"Failure is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently. ~Henry Ford"
One thing I have learned about weight loss, and my journey to a healthier me is that the ride is riddled with bumps and dips. Today was one of those really bumpy days that tossed me out of the wagon.
One of my biggest problems is not what I eat, but how much. Today found me snacking, and not really paying attention to what I was putting in my mouth. I ate entirely too much today, and did not counter it with exercise. I believe my problem lies in my reading while eating. For example, in the morning, I read the newspaper while eating my breakfast, and today there was a plethera of interesting articles that I read, rather than the one or two I scan before heading to the comics.(I'm a fan of Stone Soup) So, I did not even realize until later that when I do that, I tend to pour myself a second bowl of cereal, to occupy my mouth while my brain is busy. I really need to break that habit.
The rest of the day found me just snacking all day long. It was like once I broke routine by the morning's second bowl, that was it. I could not seem to get control of myself. And it was frustrating! These are all things that in my head I KNOW I shouldn't do, but then I go and do them anyway. I mean seriously, why don't I grab a shovel and dig myself a deeper hole?
But, alas, I cannot dwell on these kinds of things, because I am an emotional eater. My eating is tied to my feelings, and while I'm slowly cutting through the strings attaching it, they still hold on. I wasn't "good" today. Alright, I accept that. Now to move on to a new day. If I end up beating myself up everytime I had a "whoopsie" moment, I'd be black and blue by the end of the week! I have found that the best way is to simply acknowledge the mistake, then carry on down the path towards a healthier lifestyle. So now I know that I wasn't the greatest today, but tomorrow shall be better. A new day, and a "refresh" button for me.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Hitting the Wall
There is a saying among marathon runners, it is "hitting the wall". This refers to when a runner is on a good pace, when all of a sudden, WHAM, they are completely fatigued and feel as if they can no longer continue. But, if they push through it, continue taking step after step, they soon are through that wall and on their way again.
I have found that in weight loss, the same saying applies. After losing 37lbs, I found myself stuck, unable to move away from that number. The holidays came, I gained some weight back, but managed to lose it again. However, the scale stubbornly stayed still, as if mocking my efforts to "push through the wall".
Today I did it. I moved past that looming number, and now that I have, I feel as though I can do anything. Only 4 months ago, I weight 38lbs heavier than I do today. I was wearing a size 20 pants, and XL teeshits. Today, more often than not I'm in a size 16, and Larges are starting to be big on me. (though, my ample chest will keep me in the for a while yet)
Anything is possible if you put your mind to it I'm finding. I wish I had come to this conclusion while still in high school, but then again, I'm blessed in the fact that I still have a lot of years left where I can put this revelation to use.
So I say, perservere through your troubles. If you keep at it, eventually something will give, and you too will know that anything is possible.
"Look at a stone cutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred-and-first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not the last blow that did it, but all that had gone before." ~Jacob A. Riis
I have found that in weight loss, the same saying applies. After losing 37lbs, I found myself stuck, unable to move away from that number. The holidays came, I gained some weight back, but managed to lose it again. However, the scale stubbornly stayed still, as if mocking my efforts to "push through the wall".
Today I did it. I moved past that looming number, and now that I have, I feel as though I can do anything. Only 4 months ago, I weight 38lbs heavier than I do today. I was wearing a size 20 pants, and XL teeshits. Today, more often than not I'm in a size 16, and Larges are starting to be big on me. (though, my ample chest will keep me in the for a while yet)
Anything is possible if you put your mind to it I'm finding. I wish I had come to this conclusion while still in high school, but then again, I'm blessed in the fact that I still have a lot of years left where I can put this revelation to use.
So I say, perservere through your troubles. If you keep at it, eventually something will give, and you too will know that anything is possible.
"Look at a stone cutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred-and-first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not the last blow that did it, but all that had gone before." ~Jacob A. Riis
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Step Two: Exercise
I was watching TV recently and I was amazed by the sheer amount of products out there that claim to be the "miracle fat cure". So many ads scream out at us, "Take this and without changing your diet or habits, you'll lose 30lbs!"
...
Yeah right. In all of my exploration into healthy weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight, the best way to do it is a simple math problem. Input less than you output. Eat less than you burn. Simple right? But if we are not doing anything during the day besides walking the distance from our house to our car, then to the office, then back again, we really aren't doing anything at all. The first step is to just move more. I dont me that everyone has to go out and run a marathon! I know I can't! But the first step is to just do more. So I started parking farther away from the front of the grocery store. I don't use a remote when I watch TV (I get up and change the channel) I make an effort to walk to the store when my list isn't that big.
And I will admit, that for Christmas, my family got the Kinect for XBOX. I want to personally thank Microsoft for giving people the opprotunity to have fun with friends while they play games and exercise. When a group of your friends are over, everyone stops thinking about how silly they might look, and just go at it! Jumping and swinging and dodging, it gets your heart rate up so fast! I have worked out many times now with the Kinect. I feel better about it because while I'm getting better, my self confidence levels when it comes to exercisiing in public are still pretty low. With the Kinect, I am safely tucked away in my house and I can do the workout routines without worrying about other people seeing me.
My challenge to you is to just get up and move a little more this week. Take a half hour walk in a nearby park, or maybe head to a local pool and swim. Or, if you're feeling adventurous, take a hike, or go biking down the centennial trail. Anything to get up and exercising. I know I'll be doing a lot this week. Have fun!
...
Yeah right. In all of my exploration into healthy weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight, the best way to do it is a simple math problem. Input less than you output. Eat less than you burn. Simple right? But if we are not doing anything during the day besides walking the distance from our house to our car, then to the office, then back again, we really aren't doing anything at all. The first step is to just move more. I dont me that everyone has to go out and run a marathon! I know I can't! But the first step is to just do more. So I started parking farther away from the front of the grocery store. I don't use a remote when I watch TV (I get up and change the channel) I make an effort to walk to the store when my list isn't that big.
And I will admit, that for Christmas, my family got the Kinect for XBOX. I want to personally thank Microsoft for giving people the opprotunity to have fun with friends while they play games and exercise. When a group of your friends are over, everyone stops thinking about how silly they might look, and just go at it! Jumping and swinging and dodging, it gets your heart rate up so fast! I have worked out many times now with the Kinect. I feel better about it because while I'm getting better, my self confidence levels when it comes to exercisiing in public are still pretty low. With the Kinect, I am safely tucked away in my house and I can do the workout routines without worrying about other people seeing me.
My challenge to you is to just get up and move a little more this week. Take a half hour walk in a nearby park, or maybe head to a local pool and swim. Or, if you're feeling adventurous, take a hike, or go biking down the centennial trail. Anything to get up and exercising. I know I'll be doing a lot this week. Have fun!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Step One: Eat Better
When I finally woke up and realized that I had a problem with my weight I will admit that I floundered for a bit. I really had no knowledge of any way to lose weight safely, and while I had lost weight before playing on my high school's volleyball team, I never really addressed the real problem. That would be my eating habits.
America is fond of convenience. I could go to the grocery store and easily buy over 100 items for dinner that all is required is for me to put it into the microwave and press start. For a long while I accepted this as normal, and that it was fine to eat that for dinner. Then, I started reading books and magazines about healthy food choices, and wouldn't you know it, but none of those insta-dinners were on the list? I started reading about healthy substitutions for things I had always loved. For example, rather than using ground beef in pasta sauce, I now used ground turkey. And instead of all pasta, I now use thin sliced zucchini for some of the "pasta" It really does taste great!
My other problem was just over eating. Did you know the average size of a human stomach is about the size of an adult fist? It can expand greatly to hold more, but just because it can, doesn't mean that we should! My first step to tackling my overeating problem was to use smaller plates and bowls. When I limited myself to those smaller containers, I found myself eating less. I was inclined to not fill the giant plates, and when I finished eating I found i was sated, not stuffed.
The other thing that happend was I met some truely wonderful people. These friends of mine own small local farms, and I have learned a lot about local food, both plants and animals. Last year was the first year I had ever planted a garden and had eaten anything out of it. This year I plan on expanding that garden, and increasing the kinds of plants I will grow. From fresh tomatoes to all kinds of squash, to different herbs, and corn. Onions, carrots, potatoes, stawberries! Anything I can get my hands on and plant! In fact, we are building a greenhouse to start off some of our plants early, and I can not wait until it's finished!
So remember, eat smaller portions, watch your fat content, and your sodium levels. The more color in your veggies, the better they are for you, and fruits are always good! Don't completely deny yourself of the foods your enjoy (like chocolate) But rather, eat them in moderation. Enjoy your food, but don't go crazy.
America is fond of convenience. I could go to the grocery store and easily buy over 100 items for dinner that all is required is for me to put it into the microwave and press start. For a long while I accepted this as normal, and that it was fine to eat that for dinner. Then, I started reading books and magazines about healthy food choices, and wouldn't you know it, but none of those insta-dinners were on the list? I started reading about healthy substitutions for things I had always loved. For example, rather than using ground beef in pasta sauce, I now used ground turkey. And instead of all pasta, I now use thin sliced zucchini for some of the "pasta" It really does taste great!
My other problem was just over eating. Did you know the average size of a human stomach is about the size of an adult fist? It can expand greatly to hold more, but just because it can, doesn't mean that we should! My first step to tackling my overeating problem was to use smaller plates and bowls. When I limited myself to those smaller containers, I found myself eating less. I was inclined to not fill the giant plates, and when I finished eating I found i was sated, not stuffed.
The other thing that happend was I met some truely wonderful people. These friends of mine own small local farms, and I have learned a lot about local food, both plants and animals. Last year was the first year I had ever planted a garden and had eaten anything out of it. This year I plan on expanding that garden, and increasing the kinds of plants I will grow. From fresh tomatoes to all kinds of squash, to different herbs, and corn. Onions, carrots, potatoes, stawberries! Anything I can get my hands on and plant! In fact, we are building a greenhouse to start off some of our plants early, and I can not wait until it's finished!
So remember, eat smaller portions, watch your fat content, and your sodium levels. The more color in your veggies, the better they are for you, and fruits are always good! Don't completely deny yourself of the foods your enjoy (like chocolate) But rather, eat them in moderation. Enjoy your food, but don't go crazy.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
A New Beginning
I suppose that I should just come right out and say it. I have never blogged before in my life. Well, at least by "blogging" definitions. I have always enjoyed writing, and from about my third year in grade school, I was constantly writing things down in notebooks and journals. In fact, I have a drawer at home filled with notebooks brimming with my ramblings. And I do mean ramblings. The topics in these books range from animals to photography, to people I know, to poems about anything and everything, to stories about knights in shining armor(though I will admit that those are from a younger and more fanciful age).
The years went on and I found myself growing up, and as I matured, I was able to look back on my life and see where I had come from. In fact, those notebooks were filled with clues about my childhood and teenage years. However, as I read those old bits of writings, I began to notice a pattern, and it was not a very nice one at that. Throughout the many ink filled pages, I could not read for long without coming across a derogatory remark. And what was worse, was that each and every one was aimed not at someone else, but at me. The pages are riddled with comments like, "I'm too fat" or "I'm not pretty" and "how come I can't be smart?"
Now, in my 21st year, I have finally decided to take the reins of the wild wagon ride that is my health. For the last five months, I have been on a journey to better myself, both physically and mentally. Over the course of those five months I have managed to lose 38lbs. However, while that seems like a pretty substancial amount of weight, I still have 77lbs to go before I reach my goal. When I look at that huge number, I sometimes feel a little overwhelmed by the enormity of the task ahead of me, but then I think about how far I've come, and all the people who are behind me, supporting me, and it calms the sea of uncertainty that rises up in me.
This blog will be a written testimony to the continuation of my journey down the road to a better, healthier, happier me. I know that at times it will be rough, and at times, I will feel like shouting for joy. I welcome you to follow me, for it should prove to be a very interesting and wild ride.
The years went on and I found myself growing up, and as I matured, I was able to look back on my life and see where I had come from. In fact, those notebooks were filled with clues about my childhood and teenage years. However, as I read those old bits of writings, I began to notice a pattern, and it was not a very nice one at that. Throughout the many ink filled pages, I could not read for long without coming across a derogatory remark. And what was worse, was that each and every one was aimed not at someone else, but at me. The pages are riddled with comments like, "I'm too fat" or "I'm not pretty" and "how come I can't be smart?"
Now, in my 21st year, I have finally decided to take the reins of the wild wagon ride that is my health. For the last five months, I have been on a journey to better myself, both physically and mentally. Over the course of those five months I have managed to lose 38lbs. However, while that seems like a pretty substancial amount of weight, I still have 77lbs to go before I reach my goal. When I look at that huge number, I sometimes feel a little overwhelmed by the enormity of the task ahead of me, but then I think about how far I've come, and all the people who are behind me, supporting me, and it calms the sea of uncertainty that rises up in me.
This blog will be a written testimony to the continuation of my journey down the road to a better, healthier, happier me. I know that at times it will be rough, and at times, I will feel like shouting for joy. I welcome you to follow me, for it should prove to be a very interesting and wild ride.
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