I have been on the losing weight bandwagon since mid-Jan 2011. When your child is 20 months old, you cannot continue to blame the said child for your 'extra real estate.' I have been trying to lose weight without dieting or exercising in 2010. Surprisingly, it didn't work. Who would have thought? Although to be honest, I never gained weight not dieting or exercising for a major part of my life. All that indiscriminate eating has come now to bite my butt. Like literally.
The other day, I was at the BMV getting my license renewed and the lady asked me if I was expecting. I told her I wasn't expecting anything other than a license. She was visibly embarassed and apologized couple of times, but hey, it is what it is. That was though, the kick I needed to get back to the gym. I had not gone for two weeks. The problem with exercising sporadically is that the working out really increases the appetite and well, getting back to eating a whole burrito bol is not the fastest way to weight loss. It is in fact the fastest way to weight gain. Maybe that way I would be the only person who gains weight after 6 months of working out.
I have been trying out a few things to help me. These are the things which I know I should do. But it is like what Paul says in his letter to Romans. Although I am pretty sure he was not talking about weight loss. Here is the list of things I should be doing, and try my best to.
1. Drinking water.
Whenever I start to feel hungry, I take to drinking water. It gives a false feeling of fullness without actually contributing negatively. To help, I try and keep a bottle with me at all times. I am not drinking anywhere near I should be, but I have to start somewhere.
2. Eating breakfast.
This has been the hardest for me. I am not a morning person, and I somehow muddle through the morning until about 10 am, but I am rarely hungry. Also taking care of all the morning stuff, I just keep skipping. I have to make a conscious effort to eat and it has been harder than I thought. I try now, even if it is just a bowl of cereal.
3. Eating meat.
The second hardest thing. Husband and I did a fitness test and they told me that I need to introduce more protein in my diet. I have started eating chicken and fish. i figured, Neil needs protein as well and I have taken to cooking meat. Truth be told, I don't care for any meat (except fish, which I don't consider meat) and eating it once a day has been a bit of a challenge. But I did find that it has helped me in reducing the amount of rice which leads me to the next one.
4. Frequent Meals
I was told to have 5-6 meals a day. I used to have 2, I am aiming to double that. So far I manage 3. Let's not go overboard. I am not looking to be a supermodel here.
5. Portion Control
When I initially started all this thing, I thought this would be the hardest. Turns out, it wasn't too bad. The days I follow 1,2,3 and 4, portion control naturally follows. I mean I drink a gallon of water (not that I ever did) and eat protein and a good breakfast, and a snack to boot, it is not like I can eat a ton of rice at lunch anyway! On the best days, I reduce my rice to 50% of the peak and that has been awesome. But I can count on one hand how many times that happened.
6. Triggers and Pushpoints
This doesn't have anything to do with dieting per se, but I have found in the last months that when I get burnt out or DONE, I tend to eat crap. And it took me a while to realize what my triggers are. One of the major triggers is stuff lying around and things on kitchen counters. Maybe I am bizzare, but I tend to get overwhelmed if I see that. Then instead of doing anything, I sit with a book and munch. It is difficult with a toddler to keep things where they are. But I try and put things away so I am not looking at a tornado bitten house at the end of the day.
I lost 4 pounds in the last month. That has been encouraging knowing that I have not done a lot in terms of sticking to the ideal. If anyone who is reading this struggles with weight loss, I hope you are encouraged. Some days, when I have had a hard day with Neil, that is when I tend to raid the fridge/pantry and binge on chips/brownies etc. Now I keep yogurt and nuts. Even if I do get a craving, there is nothing much available. I hope that the changes I am trying to make will soon become habits and the habits will become part of my lifestyle.
But until then I will stay away from the chips aisle in Publix.
3 comments:
I really relate to this post! I am struggling with the same thing. The triggers is a big thing for me. Eating is definitely my "escape" for when I'm sad, stressed, having a bad day, etc.
Annie, you're doing great! This is an issue I need to deal with as well and just haven't taken on yet. You and Hope with your gym-going and thoughtful eating habits are an inspiration. Keep it up and someday soon here I'll join you!
I gained over 50 lbs with each pregnancy, weighing over 200lbs with both of my kiddos. I finally lost the baby weight last year (though I still have more to lose).
I think most of us already know what we need to do, but there are things that push us in the right direction.
Sitting in my doctor's parking lot at my annual checkup, I thought how big my baby was getting, how he would be one before I knew it. Then I thought - if I put the effort into it, I could be on the right track, losing weight and making myself a better person before I knew it. Imagine if I could lose weight before my next apt! And now, my apt is this week. :)
One of my big motivators was the Clean Eating books by Tosca Reno. Things just progressed from there, and we've given up many processed foods. Recently, I got Nourishing Traditions from the library - this, too, has opened up my eyes about food in America. Sometimes just getting a new perspective on the food you allow yourself to eat will help you say no and make better choices.
Good luck!
Post a Comment