this and that

Weight Loss so far: 14.2 lbs
Mood: Motivated
Appetite: Content

Victory for today: Got a full night's sleep (helpful in every facet of my life), so I feel great! Got to work, ate my snack/breakfast, and glanced over to my right and what should be resting beside the fax machine? Three GIANT chocolate chip cookies from Lenny's. GIANT. What did I do? Gave them away! Perfect solution because I wanted them, but didn't WANT them and they made other people really happy, so it was a win-win situation.

So, okay, its been a while. This is my constant struggle with blogs, and I was hoping it wouldn't be this way for this one. But the second I get one, I blog nonstop for, I don't know, 4 or 5 days and then nothing. BAH. I must remind myself that these things in my life are not all or nothing. But its hard for me. So I apologize, I will try to be better.

So last week was the last session of the Healthy Eating class I have been going to. Have I blogged about that? Hope had a 4 week seminar on the "Habits of Healthy Eating," just four classes (every Wednesday) with a nutritionist, Leslie Schilling. It was FANTASTIC...nothing too mind-blowing or stuff I didn't really already know, but here are some of the highlights:

-if you can't decide if you're hungry or not, you're not. (revolutionary, i know, but unbelievably helpful)
-diets don't work. you end of depriving yourself until you can't take it anymore. you don't fail diets, they fail you.
-we eat for many emotions (boredom, stress, comfort, celebration, etc). we SHOULD eat out of hunger, for enjoyment, and fuel.
-the second you step on the scale, you give your power away. your attitude towards healthy eating should not fluctuate with the number on the scale. its better to weigh yourself once every two weeks, or every month.
-the more you obsess about food, the more obsessed you become with it.
-you need to listen to your body-- it will tell you when its hungry.
-exercise is crucial.
-stop labeling a day "good" or "bad" based on whether or not you caved into cravings or ate things considered healthy or junky.

you can find her website here. At the end of the study, she had us set 3 non-weight related goals for everyday life-- things like "eat breakfast" or "don't weigh myself", and gave us a spreadsheet to check off whether or not we met the goals daily. My three things are:

-Take a multi-vitamin (I have several bottles, but somehow I don't think they are doing much by sitting in my drawer)
-Some form of exercise (whether its walking around the block, going to the gym, or just stretching for 30 min)
-Eating at least 3 fruits/veggies a day.

So, theoretically, by doing these 3 things daily, you are reinforcing "good" behavior and creating a habit-- important things in "normal" eating.

So here's to normal! :)

Exercise

Weight Loss so far: 7.8 lbs
Mood: Positive
Appetite: Full of chili (not the healthiest...! But delicious)



Long time, no blog. :)

So, okay, anyone who says exercise is a chore and obnoxious and unnatural, I pretty much agree with you. The last thing I want to do when I get home from class and work and grocery shopping and errands is put on my sweats and go to the gym. I would much, much rather put on my pajamas and watch TV and go to sleep. And that's what I was about to do when I got home yesterday, but I DIDN'T, which is huge for me. I sucked it up and did the right thing!

I've been elliptical-ing for, what, almost 4 weeks now, I can really really understand how people get addicted to exercise- its in my daily routine now and it just makes you feel so damn good! Plus, on days that I'm at work, I really don't move around much, and you eat to fuel your movement. When you're not moving and getting your heart rate up, that fuel is just being stored. I don't want to store my fuel any longer! :)

And can we talk about a mood improver? Man, its almost instant. Its so counter-intuitive to me. I'm used to giving in to things that feel and seem good in the moment and in the long run make me feel icky. But exercise is the exact opposite. Takes a little to push myself to do it, feels a little icky in the beginning, but makes me feel GREAT for the rest of the day. And really, wouldn't you prefer to feel great for the rest of the day verses momentarily. I know I would. And I bet you would too.

There are subtle victories that come with exercise (other than looking better and weighing less). I can walk faster, I don't get winded as quickly when taking stairs, I don't feel as stiff all the time.

Today hasn't been the "day of healthy choices" when it comes to eating-- I just finished a cup of chili one of the realtors brought back from an open house for me. I shouldn't have...but I forgot my granola bar and I was hungry. The more hungry I get, the worse choices I make, so I didn't want to keep pushing it- I ate little more than half of the cup and a 3 pt bag of potato chips and a 3 inch Lenny's sub. I will admit, not the best choices. At all. HOWEVER, I was hungry, I didn't OVER eat, and now I feel physically and emotionally satisfied without being uncomfortable or regretful, which is, I think, more important.

And I am planning on working out, after all. :) Its not what I plan on eating every day, but truly, I didn't go crazy with it. Its okay to indulge a little, everything in moderation. It doesn't have to be all or nothing.

Allow yourself to have a brownie now and then. Just don't sit down with the whole pan. And if you can't have just one, find a substitute that satisfies that craving. Because deprivation only intensifies the probability that you will give up.

And I will not give up.