Saturday, January 9, 2016

Thinking ahead...

Today I set up my blog - my new evening "habit" to replace ones that are derailing my weight goals.  A distraction...a new evening activity to help me stay on track.  I could have just kept a digital journal but I figure if I write it down for others to see it might keep me accountable.

I introduced myself under my photo to the right.  So let's just jump to the things I like, what I don't like and what I need to change.

Foods I like:
This might sound familiar to most people because, the foods that I love, most of the population loves:

Potatoes
Chips
Fries
Bread
Cheese - oh how I love cheese
Crackers
 


That's the bad news.  The good news is that I do love salads, a wide variety of vegetables and some fruits.  I eat meat on occasion but could certainly live without it.  Black beans are a suitable alternative for me.  I don't like sweets of any kind which makes it hard for me to like most fruits.  They are just too sweet.  So I'm not a fan of apples, oranges, peaches...you get the idea.

Drinks I like:
Most people have to eliminate soda from their diets when they are trying to reach weight loss goals but that isn't an issue for me.  I haven't had a soda in many years.  I love iced tea (especially ones from Starbucks) and could literally drink it all day long. 

 I also love beer!  Not the diet-y "light" beers.  I am a self proclaimed beer snob and prefer darker, richer beers...which, in turn, means more calories.  Over the past year or so, I very rarely have a beer.  That was something I trimmed back on during "round one" of getting in shape.

I used to drink Captain Morgan and Diet Cokes years ago but then switched it up to Bacardi and Crystal Light.  This my evening "go to" drink and I have been "going to it" more than I should.  This habit will need to be modified in order for me to reach my goal.

Drink more water they say...but I really dislike water.  I don't like flavored water or water with lemon.  I just really don't like water.  But I am going to force myself to choke more water down until I finally just get used to it.  Currently the only time I drink water is while I am working out.

What is my goal?  I do check the scale on Fridays of every week to see what, if any, numbers have changed.  But my real goal is clothes size.  I am a size 10 right now but would like to be in comfortable 8's before the summer.  I highly doubt I could ever reach a size 6.  I was a 4 in high school and a 6 in college.  But now I am 44 and have had two kids.  I don't really think size 6 is in the cards.  But, maybe when I get to an 8, I will readjust my goals. 

My workout routine is very consistent.  After I drop my six year old off at school, my three year old and I head to the Y.  I check her into childcare and then head to the treadmills.  I am a treadmill runner and have been for well over two years.  I am one of those weirdos who really loves to run.  Oh sure I get ancy waiting for the time to tick down but it is the ONLY form of cardio that I have tried that actually melts inches off of me.  I am at 10 minute miles and I run for thirty minutes a day.  This past week I bumped up the speed at every five minute mark and plan on continuing this until I am at a 9 minute mile.  I am also planning on running longer so that I can get five miles in a day.

After I run, I do weights.  This is my current schedule:

Monday & Thursday - biceps/triceps, abs, back
Tuesday & Friday - shoulders, abs
Wednesday & Friday - chest, abs, back

So, on Friday, I do both chest and shoulders.  My entire gym visit is usually around an hour and a half.  I usually shower there when I am done so that I can run any errands afterwards.  Trust me.  I need one.  I sweat like a beast!!

I work out sooo hard!!  I used to have a trainer who pushed me to absolute limits.  I learned a lot from her and push myself just as hard if not harder.  But then I sabotage all of that hard work in the evenings by eating mashed potatoes with my dinner and having drinks.  Like a trainer friend of mine always says, you can't outrun your diet.

And I can't do fad diets.  Or diets that require supplements.  Or cleanses.  I have absolutely nothing against them but I know I won't keep that up.  I need a realistic life change that I will try to maintain forever.  However, I will probably use my Weight Watchers app again like I did last year.  It helped with portion control and making good decisions at restaurants. 

So here I am on Saturday already dreading Monday and everything I will miss out on.  But I am trying hard to change my mindset to make it positive!  Tomorrow I am going to put together a dinner menu for the month (I usually do this anyway but haven't for January), make some healthy snacks for the week and get my head around my new lifestyle.  I know I can do this.  I made these changes last March and saw major changes in my body.  And I am still going to splurge a little on the weekends but will continue to try and make better food decisions.

“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.”
Jim Ryun


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