"As far as (healthy) eating, either do it, or don't. Same issues repeated over and over is just insanity. We either commit to the endeavor or pay lip-service to it. This is the hardest part of the whole process, and it needs to be practiced more than the actual physical training. It's mind training." ~ Matt Thorne
"The reason that most people fail instead of succeed is that they trade what they want most for what they want at the moment."
I'm doing ok. I'm doing ok on food (today's calories were a bit higher than what I'd like, but otherwise ok). I'm not doing much working out right now (on advice from Leigh) other than walking and doing knee prehab/rehab stuff, but I'm trying to get some good walks in every day. I hope that I can get a decent loss this week because I gained this last week (7 lbs!) and I've really struggled with that.
I would like to ask some of you, how do you stay inspired? When you think you are going to start sliding backwards, what keeps you from doing that?
I have very firm and very specific goals in place. There is no room for back sliding if I am going to reach them in time. I found I do better with concrete goals.
Also my tightening waist band is another motivator to get back to it!
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AM, homeschooling mom to Wild & Wacky, see my fitness journey here, my training log here and my everything else blog here.
Consistent practice equals consistent progress.
Same answer as Jane. Although I said it in my log a while back. The difference between 2 pounds a week and 1 pound a week to me is a big difference. It's the difference between being done in a year and a half versus three years. That in itself helps me quite a bit.
I read this today by Haruki Murakami, from What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
'To keep on going, you have to keep up the rhythm. This is the important thing for long-term projects. Once you set the pace, the rest will follow. The problem is getting the flywheel to spin at a set speed -and to get to that point takes as much concentration and effort as you can manage'
This is so true for me. I can start my fly wheel by buying fitness books, searching for info then starting diets and exercise plans, and then I lose interest and the fly wheel stops. I need to be like Jane, I have to WANT IT THAT MUCH, and realize that is gonna take effort and concentration.
so now Im back on track to spinning my wheel, not too fast, not too slow, just constant..
Hey everyone!
I am doing great so far. Diet is spot on and as train goes I have been doing great. Only thing I overslept before work and missed my cardio yesterday. To keep on track I feel like Jane, I want it REAL BAD. When I lose interest is when I start slacking. For me it's all in my head. I get hungrier when I lose interest. Not sure if others are like that.
Heather, I really feel for you. That is alot to go through!
I feel like I complain too much and don't have near that kind of pain you must have. I hope you are able to heal without any problems.
Even though I entered the challenge during the extension due to typo, I started my new plan on Monday with everyone. This week I am focusing on creating that deficit in my caloric intake. So far so good. I still am working on weighing everything. I am so used to tracking by cup, tablespoon, etc. that I forget I need to put it on the scale. I actually have been carrying my digital scale with me in my bag everywhere so I have NO excuses not to weigh every morsel!
I want to look hot now and I want to be able to get around on my own when I'm 100...my main motivators. What keeps me motivated from day to day? Sitting all day in a cubicle surrounded by women who are fat and getting fatter and the fear that I could be one of them definitely helps. My refusal to ever wear a larger size than I'm wearing now also helps, as does working as a personal trainer and the desire to inspire confidence in my clients.
I would like to ask some of you, how do you stay inspired? When you think you are going to start sliding backwards, what keeps you from doing that?
I wanted to add that Leigh's podcasts are a big help! I listen to the one about guts & glory over and over to remind me that I am tired of the
yo-yoing. I have been losing and gaining for years, went from 170 to 230 when I became a truck driver then after about 5 years lost back down to 150. Since then I have been anywhere from 150-190. Never reached my goal. Her podcast reminds me to get in and get out. I want that now more than ever.
I think about "get in and get out" all the time. I think about how many years and years that I have been "dieting" to no avail and that I could just do this over a couple of tough months and get 'er done. I also try to remember that one weekend blowout can ruin a whole weeks worth of hard work. I think of how hard it was all week to keep the deficit and try to remember that if I can just get this done now, then I can go back up to maintenance and have that "bad" food later. The sooner I get to goal the sooner I get to go back to maintenance.
Part of what motivates me is that I actually think working out is fun. And I love how I feel after I workout. I know I am healthier when I exercise - I don't get sick much at all, and as a teacher around sick kids all the time, that is huge. And like Kathy, I want to be healthy and self-sufficient when I'm old. I like buying something heavy at the hardware store and carrying it out to my car myself. No, I don't need help with a 50lb bag of mortar, thank you very much!
Hi Workout Girl, here's some general thoughts. I don't know how applicable they are to your situation, but here goes:
being an "all or nothing" dieter doesn't work for me, so I use an all things in moderation philosophy. If I want a cookie everyday, that's ok. Since I give my permission to eat whatever, whenever, then it's easier to stay on track because there's less food deprivation issues. Of course if there's certain foods you can't eat in moderation, don't eat it. I don't eat cereal because I ALWAYS want another bowl. But for me, being all or nothing perfect dieter will kick in those food deprivation issues. Give yourself a little slack but stick to your plan, count your calories etc. Once you get to maintenance, you'll get even more slack. You don't have to perfect to have weight loss success.
Focusing on how food makes me feel helps too. Are your foods satisfying? Some carbs make me feel hungrier sooner than later. Does your food give you energy? Personally, a big deterrent for eating too much crap is I physically feel like crap afterward. Why sabotage myself that way? That's a whole another issue in itself.
Think how good you feel when you stick to your plan and feel in control of your eating. You have so much more energy for your daughter, stay on top of your household chores, etc. You'll get so much more satisfaction out of meeting your goals than a short lived sugar buzz.
Also, be ruthless about getting rid of clothes that are too big You already are at a good weight, so you wouldn't have to be as strict for very long. You can do it!
Kathy's response on motivation sounds so much like what I would say it is almost scary. I have several people in my family that are health wrecks (overweight & chronic conditions) that they are prematurely aged......I don't want to be like them! Plus I want to be a good example to my 2 young kids. On the other hand, my dad is extremely physically fit (bicyclist) and I have no doubt that he will be racing bikes when he is 80s+. I want to be like him and know I will be active and independent regardless of age.
I also find I get more motivated by positive reinforcement. If my clothes all of the sudden fit better, I see more muscle definition, or the scale looks good, I feel like the effort was worth it and I want to do more. I really struggle with motivation when there doesn't seem to be some reward for the hard work.
Heather, I hope you are on the road to healing and that you have good care to manage the antibiotics. My mom is on antibiotics for chronic Lyme disease so I know a good physician is key to recovery.
So, see how in the first picture she has stretch marks? You don't see those in the afters. Do you think it is surgery or what? As you all can see in my pictures, I have some bad stretch marks on my stomach from my pregnancies and they don't go away.
Just curious.
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Ginger
"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." ~ John Bingham
Hi Workout Girl, here's some general thoughts. I don't know how applicable they are to your situation, but here goes:
being an "all or nothing" dieter doesn't work for me, so I use an all things in moderation philosophy. If I want a cookie everyday, that's ok. Since I give my permission to eat whatever, whenever, then it's easier to stay on track because there's less food deprivation issues. Of course if there's certain foods you can't eat in moderation, don't eat it. I don't eat cereal because I ALWAYS want another bowl. But for me, being all or nothing perfect dieter will kick in those food deprivation issues. Give yourself a little slack but stick to your plan, count your calories etc. Once you get to maintenance, you'll get even more slack. You don't have to perfect to have weight loss success.
Focusing on how food makes me feel helps too. Are your foods satisfying? Some carbs make me feel hungrier sooner than later. Does your food give you energy? Personally, a big deterrent for eating too much crap is I physically feel like crap afterward. Why sabotage myself that way? That's a whole another issue in itself.
Think how good you feel when you stick to your plan and feel in control of your eating. You have so much more energy for your daughter, stay on top of your household chores, etc. You'll get so much more satisfaction out of meeting your goals than a short lived sugar buzz.
Also, be ruthless about getting rid of clothes that are too big You already are at a good weight, so you wouldn't have to be as strict for very long. You can do it!
thats great advice, thankyou. I know pretty much what to avoid so I dont binge. I still think my emotions take the best of me sometimes though. I guess you can call me an ex-food addict, LOL ;-) Sometimes I Just need an extra pick me up. Last night it was definitely PMS!!!
As for being easier on myself, sometimes on Friday I crave a hamburger. And youre right, I am too hard on myself with being strict. I should just make me a lean hamburger once a week, on Ezekiel buns, and if that increase my carb ratio for the day, so what??? I know one hamburger wont wreck my caloric deficit for the day.
As for being easier on myself, sometimes on Friday I crave a hamburger. And youre right, I am too hard on myself with being strict. I should just make me a lean hamburger once a week, on Ezekiel buns, and if that increase my carb ratio for the day, so what??? I know one hamburger wont wreck my caloric deficit for the day.
Since you mentioned hamburgers (which we do on a Friday) I'll give you a tip that may or may not help. I tend to us 85% lean beef (since that's what Costco sells). I mixed it 50/50 with lean ground turkey the other week and really can't tell the difference. If you're using a leaner beef to start with it might not make that big a difference. For me it took a 256cal burger and made it 208cals.
Do you guys have any other good tips for lightening a recipe? I just posted this in the recipe forum, but my sister makes a salad and salad dressing that I LOVE, but the dressing is 1/2 cup oil, 1/2 cup sugar (plus 3 tsp soy sauce, ¼ cup balsamic vinegar, and ¼ tsp salt). All of that oil and sugar just make me feel like I'm going to lose my deficit all at once--and over a salad, which makes it even worse! lol
sometimes on Friday I crave a hamburger. And youre right, I am too hard on myself with being strict. I should just make me a lean hamburger once a week, on Ezekiel buns, and if that increase my carb ratio for the day, so what??? I know one hamburger wont wreck my caloric deficit for the day.
Unless you really love Ezekiel buns, I personally use something fresh from the bakery or whatever. If you're only eating one hamburger bun a week, having the less nutritious one really doesn't matter in the big picture, especially since you are eating with protein and fat.
Long term adherence is easier when you figure out how you can cut yourself some slack but stay consistent in the big picture where it matters. If I didn't cut some nutritional corners, I would definitely be leaner, but I wouldn't maintain it long term. So what good is it?
You could use splenda instead of sugar for the sweetener. That would make a LOT of dressing. Use EVOO and just measure out accordingly and use sparingly. I would really be use like using O&V with some sweetener and soy.
hmmm...that's a good idea, Jane! I'll have to figure up the calories (and the difference in the two versions) and see if it's worth it or if that's something I should save for when I'm not in a deficit. Thanks!
Sinead - I use an 'oil substitute' when making homemade dressings. Mix 1 cup of water with 1 Tbsp of cornstarch. Heat on the stove, stirring until thickened. Cool and use instead of oil in salad dressings. I tend to make 2 cups at once and put it in the fridge until needed. The only changes I usually make is cutting back on the hot/spicy ingredients. I usually half them and check them the next day.
I've used these dressings in regular salads (dress before serving) and pasta salads (with short sitting times). I'm running short on time here (I'll check your recipe request later), but I'm not sure if the salad you're talking about is one that you make and serve that day, or marinate for a while. I make a cabbage salad where we'll use it up over a week - I just cut the oil for it in half.
Not much to add to this thread except thanks to Miss Jane for letting me in because I thought it started on the 7th, and ouchee to Heather, that's gotta hurt.
And I love how I feel after I workout. I know I am healthier when I exercise - I don't get sick much at all, and as a teacher around sick kids all the time, that is huge. And like Kathy, I want to be healthy and self-sufficient when I'm old. I like buying something heavy at the hardware store and carrying it out to my car myself. No, I don't need help with a 50lb bag of mortar, thank you very much!
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