I was disappointed the last time I posted because I was doing SO well following my plan for dieting and exercising only to gain weight. I've increased my water intake significantly, stayed the course overall, and am continuing to lose weight. With my goal being to lose 20-24 pounds (and maintain in that range thereafter), I am over halfway there. As of last Friday, I've lost 12.8 pounds.
What's working right now continuing to log all of my calories -- yes, EVERYTHING I eat, on MyFitnessPal. It definitely helps me focus, make better decisions, and plan ahead for what/how much I am going to eat throughout the day. I'm trying to incorporate snacks between meals to keep my metabolism busy but it's hard to do when I'm counting calories and have to ration enough for meals on days when I don't hit the gym (MyFitnessPal gives me more calories to eat when I exercise -- hello, motivation to go to the gym right there!).
What's also working is planning to cheat. In other words, I give myself something to look forward to and that helps me maintain while that cheat day is approaching. Last week it was enchiladas, chips & queso, and a margarita with a friend on Friday night. I ended up eating twice as many calories as I was supposed to for the day, and guess what? It's fine. Not every day, but once every couple of weeks is fine. I'm still losing weight and honestly? I was probably eating that many calories EVERY day before January. Yikes. Having an awareness of this completely changes the way I look at my food, and yes, other people's food as well. I just want to make better choices, be around for a long time, and set a good example for my kids.
What's essential to my success so far and going forward is reminding myself that I am not in a race to lose the weight and get in better shape. I'm determined to make this a lifestyle change.
Going to the gym makes me feel stronger, more energetic, and accomplished. I love how I feel leaving the gym. I love being able to say that I pushed myself. I even love wearing my sweaty clothes out of there like a badge of honor. Take that, fat. Keep crying! I am taking control of my life, my health, and my body. I'm not letting my body control me. I feel proud when I resist a cupcake here, a donut there, and a latte every morning. I'm having fun searching for and testing healthy recipes for my family.
I know I'm only 2 months in, but I like where this is headed. Dramatic weight loss or not, I like feeling better and fitting in my clothes better.
xo,
~C~
You rock! That is an awesome loss, and the fact that you feel good is even better. Cheat days are essential.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I feel like keeping myself on a "snack schedule" helps... I have breakfast around 8, snack at 10, lunch at noon, snack at 1 and 2 (usually a piece of fruit both times), etc. having really small snacks at shorter intervals helps me because I like to eat, I'm a "bored eater", so focusing on my two hour increments keeps me looking forward to something.
I am trying to do something similar, one snack between bfast and lunch and then another between lunch and dinner, but a lot of days that morning snack gets skipped, lunch goes down by 11:30, then the snacks (at least 1 of them if not both) get eaten between lunch and dinner, which is fine since dinner's not usually until 6ish and I'm starving by then if I don't snack. It's a process, figuring all of this out, isn't it? I'm glad we're making progress together, it's so fun and motivational to hear about someone else's success.
DeleteAwesome!! I need to try my fitness pal because I've been logging my calories old school in an excel spreadsheet. It's a lot of trouble. It's hard making a life style change (again. I made a huge one after college but after I had E I threw it down the drain. Bad plan.), but in the end it will be worth it. :)
ReplyDeleteYou go on with your bad self momma! My weigh in is on Friday and I am nervous b/c I know if I've only lost a few lbs I'll be upset, BUT it's only been five days. I didn't gain this extra 35lbs in five days I'm not going to lose it in five days either!
ReplyDeleteGood morning.. I've nominated you for an award. Please stop by my blog to pick it up. Please leave a comment there to let me know you've accepted it. http://badwordmama.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteThanks
-Ellen