exercise 3 times again AND to complete 7 days of tracking my food. I usually track for 3-4 days and then bag it - feeling like I've "got it down".  So this week I am going to track for all 7 days, including Thanksgiving. However, I am not going to shoot for a particular points/calorie goal just yet. I am just going to work on tracking.


My Thanksgiving plan is to make the day one of my exercise days. I am going to eat reasonable portions of all the foods I want (including gravy) and one reasonable dessert portion. That feels right to me.  Oh, and I will not let the holiday bleed into the day before or after.  :)

So Far So Good...

I haven't weighed in yet, but I have stuck to counting calories this week despite two late nights in a row - not home until 7 or 8PM.   I exercised once and boy was I sore...  I am going to hit the treadmill again tomorrow.  I feel like I am back in the saddle again.

Counting Calories and Getting Back on the Treadmill

I decided to count calories, rather than points. I am shooting for 1500 a day and I hope that will allow me to lose 1-1.5 pounds a week. I weighed 132.5 yesterday. I must have lost 1.5 lbs from the Jorge diet.  It must have just taken a few days to show up. 


This is going to be an unusually busy week. I have two evening commitments (work related and graduate school) and I have report cards due. Parent conferences begin at the end of the week. However, I am going to put myself on the to do list and exercise!  Regardless of how busy it is I am going to fit in at least three exercise sessions. (I don't care what else has to fall by the wayside.) I need to do it for weight loss but also for the energy boost. Plus, it will help me manage my stress level.


I am tired of pondering weight loss. I think about losing weight constantly. I need to spend more time DOING and less time considering.  My plan is to get focused and get to 125 by Christmas. Anything lower than that will be a bonus.  :)


Jackie Warner has a treadmill plan that is 20 minutes of interval work. A five minute interval goes like this:


ramp at 15 and walk for 2 min.
ramp at 1 and run for 2 min.
ramp at 0 and walk for 1 min.


Then you repeat the interval four times. I might try this workout for a while. She has a similar one for the elliptical. Once I did the treamdmill workout for a change of pace and I was surprisingly sore afterwards. Walking with the ramp at 15 was actually harder than running.  On the other hand, I might just get on the treadmill and start my jog/walk routine - with the goal of working back up to jogging 30 minutes. Either way I guess - as long as I do something.  


I think I need a positive affirmation to say to myself.  I take time to care for myself in a healthy way. I am strong, confident, and energetic.  

Bye Bye Jorge!

After 5 days with no weight loss, I have bagged the low carb / low sugar idea. I just don't have enough trust in the plan to wait it out. I think I need to do what I know works - weight watchers or calorie counting. Of course, I don't really want to track and all that. But if I want to get thinner I need to just shut up and do it.  


I am glad I tried Jorge Cruise's diet though. It definitely raised my awareness of sugar content and carb content. I did like the food - but it was a not my normal way of eating so it didn't feel natural. It felt forced. 


This is probably ridiculous but I am thinking of buying an iphone so I can track my points easily.  :)

No Weight Loss Yet??

I weighed myself today after 3 days of sticking religiously to the low carb/low sugar plan. I haven't lost a pound! Grrr. What do you think? Do I stick with it a full week and then decide?? Do I decide it is quackery/faddish and go back to counting calories?  I don't want to waste my time and motivation. Here is what I ate yesterday: 


Breakfast - 2 eggs scrambled with cheddar cheese, 1 sl rye bread w/ butter
Snack - cheese stick
Lunch - chicken salad I made - 1/2 cup
carrots, celery and hummus, 5 wheat crackers
Snack - walnuts
Dinner - pretzels, cashews, cup of soup, cheese 


 (I had a long day, not getting home until 7:30 so I snacked during my graduate class rather than cook a "real" dinner.)
All my portions were reasonable - like 1 oz. cheese with dinner, or 1 oz cashews - measured out.  


It just seems weird to eat butter, nuts and cheese so much. I know they are high calorie evven if they are low carb/low sugar.

Bye Bye Sugar.....

Things have been crazy lately with Halloween and then Emily's birthday. On top of all the usual chaos activity, Evan has been sick. He missed 10 days of school! He had strep followed by a sinus infection. It was stressful because he had a fever the whole time. He is well now - finally. 


Last night Emily had five friends sleep over to celebrate turning 12. We took them to an indoor rock climbing center and it was awesome to see how fearless and fit they are. Girl power! They are still sleeping.


I am trying something new foodwise. It is the Belly Fat Cure by Jorge Cruise. The idea is to eat fewer carbs (120 g a day) and less sugar (15 g a day). Typically I reject fad diets. When I want to lose weight I either count calories or do something sensible like Weight Watchers. I decided to do this diet for a few reasons:


I think I need to shake things up a bit and give my body a surprise. Now that I am 43 losing weight is harder and may take a new approach.


While I have never heard of Jorge Cruise, his diet was endorsed by people I believe to be widely respected and conservative medical professionals such as Dr. Oz, Christiane Northrup, and Pamela Peeke. Christiane Northrup is a best selling author and ob/gynecologist who writes about women's health (but not diets). Pamela Peeke is an MD who writes sensible eating plans for women. She emphasizes a holistic approach - reducing stress, exercising, eating well. I was quite surprised to see them supporting a "fad diet".


Christiane Northrup actually wrote a forward for Jorge's newest book stating that she has always struggled with her weight and eating less sugar has changed that for her. I was impressed.


Anyway, some foods I eat regularly that have too much sugar in them for me to eat right now are: skim milk, yogurt, "healthy" granola bars. I also have to monitor my fruit intake carefully. My typical breakfast of yogurt and a banana actually has 20 grams or more of sugar! I also can't eat oatmeal. the oatmeal itself is fine but the two tablespoons of brown sugar I add are not.  (I don't enjoy it without the sugar.) It is surprisingly hard to eat only 15 grams of sugar. Everything has sugar in it - even carrots!


I do have mixed feelings about not eating things I consider healthy (like skim milk). I am definitely still skeptical about this. In the back of my mind I can hear Slim Katie saying "Don't do anything to lose weight that you don't want to continue to do...." Such smart advice.  But maybe my body is sensitive to sugar. I also know that I never eat enough protein. So, I think this is worth a try. I hope eating less sugar will help me crave it less. It may also help my frequent headaches.