Week 5 - Choosing Health & Happiness

Last week when I realized how much the numbers were affecting ability to stay motivated in this challenge, I decided to walk away from the scale for a bit. If this is really going to be a life long way of being, I need to be okay with myself every single step of the way.

I have the luxury of taking this weight loss thing slowly. I'm not in a whole lot of immediate danger. This whole process is really more about confronting bad habits, understanding why those habits started, and figuring out a healthier way to deal with stress. So I don't have too much more to say this week. But if I can encourage you to do one thing, it would be this: the next time you go to pick up a cookie, some chips, or something that is not really going to give you the energy you need - stop. Did you make the mindful decision to eat it? Or are you eating it mindlessly to fill some type of void or to drown those never ending thoughts? Food is energy. Not a bandaid. 

We take our dogs on walks every day. Water our plants regularly. Make sure our houses are clean. Why not take that same intention with ourselves? Do what is best for yourself - and that starts with choosing the best meals to keep your body functioning. And don't forget that we were made to move too.... keep moving. Keep choosing yourself, your happiness, your health.

The choice is yours.

Week 4 Recap - Feeling Results

After a bit of a rough start to the week last week, I was frustrated. But even more so, I was determined to pay attention to what my body is actually telling me on a day to day basis. Are you full? Why does this run hurt? Did you eat enough? When was the last time you had some water? Why are you feeling tired?

And then the evil thoughts started streaming...
"You're fat" 
"You're not attractive"

I won't say more, because we have all been there. Am I right? I felt like I had a set back last week and so I felt negative about myself. When in all reality, I have an awesome life with people who love me for who I am and I am making real strides towards overall health. I was just having a pity party because I didn't see the numbers go down on the scale. 

Photo By: Gina Defraia, FancyPants Photography

Today, I weighed myself again. I saw the numbers go down and was extremely excited. I instantly felt better about myself. But then I realized I had just weighed myself two days ago and had seen no change. How fickle and fleeting are our bodies! I had been looking for an immediate reward this whole time. And so when I didn't get it, I reverted back to bad habits. Making this whole personal project feel more like a sham. SO, instead of acting like a child I decided to WOMAN up and act like I am 25 years old. Here's what I know about being 25:

• I don't know everything
• Each day cannot be planned out and 100% known
• You need to love yourself and find your version happiness every single day
• Rewards are great, but healthy habits are better
• If you don't try to take care of yourself, no one else will... because they can't
• Little wins add up to bigger & more sustainable wins over time
• Exercising every day improves SO MANY facets of your life
• You should stop eating when you're full --- you can always snack later ;)
• Like experiences, numbers are also relative. Read this Buzzfeed article

Photo By Gina Defraia 

And you remember those questions I asked myself last week? Here's what I noticed:

• I run more freely only after I have had a healthy snack an hour or so before working out. This goes for really any workout.
  Some snacks I like before working out are...
• 1 small slice whole wheat bread, hummus, and a few carrots 
• An apple and a dab of peanut butter 
• A small smoothie made with almond milk, blueberries, frozen kale, 1/2 banana
  
• I actually don't need to eat a lot in one sitting, and I am more drawn to snacking throughout the day. The best trick so far for me is while I am eating is, if I feel full, I put my plate down and do something else for a bit. After a few minutes if I feel hungry again, I eat. If not, I wrap my meal up for later. Don't feel chained to your plate!
  
• If you're hungry, you SHOULD eat something. Junk will only make you feel worse. Think of what will best fuel you for the rest of the day.  And NOT eating will make you feel angry and dizzy. Not to mention you won't be able to enjoy your workout or even that hangout session with your best friend.
  
• You feel tired because you are dehydrated and you didn't move enough during the day. You're sluggish, not sleep deprived. Drink some water, go for a walk.

So, if you're reading this. How was your week? What did you learn about yourself? I'd love to know.

Week 3 Recap - Not Giving Up

This past week, I turned 25. I am happy to say that I am SO STOKED about that. I feel like that mid-quarter life crisis is behind me, I'm finding the things that really fulfill me and I know where I want my life to go. But as a side note, I am more aware that change is HARD but it isn't THE END of the world. 

25 feels good on me. And to that end, I didn't make any progress on my weight loss goal this past week. I ate ice cream, I drank wine, my grandma made me 2 chocolate cakes, and I just indulged. But luckily, I feel like I didn't go too overboard - a sign that my appetite is chaning. And I think that going on a 12 mile backpacking trip didn't hurt either to balance everything out ;)

My birthday view // Lake Dorothy 

But I have to say that when I stepped on that scale Monday morning and saw I didn't lose anything, I was angry. I spent most of yesterday beating myself up. Why can't I just have it easy? And then I stopped myself, this wasn't meant to be easy. Life throws a lot of good and bad at you, and you have to take it all in stride. Some weeks you're going to indulge, other weeks you'll buckle down. But that I can't let myself have any more excuses. This is what I am doing, I am being disciplined and thoughtful with my diet right now, and I just have to work harder. 

I am not going to bury my head in the sand.

On our backpacking trip, my friend talked a lot about teaching kids to have a growth mindset versus a "fixed" one. We allow boys to think they are just born good at math. We allow girls to think they are better at just being "good". In all reality, we must work hard to be successful. In the same vein, I think we do this with people who appear very fit. But let's look at their diets or workout routines, are they really working for their nutrition and overall health? A chunk of them are probably just riding a pure wave of metabolic luck. But a bigger portion of those folks have put in the work and have laid a solid foundation of holistic well being - bit by bit. 

You want to be fit, lady? Did you fail a little this week? Work harder. 

Week 2 Recap - Steps Forward

“I paint myself because I am the subject I know best ... I think that little by little I’ll be able to solve my problems and survive.”
- Frida Kahlo 

I have seen improvement this past week. 
I worked hard and it paid off. 
I feel on track, 
but there's a lot more work to be done. 

Over the last two weeks, I have written everything that I am going to eat down before I eat it. And I did not deter from that unless absolutely necessary. If I did deter from it, the extra snack would be a veggie or some almonds. Pretty intense stuff if you ask me. And the payoff wasn't anything crazy. In two weeks, I lost 3 pounds. Really reasonable and a good trend to set for long term sustainability. 

But that was the first two weeks. Writing everything down and planning my meals every time before I eat them is unreasonable. Now is the time to take the lessons I learned from that intense set of discipline and put it into practice in the real world. 

A typical dinner I am enjoying. Protein + veggies = all you need after a long day

Here are the lessons:

- Cut out the grains at breakfast and dinner. When you do eat grains, make sure they are whole wheat (preferably sprouted), brown rice, or quinoa. You want your carb intake at each meal to be low and grains usually take up a huge chunk of that.  

- Focus on getting lean protein and veggies in at every meal. You stay fuller longer without putting your body in too much distress to digest.

- You don't need all that sugar. Make it a treat to look forward to the weekend, soon you'll find you don't crave it anymore. In fact, it may not even taste as good as you remember. 

- A glass of wine or a beer periodically during the week is cool with dinner. But save a cocktail or two for your celebration of making it to the weekend. Cocktails pack a lot sugar and are easy to over do. Do you really need it? No. Treat your alcohol intake like you would a dessert. 

So what's next?
I'm sticking to the same plan as I was on for the last two weeks, but without writing it all down. My exercise is still the same (5-6 days a week / mostly moderate intensity / at least 10,000 steps every day). Things are good, and knowing that I will be taking a picture of myself each week has been a great motivator. I remind myself to take a real look at what I am doing day to day and to be sure I'm making the best steps forward. Let's keep moving.