Dear Riestrella~You just need a great big change in how you are going to tackle this problem. Something fresh...something different than counting calories. Your "portion control" worked before, just set the parameters as to how much and how many portions you are allowing yourself.
I have read on this site about Dr. Anderson's The Simple Diet. You might want to google that.
I am very proud of you for making the commitment to do the C25K and actually participate in the 5K. If you start your new eating program right now, no more excuses, think how you will feel at the end of October for this race.
Heck, you could still pull off this fantastic Halloween challenge at the top!!!
I am rooting for you. You are beautiful inside and out - treat yourself as you truly are!!! You are strong and you are able! You CAN do this!
Awww. As they say - the first step is admitting there is a problem. Thank you for organizing the challenge and I hope you find success soon. You sound committed to figuring things out!
RIE:
I'm so sorry you are having a difficult time. I commend you for facing it and posting about it. It is so easy to avoid talking about it. I've been there several times.
I haven't been counting calories and it has been working for me at the moment. Once you are aware of the calorie contents of certain things, it can be mostly about portion control.
Humidity sucks, so I'm glad that better weather is ahead. I think traveling and eating out a lot can pose challenges. Would if help to look at an online menu in advance?
If you have the time to post, sometimes posting for accountability can help. So if pm eating after dinner is a problem, then post a daily pledge to comply with it. It is so easy to lose a good habit, but it can take approx. 21 days to establish a new one.
You can do this! I'm just throwing out ideas and maybe something could be helpful.
Riestrella -So sorry to hear that you're struggling. I really don't have any advice to offer but do understand the frustration and fear of being out of control.
Last edited by susiemartin; 10-02-2016 at 08:03 AM.
Riestrella - I know you don't know me but I admire you and your honesty and integrity. I takes a lot of guts to do what you did, you are not alone we are all here for you just like you have been for us.
I don't count calories either, it stresses me out, I do however count my fats, proteins and carbs percentage intake daily. I make sure I eat -75% (fat), 20% (protein) and 5% (carbs), as long as I stay within those percentages I am good. Seems to be working for me
I know I don't post here a lot however you guys are keeping me accountable and on track and for that I thank you
Good Morning. I had a successful week. Last week's reading showed no change from the week before, but today's weight makes up for it. My body seems to be losing in a lumpy way the last few weeks. I hope everyone else is sticking to their program and finding success. Thank you again for this challenge. Knowing I had Monday weigh-in, I upped the exercise and passed on a few tempting treats this weekend.
Thank you so much for your kind words, I'll reply directly to you after this post. It was so uplifting to see you all come to my aid and help, I truly appreciate it! I've been doing a lot better, a few little hiccups along the way in the last couple of days. I was doing fantastic on Saturday with my food intake, only to get insanely hungry in the evening so I had a small bowl of chips and salsa. Oops. Baby steps...baby steps. Yesterday I did much better with food, we did have home made burgers (end of the month tradition for us) but this morning I weighed 172 lbs which is 1.2 lbs down from yesterdays weigh in! I'm happy to see a downward trend even if it has only been a couple of days.
Today I'm going to go on my first run since...woah, I don't even know how long it's been! Let me check...May 7th, which was the FroYo 10K I did. Wow, 5 months, that's insane. Well, I'm definitely starting anew with this running plan, usually I jump into 10K training but I know that I'm not as limber as I once was and if I push myself too hard I'll injure myself. I'm actually looking forward to the run/walk plan that I have, usually if I'm faced with running x miles then I'll hesitate. I've never run in my new area, I will definitely miss the Colorado scenery. I've planned a route that'll hopefully take me to a little nature reserve path but I've no idea how it'll be since I'm basing it off Google maps! I'm just waiting for my breakfast to digest before I head out .
Off topic, don't you just love Autumn?! It's my favourite season by far. I love the bright sunny weather, but with cool temperatures. I love the feel of Christmas being around the corner. I bought a new scent for our air freshener, apples and cinnamon, and I love the way our apartment smells!
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MorningGlory - Thank you so much for your kind words! You're definitely right, if I commit now then I could feel like a whole new person by the end of October. I'm not sure I'll be number 1 in this challenge, but I'd love to make the top 15! Thank you again, you're so sweet.
Nightowl - Yup, you're definitely right, the first step is admitting there is a problem and facing the music! Wow, I'm so happy to hear the challenge helped you skip some treats, that's amazing! Weight loss is a finicky thing, it's never a nice trajectory downwards, it's usually up and down like rolling hills!
munchey - Thank you for your support. Yeah, I think once you know what the right portion size and what ingredients to avoid you can get by without counting calories. I still think it's a fantastic tool to use for weight loss, it's just not for everyone. It's not that I get stressed out, I just forget or I feel too lazy. Despite it being such a simple thing in actuality!
Chunkah - I WILL! Hehe, thanks!
susie - It's great to hear that I'm not alone
Phae - Trying to perfect the balanced diet is difficult, especially with my upbringing on mostly carbs. I naturally turn to bread vs. vegetables, that'll be the biggest lifestyle change I'll have to make. As long as you hit the wall and make the change, it's all the same. We can do it
terryc - Thank you, that means a lot. Sounds like you've found something that works for you!
Woohoo, lucky 7 again! I should play that number in a Quick Pick.
Ries - Baby steps are my favorite steps. When it comes to practicing the habits that go along with weight loss, I find that getting started is the hardest part. Once you have a groove going, it becomes much easier. I know that once you get back into the zone, you'll feel much better. I hope you also feel emotions about the past or missed time leaving you. I know it sounds like a cliche, but what really matters and where we find our joy is in the present. It's tempting to expand the present's scope to regrets over the past or apprehensions about the future, but doing so doesn't serve us. You're beautiful right now, always have been and always will be. Good luck getting back into the behaviors that correlate with a lower weight. I know you can do this. Congrats on the downward trend already kicking in! That's awesome!
Autumn is my favorite season by far as well.
Last edited by Chunkahlunkah; 10-03-2016 at 02:02 PM.
Yesterday I started my 5K training, I scouted the area for a running route and even though the local nature reserve was a bit too sketchy looking for my liking (lots of enclosed trees and not really a well defined pathway) I did find that the local neighborhoods seem perfectly adequate for me to run through. I definitely felt out of shape though, that's for sure! I was only running for 2 minutes at a time but I was definitely looking at my watch during those 2 minutes waiting for it to be over! Despite that, it felt great to be outside and exercising again. I'm actually looking forward to the run tomorrow.
Today I had a physical, which went fine except for the blood test! I'm a bit squeamish and at one point a tube brushed against my arm and it felt like a trickle of blood. I knew it wasn't, but it really freaked me out so I had to take some deep breaths to remain calm. The nurse was fantastic though, I felt no pain at all other than the tiny prick the needle made. I had a quick chat with the doctor and I said that I knew I was overweight and I'm taking steps towards losing weight. We had a great chat about weight loss, her views very much matched my own which is to be healthy most of the time and have a few treats here and there to stay sane. Her ratio was 80/20 but I think it's more 90/10. She recommended a book called "The Wheat Belly" has anyone read it? It might help me to read it to understand the science behind all the grains I consume. Watching things like "Supersize Me" definitely put me off big chain fast food.
I ended up walking home, which took about 30 minutes, I honestly love walking so much! It always lifts my spirits.
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Chunkah - Congrats on holding strong at 7! You're so right, when I was losing the most weight exercise and healthy eating just went hand in hand for me. I wanted to work out, but I also wanted to fuel my body for those workouts, which is what made my past weight loss efforts so successful! Thank you for such a lovely response, that was so eloquently put. I'm always preaching to others that dwelling on the past and future isn't worth the waste of energy, but it's always nice to hear it from others.
Nightowlrn: I've had some experience as an emt before and loved it but I think the pace in the ER will be much faster. Although I will take whatever job that hires me first and pays well .
Munchey: My boyfriend has a shake AND his normal night time meal. He is really lean and is in the bulking phase so he has no problem with taking in the extra calories.
Riestrella: I'm sorry to hear that you are in a funk. This happens to me occasionally when I feel like I have lost control of my life (especially my weight). It's time like that that forces me to really hunker down and stick to a routine. Once I see that things are heading in a positive direction, that is when things get easier and I feel that it's not as difficult to stick to a routine. Hang in there!
Sorry I've been MIA. I've had 4 midterms within the last few days so I've been just studying and stress eating (which explains the weight gain). I have 3 more midterms next week but they are not as hard as the previous ones which means I have some breathing room. I finally forced myself to go to the gym today in between classes. I feel much better and more productive in class as well. I will try to do my long run for tomorrow. I'm scheduled for 9 miles but we'll see how long I can go for. Happy FRIDAY everyone :]
This week has been ok. I'm definitely more aware of my eating habits and what times of the day I need to work hard on. Lunch time I think is my biggest hurdle, since I was brought up on lunch = a sandwich. Cracking that habit will help, but today we had a blessing in disguise since our bread went moldy from the humidity we got hit with from Hurricane Matthew. I'm not going to go out and get bread so it'll be a nice test for me.
Exercise: I'm doing well, taking it nice and easy by just running 3 times a week to get myself started. I've done 2 runs this week and just need to do 1 more. Yesterday was a bit gloomy and humid and today it's hot and humid so I'll definitely make time tomorrow.
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chub - Thanks! You're right, I just needed to sit down and really think about how my actions are affecting my life - not just my weight but also my work and personal life. Ugh, I do not miss exams. I really feel for you, I hated all the studying when I was in school. Even if you're in the midst of studying for hard exams then I would still advise you to go and take a long walk to clear your head. Exercise really helps the mind relax and focus!
Riestrella: I do try to stay active while in school but ever since I quit my job to attend school full time, I lost the average 8 miles that I would clock in at work every day. I think that's why my weight has been going up despite the lack of changes in my habit. I think I need to work on decreasing my calories intake to accommodate the new sedentary lifestyle. It's just so frustrating and discouragaing some time to see the scale keep on going up :/
chub - I understand completely, I lost most of my weight when I was exercising + working a job that required me to be on my feet for the entirety of the shift. Even though I wasn't exactly running around at work it is surprising how much it helped with weight loss efforts. I think decreasing your calorie intake is probably a good first step to adjust to your new lifestyle. Don't get frustrated, these changes in our lives can really mess up with our routine and can cause all sorts of weight fluctuations. You just have to be honest with yourself and understand that your life is different now, don't blame yourself for that change and adjust your health plan accordingly. This won't be the first time in your life where your routine will suddenly shift dramatically, it's all about staying aware and making the smart decisions to help. Once you make a change in your eating or your exercising, remember to give your body a couple of weeks to adjust. I find when I start exercising for the first time in a long time my weight will either go up or stay the same for a few weeks before going down. It's so annoying, but I have to remember that it happens every time so it's normal!
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