My work week begins

I feel as if I can eat better when I work. I pack a nutritious lunch and pretty much stick to that. I can't go back for seconds....I can't add anything else. I eat what is packed and when it's gone...it's gone.

I did get off the computer and exercise last night. I also got on the stationary bike first thing out of bed this morning. It is amazing how tired the simplest program makes me right now. It is a testament about what lack of exercise can do!

For me, this is probably the hardest part....not the getting started. I can start and go a day or two just fine. The hardest part is getting past the first 2-3 weeks. Once I get in a routine, I feel as if I do pretty good. ARRGGGHHHHHH unfortunatly, I am in that, 'first couple week' window!

Getting on a Roll

OK, I'm at least cutting my calories. I've started using the slim-fast website. I signed up for my free membership and found they have some of the greatest tools to help track and manage this journey that I am undertaking. They have daily food logs that you can simply write down what you ate...I chose to follow the Nutrition Diary. It is a bit time consuming to log my food as I have found no easy way to enter a salad. I end up having to enter each individual item one by one. However, the end result is fabulous. It calculates your calories, breaks it down by meals, averages the week, etc. I think it is also really neat because it has a little section for journaling. I found journaling really helped when I was losing the last time. I discovered patterens that I perpetuted...sometimes unhealthy habits. It's easier to correct the problem if you know what the problem is!

I'm sitting here......and the exercise bike is calling my name. Ok, that's the guilt. I really am dreading starting. However, I KNOW that I need to do this! I can change my eating patterns all I want, but without the exercise it just wont work. (Or will work so slowly that I'll be discouraged)

The Master Plan

The other year when I lost the weight, I refused to call what I was doing at diet. I know that whatever I do to lose the weight, it needs to be a lifelong processes. I can't slack off when the weight is gone, or it will come back. So my first process was to get the word diet from my vocabulary. I was changing my eating habits. The other thing that was revolutionary (in today's day and age at least) was not following any of the diets out there. I truely believe that to be healthy we need all types of foods....just in moderate amounts. And right there is the key to my plan. I need to really pay attention to my portion sizes! Which means no double helpings....or 'big' spoon fulls. To do this the last time, I actually measured my food for a while. It is quite difficult to drop...because my body is used to eating that amount of food....and it seems unsatisfied when I don't get it. However, I found that eating till I am full is a totally different feel than eating until I am satisfied. And the feeling of being satisfied is a much better over all feeling.

The other portion of that magical sentence was 'all types of foods'. I don't limit my foods and say I can't have anything. I tried to make my base meals very healthy...plenty of vegetables and fruits. I ate lots of salads. I tried to eat very well rounded meals.

In this way, I feel as if I curbed some of the cravings that would naturally come. I believe that cravings or that feeling of being hungry for 'something' is actually our body telling us that we 'need' something. We may not know what it is...but our bodies need some nutrient. So by eating healthy well balanced meals....I suffered MUCH less of the cravings that I normally suffer. THere was no need...my body was being satisfied.

I also didn't deny myself. I ate the Pizza...I had a piece of cake....I had a cookie. I didn't deny myself when I saw something that really struck my fancy or when it was there. The operative attitude was that instead of eating THREE pieces of cake....I only ate one small piece. Instead of eatinc a half of pizza, I ate 1 or 2 slices. MODERATION. In this way, I never felt deprived.

Yes, I was exercising regularly.......which I plan on doing. I rode the exercise bike...walked with my husband....walked on my breaks at work......and did sit-ups (on the balance ball once I purchased it). I know that my plan was contingent on the exercise....but however it wouldn't have worked with both aspects!

So there you have it...my plan to get myself into shape!

This is the time!!

A few years ago, I decided that I needed to get some weight off. I was the hightest I have ever been. I worked hard for about 6 months and lost about 50 lbs. However, I plateaued and got discouraged. Miraculously, I have been able to retain most of what I lost (within roughly 5 pounds). It is now the time to kick myself into high gear and finish this off. I was going to start the first day of the new year...however, the best laid intentions sometimes don't work. Just tonight, I went to the kitchen and literally threw away the last of my temptation foods that were in the freezer staring me in the face. (Cookie dough....yumm) I've got to do this....for my health!

Meanwhile, we are tying to eat more at home to reduce the spending.....this should help with the budget.....but also with the weight as it is much easier to eat the healthier foods at home.

Oct 2005 day trip to Staunton, VA