Alright...
When last we spoke, I was "curing" my blues by getting more sleep, getting creative, working out and watching what I eat, reconnecting with my kids, and working on a project.
So far so good. Since that time, I've been getting to bed about an hour earlier than usual. I logged back into myfitnesspal to start logging calories. I started walking a mile at work with another one of the PM's. I hopped on the treadmill a couple times. I started a little secret project as a gift for a friend. And I tried to do better about engaging the kids without a phone screen between us.
And the few things that leap out at me are:
1) Oh my god, I'm so hungry. No wonder I was gaining weight! I told myfitnesspal that I wanted to lose a pound a week. It told me to limit my calories to 1,750 per day. Whatever...no problem. Except that I've been eating without discipline for months and I've been really struggling to hit my calorie count! "Really struggling" is probably a stretch. But let's just say I was surprised at how easy it was to break my calorie "budget". I think the one pound a week thing is manageable, but...it would be sooooo much easier if I changed it to 1/2 a pound or something. Anyway, it's doable.
I just finished lunch, and I have 750 calories left for the day. I was in the same place yesterday (more or less) but I blew the bank with popcorn with Emma. I got on the treadmill though, and didn't add that to the app, so I think it was fine.
I use little tricks like keeping busy, or trying to increase the amount of water I drink, or eating (attempting) very slowly, but I think at least for a while I'm going to be craving food.
2) I felt my best when I was working on my secret project. It really improved my mood creating something with my hands and seeing it take shape. Emma was off at the movies with her friends and Lily was in bed, so I didn't feel guilty about the time spent (until Emma came home). I think I worked on it more or less steadily for three hours. And I'd have kept going, but it was 12:30 and I knew the next step would take several more hours, so it was a good place to stop.
3) I realized that I'm not going to be able to do everything at once. I mean...I had realistic expectations. I knew that there would be some days I'd be too busy to do it all. Or that on other days some things will have to give and I would need to try to prioritize based on what I felt I needed the most. If I was feeling really tired, then maybe getting to bed early trumped working out or working on my project. If I was having dinner with a friend then maybe maintaining my calorie count took a back seat. The day that I worked on the project I didn't really work out. I had walked at work though, and I thought to myself...(a week ago I wouldn't have...so I'm still ahead of the game). Anyway, I'm trying to be realistic.
All in all I'm feeling good about the past five days really taking a close look at those few areas of my life that I can control.
In the meantime, I'm talking to Lily's hairdresser on Tuesday about when we can schedule her haircut. I got some great ideas from you folks about good low-maintenance but adorable haircuts. I'm actually excited to see how it turns out.
Now I need to pick a home improvement project.
Sounds like you are heading in the right direction!
ReplyDeleteHopefully! :)
DeleteYou didn't ask for advice and I will absolutely not be offended if you don't need any of this information, but I learned some stuff when I lost like 20 lbs a few years ago that I will pass on in case it will be helpful. And also to remind myself because I need to get back on it. I lost my focus when my MIL died and haven't gotten back to eating well since.
ReplyDelete- I was able to eat a lot of food when I cut out most refined stuff (basically anything made of finely-ground foods.. like I stopped eating pasta except for special meals). I learned later when I was reading a book on gut health that our bodies actually extract more calories out of finely-ground foods because they're almost fully broken down before we even eat them; my whole thing was that I didn't find the foods filling because they provided little bulk, but it helped either way. Like, I'm full after 3/4 cup of rice but I could literally eat a gallon of pasta, I think.
- Every meal needed to be like half vegetables or lower calorie fruits for me to not be hungry. (Grapes, berries, watermelon, etc.) For two reasons, I found as I was researching: one because it provides bulk, and part of the satiety signal we get from our bodies is from the presence of food in our stomachs; two, because fiber slows down digestion and keeps our blood sugar more stable, which also helps with satiety. I really had to rethink what is a meal... like, a side for a sandwich is now a cup of cherry tomatoes or watermelon instead of chips. Or plain salted popcorn without butter.
- You can eat a lot more chicken breast than you can most other meats without going over, heh heh. I started eating about half vegetarian meals.
- I stopped drinking my calories except on special occasions. This is the one I'm REALLY bad about now. It throws our daily counts out of whack because it doesn't provide much satiety.
- I measured things. Like I'd stick to an actual tablespoon of oil instead of just pouring it in the pan by eye.
I FEEL YOU. I'm struggling right now to get back to it. But I'm heartened remembering I was able to eat satisfying food like jambalaya or risotto with butter and cheese and be full and still lose weight.
Just made a great vegetarian stir fry. Didn't miss the meat in it because it was mostly sauce and rice and veggies anyway...
DeleteI don't have a huge problem staying under my goal EXCEPT when I drink a beer or two. Fortunately, that's been rare lately.
I don't have a huge problem staying under my goal EXCEPT when I drink a beer or two. Fortunately, that's been rare lately.social-networking-list
ReplyDelete