Sunday, January 15, 2012

One month

Well kids, it's been one month since I posted last. The funny thing is, I only ended up going to 2 of the addiction recovery classes. It's a great class, with quite a bit to offer. It would be nice to get away and go to the class regularly, but I'm doing really well having learned what I have recently.

First things first. I don't think that I'm a food addict. The more and more I researched and dove into my "problem" and how I would fix it, the more I realized that my issues are more or less just NORMAL issues, magnified by some serious hormones right now. Breast feeding has provided me with a SERIOUS cocktail of craziness, as many of you have experienced yourself, I'm sure. It's difficult to remember that I'm not 100% myself right now, because it's not like I can FEEL the specific chemicals going to work on me. I have felt a certain mellowing out of things though (can I get a "hallelujah!" please?) and because of that, have been able to really put a finger on the real things I can work on right now, and the things that I shouldn't put so much focus on.

My kids bring me so much dag-nabbin joy, that I almost can't stand it! And my little tank, Diesel, is honestly a bottomless pit. The kid eats more than his sister. I wake up in the morning absolutely starving, which isn't anything I've ever experienced before. I think where I go wrong is with WHAT I put in my mouth. Cookies for breakfast? Come on, Wendysauce. I'm all about convenience, and what's not convenient about throwin' down some cookies and milk? Hahaha, I know. I know. Those habits have recently been put to rest (two days ago lol). I mean lets be real, here. I may be basically maintaining in my weight, but I've never been happy at this weight, so if I think I'll start being happy anytime soon, I'm crazy. One day at a time! Today is a good day. I dropped the kids off at the pool, and literally lost 3 lb. Tmi in all it's awesomeness, yeah!

So here's some little goals, and some things I'm doing to help me in my ever-so-gradual journey to weight loss. I've decided not to fad diet, because it's not healthy to do while I'm nursing, and nursing is my top priority right now.

- Doing The Biggest Loser challenge. It's 8 weeks. It started yesterday. I PROMISE to lose at least 1 pound a week, on average. I know that I will likely lose more than that, because I'm making a lifestyle change. I just don't want to commit to more than 1 lb a week, because then I'll obsess and be disappointed if I don't lose a lot, which sets me up for failure. I want to have the mindset that there's nothing to fail at here. I'm moving down a path towards a better me, and if it takes a while to get there, so be it.

- Joined myfitnesspal.com. It's a free social network for people trying to get in better shape. It helps count calories, document exercise, make friends, etc. I'm new to it, was referred there by a couple of friends. So far, so good.

- Got a bodymedia fit. I heard about these from a friend of mine. She was a part of the last biggest loser challenge, placing in the top 3, and raved about it. I did some research, and ended up getting one for my Dad for Christmas. He is absolutely obsessed with it, and it's definitely helped him in his journey to healthier living. I'm really excited to get mine in the mail. I ordered it Friday, and did overnight shipping, but alas, it's Sunday and it's still not here. Sad day. But I'm anxious to see how it helps me. It guarantees 3x the amount of weight loss you'd have without it. It does this by monitoring your heart rate, your sleep patterns, your calories in and your calories out, etc. You were an arm band 24/7, and it throws down your info for you to see in front of your face. If you have some extra money laying around, I'd say invest in one. Especially if you also have an iphone, because there's a rad app to go along with the BMF.

- Cutting out soda. That's right. I said it. But let me be clear here. I drink A LOT of soda. It's just the thing to do at my house. We used to only drink coke zero, but Neal started getting headaches, so now he won't touch anything less than regular coke. So I was used to downing 2 cans (or less) of coke zero a day (still bad, I know), and when we switched to regular coke, it tasted better, so I was drinking even more! In two weeks, I've gained like 6 pounds. And that's the only habit I'd changed. Thanks a lot! So, no drinking soda for me. I'll not limit myself like if I'm at a special dinner and I wanna sip of Neal's or something. But it won't be a household staple for us, and I certainly won't be stopping at Del Taco or Mcdonald's for a little "pickmeup" either! This will be a big help, I think.

- We will not be going out to eat for one month (gasp!!!!!!!!). I almost just wrote that I HOPE we can stick to this one, but what's a goal if I say dumb things like that from the start? Since Neal is on board with this one, I'll have someone to help me in that department. This will be a particularly challenging one for us, as we eat out/get take out quite a bit because of his job. But alas, we will be making this change for more than just the obvious health benefits. When I was going through our bank statements to get some information for our taxes, I couldn't help but notice that (besides bill paying) about 90% of our debit card purchases are on (GASP) EATING OUT. Fast food, Sit down restaurants, Neal's many stops at gas stations while at work for snacks and drinks through out his long shifts....you name it. We spend a lot of money on food. I mean, a lot of people probably do. We have always known we eat out more than the average family (thanks to my parents, who instilled that habit in us. it's just so convenient!), and it's just time for a change. So for one month, we will see this out, and if it makes a huge difference financially, we will likely easily carry out this goal for longer than one month. This will have obvious benefits for me as I'm trying to live healthier myself!

- Drinking water. And lots of it. We all know how awesome water is. I need to get my sippy cup by my side again, and find a way to make my kids leave it alone!! Hahaha. That's always the biggest challenge there.

Like I said before, though, I'm excited to get my bodymedia fit. I know that having the calculations in front of me will help me see in black and white exactly what it is I need to improve on. More sleep, more water, less calories, more exercise, whatever. It's personalized for me, and that's the sort of attention I need as I am learning new habits to be healthier, and ultimately happier.

2 comments:

  1. Great goals! You can definitely accomplish all of them. I am doing the no-soda thing this year too. Once I make the decision to order only water at a restaurant, I never think about it again. I'd rather eat my calories anyway.

    SKyler and I are in the same boat about eating out a lot. That's mostly my fault because I'm a bad cook, but this year I'm trying harder to eat at home, especially since I'm not really working anymore. I'll think about you whenever I am struggling with deciding to eat out or cook. If I know you're doing it too, then maybe it won't be so hard.

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  2. Great news! I think we could all do better as far as the food we eat. You sound happier already!!

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