As in some weight, not my hair. I want to lose some weight and get into better shape. I'm just not sure how to go about it. Ok, in my head I know the things to do. The challenge is in keeping to it on a daily basis. I'm a great starter of things. But long-term, not so much. And I've been on this merry-go-round more than a few times so far in my life. But that picture of me on Eagle the other day freaked me out. My butt looks too big to fit into my saddle, and my butt has never even been my problem area! I can only imagine what was going through my horse's mind...sheesh! I don't feel as athletic as I did a few years ago, so I need to do something about it before I get too out of control. I also realize that my weight and lack of athleticism is more than likely my main reason for feeling so much less confident in the saddle too. I know that for sure.
So...what to do? I need a plan. Something that won't leave me feeling short-changed or like I'm being punished. I've considered joining weight watchers on-line, but find myself not really wanting to go that route. I know the diet industry is just that; a huge, corporate, money-making industry that preys on overweight people and their hopes and wishes of becoming thin. They make it sound all too easy, and I for one, know it's not all that easy. If that were the case, we'd all be appropriately thin. My doctor has advised going to Overeater's Anonymous meetings. They're a 12-step program (amazingly familiar to Alcoholic's Anonymous) that's based on the premise that we are not in control of our lives, that our lives have become unmanageable and we need these meetings to bring us back to sanity. Not sure I agree with that, nor do I necessarily think that's the case. However, I do like the idea of a group of people with similar feelings and issues that might be helpful in staying accountable. I've just never been a real fan of that type of group setting, baring ones' soul to strangers and all that. I don't know, maybe I could attend a meeting and see what the "feel" of the group was like. Guess I could commit to one, anyway. I did join weight watchers once, and did not enjoy that group setting at all.
I'm going to try making a few small changes at first. And slowly, incorporate more healthy choices into my daily routine. Another problem is, my husband. He doesn't want any changes, which makes it even harder for me to incorporate real change into my life without affecting his. I've used sneaky tactics before, and am certainly not "above" going this route again. :) What hubby doesn't know, doesn't hurt him. Quite the contrary really. Would be of great benefit to him as well. He could stand to lose a few pounds too, I know he'd feel better.
I'd appreciate advice, suggestions, ideas for what might be helpful. What you might have experienced in your own life, what's worked for you, and what hasn't. Frankly, I'll accept all the help I can get!
My first step is to drink several glasses of water each day when I'm at work. I've begun taking a multi-vitamin each day, and now that our weather is a bit better, I'll start taking the dogs and walking with them at lunch times again. I'm of the opinion that even a little exercise each day is certainly better than none. Couldn't hurt, right? Problem is, I know that's not enough. My body hangs onto this weight for all its' worth. I need a lot less calories on a daily basis incorporated with an exercise program.
A good friend told me about this community garden co-op program called Bountiful baskets. They have them in various parts of the country, and we have one locally. You go online and click on what you'd like. You buy when you want to, and don't when you choose not to. What could be simpler? A full basket consists of about 50% fruits and 50% veggies. You never know exactly what will be in your basket, and it varies by what's in season, what they can get and so on. If there's something you particularly don't like, you can make that noted and they'll try not to include that item again. There's several options for adding on as well, including breads, citrus packs, cookies, home canned goods in the summer, extra veggies if you have a larger sized family and so on. The add-on options vary. This month they have 20 heart-shaped cookies that come with red and pink frosting for you to decorate yourself. Cost was $10...I wanted those cookies, but did not get them. (patting self on back) So, for starters this coming weekend will be our first fulfilled order and we'll see how it goes. The cost is $16.50 for what sounds like approximately 20 lbs. of produce. My friend has been getting this produce for a while now, and she says the quality and variety is wonderful. I'm excited! This is one way of adding in more fresh fruits/veggies into our daily diet year round. They also have a blog where they post recipes, preservation tips, etc.
Onward and upward my friends! Keep me in your prayers if you will, and I'll keep you in mine as well. My annual doctor's appointment is coming up fairly soon, and I am so not looking forward to stepping on that scale. :( *crap*
Blessings all, Lorie @ Cingspots
A beautiful vintage picture in honor of love, best friendships and of course, Valentine's Day!!
12 comments:
I think we all feel your pain. As we age it seems to get harder and harder for most of us to maintain a healthy weight. Add in 9 months of frozen weather, and it really makes it hard.
I think, though I can share some things with you that I learned from my sister who is a nutritionist/personal trainer/ accountant/mom. So yeah, I learned some stuff from Wonder Woman. LOL
What she swears by is balance. She does not diet ever ever ever. She changed her eating habits and now it comes natural. Grilled meats instead of fried, steamed veggies or raw veggies, lots of water, lots of whole grains, plenty of protein. But she pretty much eats what ever she wants and she eats a lot compared to some people. She does not avoid sweets, but she doesn't let herself go crazy on them either. She says the big thing is exercise. Walks are great, jogging even better, an eliptical machine, or what ever you are comfortable with. Of course you aren't going to start by running a marathon, but taking your dogs for a walk every day, making each time a little bit further is a nice way to ease into it. They say an elevated heart rate for 20-30 min will burn some calories. Of course this isn't the 3 week drop four pants sizes that you see on tv, but she swears by it and it seems to work. She says the results are life long. One thing she did before she worked from home was cook on Sunday all of her food for the week. That way she did not have to rely on fast food or going hungry at lunch. She would prepackage everything on Sunday and just grab a container and be off to work.
I wish I could say that it worked for me as well, but I have never tried it. The truth is I prefer the H20/Reeses diet. I drink a ton of water at work, then I have to potty a lot. Each time I come out of the rest room I grab a mini Reeses Peanut Butter Cup out of the freezer, sometimes 2. Then I return to my desk and drink more water. I do this all day long. I have yet to lose any weight, but my chocolate cravings are satisfied, so it is a fair compromise for me!
I'll chime in since you asked for input. The only way changes stick is to change the way you look at them. When Rick was in the hospital due to his heart attack, there was a front-page article in Parade magazine on Drew Carrey and how he was changing his life. He said something like "When I stopped looking at pizza as a treat I was being deprived of and instead looked at it as the poison to me that it is, it became a whole lot easier to make good choices." I remind myself that if I eat healthfully and exercise, I GET to live longer, feel better, and have more years to do the things I love - like riding!
I employ a couple different strategies. I've been gaining muscle but not losing a whole lot of weight. However, I am losing inches where it counts and I like how my clothes fit. I like to eat and I like to cook so I don't like diets that tell you to eat this or that. I use a FREE! app on my iPhone called Lose It! It tracks calories and exercise. Kind of like weight watchers but more accurate, detailed and free. In addition to barn chores and riding, I go to the gym twice a week and do some strenght training and use the elliptical.
I'm in the same boat as you and constantly dieting. But I have to agree with Cindy. My nutritionist encourages a 30 minute walk everyday and a change of eating habits. Don't go for the fatty and fried stuff but eat more healthy salads and broiled meat along with vegetables. Also recommended is to eat every 3-4 hours to keep your metabolism working. Not much in between meals but something like a piece of fruit or a handful of nuts. The whole idea is basically to eat healthy and change your lifestyle. Good luck, you know you can do it if you set your mind to it.
Cindy: thank you so much! I agree with balance, and not deprivation. I enjoy food and cooking, and sweets are something I can't honestly see myself giving up. But, I can eat more whole foods, change cooking styles, eat no fast foods and drink more water. Balance is a good key word to keep in my thoughts too.
Michelle: Yes, changing my perspective about some foods just might be the key to altering the way I view foods. It will be a challenge, but I'm willing to try. Thanks!
Annette: Me too! I don't want to diet, but change to healthier habits. I also don't really care what the scale says as long as I reduce in size overall, build muscle and strength and feel better in my clothes and just overall.
Arlene: There's many in this situation, I know that. Thing is, I've always felt I looked fat, even when I look back, and clearly wasn't fat. *sigh* Unfortunately, now I know that I am fat. I need a change mentally because I really don't KNOW that I can lose weight, I've never really had much success at it. Maybe I've just never really mentally made that decision that I am going to do it. Much like when I quit smoking, the hardest part for me was making that definitive mental decision to quit. Very, very hard! Once that was accomplished, it was all downhill.
Thank you all very much! All valuable tips and good ideas to try. I know if I can lost even a few pounds, that would give me incentive to try even harder.
I'm very fortunate, probably due to genetics, and really don't have to worry too much about my weight. But there are also things, I think, that make a real difference to losing weight - and changing other habits for that matter.
Think about how you stock your house - you can't eat what isn't in the house - this also implies that you should never shop for food when you're hungry. If you don't want to drink sodas, or eat junk food or ice cream, then make sure there isn't any in the house.
Diet, like exercise, and many other things, is a matter of habits - and if there's a bad habit, don't think about denying/breaking the bad habit, but rather establish a new habit in its place, perferably one that meets the same need for you as the old habit you're replacing. If food is comfort, find something else that is comforting, and substitute. Some for various foods - swap a bad food for a good one. Most diets don't work long-term because they're about denial, not feeling happy and satisfied - food should be about happiness and comfort.
And for me, the key is staying physically active, preferably doing something you really enjoy - cooking, horses, dancing, whatever. Any time you confront a set of stairs, take them instead of the elevator or the escalator. Walk whenever you can, and just keep moving, as many hours a day as possible.
Good luck, and keep us posted!
My main motivation for going vegan was weight loss. It's been perfect for me, I've lost a lot of weight and never feel deprived. There is a lot of preaching that goes around with veganism so I won't say more, but think about it :)
been there done that! I swear I have lost a thousand pounds !! does that make me an expert??? One thing I really like about Weight watchers is the journalling if you make a note of everything you eat and drink in a day , it does make you mindful of your choices . Best of luck and know I am with you on this ,it is TOUGH!
Such a pretty mosaic you've posted. Did you do it?
I'm on the same track as you, my friend. I don't weight myself, but it's not hard to tell that I've put on about 20 lbs. in just a little over a year. I know some of it is due to hormonal changes associated with peri-menopause, but most is due to a complete lack of exercise.
We just bought a treadmill and I plan to use it regularly to get the body moving. The key is to exercise at a pace fast enough to raise your heartrate for 7 minutes. That's all it takes, according to Covert Bailey in his book The New Fit or Fat.
I find gentle stretching in the mornings helps to get me in the right frame of mind to exercise and it's also good for my muscles, helping to prevent injuries and increasing range of motion.
Working out in the mornings helps to elevate your metabolism and keep it higher during the day.
Dr. Oz says "Bellyfat is lowered in two ways. First you have to have muscle mass to burn calories. Walking and jogging are important foundation elements. Second, you have to shave off about 100 calories a day from what you eat for as long as you need until you lose the weight. That's about one large apple."
Adding more fiber to your diet is also a good way to improve your overall health and drop weight.
I've also heard that getting enough sleep every night aids in weight loss, too.
And, no eating whatsoever after 8:00pm (or 2 hours before you go to bed)
I know that diets, in and off themselves, don't work. The body is clever, resourceful, and adaptable. My motto is "Everything in moderation."
Anyway - you're not alone in this. I'll be right there along with you. Good luck to us both!
Carolynn
I've been on the same road! It's tough, but definitely doable and you can make it a part of your lifestyle. I don't "do" diets. I've done nutritional changes and feel so much better. We don't eat red meat any more and instead of making meat the main part of a meal, it's a side with a veggie dish being the main portion. And pay attention to portion sizes! I could not believe how much I was overeating until I started measuring everything I put on my plate. I measured everything for about 2 weeks, got a good idea of portion sizes, and haven't measured since. I also use salad plates instead of huge dinner plates for meals. It's amazing what just changing the size of the plate does to your portion sizes! You fill the salad plate and it looks full so you don't feel deprived. Eat slowly...it takes 10 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain it's full. Give it time to do so!
Find your weakest part of the day. Mine is after work on the drive home. I'm absolutely RAVENOUS and used to stop for a hugely fattening cappuccino or burger or whatever. Now, I bring a snack to work (veggie, fruit, whatever) to nosh on in the car on the way home.
Make exercise fun! You can do it.
And most of all, don't expect instant changes, gaining weight didn't happen over night and it won't come off over night. Give yourself permission to fail every now and then without beating yourself up over it.
Such good tips everyone! Thank you...I'm going to start incorporating a lot of these right away. :)
I was doing really well for two weeks - no sweets at all and daily exercise. Then stress crashed down on me and I've probably gained everything I lost. I'm having a hard time getting things back under control. Like you said, I'm great at starting things, not so great at long term change. At least I love healthy foods but sugar cravings kill me. And I hate indoor exercising! Blech!
Gosh, I haven't been much help have I...
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