OK. Reading about Katie's success has been a good motivator. Also a good motivator: clothes gradually getting tighter. Finally: seeing pictures from less than two years ago and thinking "WTF happened to me!?" There are more, but those are key right now.
For many - mostly lame - reasons, I have not been watching my eating habits at all. I haven't settled into any kind of summer routine, which I really need to do. As someone who has dieted for nearly 15 years with various degrees of success at various times (example: I lost 75 lbs between junior/senior year of high school, which is proof positive that I can do this if I actually freaking try), I know my own eating habits and pitfalls inside and out. I know I'm an emotional eater, I know I prefer eating at night, I know that I'm given to binging, I know that when I encounter even just a little bit of stress, I often refocus all of my energies AWAY from being healthy. It's not like this is a quest to "figure out" why I'm fat. Believe me, it's like a life sentence in prison: you get plenty of time to think about how you got there.
Alright, that metaphor sounded a lot more negative than it was supposed to. The point is, I have all the "tools" necessary to make a change, and I just haven't been doing it, flat out. I have many lofty goals for this summer, and in order to make anything happen, I need to start now. So in that spirit, I have a plan for tomorrow that I'm going to STICK TO whether it kills me or not. I have to go to school for some new gradebook training, then I'm going to head to a store and buy a scale because I still don't have one, then I'm going to Panera to read a book that I keep getting distracted from. And then in the evening, I'm going to work out.
So here is my plan for tomorrow:
English muffin w. spray butter - 0
Fi-bar - 2
Coffee - (i don't know how to calculate this...i use a lot of creamer, i don't measure it, and it's not low-fat, so we'll estimate this at 3 pts...i could be completely wrong, but work with me) - 3
Panera Strawberry Poppyseed Salad w. chicken - 6
Fiber One bar, oats and peanut butter - 1
Stuffed Chicken breast* - 8
Sliced bell peppers - 1 (or maybe zero?)
Weight Watchers yogurt - 1
Fresh cherries - 1
Weight Watchers ice cream bar - 2
Total: 25 pts (not enough...but more food would just be pointless, it seems...i'll snack if i'm hungry)
*I'm guessing on the chicken thing; it's a recipe I'm going to try tomorrow. Essentially it's a chicken breast laid flat and layered with mozzarella cheese, spinach, and red, yellow, and green bell peppers. I know the veggies aren't much, and the chick should be around 4 or 5 (they are large portions) so I'm guessing a little on the cheese. I'll figure out the exact points if I like them and decide to use them again.
In all honesty, this points thin is very confusing to me. I haven't ruled out the idea of going back to counting calories, fat, and protein, but as I haven't given this system a fair shake yet, I'm willing to try.
OH! In the past I've always set a couple weight loss-related but not food-related goals for a week, and I think I'll do that again:
1) Drink at least 32 oz of water, to promote, y'know, drinking water (I know you need 64oz a day, but I need to work up to that)
2) No eating past 9 PM. In the past, whether I can successfully stick to that goal has been a good yardstick for whether I'll succeed on the plan in general.
3) Work out or walk every single day, to build consistency.
4) Count and log everything, both here and in my little notebook.
Wish me luck!
For many - mostly lame - reasons, I have not been watching my eating habits at all. I haven't settled into any kind of summer routine, which I really need to do. As someone who has dieted for nearly 15 years with various degrees of success at various times (example: I lost 75 lbs between junior/senior year of high school, which is proof positive that I can do this if I actually freaking try), I know my own eating habits and pitfalls inside and out. I know I'm an emotional eater, I know I prefer eating at night, I know that I'm given to binging, I know that when I encounter even just a little bit of stress, I often refocus all of my energies AWAY from being healthy. It's not like this is a quest to "figure out" why I'm fat. Believe me, it's like a life sentence in prison: you get plenty of time to think about how you got there.
Alright, that metaphor sounded a lot more negative than it was supposed to. The point is, I have all the "tools" necessary to make a change, and I just haven't been doing it, flat out. I have many lofty goals for this summer, and in order to make anything happen, I need to start now. So in that spirit, I have a plan for tomorrow that I'm going to STICK TO whether it kills me or not. I have to go to school for some new gradebook training, then I'm going to head to a store and buy a scale because I still don't have one, then I'm going to Panera to read a book that I keep getting distracted from. And then in the evening, I'm going to work out.
So here is my plan for tomorrow:
English muffin w. spray butter - 0
Fi-bar - 2
Coffee - (i don't know how to calculate this...i use a lot of creamer, i don't measure it, and it's not low-fat, so we'll estimate this at 3 pts...i could be completely wrong, but work with me) - 3
Panera Strawberry Poppyseed Salad w. chicken - 6
Fiber One bar, oats and peanut butter - 1
Stuffed Chicken breast* - 8
Sliced bell peppers - 1 (or maybe zero?)
Weight Watchers yogurt - 1
Fresh cherries - 1
Weight Watchers ice cream bar - 2
Total: 25 pts (not enough...but more food would just be pointless, it seems...i'll snack if i'm hungry)
*I'm guessing on the chicken thing; it's a recipe I'm going to try tomorrow. Essentially it's a chicken breast laid flat and layered with mozzarella cheese, spinach, and red, yellow, and green bell peppers. I know the veggies aren't much, and the chick should be around 4 or 5 (they are large portions) so I'm guessing a little on the cheese. I'll figure out the exact points if I like them and decide to use them again.
In all honesty, this points thin is very confusing to me. I haven't ruled out the idea of going back to counting calories, fat, and protein, but as I haven't given this system a fair shake yet, I'm willing to try.
OH! In the past I've always set a couple weight loss-related but not food-related goals for a week, and I think I'll do that again:
1) Drink at least 32 oz of water, to promote, y'know, drinking water (I know you need 64oz a day, but I need to work up to that)
2) No eating past 9 PM. In the past, whether I can successfully stick to that goal has been a good yardstick for whether I'll succeed on the plan in general.
3) Work out or walk every single day, to build consistency.
4) Count and log everything, both here and in my little notebook.
Wish me luck!
Comments
Seriously... give the points thing a try. It is seriously easier than counting the calories, etc. I highly recommend picking up a Points calculator from any of the WW places. I use mine all the time and it is a lifesaver to figure some of this stuff out (or when grocery shopping and comparing 2 different options). :)
And I hear you on the picture thing -- old pictures are awesome (though depressing!) motivators.