Alright girls....I am stressed. STRESSED. Things are crazy at work right now and part of it is my fault and part of it is just the way my job works. I have been so focused on weight loss and exericse that I feel like I have not been able to focus on work as much as I have in the past an it is starting to catch up with me. Unfortunately, in my line of work, when you get behind it not only doesn't wait for you to catch up, it has a tendency to run over you like a freight train....so I guess I am standing on the track, going head to head with a freight train. Is that too much metaphor? :)
Anyway, I found myself thinking about dinner on my way home and how all I really wanted was to take a really big bite of something....is that weird? I just wanted to fill up my mouth and stomach with food so that I could calm the stress demon inside my head. I think it is so crazy how obvious it has become now, that I was and still to some extent, am addicted to not just food but the act of eating. It was like when I was quiting smoking, I was addicted to the act and the habit of lighting up a cigarette just as much as I was addicted to the nicotine. And just in case you were wondering, I didn't go out and get something crazy to eat. I had some wheat thins and a slice of cheese and am completely satisfied right now. Go figure.
In other news, the scale has been super kind to me lately and in order to keep the good karma flowing I thought I would share what I thought has made the difference with the blog world in hopes of helping some of you who have been plateaued like I was over the last few months.
The first big change that I made was to increase and vary my workout lengths. I had been working out for 30 minutes 4 - 5 times a week and my weight was at a stand still. Now I have started pushing myself to go more than my normal 30 minutes. Some days I go 45, some days 40 and last Saturday I went for and hour and a half. Crazy right! I didn't think I could do it but I just kept my music on and pushed forward.
The other thing I started doing was using the daily plate (dot) com to track what I was eating. It was really great at giving me perspective and I was actually eating a lot more calories than I thought I was. Will I use it forever? Probably not but I do think it is a great tool for getting back on track.
Last Friday, I did get a little bit more in my band at my doctor's appointment. I was at 8 cc's and now I am at 8.2 in an 11cc band. I really think I have found my sweet spot. I am not hungry for at least 3 1/2 hours and find that I am really full after about 4 - 5 oz of food. So for those of you who are waiting for restriction, take a lesson from me! It has taken me almost 6 months to get there. Be patient. Use the time to work on behaviors and habits. I think if I had started out at this level of restriction, I woujld have gone crazy. I think we need that time to slowly retrain our brains to think about food differently.
Well, that's my 2 cents for what it is worth. I just have to say again, that I am so grateful for this community. I can't begin to imagine what it would be like to go through this on my own. You all mean a great deal to me and you all should take credit in my success! You are the best!
8 comments:
So glad that you are doing well on the exercise and band front! I hope work works itself out for you and isn't too crazy! Best of luck to you, and thanks for sharing your "secret"!
I think your right about the exercise thing.... i was walking 30-40mins a day but it was a comfortable pace that didnt make me sweat, i changed that to a 20min walk warm up and then did a 20min work out and i have even up'd it from there and now job most of the walk in the mornings now... each day that little increase makes it that little bit easier.
My bad part is i dont calorie count.... when i did that when i was younger i got very obsessive and im trying to not get in that frame of mind.
This was a great post!
Sorry about the craziness of your job - I feel your pain! I completely agree about the varied workout thing. I'm just trying to get back into it. It has never been so hard to get myself consistently exercising before - I like it, my goodness. Anyway, one step at a time. I got myself on the treadmill tonight and plan to be there again tomorrow. - wait this comment isn't about me - LOL.
I appreciate your comments about giving it time to find your sweet spot - part of me, likes going slowly and getting used to things on the way there, but of course part of me is impatient as well so it helps to hear from your point of view at 6 months out.
Thanks for the comment on my blog - I was sure there would be women out there who would be able to relate!
Ack - job stress...hate that. You can get through it though and way to go on the workouts!
Variety is the spice of life, so they say. I think this is why classes like Zumba or the boot camps people do jumpstart the weightloss. It beats your body into submission! Sounds like you're doing great!
I have been doing the same thing...so focused on weight loss and the banded life that work is just just not a priority in my mind and that leads to me getting behind. Thanks for sharing your tips!
Job stress stinks!
Glad you are at least at your sweet spot. Good point about using the time before restriction to make changes that will once you get to restriction.
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