I normally weigh myself Thursday mornings. This morning I weighed a pound less then I did when I got back from my vacation!
This means my combination of life changes is working! I am losing weight even when I am busy and distracted. Even when I am emotional and struggling with my moods. This is just fantastic news.
I know that I could work harder on my diet. It could still be more balanced. It is hard for us to keep produce fresh, so there are times when we don't eat enough fruits and vegetables. I have gone back to skipping breakfast some days too.
I have been working out more often. I was also active on my vacation, playing on the beach and going for walks. I loved this. I want to keep this up in my every day life, even though we see the summer slipping away here in Seattle.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Vacation Success
I didn't gain any weight on my vacation! I didn't lose any either.
I'm calling it a success.
More posts to come soon.
I'm calling it a success.
More posts to come soon.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Vacation
I haven't posted this week, and now I am going on vacation for four days!
Weight loss is going well.
I worked out at the gym one day, and took a mini hike in a local park another day.
I am focusing on how to lose weight while I vacation. We are making our own breakfast and lunch, so that is easy enough. I did buy a few special treats, so it felt like a vacation, these include: diet soda, Canadian bacon, whole wheat English muffins. All of these are healthy, and things I don't normally buy, so I can feel like I get to eat something special on vacation.
I also plan on being physically active. We are going to walk on the beach, play in the pool, my partner and I are taking a morning away from the rest of the family to take a short hike.
So the only challenge is dinner's. The family does group dinners, which are not really weight loss friendly. I will need to focus on portions, and eat what my family has made with love.
We will see.
Weight loss is going well.
I worked out at the gym one day, and took a mini hike in a local park another day.
I am focusing on how to lose weight while I vacation. We are making our own breakfast and lunch, so that is easy enough. I did buy a few special treats, so it felt like a vacation, these include: diet soda, Canadian bacon, whole wheat English muffins. All of these are healthy, and things I don't normally buy, so I can feel like I get to eat something special on vacation.
I also plan on being physically active. We are going to walk on the beach, play in the pool, my partner and I are taking a morning away from the rest of the family to take a short hike.
So the only challenge is dinner's. The family does group dinners, which are not really weight loss friendly. I will need to focus on portions, and eat what my family has made with love.
We will see.
Friday, August 10, 2012
Weight !
Last week I weighed 229. Honestly, I had gone up a pound.
This week, 226! Three pounds in a week! That means I am doing things right!
Yay!
I noticed that I never post over the weekends. I end up packing in a lot of errands, family time, and video games with my partner. So as far as blogging goes, I need to post more often on the weekends. I also want to comment more on the other great weight loss blogs I read. And push my blog more, I need more readers if I want to inspire more people. Awesome.
It is a beautiful sunny day outside. I am planning on going to Korean food tonight with my partner. I will focus on eating slowly, mostly veggies, skipping the rice (bummer!) and enjoying every bite I take.
This week, 226! Three pounds in a week! That means I am doing things right!
Yay!
I noticed that I never post over the weekends. I end up packing in a lot of errands, family time, and video games with my partner. So as far as blogging goes, I need to post more often on the weekends. I also want to comment more on the other great weight loss blogs I read. And push my blog more, I need more readers if I want to inspire more people. Awesome.
It is a beautiful sunny day outside. I am planning on going to Korean food tonight with my partner. I will focus on eating slowly, mostly veggies, skipping the rice (bummer!) and enjoying every bite I take.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Book Review : Eat This Not That
Since I am unemployed I have a lot of time to read. Even when I am employed I read a lot. So I thought I would do book reviews as part of my blog, maybe one or two a month.
My partner and I were wandering through the nonfiction stacks in the local library (this is unfair to some of my readers since our local library system is one of the best in country www.http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/home/890760-264/library_of_the_year_2011.html.csp,
www.kcls.org .) Anyway, my partner saw this book and picked it up, Eat This Not That by David Zinczenko. He did read some of it, which was funny. Some of the Not That foods are his favorite, and he doesn't really want to stop eating them.
I loved the dedication of the book, the author points out that chain restaurants spend money lobbying so they do not have to provide nutritional information on their menu. They want to conceal how many calories are in their food. This is a poor choice considering the obesity epidemic in America. Also, since this book was published in 2008 some restaurants have started to include nutritional information, and some have even changed their menu items. I love studying the politics of everything, even chain restaurants!
I believe the author really does want people to read this book and make better choices, and be healthier. Some weight loss books are dogmatic, this does not seem to be. He wants his readers to enjoy life and make smarter choices! Which is exactly what I am trying to do.
I found the book tough to read. It is supposed to be easy, but there are so many numbers after a while I just ended up skimming. This was fine though, since parts of the book are foods I don't normally eat, or restaurants we don't have in the Pacific Northwest. Most of the information was review for me, but there were a few surprises. My partner every once in a while eats at Arby's, since it is right next to his work and he has a hard time waking up early enough to make a lunch. It is actually better for you to eat a Super Roast Beef burger thing, then a "Market Fresh" roast beef sandwich. The sandwich has mayo, Italian sauce, and processed Swiss cheese, which gives it almost twice as many calories, really for no reason.
Some of the suggestions were just not going to fly. I eat a burger so rarely, that there is no way I am leaving off the cheese. Besides, at home we use 2% cheese, which has fewer calories. Perhaps if I am getting burger at a restaurant, I would leave the cheese off, just so I don't set my weight loss back. But sheesh! It is supposed to be a treat! There are also suggestions for Thanksgiving, for example, which include not eating stuffing or dark meat. My family makes a great whole wheat lower fat stuffing, which I will keep on eating.
So really the book made me think again about what my calories are worth. I am not going to stop eating out, my partner and I love eating out. There are also social situations I want to participate in that center around food and eating out. But I need to remember that I am focusing on weight loss. For the next few months or possible a year, I need to give up some foods I consider a treat. I need to pay a restaurant to make me a salad, which I hate doing! It helps to remind myself that there will always be more food. I can take control of my life right now, and skip eating out, or skip the higher calorie option. I can pay for food that is not very fun, because right now that is what I have to do. In the future I can be more flexible, and eat food that is more fun and higher calories.
I am not saying this is easy. I have maintained this weight for so long because I kept making choices that were okay, I didn't gain weight, but I did not lose any. So for now I am making the hard choices, and giving up things I like. But feeling healthier and happier, feeling in control of my life and health, is worth it.
My partner and I were wandering through the nonfiction stacks in the local library (this is unfair to some of my readers since our local library system is one of the best in country www.http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/home/890760-264/library_of_the_year_2011.html.csp,
www.kcls.org .) Anyway, my partner saw this book and picked it up, Eat This Not That by David Zinczenko. He did read some of it, which was funny. Some of the Not That foods are his favorite, and he doesn't really want to stop eating them.
I loved the dedication of the book, the author points out that chain restaurants spend money lobbying so they do not have to provide nutritional information on their menu. They want to conceal how many calories are in their food. This is a poor choice considering the obesity epidemic in America. Also, since this book was published in 2008 some restaurants have started to include nutritional information, and some have even changed their menu items. I love studying the politics of everything, even chain restaurants!
I believe the author really does want people to read this book and make better choices, and be healthier. Some weight loss books are dogmatic, this does not seem to be. He wants his readers to enjoy life and make smarter choices! Which is exactly what I am trying to do.
I found the book tough to read. It is supposed to be easy, but there are so many numbers after a while I just ended up skimming. This was fine though, since parts of the book are foods I don't normally eat, or restaurants we don't have in the Pacific Northwest. Most of the information was review for me, but there were a few surprises. My partner every once in a while eats at Arby's, since it is right next to his work and he has a hard time waking up early enough to make a lunch. It is actually better for you to eat a Super Roast Beef burger thing, then a "Market Fresh" roast beef sandwich. The sandwich has mayo, Italian sauce, and processed Swiss cheese, which gives it almost twice as many calories, really for no reason.
Some of the suggestions were just not going to fly. I eat a burger so rarely, that there is no way I am leaving off the cheese. Besides, at home we use 2% cheese, which has fewer calories. Perhaps if I am getting burger at a restaurant, I would leave the cheese off, just so I don't set my weight loss back. But sheesh! It is supposed to be a treat! There are also suggestions for Thanksgiving, for example, which include not eating stuffing or dark meat. My family makes a great whole wheat lower fat stuffing, which I will keep on eating.
So really the book made me think again about what my calories are worth. I am not going to stop eating out, my partner and I love eating out. There are also social situations I want to participate in that center around food and eating out. But I need to remember that I am focusing on weight loss. For the next few months or possible a year, I need to give up some foods I consider a treat. I need to pay a restaurant to make me a salad, which I hate doing! It helps to remind myself that there will always be more food. I can take control of my life right now, and skip eating out, or skip the higher calorie option. I can pay for food that is not very fun, because right now that is what I have to do. In the future I can be more flexible, and eat food that is more fun and higher calories.
I am not saying this is easy. I have maintained this weight for so long because I kept making choices that were okay, I didn't gain weight, but I did not lose any. So for now I am making the hard choices, and giving up things I like. But feeling healthier and happier, feeling in control of my life and health, is worth it.
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