Today, I went and lifted weights and ran. It felt good, and I broke a great sweat running. It felt like I was getting rid of impurities now that my diet is cleaner. That may just be my imagination, but it felt like what it felt and that helps my mindset.
Today at work, I had so much to do, and I felt that clarity of mind that comes with healthier eating. I am actually eating quite healthy, but since I am only really a few days in full force, I can only say healthier eating :-). In fact, I have so much to do this year that I feel like the only way I will get through the year is if I do, in fact, stick to this plan. I am feeling much better and sleeping pretty well for the first week of school.
I am currently weighing myself daily--more because I am curious about how quickly my body is changing. Sometimes, I stay away from the scale because of impatience. But, right now, I am weighing out of curiosity. For what it is worth, I don't feel impatient this time around. Perhaps because I am on this for good. Perhaps because I am so busy.
Mr. C. and I juiced swiss chard, kale, cabbage, zucchini, orange, and squeezed juice of half a lime at the end. It was stronger than the other juices we have had, but I really liked the effect it had on me. If I succeed this time around, I think it will be because of the green juice. It really is refreshing and helps take cravings away very quickly--quicker than the food.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Momentum Part 2
I have had another good day. I have taken off 9 pounds since Saturday by changing my diet. I know a lot of that is water weight, but I feel so much better than I did 4 days ago.
I am eating the Fuhrman plan, and I am pleased with my staying on plan. One thing I have done yesterday and today is added green juice into the mix. I cannot believe how refreshing that is. Yesterday, I made a cucumber, lime, orange, apple, and kale juice mix. Mr. Conundrum and I both really enjoyed that mix. Then, today, I made a kale, swiss chard, orange, zucchini and lime mix that was delicious. I found myself energized by both the drinks that I had with dinner.
I am hoping to keep up with the juicing this year. The risk for the juicing is adding too much fruit, so today I went down to one piece of fruit. Mr. C. and I split the drink so that was the juice of half an orange.
Breakfast: Green smoothie with blueberries, strawberries, kale, romaine lettuce, and banana and a few beans
Lunch: Romaine lettuce salad with pinto, garbanzo, and black beans, cucumber, tomato, carrots and an orange juice, pomegranate juice and cashew dressing
Dinner: Steamed kale, spinach, mushrooms, onions, and zucchini, watermelon and cashews
All in all, things are going so much better. I feel so satisfied and distant from my cravings. Honestly, all the greens help, but I love the addition of the green juice. It really helps me. I feel very positive and like I can continue this tomorrow. And, that is what I plan to do.
I am eating the Fuhrman plan, and I am pleased with my staying on plan. One thing I have done yesterday and today is added green juice into the mix. I cannot believe how refreshing that is. Yesterday, I made a cucumber, lime, orange, apple, and kale juice mix. Mr. Conundrum and I both really enjoyed that mix. Then, today, I made a kale, swiss chard, orange, zucchini and lime mix that was delicious. I found myself energized by both the drinks that I had with dinner.
I am hoping to keep up with the juicing this year. The risk for the juicing is adding too much fruit, so today I went down to one piece of fruit. Mr. C. and I split the drink so that was the juice of half an orange.
Breakfast: Green smoothie with blueberries, strawberries, kale, romaine lettuce, and banana and a few beans
Lunch: Romaine lettuce salad with pinto, garbanzo, and black beans, cucumber, tomato, carrots and an orange juice, pomegranate juice and cashew dressing
Dinner: Steamed kale, spinach, mushrooms, onions, and zucchini, watermelon and cashews
All in all, things are going so much better. I feel so satisfied and distant from my cravings. Honestly, all the greens help, but I love the addition of the green juice. It really helps me. I feel very positive and like I can continue this tomorrow. And, that is what I plan to do.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Momentum
Yesterday was a bit of challenge to stay on track. However, I did manage to pull off an okay day. I stayed away from grains, meat, cheese. I did have eggs and wine and a date/nut treat. The scale was down today after two better (but not perfect days). Just dropping some of the bloat really takes away the weight. I feel much better, just reinforcing the lesson that grains and bad food is addictive to me and impacts my body in mental and physical ways--all of which are destructive.
Today is the final day before three of us start school. Mr. Twister still has a couple days to go before he starts, so he will spend time with grandma. Today, I have a lot to do. I feel good because I started the day with a 4 mile run with just a bit walking at the beginning to warm up. It felt good and the weather was lovely. Also, yesterday, I got the pesky closet/room cleaning that I wanted to get done this summer. Nothing like waiting till the final moment--sigh. But, it feels like a burden is lifted to have that cleaned--especially since I am donating a lot of things and clearing out some space.
I need to buy groceries for the week. I am getting healthy options for myself. For the moment, that is progress. In the throes of addiction, momentum is sometimes the hardest thing to find.
Today is the final day before three of us start school. Mr. Twister still has a couple days to go before he starts, so he will spend time with grandma. Today, I have a lot to do. I feel good because I started the day with a 4 mile run with just a bit walking at the beginning to warm up. It felt good and the weather was lovely. Also, yesterday, I got the pesky closet/room cleaning that I wanted to get done this summer. Nothing like waiting till the final moment--sigh. But, it feels like a burden is lifted to have that cleaned--especially since I am donating a lot of things and clearing out some space.
I need to buy groceries for the week. I am getting healthy options for myself. For the moment, that is progress. In the throes of addiction, momentum is sometimes the hardest thing to find.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Time to Turn Myself Around
The final two weeks of August were not good for me, and I took it out on myself. I ate poorly and then did not feel like exercising. That is the most important thing I need to remember: how counterproductive bad foods are on my mental health. The mental health really impacts the physical health (and vice versa). For me, the bad foods generally start the process. I eat foods that contribute to disease, not health, and I do not exercise like I should. And, I also understand that I am addicted to the unhealthy foods. I must break the addiction if I plan to get off the roller coaster, and to do that, I need to stop emotional eating.
Yesterday, I started eating better. It should be no surprise that exercising went better today than yesterday--even though yesterday was only walking and today was run/walking. I did not sleep well last night. But, the weather was glorious: a delightful fall day with low humidity! How refreshing was that. For me, I know humidity plays a role in my summer issues. I should probably chart humidity levels with my eating patterns. I think, too, the fact that we do not have central air impacts my response to humidity. Our window air conditioners just do not tackle the humidity or cooling very effectively in hot humid weather. I know the humidity does not help my weight. In some ways, I think I have reverse seasonal affective disorder where I get depressed in summer and feel better the other three seasons.
I did weigh myself yesterday, and the results were awful. I am glad that I did this, though, because often I do not weigh myself at a high. Then, I regret it as I start with a lower number in terms of seeing progress. Plus, I do not want to be in denial about my weight because that, too, is counterproductive.
Today, I am cleaning some things at home that have been weighing me down mentally. It feels very good. Of course, I planned to get to them all summer, but that never happened. I plan to continue this momentum today. I am at the top end of my "too big" clothes. I also plan to do some shopping today. Sadly, I am going to need to rely on my blue shirt for the start of school. I think I am going to get rid of this round of big clothes after they are just that. I did that with the two sizes above where I am now, and I have never gone there again. Keeping these clothes fosters a mindset that it is okay to choose destructive eating paths, which I no longer want to do for my health and my weight.
All the reasons I need to lose weight:
be around for my family
overall health
vanity (of course this plays a role)
blood pressure
diabetes
ability to enjoy life
good mental health
easier aging process
I know there are more reasons, but that is a start for right now.
Yesterday, I started eating better. It should be no surprise that exercising went better today than yesterday--even though yesterday was only walking and today was run/walking. I did not sleep well last night. But, the weather was glorious: a delightful fall day with low humidity! How refreshing was that. For me, I know humidity plays a role in my summer issues. I should probably chart humidity levels with my eating patterns. I think, too, the fact that we do not have central air impacts my response to humidity. Our window air conditioners just do not tackle the humidity or cooling very effectively in hot humid weather. I know the humidity does not help my weight. In some ways, I think I have reverse seasonal affective disorder where I get depressed in summer and feel better the other three seasons.
I did weigh myself yesterday, and the results were awful. I am glad that I did this, though, because often I do not weigh myself at a high. Then, I regret it as I start with a lower number in terms of seeing progress. Plus, I do not want to be in denial about my weight because that, too, is counterproductive.
Today, I am cleaning some things at home that have been weighing me down mentally. It feels very good. Of course, I planned to get to them all summer, but that never happened. I plan to continue this momentum today. I am at the top end of my "too big" clothes. I also plan to do some shopping today. Sadly, I am going to need to rely on my blue shirt for the start of school. I think I am going to get rid of this round of big clothes after they are just that. I did that with the two sizes above where I am now, and I have never gone there again. Keeping these clothes fosters a mindset that it is okay to choose destructive eating paths, which I no longer want to do for my health and my weight.
All the reasons I need to lose weight:
be around for my family
overall health
vanity (of course this plays a role)
blood pressure
diabetes
ability to enjoy life
good mental health
easier aging process
I know there are more reasons, but that is a start for right now.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
August Recap
- August was a good month for exercise. Sadly, though, I have let things go a little bit at the end of August. It did not help that my bike broke and since finances have been tight, I have not replaced it or fixed it. The bike is 19 years old. I would like to upgrade to a more serious bike. I have postponed the decision till spring, though. I do want to commit to biking a lot next year, though, so I am hoping to be able to afford the bike then. Weight-wise: I am higher than I was at the beginning of August. It is time to change that.
- August 2: Ran/walked 4 miles
- August 3: Biked 12 miles
- August 6: Biked 12 miles
- August 8: Elliptical 5.5 miles (intervals of 4 and 10 resistance)
- August 9: Lifted weights and ran/walked 4 miles
- August 10: Biked 12 miles
- August 11: Ran/walked 6 miles and 4.25 miles on elliptical with easier interval resistances (3 and 1)
- August 12: Walked/ran 4.25 miles
- August 14: Ran most of 6 miles
- August 15: Lifted weights, 4.25 on elliptical with intervals 4 and 10
- August 16: 5 miles-ran 3 and walked 2
- August 17: Biked 11 miles, lifted weights, ran/walked 1.5 miles
- August 19: Ran/walked 6 miles
- August 22: Walked/ran 6 miles
- August 23: Weightlifting and 5 miles on elliptical at intervals 4 and 12
- August 27: 6 mile walk/run
- August 30: 2.75 Walk/Run
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Struggling ...
I have been struggling the past couple days. I think the high humidity yesterday bothered me. And, today that pattern continues even though the humidity has dropped. I know that going back to school is starting to bother me, too. I have so much to do yet I want to enjoy the final days of unstructured time. Tomorrow, I have work to do at school.
Mr. Conundrum is off looking at cars. He just bought a car earlier this spring, and he appears to want to get rid of it. I never wanted this particular car, and apparently, he does not like it either. The thing about Mr. C. is that he is a very practical person in terms of what he wants and spends money on, but his obsession with cars is definitely a vice. Luckily, he buys cheap cars rather than expensive ones. But, the uncertainty of what he is going to do next drives me into a form of crazy. It's not a serious crazy or even a source of tension since he generally knows how to get a very good deal on cars.
I know I need to get my eating back in line. I'm not sure if it will happen today, though. I should be okay tomorrow since I do have a sort of schedule tomorrow.
Mr. Conundrum is off looking at cars. He just bought a car earlier this spring, and he appears to want to get rid of it. I never wanted this particular car, and apparently, he does not like it either. The thing about Mr. C. is that he is a very practical person in terms of what he wants and spends money on, but his obsession with cars is definitely a vice. Luckily, he buys cheap cars rather than expensive ones. But, the uncertainty of what he is going to do next drives me into a form of crazy. It's not a serious crazy or even a source of tension since he generally knows how to get a very good deal on cars.
I know I need to get my eating back in line. I'm not sure if it will happen today, though. I should be okay tomorrow since I do have a sort of schedule tomorrow.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
A Salty Scale and Decisions
Last night and this morning, I made the mistake of stepping on the scale. I knew I should not, but I did anyway. While my weekend was not great from a weight loss perspective, it was not completely detrimental to a positive trend either. I stayed away from the worst trigger foods for me: cheese, dairy-based dips and potato chips. What I did have in place of these were too many cherries and salted peanuts. The good part about avoiding these was that I was able to get right back on my desire to eat right yesterday.
Yesterday was not fully on the Eat to Live plan, but it was a good day. I did end up with a tofu and veggie dish from a local Chinese restaurant. I limited the rice I had with it, and there is a light-tasting brown sauce on the veggies. And, while the sauce does not taste salty, I am sure that it is.
The end result of all this is a weight gain of six pounds since Friday. I know it is water weight, but I also know to give myself space from the scale during a time like this since the water weight leads to discouragement. I even know from the ways my clothes are fitting that I am doing better, not worse overall. I have to admit I am looking forward to school starting--if only for the fact that I will have a more structured schedule.
Again, though, rather than let this frustration get to me, I am continuing on! I started the day with a good weightlifting workout and then five miles on the elliptical. I think today it would help me to clean out my clothes, room and closet. And, with that, I know I need to get rid of clothes to make all this work better. And, I know the dilemma that I need to face is what to do with all my "bigger" clothes. Do I play it safe and thus give myself permission to gain weight? Or, do I trust that I have made the internal commitment that says, "Okay, this is it." I know the answer needs to be the latter because I want to have health above all else, and giving myself permission to be this weight is not healthy.
Yesterday was not fully on the Eat to Live plan, but it was a good day. I did end up with a tofu and veggie dish from a local Chinese restaurant. I limited the rice I had with it, and there is a light-tasting brown sauce on the veggies. And, while the sauce does not taste salty, I am sure that it is.
The end result of all this is a weight gain of six pounds since Friday. I know it is water weight, but I also know to give myself space from the scale during a time like this since the water weight leads to discouragement. I even know from the ways my clothes are fitting that I am doing better, not worse overall. I have to admit I am looking forward to school starting--if only for the fact that I will have a more structured schedule.
Again, though, rather than let this frustration get to me, I am continuing on! I started the day with a good weightlifting workout and then five miles on the elliptical. I think today it would help me to clean out my clothes, room and closet. And, with that, I know I need to get rid of clothes to make all this work better. And, I know the dilemma that I need to face is what to do with all my "bigger" clothes. Do I play it safe and thus give myself permission to gain weight? Or, do I trust that I have made the internal commitment that says, "Okay, this is it." I know the answer needs to be the latter because I want to have health above all else, and giving myself permission to be this weight is not healthy.
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