I have been doing okay with food & exercise, but more importantly, twice I have felt like bingeing, and DIDN'T! The first time I wasn't even hungry, I just felt like eating something sweet, and I said "Liz, don't do this. Have a nice mug of tea and go to bed, and you'll be so much happier". And I was! The second time (tonight) I was at the grocery store, and I was hungry, and I ate a free sample of chocolate. Then I was super tempted to just say "screw it" and buy something from the bakery...but I thought of all the healthy eating I did today, and what a shame it would be to waste it all by eating hundreds of calories of crap. So instead I bought a healthy treat (kale chips! interesting...), and now I'm having another mug of tea and going to bed. yay!
I feel like I'm on the right track again, and it feels soooo much better! :)
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
FAIL
Okay, so my plan with the biscotti did NOT work out. At all. I ended up eating a ton of cookies, as well as the leftover nuts and chocolate. I think I will have to stick with avoiding having delicious things in my house at all costs, because I simply can't control myself around them.
The good news is that my workouts are going really well...I'm starting to get some muscles!
I'm hoping this week at work will be a little more relaxed, and I'll have time for some evening workouts. I have a bunch of social events planned for this week, so I'm going to eat really, really healthy during the workday to allow a little leeway for the evenings, and then not go overboard. That's the plan.
Man, losing weight is tough :(
The good news is that my workouts are going really well...I'm starting to get some muscles!
I'm hoping this week at work will be a little more relaxed, and I'll have time for some evening workouts. I have a bunch of social events planned for this week, so I'm going to eat really, really healthy during the workday to allow a little leeway for the evenings, and then not go overboard. That's the plan.
Man, losing weight is tough :(
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Busy, busy
Man, I have been SO busy at work these days! I haven't been able to work out in the evenings, but I've been eating pretty well since I last reported. Some things that have been working well for me are:
- when I want a "treat" for myself, for heading back to work at night (ugh) I get a skim latte. Only ~150 calories, as opposed to hundreds for a food treat! And it lasts longer too!
- I've been keeping a big bowl of cut-up kabocha squash in the fridge, and when I want a quick snack I steam some in the microwave, and add lots of cinnamon and a package of sweet n' low. Delicious and nutritious!
Today I'm going to make some cookies for my friend's birthday. I debated not making them, just so I wouldn't eat them...but my friend would love these, and would really appreciate the gesture. So, I decided I will do one small tasting of the dough (quality control!) and then I will eat the ends (it's biscotti). I WILL NOT eat: broken cookies, chocolate chips, lick the bowl, etc. I'll report back on how I did to keep me honest!
Weight-wise, I still haven't lost much weight, since I gained it all back last weekend when I binged on junk. That is incredibly frustrating, and something I will keep in mind the next time I feel like bingeing :(
- when I want a "treat" for myself, for heading back to work at night (ugh) I get a skim latte. Only ~150 calories, as opposed to hundreds for a food treat! And it lasts longer too!
- I've been keeping a big bowl of cut-up kabocha squash in the fridge, and when I want a quick snack I steam some in the microwave, and add lots of cinnamon and a package of sweet n' low. Delicious and nutritious!
Today I'm going to make some cookies for my friend's birthday. I debated not making them, just so I wouldn't eat them...but my friend would love these, and would really appreciate the gesture. So, I decided I will do one small tasting of the dough (quality control!) and then I will eat the ends (it's biscotti). I WILL NOT eat: broken cookies, chocolate chips, lick the bowl, etc. I'll report back on how I did to keep me honest!
Weight-wise, I still haven't lost much weight, since I gained it all back last weekend when I binged on junk. That is incredibly frustrating, and something I will keep in mind the next time I feel like bingeing :(
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Keep on Trucking...
Today was an okay day...I'm gonna have to skip my evening workout to go back to work again, but I did some strength training this morning at least. There was ice cream at work today, which I didn't eat, but then I kind of pigged out on sugar-free fudgsicles (they have 40 calories each, but still...won't be buying those anymore!) Overall an okay day though!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Day 42
I said I wasn't gonna get on the scale, but I did anyway...aaaand it was 150.0 Wow. You can do A LOT of damage in 2 days. MUST REMEMBER THAT. (In fact, I wrote it all down on a response card. So there better not be a next time!)
Today was a much better day...ate a lot of healthy stuff in reasonable portions. Planned on doing some cardio tonight (I did weights in the morning) but I am waaaay too busy with work stuff. oh well.
The final day of the Beck book is Practice, Practice, Practice. I will certainly have opportunity to do this in the coming weeks! Off to bed now...another busy day tomorrow!
Today was a much better day...ate a lot of healthy stuff in reasonable portions. Planned on doing some cardio tonight (I did weights in the morning) but I am waaaay too busy with work stuff. oh well.
The final day of the Beck book is Practice, Practice, Practice. I will certainly have opportunity to do this in the coming weeks! Off to bed now...another busy day tomorrow!
Monday, August 2, 2010
Day 41
I figure I'm so close to the end of the book, I may as well finish it off! Then I'll go back and work on the things I haven't mastered yet. And then maybe start a new book (a lot of Geneen Roth's get good reviews).
Today was a much better day, but I'm still feeling residual fat-and-grossness from the weekend. But, looking forward! Moving on! Tomorrow I'm going to start writing down everything that I eat again, and posting it here. My triathlon is in 5 weeks, which seems far to soon...but really, it is possible to lose 10 pounds in 5 weeks, if I just STICK TO IT!
Day 41 is Make a New To-Do List...basically just keep doing all the things I've been practicing.
Okay, I'm going to go ride my bike for a bit!
Today was a much better day, but I'm still feeling residual fat-and-grossness from the weekend. But, looking forward! Moving on! Tomorrow I'm going to start writing down everything that I eat again, and posting it here. My triathlon is in 5 weeks, which seems far to soon...but really, it is possible to lose 10 pounds in 5 weeks, if I just STICK TO IT!
Day 41 is Make a New To-Do List...basically just keep doing all the things I've been practicing.
Okay, I'm going to go ride my bike for a bit!
Back to the beginning...
Remember how I said it had been ages since I binged on junk food? Well, that streak is over. I did pretty much everything wrong yesterday night...I went out for dinner with a friend, and drank a lot...I guess because the conversation was kind of boring, and drinks were cheap. And then when I got home (I walked) I was still kinda drunk, and felt like eating, and told myself all the cliche things like "well I already ate that whole dinner, so I may as well go all out now", and "tomorrow I'll start eating healthy again!". I'd like to think that if I was totally sober, I would have made better choices, but who knows.
Anyway, it makes me incredibly frustrated to pretty much be back where I started. I need to go back to the things that were helping me in the beginning...reading my cards, thinking of strengthening my "resistance muscle", and blogging every day about my progress.
I think I'm not going to weigh-in tomorrow, because it will be awful, and probably make me cry.
So, back to the begininning. I'm going to read my ARC card, and head out for a run right now. And then I'll have a better day, dammit!
Anyway, it makes me incredibly frustrated to pretty much be back where I started. I need to go back to the things that were helping me in the beginning...reading my cards, thinking of strengthening my "resistance muscle", and blogging every day about my progress.
I think I'm not going to weigh-in tomorrow, because it will be awful, and probably make me cry.
So, back to the begininning. I'm going to read my ARC card, and head out for a run right now. And then I'll have a better day, dammit!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Two steps forward...
one step back. siiiigh. The past 2 days have been NOT GOOD. I ate an obscene amount of peanut butter (with a spoon, straight outta the jar) yesterday, and tons of cheese, fruit, nuts, and food that I didn't need. Now I feel really fat and gross and frustrated. I should have taken a step back, read my cards, had a mug of tea, and gone for a walk. But I didn't.
The triathlon I'm doing is only 5 weeks away, so I really need to get serious. Plus, I'm just sick of feeling bad about myself. It's a million degrees out, and I'm still wearing pants and long sleeves. It's ridiculous.
The next two weeks I'm going to go back to phase 1 of the SBD (so no fruit, starchy carbs, etc.), and lay off the booze. Enough is enough!
Day 40 is Enrich Your Life. It says to not wait until you lose weight to do the things you want to do. (That probably includes wearing shorts, eh?) Hopefully when these 2 weeks are up I'll feel ready to do that!
The triathlon I'm doing is only 5 weeks away, so I really need to get serious. Plus, I'm just sick of feeling bad about myself. It's a million degrees out, and I'm still wearing pants and long sleeves. It's ridiculous.
The next two weeks I'm going to go back to phase 1 of the SBD (so no fruit, starchy carbs, etc.), and lay off the booze. Enough is enough!
Day 40 is Enrich Your Life. It says to not wait until you lose weight to do the things you want to do. (That probably includes wearing shorts, eh?) Hopefully when these 2 weeks are up I'll feel ready to do that!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Day 39
Wow, getting close to the end of the book! I plan to keep blogging when it's done though, until I reach my goal weight. (Which, at this rate, will be in about 6 months :S)
Despite the fact that things are moving along sloooowly, it's been going pretty well overall. I still struggle a lot with wanting to eat when I'm not hungry...especially when I'm kind of stressed. But I haven't totally binged on junk food in ages, which is huge progress. That was the thing that really frustrated me the most.
Tonight I cooked up a big spaghetti squash, and then mixed in with garlic, red pepper flakes, shallots and olive oil...YUM. Can't wait to eat it for lunch tomorrow. I also bought some okra yesterday, which I have never eaten before...I'll have to figure out what to do with it!
Day 39 is Keep Up With Exercise. I am happy to say that this is one thing I do not struggle with! Once I get into a workout routine, I hate hate hate missing a workout. Even at 6am, I would way rather go to the gym than sleep in and miss it! My workouts have been going pretty well recently too...nothing crazy, but good steady progress.
good night!
Despite the fact that things are moving along sloooowly, it's been going pretty well overall. I still struggle a lot with wanting to eat when I'm not hungry...especially when I'm kind of stressed. But I haven't totally binged on junk food in ages, which is huge progress. That was the thing that really frustrated me the most.
Tonight I cooked up a big spaghetti squash, and then mixed in with garlic, red pepper flakes, shallots and olive oil...YUM. Can't wait to eat it for lunch tomorrow. I also bought some okra yesterday, which I have never eaten before...I'll have to figure out what to do with it!
Day 39 is Keep Up With Exercise. I am happy to say that this is one thing I do not struggle with! Once I get into a workout routine, I hate hate hate missing a workout. Even at 6am, I would way rather go to the gym than sleep in and miss it! My workouts have been going pretty well recently too...nothing crazy, but good steady progress.
good night!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Day 38
Remember how I was whining last week about how I ate waaaay to much fruit at "snack time" at work last week? This week I had one small bowl of fruit, and then I was was still hungry, so I filled up on veggies. I didn't even CONSIDER eating the desserts and hot wings and other such foods they had there. And I feel so much happier for it. GO ME!
The scale was up a bit today, but whatever. I can feel my muscles starting to come back, and I'm really excited about that. And I'm just about to do a bike (stationary) workout and watch some tv now...all in all, things are looking up!
Day 38 is Dealing With Plateaus. I'm hoping that since I am losing weight so freaking slowly to begin with I won't reach a plateau any time soon. (Will I even know if it's a plateau?!) But if I do, I'm ready!
The scale was up a bit today, but whatever. I can feel my muscles starting to come back, and I'm really excited about that. And I'm just about to do a bike (stationary) workout and watch some tv now...all in all, things are looking up!
Day 38 is Dealing With Plateaus. I'm hoping that since I am losing weight so freaking slowly to begin with I won't reach a plateau any time soon. (Will I even know if it's a plateau?!) But if I do, I'm ready!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Day 37
145.8 today! I am SO HAPPY! I feel motivated all over again :)
I've been doing really well with food...at night I roast/chop/prepare in some way veggies to eat at work the next day. As we speak I'm roasting brussel sprouts and kabocha squash. I'll sprinkle the kabocha with saigon cinnamon & sweet n' low, and it is delicious cold the next day. Like dessert, practically.
Yesterday I did a really good swim workout, and I planned on biking tonight, but I'm going to go back to work instead :S I have a bunch of stuff to finish up, and I want to do a good job of it, since I'm still new and all. I did do some strength training this morning, so at least I got that in.
Day 37 is Reduce Stress. I was feeling a LOT of stress at work yesterday...I was overwhelmed by the amount of stuff the expect me to know, and how fast they expect me to do it! But I figure I will just do the best I can (and I talked to my boss about extending the deadline a bit), and if it doesn't work out, then oh well...at least this is just a contract position anyway :)
Anyway, Judith has a bunch of suggestions about reducing stress. I don't think I'm a stress-y person in general (definitely not one of those perfectionist types), and really, my life is not that stressful to begin with. But I will give them a try...especially the relaxation part.
I've been doing really well with food...at night I roast/chop/prepare in some way veggies to eat at work the next day. As we speak I'm roasting brussel sprouts and kabocha squash. I'll sprinkle the kabocha with saigon cinnamon & sweet n' low, and it is delicious cold the next day. Like dessert, practically.
Yesterday I did a really good swim workout, and I planned on biking tonight, but I'm going to go back to work instead :S I have a bunch of stuff to finish up, and I want to do a good job of it, since I'm still new and all. I did do some strength training this morning, so at least I got that in.
Day 37 is Reduce Stress. I was feeling a LOT of stress at work yesterday...I was overwhelmed by the amount of stuff the expect me to know, and how fast they expect me to do it! But I figure I will just do the best I can (and I talked to my boss about extending the deadline a bit), and if it doesn't work out, then oh well...at least this is just a contract position anyway :)
Anyway, Judith has a bunch of suggestions about reducing stress. I don't think I'm a stress-y person in general (definitely not one of those perfectionist types), and really, my life is not that stressful to begin with. But I will give them a try...especially the relaxation part.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Day 36
So, tomorrow is weigh-in day...kinda nervous. I doubt I'll be down from last week, but oh well.
I've been doing really well with exercise, now that I have a bit more time on my hands. I've been eating pretty well too. So hopefully it'll all come together!
Day 36 is 'Believe It'. And I do!
I've been doing really well with exercise, now that I have a bit more time on my hands. I've been eating pretty well too. So hopefully it'll all come together!
Day 36 is 'Believe It'. And I do!
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Day 35
148.6 this morning (and I was even feeling kind of dehydrated). Heavy sighs.
The good news is that I'm pretty much done the work I was doing at nights, so I'll be able to add some evening workouts back in. My triathlon is 6 weeks away so I NEED to get my ass in gear. It'll be great to exercise more, but really, it's my eating that is bringing me down.
Here's what I plan to do to fix it:
- NO NUTS. yes, they're a "health food", but way too calorie dense in the quantities that I eat them.
- ONE serving of fruit, per day, max. Whether it's free or not!
- TWO diet cokes per day, max. (I'll cut back to one, and hopefully zero at some point, but I'm drinking it like it's going out of style at work, and even though it doesn't have calories it still can't be good for me). I'll drink lots of tea and water instead.
- Otherwise, stick to all south beach diet foods. Basically I'll be eating loads of vegetables, eggs, and lean meat.
- I'm going to plan out realistic meal plans in the evening and pack my lunch for the next day, and then say NO CHOICE when there's food that isn't on my meal plan.
Day 35 is another 'Get Ready to Weigh In' day...I don't weigh in till Tuesday, so hopefully I can turn things around before then!
The good news is that I'm pretty much done the work I was doing at nights, so I'll be able to add some evening workouts back in. My triathlon is 6 weeks away so I NEED to get my ass in gear. It'll be great to exercise more, but really, it's my eating that is bringing me down.
Here's what I plan to do to fix it:
- NO NUTS. yes, they're a "health food", but way too calorie dense in the quantities that I eat them.
- ONE serving of fruit, per day, max. Whether it's free or not!
- TWO diet cokes per day, max. (I'll cut back to one, and hopefully zero at some point, but I'm drinking it like it's going out of style at work, and even though it doesn't have calories it still can't be good for me). I'll drink lots of tea and water instead.
- Otherwise, stick to all south beach diet foods. Basically I'll be eating loads of vegetables, eggs, and lean meat.
- I'm going to plan out realistic meal plans in the evening and pack my lunch for the next day, and then say NO CHOICE when there's food that isn't on my meal plan.
Day 35 is another 'Get Ready to Weigh In' day...I don't weigh in till Tuesday, so hopefully I can turn things around before then!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Day 34
A much better day today. I did eat 2 hotdogs at the bbq, but I took the bun off, and I didn't eat any of the other stuff there. And when I stopped off at the grocery store on my way home from work I was really hungry...and I was tempted to buy some granola bars or cheese strings, but I knew that, being hungry, I would definitely eat way too many of them. So I bought 100g of turkey breast from the deli, and ate that in the car to tide me over.
Then, after I ate dinner, I still felt like eating stuff, but I had a big glass of water and went for a walk, and now it has passed. I told myself that the kitchen is closed for the day, and that is that.
I am allllmost done the work stuff I'm doing, so I'm hoping to finally get to bed early tonight. I haven't been getting nearly enough sleep this week!
Day 34 is Solve Problems. When I have negative thoughts, I'm supposed to go through the 7 steps and figure out what to do. I'll give it a shot!
Then, after I ate dinner, I still felt like eating stuff, but I had a big glass of water and went for a walk, and now it has passed. I told myself that the kitchen is closed for the day, and that is that.
I am allllmost done the work stuff I'm doing, so I'm hoping to finally get to bed early tonight. I haven't been getting nearly enough sleep this week!
Day 34 is Solve Problems. When I have negative thoughts, I'm supposed to go through the 7 steps and figure out what to do. I'll give it a shot!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Siiiigh.
Man, losing weight is SO HARD. I was feeling so good about myself the other day (after weighing in in the 145s), but now I am feeling fat and blah again today.
At work today there was free cake, ice cream, and fruit and veggie platter. I did NOT eat the cake or ice cream. (yay!) I did, however, eat an absurd amount of fruit. why? Because fruit is healthy, and it was FREE. (Fresh pineapple ain't cheap!) But then I felt all bloated and gross all afternoon. (And the South Beach Diet allows you to have a piece or two of fruit a day...not 4 bowls full). So when I got home I was all depressed about it, and felt like eating stuff. I don't have any "bad" food in the house (thank god!) but I did eat WAY too many nuts...like several big handfuls, which is a million calories, and also some unsweetened peanut butter off the spoon.
WHY? WHY?! Raw unsalted nuts don't even taste that good. It's so stupid.
Anyway, the good news is that I stopped myself mid-spoonful of peanut butter, and said enough is enough, and then I chewed some gum and drank some water and rode my bike for 20 mins. The bad news is that I am still overeating all the time. On better food, but still...I won't lose any weight this way.
Okay, if Judith was here, I think she would tell me to give myself credit first:
- I didn't end up all-out binging at dairy queen or something. I overate, but I DID stop myself, eventually.
- I have been doing really well at not eating junk food!
And then Judith would ask what I could do next time:
- When I feel like eating, but I'm not really hungry, DON'T EAT. Get my freaking response cards out! Go for a walk! Read a book! Meditate! (I have never actually meditated in my life, but perhaps I should start!)
I know I can do this...I HAVE to do this! C'mon Lizzy!
Anyway, tomorrow is also a work bbq. I WILL NOT allow myself to end up eating junky hotdogs and chips and crap like that...I like healthier stuff better than that anyway. So I will eat a sensible lunch of my own, and then tell myself "NO CHOICE!" at everything else. (The 'no choice' thing is actually working out pretty well for me...)
I also have some dinner outings coming up this weekend, so I'll post my Plan of Attack for those tomorrow.
Day 33 in the beck book is Eliminate Emotional Eating. Well, I think we just covered that!
At work today there was free cake, ice cream, and fruit and veggie platter. I did NOT eat the cake or ice cream. (yay!) I did, however, eat an absurd amount of fruit. why? Because fruit is healthy, and it was FREE. (Fresh pineapple ain't cheap!) But then I felt all bloated and gross all afternoon. (And the South Beach Diet allows you to have a piece or two of fruit a day...not 4 bowls full). So when I got home I was all depressed about it, and felt like eating stuff. I don't have any "bad" food in the house (thank god!) but I did eat WAY too many nuts...like several big handfuls, which is a million calories, and also some unsweetened peanut butter off the spoon.
WHY? WHY?! Raw unsalted nuts don't even taste that good. It's so stupid.
Anyway, the good news is that I stopped myself mid-spoonful of peanut butter, and said enough is enough, and then I chewed some gum and drank some water and rode my bike for 20 mins. The bad news is that I am still overeating all the time. On better food, but still...I won't lose any weight this way.
Okay, if Judith was here, I think she would tell me to give myself credit first:
- I didn't end up all-out binging at dairy queen or something. I overate, but I DID stop myself, eventually.
- I have been doing really well at not eating junk food!
And then Judith would ask what I could do next time:
- When I feel like eating, but I'm not really hungry, DON'T EAT. Get my freaking response cards out! Go for a walk! Read a book! Meditate! (I have never actually meditated in my life, but perhaps I should start!)
I know I can do this...I HAVE to do this! C'mon Lizzy!
Anyway, tomorrow is also a work bbq. I WILL NOT allow myself to end up eating junky hotdogs and chips and crap like that...I like healthier stuff better than that anyway. So I will eat a sensible lunch of my own, and then tell myself "NO CHOICE!" at everything else. (The 'no choice' thing is actually working out pretty well for me...)
I also have some dinner outings coming up this weekend, so I'll post my Plan of Attack for those tomorrow.
Day 33 in the beck book is Eliminate Emotional Eating. Well, I think we just covered that!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Day 32
147.0 for the official weigh in...but, I was 145.8 yesterday! aaargh!
I am soooo busy these days with my two jobs, so I'm not working out nearly as much as I would like. But that should hopefully be wrapped up by the end of next week.
For food, I'm doing okay...still eating a lot, but all healthy stuff. I haven't binged on junky food in ages. I'm sure if I can keep this up, the weight will sloooowly come off.
Day 32 in the Beck Book is Prepare to Travel. I am AWFUL at eating while travelling. (I'll have to re-read this chapter before my next trip).
Okay, back to work!
I am soooo busy these days with my two jobs, so I'm not working out nearly as much as I would like. But that should hopefully be wrapped up by the end of next week.
For food, I'm doing okay...still eating a lot, but all healthy stuff. I haven't binged on junky food in ages. I'm sure if I can keep this up, the weight will sloooowly come off.
Day 32 in the Beck Book is Prepare to Travel. I am AWFUL at eating while travelling. (I'll have to re-read this chapter before my next trip).
Okay, back to work!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Day 31
147.2 this morning...I'm hoping to be in the 146s by tuesday's "official" weigh-in!
I am doing really well with food this weekend...honestly, I haven't even been tempted to eat bad stuff. Now let's just hope I can keep this up in more difficult situations!
Day 31 is Decide About Drinking...again, good timing! I hardly ever drank before moving here, but it seems my friends here drink a whole lot more! The book says to decide how much you'll drink beforehand, so I'll do that the next time I have plans for going out.
In other news, I plan on going swimming tomorrow (if I get all this work done!). I need to get a lot of practice in before my triathlon!
I am doing really well with food this weekend...honestly, I haven't even been tempted to eat bad stuff. Now let's just hope I can keep this up in more difficult situations!
Day 31 is Decide About Drinking...again, good timing! I hardly ever drank before moving here, but it seems my friends here drink a whole lot more! The book says to decide how much you'll drink beforehand, so I'll do that the next time I have plans for going out.
In other news, I plan on going swimming tomorrow (if I get all this work done!). I need to get a lot of practice in before my triathlon!
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Day 30
Whoops, missed a day there!
So, I finished my first week of work...it has been super busy because I'm still doing some contract stuff for my old company, so it's like I have two jobs :( But, I really like being back in a routine...it has been good for my eating. Also, I signed up for a triathlon (just a mini one) on Sept 6th, so I'll need to do a whole/lot of swim/bike/running before then!
I haven't weighed in for a few days, mostly because I'm scared. I have no exciting plans for this weekend (just working, ugh) so I'll be eating super healthy and working out. Hopefully by Tuesday's weigh-in I'll be back at 147, or maybe 146!
I'm really enjoying my food scale. I've been measuring everything these days, and seeing how close I am to what I usually estimate...in general, it's less than I thought! I made a kale salad today though, and I measured the olive oil, and YIKES...120 calories in a tablespoon! I use 1.5, which means what I thought was a super healthy salad has almost 200 calories in oil! It's still a super healthy salad, of course...it's kale, for heaven's sake, but I'm going to try increasing the lemon juice and decreasing the oil and seeing if it still tastes good.
Anyway, back to the beck book...day 30 is coming at a good time because it is 'Stay in control while eating out'. Again, lots of helpful advice. I think the main thing for me to remember is, that even though I looooove eating (especially at restaurants), it is more important to be to be fit! The old line "nothing tastes as good as thin feels" is 100% accurate...I just need to keep reminding myself that!
Finally, here are few things I can give myself credit for, just because it's been a while:
- at work the other day I had a baggie of cashews (I had originally planned on putting them in a salad the day before, but didn't). I saw them the next morning, and I KNEW that even though cashews weren't what I planned to eat that day, if they were sitting in my desk when hunger struck in the afternoon I would eat them for sure. So I threw them out. Problem solved!
- I politely declined free samples on several occasions this week!
- I still have no junk food in the house, and it so helpful. If it's not there, I can't eat it!
okay, back to work!
So, I finished my first week of work...it has been super busy because I'm still doing some contract stuff for my old company, so it's like I have two jobs :( But, I really like being back in a routine...it has been good for my eating. Also, I signed up for a triathlon (just a mini one) on Sept 6th, so I'll need to do a whole/lot of swim/bike/running before then!
I haven't weighed in for a few days, mostly because I'm scared. I have no exciting plans for this weekend (just working, ugh) so I'll be eating super healthy and working out. Hopefully by Tuesday's weigh-in I'll be back at 147, or maybe 146!
I'm really enjoying my food scale. I've been measuring everything these days, and seeing how close I am to what I usually estimate...in general, it's less than I thought! I made a kale salad today though, and I measured the olive oil, and YIKES...120 calories in a tablespoon! I use 1.5, which means what I thought was a super healthy salad has almost 200 calories in oil! It's still a super healthy salad, of course...it's kale, for heaven's sake, but I'm going to try increasing the lemon juice and decreasing the oil and seeing if it still tastes good.
Anyway, back to the beck book...day 30 is coming at a good time because it is 'Stay in control while eating out'. Again, lots of helpful advice. I think the main thing for me to remember is, that even though I looooove eating (especially at restaurants), it is more important to be to be fit! The old line "nothing tastes as good as thin feels" is 100% accurate...I just need to keep reminding myself that!
Finally, here are few things I can give myself credit for, just because it's been a while:
- at work the other day I had a baggie of cashews (I had originally planned on putting them in a salad the day before, but didn't). I saw them the next morning, and I KNEW that even though cashews weren't what I planned to eat that day, if they were sitting in my desk when hunger struck in the afternoon I would eat them for sure. So I threw them out. Problem solved!
- I politely declined free samples on several occasions this week!
- I still have no junk food in the house, and it so helpful. If it's not there, I can't eat it!
okay, back to work!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Night Out...
147.0 this morning, which is the lowest in a while!
Tonight I went out for dinner/drinks with friends. I drank wine, which seems healthier than sugary mixed drinks, and ate a fantastic but small-portioned dinner, and then we all split 2 desserts. While it was definitely more calories than I would have eaten otherwise, I had a great night, and I just had small tastes of everything, so I don't feel totally gross. Also, I feel much better about it mentally, because I allowed myself to enjoy a good evening, rather than when I binge on cookies/cake/whatever alone by myself...that is just sad. Anyway, I'll try to cut back on the calories tomorrow and this weekend, but I had a really fun evening and I don't feel bad about it at all.
Tomorrow is day 29, resist food pushers. I definitely know a few of those. I'm really trying hard to establish a new healthy identity in my new city though...Lizzy the healthy eater!
Tonight I went out for dinner/drinks with friends. I drank wine, which seems healthier than sugary mixed drinks, and ate a fantastic but small-portioned dinner, and then we all split 2 desserts. While it was definitely more calories than I would have eaten otherwise, I had a great night, and I just had small tastes of everything, so I don't feel totally gross. Also, I feel much better about it mentally, because I allowed myself to enjoy a good evening, rather than when I binge on cookies/cake/whatever alone by myself...that is just sad. Anyway, I'll try to cut back on the calories tomorrow and this weekend, but I had a really fun evening and I don't feel bad about it at all.
Tomorrow is day 29, resist food pushers. I definitely know a few of those. I'm really trying hard to establish a new healthy identity in my new city though...Lizzy the healthy eater!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Day 28
A few obstacles today...first of all, I was eating lunch with my new boss today (he was on vacation my first 2 days). I didn't want to eat the lunch I brought, since it was gonna be a massive bowl of coleslaw and some leftover pork tenderloin that I planned on eating right out of the tinfoil. (Seems a bit unprofessional, no?) So instead I bought a soup and salad from the cafeteria...still a healthy choice, just a few more carbs than I would have eaten otherwise.
Then, apparently every wednesday they have a little social hour (well, social 15 mins) with free food. I would have just skipped it, except that I'm new, and I want to be sociable! They had ice cream and waffle cones and fresh fruit. I got a single scoop of ice cream in a bowl. And then later in the afternoon I went back and got a bowl of fruit...but then I realized, I already ate too many carbs/sugar today, and I really don't need this fruit. I am only eating it because it is free and it is there. So I stopped eating and threw the rest out.
So anyway, it wasn't a perfect day, but I still feel like I'm doing well. Usually I would make some kind of excuses about things "not counting" because they're free, or it's my first week of work or whatever. Unfortunately I am way too busy to do the workout I planned to do tonight. But oh well. It's a process.
Day 28 is Get Ready To Weigh In. I already did my weekly weigh-in on tuesday, but the info still applies for every day. My last weigh-in wasn't good, but I think I'm doing a good job of staying problem-solving oriented. We'll see what the scale holds tomorrow!
Then, apparently every wednesday they have a little social hour (well, social 15 mins) with free food. I would have just skipped it, except that I'm new, and I want to be sociable! They had ice cream and waffle cones and fresh fruit. I got a single scoop of ice cream in a bowl. And then later in the afternoon I went back and got a bowl of fruit...but then I realized, I already ate too many carbs/sugar today, and I really don't need this fruit. I am only eating it because it is free and it is there. So I stopped eating and threw the rest out.
So anyway, it wasn't a perfect day, but I still feel like I'm doing well. Usually I would make some kind of excuses about things "not counting" because they're free, or it's my first week of work or whatever. Unfortunately I am way too busy to do the workout I planned to do tonight. But oh well. It's a process.
Day 28 is Get Ready To Weigh In. I already did my weekly weigh-in on tuesday, but the info still applies for every day. My last weigh-in wasn't good, but I think I'm doing a good job of staying problem-solving oriented. We'll see what the scale holds tomorrow!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Day 27
Another good eating day, on account of the fact that I was too busy, and didn't have any food! (I brought a can of soup for the afternoon, but my work does not seem to have a can opener. Or bowl. hmmm...)
Today was my weigh-in day, and I was 148.6, which is up .6 from last week. But, oh well. I need to step up my exercise, but otherwise I think I'm moving in the right direction.
I didn't really have any sabotaging thoughts today...although, I did eat my sugar snap peas and nuts way early (they were supposed to be a 3pm snack, but I ate them with lunch)...because...they were there. I guess I was thinking "What difference does it make when I eat them? I'll just eat them now, and then I won't be hungry later."...obviously that is NOT true. Tomorrow I will leave afternoon snacks in the fridge to avoid temptation, and when I'm tempted I will tell myself "WAIT until you are hungry! You don't need these now!".
Tomorrow is Day 27, which is 'Master the 7 Question Technique'. I'm writing the questions down on a card, and sticking it in my purse, so I can pull it out at work if need be.
Today was my weigh-in day, and I was 148.6, which is up .6 from last week. But, oh well. I need to step up my exercise, but otherwise I think I'm moving in the right direction.
I didn't really have any sabotaging thoughts today...although, I did eat my sugar snap peas and nuts way early (they were supposed to be a 3pm snack, but I ate them with lunch)...because...they were there. I guess I was thinking "What difference does it make when I eat them? I'll just eat them now, and then I won't be hungry later."...obviously that is NOT true. Tomorrow I will leave afternoon snacks in the fridge to avoid temptation, and when I'm tempted I will tell myself "WAIT until you are hungry! You don't need these now!".
Tomorrow is Day 27, which is 'Master the 7 Question Technique'. I'm writing the questions down on a card, and sticking it in my purse, so I can pull it out at work if need be.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Day 26
Oh man, I am BUSY...gotta make this quick!
Today was the first day of work...it went okay...just regular first-day stuff, meeting people, getting the computer set up, reading documents... Eating-wise I did fantastic, because I was too busy to snack! (But, I'll have to bring some snacks tomorrow, because I was STARVING.)
Here's my plan for tomorrow:
- red pepper pre-gym
- egg muffin thingies for breakfast (crustless quiche that I'm cooking in muffin tins as we speak)
- cauliflower & pork tenderloin for lunch
- sugar snap peas and nuts for snack
- can of Amy's soup in case I'm still hungry
- taco salad for dinner
- handful of blueberries for dessert
Day 26 is 'Recognize Thinking Mistakes'. If I have time for any, I'll report back! (No sabotaging thoughts for today, I don't think. I may have briefly considered a "I deserve the baked doritos from the cafeteria, since it's my first day", but I opted for soup & salad bar instead. go me!
Today was the first day of work...it went okay...just regular first-day stuff, meeting people, getting the computer set up, reading documents... Eating-wise I did fantastic, because I was too busy to snack! (But, I'll have to bring some snacks tomorrow, because I was STARVING.)
Here's my plan for tomorrow:
- red pepper pre-gym
- egg muffin thingies for breakfast (crustless quiche that I'm cooking in muffin tins as we speak)
- cauliflower & pork tenderloin for lunch
- sugar snap peas and nuts for snack
- can of Amy's soup in case I'm still hungry
- taco salad for dinner
- handful of blueberries for dessert
Day 26 is 'Recognize Thinking Mistakes'. If I have time for any, I'll report back! (No sabotaging thoughts for today, I don't think. I may have briefly considered a "I deserve the baked doritos from the cafeteria, since it's my first day", but I opted for soup & salad bar instead. go me!
Sunday, July 11, 2010
And I'm Back!
The weekend was fun, but I overate, AGAIN :( Not an all-out binge, and I didn't eat any junk food, so I guess I can give myself credit for that, but I am not exercising nearly enough to have the "buffer calories" I used to. Sigh.
I really, REALLY need to lose this weight though. I wore pants and long sleeves this whole weekend, even though it was super hot, because I hate the way my arms and legs look right now. And I just feel crappy. This is ridiculous. I need to get on with my life!
Tomorrow is my first day of work, and I'm looking forward to using the gym there, and getting into a good routine. Tomorrow night, after I've seen what the fridge/kitchen/cafeteria situation is like, I'm going to map out my food plan. I think I'll go with 1800 calories/day, because 1500 is too tough for me.
So yeah, I'm feeling frustrated. But I feel like the light is at the end of the tunnel...
Tomorrow is also Day 25 of the Beck book, which is "Identify Sabotaging Thoughts". I'll report back on that tomorrow!
I really, REALLY need to lose this weight though. I wore pants and long sleeves this whole weekend, even though it was super hot, because I hate the way my arms and legs look right now. And I just feel crappy. This is ridiculous. I need to get on with my life!
Tomorrow is my first day of work, and I'm looking forward to using the gym there, and getting into a good routine. Tomorrow night, after I've seen what the fridge/kitchen/cafeteria situation is like, I'm going to map out my food plan. I think I'll go with 1800 calories/day, because 1500 is too tough for me.
So yeah, I'm feeling frustrated. But I feel like the light is at the end of the tunnel...
Tomorrow is also Day 25 of the Beck book, which is "Identify Sabotaging Thoughts". I'll report back on that tomorrow!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Day 24
148.4 this morning...a bit better, anyway. Today I did pretty well with eating, although I ate the last of the flank steak, and a bunch of rotisserie chicken, and I don't really have a good feel for how many calories are in those. But other than that, I ate a TON of vegetables, all low-carb. (Also, I made chicken stock out of the chicken bones for the first time ever! I think it will be good...my apartment smells amazing!)
I'm going away for the weekend, and I've already informed everyone that I'm on a diet, and I'm going to bring a ton of healthy food...so hopefully I will be able to stay on track! I BETTER stay on track, because if the scale hasn't moved by tuesday's weigh in I will be pissed! (I might not be blogging this weekend, but I'll be back monday.) Anyway, this weekend will be a good time to practice all the stuff I've been working on...dealing with temptations, saying "oh well", stop fooling myself...
Day 24 is Deal with Discouragement. hoo, boy. Again, she makes some good points...it's not like I'm suffering or anything on this diet. I'm just eating healthy stuff. It is not that bad. Suck it up, Liz!
I'm going away for the weekend, and I've already informed everyone that I'm on a diet, and I'm going to bring a ton of healthy food...so hopefully I will be able to stay on track! I BETTER stay on track, because if the scale hasn't moved by tuesday's weigh in I will be pissed! (I might not be blogging this weekend, but I'll be back monday.) Anyway, this weekend will be a good time to practice all the stuff I've been working on...dealing with temptations, saying "oh well", stop fooling myself...
Day 24 is Deal with Discouragement. hoo, boy. Again, she makes some good points...it's not like I'm suffering or anything on this diet. I'm just eating healthy stuff. It is not that bad. Suck it up, Liz!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Day 23
The scale said 150.2 today. Believe me, I was NOT happy.
So, I spent some time today doing some research on my diet, and logging all of today's food in fitday.com so that I could get a good look at where I was going astray, since my current plan is clearly not working. Here's a quick summary of my findings.
- I should try to keep my carb count under 100. Today I ate around 120. Everything I ate was low-carb-ish, but I did eat one pear. Only 1, which I thought was acceptable...but holy shit, ONE pear has 25g of carbs! 25% of my daily total! sheesh! (Unfortunately I bought a whole bag of pears because they were on sale for $1.99) Clearly $1.99 is not worth blowing my diet for, so I may just throw them out, or eat 1/2 at a time or something...because other than fruit, all my carb quantities were pretty reasonable.
- I need to get a better handle on portion sizes for high-calorie foods (feta cheese, olive oil, steak). I was totally guessing at quantities when I was putting stuff in fitday. I think once I get my food scale (I ordered it from amazon) that will help a lot. And even for vegetables it will be helpful, because they have things like "1 cup kale, chopped"...but depending on how much you chop it, that can be a lot or a little! I don't think I'm overdoing it on portion sizes, but who actually knows.
So, I'm going to start measuring stuff for a little while, and watching my fruit and carb intake. Hopefully these changes will help! At least I'm feeling more positive after doing this research...like I'm actually DOING something, instead of just crossing my fingers and getting on the scale.
On to the Beck book...tomorrow is Day 23, which is 'Counter the Unfairness Syndrome'. I don't think this one really applies to me, because honestly, I eat like a freaking cow. It is no mystery how I packed on the pounds (binge eating on chocolate and cookies and such for the past few months), and I should probably be glad that the damage wasn't worse. I think I'm pretty lucky in terms of metabolism, because I still eat more than most people.
Despite my lack of progress, I still feel like I'm doing well overall. It's a PROCESS overall, and I know if I just stick to it, keep reading my response cards, and continue working on my diet, the results will come!
So, I spent some time today doing some research on my diet, and logging all of today's food in fitday.com so that I could get a good look at where I was going astray, since my current plan is clearly not working. Here's a quick summary of my findings.
- I should try to keep my carb count under 100. Today I ate around 120. Everything I ate was low-carb-ish, but I did eat one pear. Only 1, which I thought was acceptable...but holy shit, ONE pear has 25g of carbs! 25% of my daily total! sheesh! (Unfortunately I bought a whole bag of pears because they were on sale for $1.99) Clearly $1.99 is not worth blowing my diet for, so I may just throw them out, or eat 1/2 at a time or something...because other than fruit, all my carb quantities were pretty reasonable.
- I need to get a better handle on portion sizes for high-calorie foods (feta cheese, olive oil, steak). I was totally guessing at quantities when I was putting stuff in fitday. I think once I get my food scale (I ordered it from amazon) that will help a lot. And even for vegetables it will be helpful, because they have things like "1 cup kale, chopped"...but depending on how much you chop it, that can be a lot or a little! I don't think I'm overdoing it on portion sizes, but who actually knows.
So, I'm going to start measuring stuff for a little while, and watching my fruit and carb intake. Hopefully these changes will help! At least I'm feeling more positive after doing this research...like I'm actually DOING something, instead of just crossing my fingers and getting on the scale.
On to the Beck book...tomorrow is Day 23, which is 'Counter the Unfairness Syndrome'. I don't think this one really applies to me, because honestly, I eat like a freaking cow. It is no mystery how I packed on the pounds (binge eating on chocolate and cookies and such for the past few months), and I should probably be glad that the damage wasn't worse. I think I'm pretty lucky in terms of metabolism, because I still eat more than most people.
Despite my lack of progress, I still feel like I'm doing well overall. It's a PROCESS overall, and I know if I just stick to it, keep reading my response cards, and continue working on my diet, the results will come!
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Day 22
Today pretty much went downhill since the weigh-in, because I went to my most hated place on earth...THE MALL. Words cannot express how much I despise that place. But, I start work next week, and I need clothes. Anyway, I went to one store, had a pity party in the change room about how gross my arms are and how bloated my stomach looks, and then I left without buying anything and went home. So I think that mall trip could be classified as "unsuccessful".
Since then, I've had some time to think it over. I weigh 148 lbs...which is only 8 lbs away from 140, which I deem to be an acceptable weight. (I would much prefer to be in the 130s, but 140 is "okay".) That is NOT that far away. I just need to keep trucking away at this. And in the meantime, I will attempt the mall again tomorrow...siiigh.
Eating-wise, today was okay, I guess. I ordered a food scale from Amazon, because I've been doing a lot of guessing as to portion sizes when I add up my calories, and I usually err on the side of overestimating calories. It will be interesting to see how close I actually am. I ate some grapes today, but I just bought a tiny bag of them so that there was no chance I could overdo it. Also, I grilled up some flank steak and ate it with salad for lunch, and then the leftovers for dinner, because YUM. I haven't had red meat in a while, and damn, it's good. I'll have to look into some leaner cuts though, because flank steak is kinda fatty.
Tomorrow is Day 22, which is 'Say Oh Well to Disappointment". I will give it a try!
Since then, I've had some time to think it over. I weigh 148 lbs...which is only 8 lbs away from 140, which I deem to be an acceptable weight. (I would much prefer to be in the 130s, but 140 is "okay".) That is NOT that far away. I just need to keep trucking away at this. And in the meantime, I will attempt the mall again tomorrow...siiigh.
Eating-wise, today was okay, I guess. I ordered a food scale from Amazon, because I've been doing a lot of guessing as to portion sizes when I add up my calories, and I usually err on the side of overestimating calories. It will be interesting to see how close I actually am. I ate some grapes today, but I just bought a tiny bag of them so that there was no chance I could overdo it. Also, I grilled up some flank steak and ate it with salad for lunch, and then the leftovers for dinner, because YUM. I haven't had red meat in a while, and damn, it's good. I'll have to look into some leaner cuts though, because flank steak is kinda fatty.
Tomorrow is Day 22, which is 'Say Oh Well to Disappointment". I will give it a try!
Weigh-in Update
148.0 this morning, for a total loss of......1 pound. I hoped for more than that, but progress is progress. Onwards!
Monday, July 5, 2010
Day 21
So, tomorrow is Day 21, which is the first official weigh-in day. I'm a bit nervous. The scale said 147.6 this morning, but I ate a lot of stuff today. In the first 2 weeks of the South Beach Diet, you're not supposed to eat fruit, but since this is week 3 for me I bought some from the grocery store and ended up going a bit overboard (you're supposed to gradually add fruit back in, starting with one piece per day). Whoops.
Anyway, things are going along like normal...I'm making healthy choices, but still eating a LOT. But hopefully this will be enough to lose 1lb or so a week. I made a little chart in my notebook, so we'll see what the scale says tomorrow!
Anyway, things are going along like normal...I'm making healthy choices, but still eating a LOT. But hopefully this will be enough to lose 1lb or so a week. I made a little chart in my notebook, so we'll see what the scale says tomorrow!
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Day 20
148.2 this morning...annoying, but my stomach is definitely looking flatter than a few weeks ago, so I know I'm making progress despite what the scale says. My "official" weigh-in day is Tuesday, so we'll see then!
Today I ate a whole lot of coleslaw salad with Trader Joe's Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette that I brought back from Washington last weekend. They don't have TJs in Canada, and I miss it soooo much. I end up smuggling half the store back with me :) Anyway, I love that stuff like you wouldn't believe, but the second ingredient is sugar, so even though I use only a bit and eat it with a whole pile of cabbage and broccoli slaw, it still isn't really the healthiest choice. I did some googling and found some recipes that look promising, so hopefully I will be able to come up with a healthier but still delicious version.
Back to the Beck Book...tomorrow is Day 20, which is Get Back On Track. Once again, Judith totally has my number on this one. Usually one slip-up for me turns into a big binge, and then all my efforts are wasted. I've been doing pretty well so far, but I wrote up a card that I'll refer to when I inevitably do get off track.
Happy 4th of July, everyone!
Today I ate a whole lot of coleslaw salad with Trader Joe's Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette that I brought back from Washington last weekend. They don't have TJs in Canada, and I miss it soooo much. I end up smuggling half the store back with me :) Anyway, I love that stuff like you wouldn't believe, but the second ingredient is sugar, so even though I use only a bit and eat it with a whole pile of cabbage and broccoli slaw, it still isn't really the healthiest choice. I did some googling and found some recipes that look promising, so hopefully I will be able to come up with a healthier but still delicious version.
Back to the Beck Book...tomorrow is Day 20, which is Get Back On Track. Once again, Judith totally has my number on this one. Usually one slip-up for me turns into a big binge, and then all my efforts are wasted. I've been doing pretty well so far, but I wrote up a card that I'll refer to when I inevitably do get off track.
Happy 4th of July, everyone!
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Day 19
Today was a tough day. The scale said 147.6 today, which is down from yesterday, but still higher than last Saturday. I'm just kind of frustrated, because I feel like I've been doing really well, and if the scale isn't moving much now, how on earth am I going to do this in the coming weeks when I'm busy working, or when I'm going out with friends?! And also today, I was hungry, like, the entire day. And I ended up eating a lot, so I'm sure the scale will be even higher tomorrow.
BUT, thinking positively here...even though I was hungry today, I stuck to all SBD foods, and just had an additional giant salad and turkey burger. In the "old" days, I would get mad at myself for being hungry, and then mad at myself for eating more, and then mad at myself for getting fat in the first place, and then I would just eat everything in sight because I didn't care anymore because I was too MAD. Today I ate more than I planned, but I didn't get out of control, and I plan on doing a new workout DVD tonight to get some solid exercise in. Screw the scale, I am making good progress here, and I just need to be PATIENT.
To be honest, I kind of secretly hoped that if I stuck to the SBD, I'd lose 8-14 lbs in 2 weeks like they claim, and then if I just stick with it for a few more weeks I'd be in the 130s again, and THEN losing 1-2lbs a week would be fine. Obviously that was really dumb, and losing 8lbs in 2 weeks is an unrealistic goal, and if I DID lose 8lbs a lot of it would be water weight, and wouldn't last, etc. Moving forward, I just need to continue making healthy choices, and the results will come all in good time.
Whew, I feel a bit better now after all of that.
Day 19! Stop Fooling Yourself. I found this chapter kind of amusing, because I have thought EVERY SINGLE THING on the list of ways you fool yourself, at one time or another. And all of the Sabotaging Thoughts at the back too! One of the reasons I like this book a lot is because I really feel like Judith is 'on to me'. And if she's an expert, and she says doing these 42 steps will help me think like a thin person, then I WILL, dammit! :)
BUT, thinking positively here...even though I was hungry today, I stuck to all SBD foods, and just had an additional giant salad and turkey burger. In the "old" days, I would get mad at myself for being hungry, and then mad at myself for eating more, and then mad at myself for getting fat in the first place, and then I would just eat everything in sight because I didn't care anymore because I was too MAD. Today I ate more than I planned, but I didn't get out of control, and I plan on doing a new workout DVD tonight to get some solid exercise in. Screw the scale, I am making good progress here, and I just need to be PATIENT.
To be honest, I kind of secretly hoped that if I stuck to the SBD, I'd lose 8-14 lbs in 2 weeks like they claim, and then if I just stick with it for a few more weeks I'd be in the 130s again, and THEN losing 1-2lbs a week would be fine. Obviously that was really dumb, and losing 8lbs in 2 weeks is an unrealistic goal, and if I DID lose 8lbs a lot of it would be water weight, and wouldn't last, etc. Moving forward, I just need to continue making healthy choices, and the results will come all in good time.
Whew, I feel a bit better now after all of that.
Day 19! Stop Fooling Yourself. I found this chapter kind of amusing, because I have thought EVERY SINGLE THING on the list of ways you fool yourself, at one time or another. And all of the Sabotaging Thoughts at the back too! One of the reasons I like this book a lot is because I really feel like Judith is 'on to me'. And if she's an expert, and she says doing these 42 steps will help me think like a thin person, then I WILL, dammit! :)
Friday, July 2, 2010
Day 18
Hey hey...148.6 this morning, which is kind of annoying, but I am doing really well, and my stomach looks flatter, so oh well. Today's big victory was going shopping at Costco...there was sooooo much good stuff that I wanted to buy, and I didn't get any of it! (For example the jumbo size bags of trail mix, and larabars, and costco cookies, and...well, everything really!) I told myself "It's not like I can't have this EVER...I just shouldn't buy this right now, because I know it will sabotage my diet efforts, and I've been doing really well". Somehow that's easier to accept than just "NO, CAN'T HAVE IT!"
I really hope that the scale is down tomorrow...last saturday it was 147.2, and even though I overate last weekend, it would still be really discouraging if the scale hasn't budged.
Day 18 is 'Change Your Definition of Full'...after each meal I'm supposed to analyze how full I am. And stop eating before I get too full!
I really hope that the scale is down tomorrow...last saturday it was 147.2, and even though I overate last weekend, it would still be really discouraging if the scale hasn't budged.
Day 18 is 'Change Your Definition of Full'...after each meal I'm supposed to analyze how full I am. And stop eating before I get too full!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Day 17, Attempt #2
I totally forgot to do the leave-some-food-on-your-plate thing today. whoops. But, I am going to make a big fajita salad tomorrow, so I'll give myself a giant serving of that and save some for later.
I went to a big Canada Day bbq today, and I got a 'lean turkey smokey' dog...pure garbage to be sure, but probably a LOT less calories than the jumbo dog that I actually wanted. AND, I didn't eat the bun, even though it probably made me look like a weirdo. (Now that I think of it, getting something not on your diet plan and not eating it was part of Day 17...so I guess I did that part after all!) I was feeling kind of 'meh' about what I ate today (I also had some minestrone soup with pasta in it), but then I looked at my food diary and realized that in the grand scheme of things, I did pretty well after all!
Anyway, the thing that I am most proud of though is that when I got home I was in the mood to eat things...not particularly hungry, I just wanted to EAT. I snacked on some sugar snap peas and feta cheese, and then I still wanted more. Like maybe some wheat thins crackers, or popcorn, or chips... BUT, I told myself all the very cliche things from the Beck Book like "This is a craving, and it is great that I am identifying it as such, and strengthening my not-giving-in muscle by resisting it". And then I got out of the house and went for a walk. And now I'm back and I'm drinking a big mug of tea, and the craving has passed. VICTORY!
I went to a big Canada Day bbq today, and I got a 'lean turkey smokey' dog...pure garbage to be sure, but probably a LOT less calories than the jumbo dog that I actually wanted. AND, I didn't eat the bun, even though it probably made me look like a weirdo. (Now that I think of it, getting something not on your diet plan and not eating it was part of Day 17...so I guess I did that part after all!) I was feeling kind of 'meh' about what I ate today (I also had some minestrone soup with pasta in it), but then I looked at my food diary and realized that in the grand scheme of things, I did pretty well after all!
Anyway, the thing that I am most proud of though is that when I got home I was in the mood to eat things...not particularly hungry, I just wanted to EAT. I snacked on some sugar snap peas and feta cheese, and then I still wanted more. Like maybe some wheat thins crackers, or popcorn, or chips... BUT, I told myself all the very cliche things from the Beck Book like "This is a craving, and it is great that I am identifying it as such, and strengthening my not-giving-in muscle by resisting it". And then I got out of the house and went for a walk. And now I'm back and I'm drinking a big mug of tea, and the craving has passed. VICTORY!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Day 17
Okay, lots to report today!
I did really well with eating today...TONS of vegetables, and I made my own South Beach Diet friendly salad dressing too (I think it needs to be 'kicked up a notch', but not bad for a first effort). I've been on a roll this week, so I'm hoping I can keep it up for the long weekend (Canada day tomorrow!) 149.2 on the scale today, but whatever. I'm doing really good.
Today for exercise I went on a really long walk, and checked out a cool street with all kinds of trendy stores. I went browsing through the Williams Sonoma store (LOVE that place! If I was a richie I would buy EVERYTHING!), and they had a free sample of something-or-other, and I didn't even bother checking what it was, I just said NO CHOICE to myself, and carried on. Judith would be so proud.
In other news, I got an offer for the job I had an interview for last week! hurray! It doesn't pay that well, and it is only a 6-month contract, but I think I will accept it anyway, because let's face it, I need a job! I'll probably start on July 12th, and the place I'm working has a gym and a cafeteria with lots of healthy options, so hopefully it will be diet friendly. I have a bit of a dilemma though, because I DESPERATELY need some new clothes before then. (Like, for real. I'm not one of those people that actually has a closet full of clothes as says "oh, I don't have a thing to wear"...I seriously have nothing that is work-appropriate. My last job was super super casual, and in California, so I wore jeans, tshirts, and flip-flops every single day of the year.) Anyway, I certainly don't want to buy a lot of clothes at my current weight. Hell, I don't even want to TRY ON clothes right now. So I think I will just buy as little as possible, and save the real shopping spree for when I hit 135.
So, day 17! Today I'm supposed to put food on my plate, and then not eat it. And also put something that is not on my diet on my plate, and not eat thing. I can do that!
Okay, now that I have written a novel, I think I should go clean up now. (Watching Hoarders does that to me...ever seen that show? YIKES.)
I did really well with eating today...TONS of vegetables, and I made my own South Beach Diet friendly salad dressing too (I think it needs to be 'kicked up a notch', but not bad for a first effort). I've been on a roll this week, so I'm hoping I can keep it up for the long weekend (Canada day tomorrow!) 149.2 on the scale today, but whatever. I'm doing really good.
Today for exercise I went on a really long walk, and checked out a cool street with all kinds of trendy stores. I went browsing through the Williams Sonoma store (LOVE that place! If I was a richie I would buy EVERYTHING!), and they had a free sample of something-or-other, and I didn't even bother checking what it was, I just said NO CHOICE to myself, and carried on. Judith would be so proud.
In other news, I got an offer for the job I had an interview for last week! hurray! It doesn't pay that well, and it is only a 6-month contract, but I think I will accept it anyway, because let's face it, I need a job! I'll probably start on July 12th, and the place I'm working has a gym and a cafeteria with lots of healthy options, so hopefully it will be diet friendly. I have a bit of a dilemma though, because I DESPERATELY need some new clothes before then. (Like, for real. I'm not one of those people that actually has a closet full of clothes as says "oh, I don't have a thing to wear"...I seriously have nothing that is work-appropriate. My last job was super super casual, and in California, so I wore jeans, tshirts, and flip-flops every single day of the year.) Anyway, I certainly don't want to buy a lot of clothes at my current weight. Hell, I don't even want to TRY ON clothes right now. So I think I will just buy as little as possible, and save the real shopping spree for when I hit 135.
So, day 17! Today I'm supposed to put food on my plate, and then not eat it. And also put something that is not on my diet on my plate, and not eat thing. I can do that!
Okay, now that I have written a novel, I think I should go clean up now. (Watching Hoarders does that to me...ever seen that show? YIKES.)
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Day 16
Another good day! I changed around what I planned on eating, but still stuck to the general plan, and ate all South Beach Diet friendly food. (Or mostly, I guess...my salad dressing has sugar in it. But tomorrow I'm going to try making my own balsamic vinaigrette, because it is super easy to do, and my current bottle is kind of bleh anyway).
I weighed 149.0 today, so that will be my official starting point for my chart. Oh man, I will be SO glad to be in the 130s again. But, one step at a time!
Day 16 is Prevent Unplanned Eating. I just finished making a NO CHOICE card, which I'll look at when the opportunity or desire to eat something that's not on my diet arises. It seems so easy!
As for tomorrow's meal plan, this is the rough outline:
6am: sugar snap peas
9am: eggs w/ ham & veggies
12pm: salad w/ balsamic vinaigrette & feta, and 2 chicken sausages
1pm: non-fat latte
3pm: coleslaw salad
6pm: chicken fajita salad w/ grilled veggies and salsa
I sure eat a lot of salads these days, but I kind of love them. You can eat a huuuuge salad for like, 300 calories. Or if you eat regular 'main course' type stuff (like chicken fajitas) on a big pile of spinach instead of a tortilla, you get way more nutrients for less the calories!
Off to bed!
I weighed 149.0 today, so that will be my official starting point for my chart. Oh man, I will be SO glad to be in the 130s again. But, one step at a time!
Day 16 is Prevent Unplanned Eating. I just finished making a NO CHOICE card, which I'll look at when the opportunity or desire to eat something that's not on my diet arises. It seems so easy!
As for tomorrow's meal plan, this is the rough outline:
6am: sugar snap peas
9am: eggs w/ ham & veggies
12pm: salad w/ balsamic vinaigrette & feta, and 2 chicken sausages
1pm: non-fat latte
3pm: coleslaw salad
6pm: chicken fajita salad w/ grilled veggies and salsa
I sure eat a lot of salads these days, but I kind of love them. You can eat a huuuuge salad for like, 300 calories. Or if you eat regular 'main course' type stuff (like chicken fajitas) on a big pile of spinach instead of a tortilla, you get way more nutrients for less the calories!
Off to bed!
Monday, June 28, 2010
Day 14 Report, and Day 15
Today I did awesome! I stuck to eating the stuff I planned exactly, except that I didn't have the latte, and I had a bit of extra feta cheese after I finished eating my salad. So overall, a success. It feels really good to be back on track.
Week 3 starts tomorrow, which is the official start of the diet. I have to weigh myself in the morning, and that will be my starting weight for a chart I use later. (Note: I didn't weigh myself this morning, because I totally chickened out after all the stuff I ate this weekend. I'm fully expecting to be back in the 150s tomorrow, but oh well. MOVING FORWARD.)
I thought that planning what I was going to eat was a one-day thing, but it looks like I'm supposed to keep this up for a while. Tomorrow I'm meeting up with some friends again, and I'm not sure what I'm going to eat with them, so I'm going to allot 500 calories and just stick to that. So here's tomorrow's food plan:
9AM or so: eggs w/ ham & veggies (325 cals)
mid morning: almonds & sugar snap peas (300)
lunch: leftover stir-fry (400)
afternoon: salad (200)
dinner: ~500 calories
For about 1725 total. I'm going to do a big hike tomorrow, so I think that will be a good amount.
See ya later!
Week 3 starts tomorrow, which is the official start of the diet. I have to weigh myself in the morning, and that will be my starting weight for a chart I use later. (Note: I didn't weigh myself this morning, because I totally chickened out after all the stuff I ate this weekend. I'm fully expecting to be back in the 150s tomorrow, but oh well. MOVING FORWARD.)
I thought that planning what I was going to eat was a one-day thing, but it looks like I'm supposed to keep this up for a while. Tomorrow I'm meeting up with some friends again, and I'm not sure what I'm going to eat with them, so I'm going to allot 500 calories and just stick to that. So here's tomorrow's food plan:
9AM or so: eggs w/ ham & veggies (325 cals)
mid morning: almonds & sugar snap peas (300)
lunch: leftover stir-fry (400)
afternoon: salad (200)
dinner: ~500 calories
For about 1725 total. I'm going to do a big hike tomorrow, so I think that will be a good amount.
See ya later!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
And I'm Back!
Gotta make this quick because it's late!
This weekend was really fun. I also ate too much. boo. HOWEVER, I am going to focus on the positive here, and remember that I am a work in progress. I may not eat the perfect amount of food all the time, but at least I didn't let a bit of overeating turn into an all-out eating bender.
Good things that I can get myself credit for:
- My sister had a lot of delicious junky things in the house (chocolate, chips, etc), and I didn't eat any of them.
- On Sunday night, I said "no thanks" to dessert. (And then hit the road really fast before I could change my mind!)
- I overate, but a least a lot of it was healthy food.
Areas of Improvement:
On the drive there, I brought a bunch of healthy snacks for the road, and to eat for the weekend. Good idea, right? Planning ahead so that I always have access to healthy food! The problem is, I put them in the passenger seat, and while I am driving I get bored. And I will eat ANYTHING within reach, because there is nothing else to do! Including SIX cheese strings. Aaaand an entire pack of sugar snap peas. (Don't judge...I know I have a problem!) So I pretty much ate my healthy snacks for the weekend in the first 2 hours of the trip, and I wasn't even really hungry! Moving forward, I should just not bring food in the car, or I should put it in the trunk where I can't reach it without stopping the car. Lesson learned.
I really need to work on the stop-and-reevaluate-your-hunger thing. When I get hungry, I get all panicky about it, and I eat a snack (like a pack of almonds), but then I'm still hungry, and I eat a bunch of other things, and then I'm way full. If I waited, the hunger would go away. I just gotta keep working on this. NOTE TO SELF: When you are hungry, CHILL OUT. YOU WILL NOT DIE OF HUNGER. AT LEAST NOT FOR SEVERAL DAYS.
Okay, moving on to Day 14! This is the day where I plan everything I'm gonna eat. And then I eat only what I planned. Easy, peasy! (ha ha, if only it was...)
So here is my plan tomorrow:
Sugar snap peas (~100 calories) at ~6AM
Eggs w/ ham & veggies, and probably another handful of ss peas (~425 calories) at 9:30AM
2 chicken sausages & salad w/ feta cheese & balsamic dressing (~500 cals) at 1PM
latte (~100 cals)at 3PM
chicken stir-fry w/ loads of veggies and sesame ginger sauce(~500 cals) at 5pm
That's ~1600 calories of good healthy food. And I'm going to prep the stir-fry stuff good and early, like maybe right after lunch, so that I can't decide it will take too long and change my mind!
Alright, off to bed...goodnight!
This weekend was really fun. I also ate too much. boo. HOWEVER, I am going to focus on the positive here, and remember that I am a work in progress. I may not eat the perfect amount of food all the time, but at least I didn't let a bit of overeating turn into an all-out eating bender.
Good things that I can get myself credit for:
- My sister had a lot of delicious junky things in the house (chocolate, chips, etc), and I didn't eat any of them.
- On Sunday night, I said "no thanks" to dessert. (And then hit the road really fast before I could change my mind!)
- I overate, but a least a lot of it was healthy food.
Areas of Improvement:
On the drive there, I brought a bunch of healthy snacks for the road, and to eat for the weekend. Good idea, right? Planning ahead so that I always have access to healthy food! The problem is, I put them in the passenger seat, and while I am driving I get bored. And I will eat ANYTHING within reach, because there is nothing else to do! Including SIX cheese strings. Aaaand an entire pack of sugar snap peas. (Don't judge...I know I have a problem!) So I pretty much ate my healthy snacks for the weekend in the first 2 hours of the trip, and I wasn't even really hungry! Moving forward, I should just not bring food in the car, or I should put it in the trunk where I can't reach it without stopping the car. Lesson learned.
I really need to work on the stop-and-reevaluate-your-hunger thing. When I get hungry, I get all panicky about it, and I eat a snack (like a pack of almonds), but then I'm still hungry, and I eat a bunch of other things, and then I'm way full. If I waited, the hunger would go away. I just gotta keep working on this. NOTE TO SELF: When you are hungry, CHILL OUT. YOU WILL NOT DIE OF HUNGER. AT LEAST NOT FOR SEVERAL DAYS.
Okay, moving on to Day 14! This is the day where I plan everything I'm gonna eat. And then I eat only what I planned. Easy, peasy! (ha ha, if only it was...)
So here is my plan tomorrow:
Sugar snap peas (~100 calories) at ~6AM
Eggs w/ ham & veggies, and probably another handful of ss peas (~425 calories) at 9:30AM
2 chicken sausages & salad w/ feta cheese & balsamic dressing (~500 cals) at 1PM
latte (~100 cals)at 3PM
chicken stir-fry w/ loads of veggies and sesame ginger sauce(~500 cals) at 5pm
That's ~1600 calories of good healthy food. And I'm going to prep the stir-fry stuff good and early, like maybe right after lunch, so that I can't decide it will take too long and change my mind!
Alright, off to bed...goodnight!
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Day 14
So...lots to report! My interview yesterday went well...they asked me some tough technical questions that I fumbled through badly, but all the talking parts were good.
As for food, I ended up drinking 2 glasses of white whine, 1 mojito, and then 3 (very small) pieces of bread with butter. I resisted the bread all night, but towards the end I was hungry (and I wanted to sober up faster!) I thought "no problem, I'll just each the little pack of almonds I always carry in my purse"...but then I realized I brought my other purse. doh! Anyway, still not too bad for a night of going out with friends, and I didn't eat too much during the day either. I got these turkey burgers from Costco that are made of turkey and spices and that's it (200 cals each, and 36g of protein!), and anyway they are GREAT for filling me up! I'm not hungry for hours after eating them! I'll definitely buy some more this weekend. Also, the scale said 147.2 today! (I'm sure it's because I slept in more today, and I'm dehydrated from the drinks...but I'll take it!)
Day 14 is Plan for Tomorrow. You're supposed to write down EVERYTHING you're going to eat for the entire day in advance. I'm actually going to delay this one until Sunday (and write down everything I'm going to eat for Monday), because I'm headed off to do some wine tasting this weekend. (I SWEAR I don't normally drink this much!) Weekend trips like this are usually total diet sabotage, so I plan on staying on track by doing the following:
- not drinking too much (perhaps I'll volunteer to drive, and then I won't have a choice)
- continuing to write down everything I eat
- buying lots of healthy food so that there are no excuses if I get hungry (we're having a picnic lunch at the winery, so I'm thinking lots of fresh veggies, and a bit of cheese)
I probably won't be posting tomorrow, so stay tuned for a full report on Monday. Have a good weekend!
As for food, I ended up drinking 2 glasses of white whine, 1 mojito, and then 3 (very small) pieces of bread with butter. I resisted the bread all night, but towards the end I was hungry (and I wanted to sober up faster!) I thought "no problem, I'll just each the little pack of almonds I always carry in my purse"...but then I realized I brought my other purse. doh! Anyway, still not too bad for a night of going out with friends, and I didn't eat too much during the day either. I got these turkey burgers from Costco that are made of turkey and spices and that's it (200 cals each, and 36g of protein!), and anyway they are GREAT for filling me up! I'm not hungry for hours after eating them! I'll definitely buy some more this weekend. Also, the scale said 147.2 today! (I'm sure it's because I slept in more today, and I'm dehydrated from the drinks...but I'll take it!)
Day 14 is Plan for Tomorrow. You're supposed to write down EVERYTHING you're going to eat for the entire day in advance. I'm actually going to delay this one until Sunday (and write down everything I'm going to eat for Monday), because I'm headed off to do some wine tasting this weekend. (I SWEAR I don't normally drink this much!) Weekend trips like this are usually total diet sabotage, so I plan on staying on track by doing the following:
- not drinking too much (perhaps I'll volunteer to drive, and then I won't have a choice)
- continuing to write down everything I eat
- buying lots of healthy food so that there are no excuses if I get hungry (we're having a picnic lunch at the winery, so I'm thinking lots of fresh veggies, and a bit of cheese)
I probably won't be posting tomorrow, so stay tuned for a full report on Monday. Have a good weekend!
Friday, June 25, 2010
I should add...
Tonight I'm meeting up with some friends for drinks. I plan on just having one or two drinks, and going for low-cal(ish) ones like white wine. I'm going to eat a big salad before I leave so that I'm not hungry, and just get a small appetizer if people are eating there.
In past diets, I would end up eating a whole lot, and then say "screw it" to the whole diet. This time, I am going to read my ARC cards, and visualize how great it will feel to be able to do a happy report here tomorrow!
In past diets, I would end up eating a whole lot, and then say "screw it" to the whole diet. This time, I am going to read my ARC cards, and visualize how great it will feel to be able to do a happy report here tomorrow!
Day 13
I did it! I was freaking HUNGRY yesterday, but I made it all the way to 4pm. (I did have a skim latte at around noon, because it has like 80 calories and I don't think it really counts as "food", and that actually held me over for a couple hours). So yeah, I think I learned the lesson that being hungry is not the end of the world...and today the scale said 148.4! hurray!
Today is going to be a super busy day, because I have an interview! I'm sure I'll be super nervous, but for now I'm excited. I'm don't know if I actually want the job, but at least the interview will be good practice. This meant that I had to go to my least favorite place on earth though yesterday...THE MALL. I hate hate hate shopping for clothes, but I needed something to wear in a bad way. I was really hoping to lose more weight before buying new clothes, so I just bought some cheap pants and a shirt, and hopefully they'll be too big soon!
Today is also day 13 - Overcome Cravings. When I get a craving for something, I'm supposed to identify how long it lasts, how uncomfortable it is, and what anti-craving techniques I used.
Here goes!
Today is going to be a super busy day, because I have an interview! I'm sure I'll be super nervous, but for now I'm excited. I'm don't know if I actually want the job, but at least the interview will be good practice. This meant that I had to go to my least favorite place on earth though yesterday...THE MALL. I hate hate hate shopping for clothes, but I needed something to wear in a bad way. I was really hoping to lose more weight before buying new clothes, so I just bought some cheap pants and a shirt, and hopefully they'll be too big soon!
Today is also day 13 - Overcome Cravings. When I get a craving for something, I'm supposed to identify how long it lasts, how uncomfortable it is, and what anti-craving techniques I used.
Here goes!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Day 12 Update
Okay, it is now almost noon...and I am HUNGRY. After all, I have been awake for 6 hours, I did a little workout at the gym this morning, and I have only eaten ~400 calories. On a normal, healthy eating day I would be chowing down on a massive salad right now, perhaps with some chicken. (I won't get into what I would be eating on a normal not healthy eating day...ha ha). BUT, I am staying strong, and not eating, in order to learn this valuable lesson that Day 12 is teaching me. But, it's only for a few hours. What doesn't kill me makes me stronger, and this certainly won't kill me. I will read my little ARC cue cards, and drink some diet coke, and basically suck it up. And then at 4:01pm I will have the best salad known to man!
Day 12
150.2 this moring...ugh. I mean, I know that 1-2lbs/week is a good amount for weight loss, so I shouldn't be expecting the scale to go down every day. And yesterday, I ate TONS of stuff...I was hungry all day long! Most of it was vegetables, and what wasn't vegetables was lean meat, eggs, and a handful of almonds. So healthy stuff, but still A LOT of food (like, probably around 2000 calories or so).
The point of yesterday's exercise was to evaluate your hunger, and I deemed myself to be about a 6, or "annoyingly hungry" pretty much the whole day. But perhaps I wasn't reeeeally hungry...I was at home for most of the day, and doing a bunch of work on my resume, which I hate doing. So it's entirely possible that food was handy and accessible, and I just procrastinating and putting off doing actual work.
Today is Practice Hunger Tolerance, which I think will be good for me to assess how hungry I really am. I plan on eating some eggs w/ veggies & FF ham in a bit for breakfast, and then I WILL NOT EAT until 4pm. I know that 4pm is not really dinner time, but usually I eat like every 2 hours, so this will be tough. Like, really tough. It's supposed to help me get over my fear of hunger, so we shall see!
In other news, I have an interview tomorrow, so I'll have to go shopping for something to wear. (I need new clothes in SUCH a bad way). I was hoping to be skinny before buying new stuff, but I guess I will have to get one "fat" outfit. boo. (I don't think I really want this job, because it starts with a 6 month contract, and I want something permanent..but I haven't had an interview in years and years, so it will be good practice.)
Moving forward, I just need to eat less! I think when I feel hungry, I will look at the clock and say "I feel hungry, but this is not an emergency. If I still feel hungry at X O'clock, I will have a snack then". Also I need to step it up in the exercise department. I think I will set up my bike on the bike trainer, and try to do at least 30 mins of cardio (in addition to weights) each day. I think once I have a job and i get into a good workout routine this will be much easier...back when I lived in the USA, I had SUCH a good routine going!
The point of yesterday's exercise was to evaluate your hunger, and I deemed myself to be about a 6, or "annoyingly hungry" pretty much the whole day. But perhaps I wasn't reeeeally hungry...I was at home for most of the day, and doing a bunch of work on my resume, which I hate doing. So it's entirely possible that food was handy and accessible, and I just procrastinating and putting off doing actual work.
Today is Practice Hunger Tolerance, which I think will be good for me to assess how hungry I really am. I plan on eating some eggs w/ veggies & FF ham in a bit for breakfast, and then I WILL NOT EAT until 4pm. I know that 4pm is not really dinner time, but usually I eat like every 2 hours, so this will be tough. Like, really tough. It's supposed to help me get over my fear of hunger, so we shall see!
In other news, I have an interview tomorrow, so I'll have to go shopping for something to wear. (I need new clothes in SUCH a bad way). I was hoping to be skinny before buying new stuff, but I guess I will have to get one "fat" outfit. boo. (I don't think I really want this job, because it starts with a 6 month contract, and I want something permanent..but I haven't had an interview in years and years, so it will be good practice.)
Moving forward, I just need to eat less! I think when I feel hungry, I will look at the clock and say "I feel hungry, but this is not an emergency. If I still feel hungry at X O'clock, I will have a snack then". Also I need to step it up in the exercise department. I think I will set up my bike on the bike trainer, and try to do at least 30 mins of cardio (in addition to weights) each day. I think once I have a job and i get into a good workout routine this will be much easier...back when I lived in the USA, I had SUCH a good routine going!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Day 10 and 11
(Note: I think once I get to week 3, I'll do just one day at a time...but for now since it's just the planning stage, I think I can handle 2 days).
The scale said 150.0 this morning...BOOO. But I ate healthfully and did a really tough hike yesterday, so I am not discouraged...these things happen when you weigh in every day.
Day 10 is Set a Realistic Goal. Where by realistic goal Judith means 5lbs. I'm cool with that...5lbs would be a great start. So, 5lbs it is...when I get to 145 lbs, I will treat myself to a pedicure! Fun! (And I think I'll get myself some Lululemon pants when I reach 140...EVEN BETTER!)
Day 11 is Differentiate Between Hunger, Desire, and Cravings. I would say right now that I'm pretty good at identifying which one of these I am experiencing...aaaand not so good at not eating if it's not hunger. But whatever, that's why I have the book. I'm supposed to write down how I'm feeling and stuff in the little chart...I already ate breakfast, so this is how it would go so far.
Before breakfast --> 8. I am HUNGRY. (I went to the gym first)
Midway --> 7. Still hungry. (I made eggs w/ some ham and vegetables)
After --> 6. Still hungry. (So then I drank some herbal tea and ate a big handful of sugar snap peas)
20 minutes later -->3 Not full, but not hungry anymore. Good, overall.
I guess I could have waited longer before eating the sugar snap peas to see if the hunger went away. But they're a VEGETABLE (like, 100 calories max) so I'm not going to stress about that too much. I'll try the wait-and-see strategy at lunch though.
I took a sneak peak at Day 12 and it looks like I have to skip lunch. On purpose. YIKES.
Off to work on my resume!
The scale said 150.0 this morning...BOOO. But I ate healthfully and did a really tough hike yesterday, so I am not discouraged...these things happen when you weigh in every day.
Day 10 is Set a Realistic Goal. Where by realistic goal Judith means 5lbs. I'm cool with that...5lbs would be a great start. So, 5lbs it is...when I get to 145 lbs, I will treat myself to a pedicure! Fun! (And I think I'll get myself some Lululemon pants when I reach 140...EVEN BETTER!)
Day 11 is Differentiate Between Hunger, Desire, and Cravings. I would say right now that I'm pretty good at identifying which one of these I am experiencing...aaaand not so good at not eating if it's not hunger. But whatever, that's why I have the book. I'm supposed to write down how I'm feeling and stuff in the little chart...I already ate breakfast, so this is how it would go so far.
Before breakfast --> 8. I am HUNGRY. (I went to the gym first)
Midway --> 7. Still hungry. (I made eggs w/ some ham and vegetables)
After --> 6. Still hungry. (So then I drank some herbal tea and ate a big handful of sugar snap peas)
20 minutes later -->3 Not full, but not hungry anymore. Good, overall.
I guess I could have waited longer before eating the sugar snap peas to see if the hunger went away. But they're a VEGETABLE (like, 100 calories max) so I'm not going to stress about that too much. I'll try the wait-and-see strategy at lunch though.
I took a sneak peak at Day 12 and it looks like I have to skip lunch. On purpose. YIKES.
Off to work on my resume!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Day 8 and 9
148.6 this morning...moving in the right direction...
Yesterday I did pretty well. I was STARVING all day, so I ate a whole lot of roasted vegetables...the calories were more than I planned on eating, but I made all healthy choices, so hurray for me!
For day 8 of the beck diet, you're supposed to Create Time And Energy. This one should be pretty easy for me, because in my current sad existence, I have nothing BUT time and energy for losing weight. This will hopefully change soon when I make some friends here, and find some gainful employment, but for now, easy peasy.
Day 9 is Create an Exercise Plan. I've been doing pretty well with miscellaneous exercise every day, but I think I will get a gym membership with spinning classes I can do. Today I'm going to head out on a hike!
Yesterday I did pretty well. I was STARVING all day, so I ate a whole lot of roasted vegetables...the calories were more than I planned on eating, but I made all healthy choices, so hurray for me!
For day 8 of the beck diet, you're supposed to Create Time And Energy. This one should be pretty easy for me, because in my current sad existence, I have nothing BUT time and energy for losing weight. This will hopefully change soon when I make some friends here, and find some gainful employment, but for now, easy peasy.
Day 9 is Create an Exercise Plan. I've been doing pretty well with miscellaneous exercise every day, but I think I will get a gym membership with spinning classes I can do. Today I'm going to head out on a hike!
Monday, June 21, 2010
Day 6 and 7
149.8 this morning...let's hope we've seen the last of the 150s FOREVER!
Yesterday was pretty good...I ate only SBD foods, said "no thanks" to a bunch of samples at the farmers market (and then gave myself credit for it!), and tried to eat more slowly. I wouldn't say that I ate slowly per se (I don't want my food to get cold!), but slower, and I paid a lot more attention to what I was eating.
I am DEVOURING sugar snap peas these days...man, I love those things!
For day 6, you're supposed to find a diet coach. I plan on using this blog as my coach, sort of...If I write here every day, then I have to be accountable if I get off track. So leave me a comment if I'm slacking!
Day 7 is Arrange Your Environment. I just moved into my new apartment a couple weeks ago, so I already have that taken care of...there is NO junk in this place! (Also, since I don't have a job yet, I'm not really exposed to bad food in that situation...I guess that's one positive of being unemployed...)
Speaking of which, I should go apply to some jobs now. Wish me luck!
Yesterday was pretty good...I ate only SBD foods, said "no thanks" to a bunch of samples at the farmers market (and then gave myself credit for it!), and tried to eat more slowly. I wouldn't say that I ate slowly per se (I don't want my food to get cold!), but slower, and I paid a lot more attention to what I was eating.
I am DEVOURING sugar snap peas these days...man, I love those things!
For day 6, you're supposed to find a diet coach. I plan on using this blog as my coach, sort of...If I write here every day, then I have to be accountable if I get off track. So leave me a comment if I'm slacking!
Day 7 is Arrange Your Environment. I just moved into my new apartment a couple weeks ago, so I already have that taken care of...there is NO junk in this place! (Also, since I don't have a job yet, I'm not really exposed to bad food in that situation...I guess that's one positive of being unemployed...)
Speaking of which, I should go apply to some jobs now. Wish me luck!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Day 4 and 5
The scale said 150.2 this morning. Obviously I did not lose 2.6 pounds since yesterday (I think I am just really dehydrated) but the sooner I get out of the 150s, the better!
I did really well with all my goals yesterday...I ate only SBD foods (tons of vegetables!), wrote it all down (~1700 calories total), ate sitting down, and went on a nice long hike at some trails I heard were really nice (and they were!)
Moving forward...today I'm tackling day 4 and 5 in the Beck Diet Solution. (And again, I'm combining two days in 1 just to speed things up a bit at the beginning, and because Judith says it's okay. Yes, Judith Beck and I are on a first name basis now!)
Day 4 - give yourself credit. I'm supposed to tell myself things like "Good Job!" and "You're doing Awesome!" whenever I follow my diet plan. That shouldn't be too tough. I know next weekend when I'm on my wine tasting trip it will be VERY difficult to follow my diet, so I think I'll plan some sort of reward incentiveif when I do. Maybe a new workout shirt from Lululemon!
Day 5 - Eat Slowly And Mindfully. This one will be trickier, because I usually wolf down my food while watching tv. So, I plan to eat meals with a big glass of water or tea, and put my fork down in between bites, and take a drink, and generally just chill the heck out.
This morning I'm going to go check out a gym that's in the area and see if it's somewhere I'd want to get a membership. It has spinning classes that are included in the price, so it looks promising! I really like having classes to go to, because it's so easy to put off a workout until later, or wimp out on it.
So far so good!
I did really well with all my goals yesterday...I ate only SBD foods (tons of vegetables!), wrote it all down (~1700 calories total), ate sitting down, and went on a nice long hike at some trails I heard were really nice (and they were!)
Moving forward...today I'm tackling day 4 and 5 in the Beck Diet Solution. (And again, I'm combining two days in 1 just to speed things up a bit at the beginning, and because Judith says it's okay. Yes, Judith Beck and I are on a first name basis now!)
Day 4 - give yourself credit. I'm supposed to tell myself things like "Good Job!" and "You're doing Awesome!" whenever I follow my diet plan. That shouldn't be too tough. I know next weekend when I'm on my wine tasting trip it will be VERY difficult to follow my diet, so I think I'll plan some sort of reward incentive
Day 5 - Eat Slowly And Mindfully. This one will be trickier, because I usually wolf down my food while watching tv. So, I plan to eat meals with a big glass of water or tea, and put my fork down in between bites, and take a drink, and generally just chill the heck out.
This morning I'm going to go check out a gym that's in the area and see if it's somewhere I'd want to get a membership. It has spinning classes that are included in the price, so it looks promising! I really like having classes to go to, because it's so easy to put off a workout until later, or wimp out on it.
So far so good!
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Day 2 and 3
Sooo...this morning I got on the scale. Now, I knew that it was going to be bad. I knew that I am probably heavier than ever before. But still.... The scale said 152.8. That is a full 8 pounds heavier than my heaviest. AAAAAH! I feel all panicky about this now. How did I let this happen? Crisis Situation! I must go run 4 marathons and never eat again!
Okay, yes, this is bad. I let this happen because I was overwhelmed by a lot of changes that were going on, and I didn't care about making healthy choices, I just wanted to EAT. Also, I was travelling around a lot, and hardly exercising at all. Of course I gained 8 lbs!
Well, the good news is that 152.8lbs is the heaviest I will ever be, because I am now taking charge. Also, I don't have a job here yet, so I have plenty of time to prepare healthy food and workout. And, the first time ever, I am living by myself, so I won't have unhealthy food around unless I bring it home. And I have the Beck Diet Solution to help me. This is not the end of the world. It is a temporary setback from looking good and feeling great.
Okay, so the scale was a good kick in the pants for me. Now, I am a girl with a plan! And goals! Here they are:
Goals:
Lose 22.8lbs
Stop Binge Eating
Train my brain to "Think Like a Thin Person" (that's what Judith Beck says I can do!)
Plan:
Follow the Beck Diet Solution book, and post about it here every day.
Follow the South Beach Diet
Write everything I eat down in my note book
Exercise every day
(The South Beach Diet doesn't tell you to write everything down, but when I followed it before I found myself eating low-fat cheese like it was going out of style. I'm hoping that writing it down and will prevent that.)
Alright, moving on to the Beck Diet Solution! Judith (the author) says it's okay to do multiple steps in one day, especially at the beginning, if you're anxious to get started. And oh, I AM.
For Day 2, the task is to pick 2 reasonable diets, the idea being that if one doesn't work out for you, you'll have a fall back plan. I'm picking the South beach Diet as #1, and just regular calorie-counting as #2. For regular days when I'm at home, following the south beach diet shouldn't be a problem, but there will be situations (ie next weekend, when I'm going wine tasting with my sister) where the SB diet won't be an option. I guess I could always skip these events (or go wine tasting and not drink the wine...) but I really hate to miss out on a social event, especially because I have so few friends here! So I will plan ahead for situations where I won't be able to follow the SB diet, and I will track the calories that I consume, and keep my indulgences under control. Sounds good so far!
For Day 3, the task is to only eat sitting down. This prevents you from doing a lot of mindless eating.
Onwards!
Okay, yes, this is bad. I let this happen because I was overwhelmed by a lot of changes that were going on, and I didn't care about making healthy choices, I just wanted to EAT. Also, I was travelling around a lot, and hardly exercising at all. Of course I gained 8 lbs!
Well, the good news is that 152.8lbs is the heaviest I will ever be, because I am now taking charge. Also, I don't have a job here yet, so I have plenty of time to prepare healthy food and workout. And, the first time ever, I am living by myself, so I won't have unhealthy food around unless I bring it home. And I have the Beck Diet Solution to help me. This is not the end of the world. It is a temporary setback from looking good and feeling great.
Okay, so the scale was a good kick in the pants for me. Now, I am a girl with a plan! And goals! Here they are:
Goals:
Lose 22.8lbs
Stop Binge Eating
Train my brain to "Think Like a Thin Person" (that's what Judith Beck says I can do!)
Plan:
Follow the Beck Diet Solution book, and post about it here every day.
Follow the South Beach Diet
Write everything I eat down in my note book
Exercise every day
(The South Beach Diet doesn't tell you to write everything down, but when I followed it before I found myself eating low-fat cheese like it was going out of style. I'm hoping that writing it down and will prevent that.)
Alright, moving on to the Beck Diet Solution! Judith (the author) says it's okay to do multiple steps in one day, especially at the beginning, if you're anxious to get started. And oh, I AM.
For Day 2, the task is to pick 2 reasonable diets, the idea being that if one doesn't work out for you, you'll have a fall back plan. I'm picking the South beach Diet as #1, and just regular calorie-counting as #2. For regular days when I'm at home, following the south beach diet shouldn't be a problem, but there will be situations (ie next weekend, when I'm going wine tasting with my sister) where the SB diet won't be an option. I guess I could always skip these events (or go wine tasting and not drink the wine...) but I really hate to miss out on a social event, especially because I have so few friends here! So I will plan ahead for situations where I won't be able to follow the SB diet, and I will track the calories that I consume, and keep my indulgences under control. Sounds good so far!
For Day 3, the task is to only eat sitting down. This prevents you from doing a lot of mindless eating.
Onwards!
Friday, June 18, 2010
Day 1
Week 1 of the Beck Diet Solution is 'Laying the Groundwork'...you don't even actually start dieting until week 3. (I will we watching what I eat anyway though, seeing as how I would like to be able to wear my regular pants VERY SOON.)
The task for Day 1 is to create an Advantages Response Card where you write down all the advantages of losing weight. The idea is, you read the card and you're reminded of the reasons you want to lose weight, and you'll be able to resist tempting food.
I think we'll be able to put this theory to the test pretty soon, because I am tempted to eat the feta cheese in my fridge right now.
Lizzy's Advantages Response Card:
1. I won't have to wear these ugly stretchy pants and too-tight jeans. And then I will be able to go shopping for new, skinny pants!
2. I will feel more confident. This will be great for meeting new friends in my new city!
3. I will look better. This will be helpful in my task of finding a new boyfriend!
4. I won't feel all out of control and frustrated with myself for binge eating crappy food, like I often am now.
5. I will be fitter, and better at sports.
6. I won't feel like such a fatass when I hang out with my skinny sister.
7. When I see my old friends at an upcoming wedding in October, they will say I look great!
Okay...those are the reasons I can think of for now. I'm going to set up my email so that my reasons get sent to me several times a day, and I'll also read them whenever I feel like eating food that I shoudn't.
Alrighty, task 1 is DONE! And I haven't eaten the cheese, and I'm not going to either...so far so good!
The task for Day 1 is to create an Advantages Response Card where you write down all the advantages of losing weight. The idea is, you read the card and you're reminded of the reasons you want to lose weight, and you'll be able to resist tempting food.
I think we'll be able to put this theory to the test pretty soon, because I am tempted to eat the feta cheese in my fridge right now.
Lizzy's Advantages Response Card:
1. I won't have to wear these ugly stretchy pants and too-tight jeans. And then I will be able to go shopping for new, skinny pants!
2. I will feel more confident. This will be great for meeting new friends in my new city!
3. I will look better. This will be helpful in my task of finding a new boyfriend!
4. I won't feel all out of control and frustrated with myself for binge eating crappy food, like I often am now.
5. I will be fitter, and better at sports.
6. I won't feel like such a fatass when I hang out with my skinny sister.
7. When I see my old friends at an upcoming wedding in October, they will say I look great!
Okay...those are the reasons I can think of for now. I'm going to set up my email so that my reasons get sent to me several times a day, and I'll also read them whenever I feel like eating food that I shoudn't.
Alrighty, task 1 is DONE! And I haven't eaten the cheese, and I'm not going to either...so far so good!
I'm Lizzy!
Hi There! My name is Lizzy, and I've been trying to lose 15lbs since...forever. I recently made some big changes in my life (breakup, quitting job, moving), which is great except that I also did a lot of eating during the transition, and now none of my pants fit! The situation is DIRE!
I recently picked up a copy of Judith Beck's "The Beck Diet Solution", and it looks really promising. I'm hoping that posting my progress here will help me stay on track, and might be helpful to other people too.
Let's get this party started!
I recently picked up a copy of Judith Beck's "The Beck Diet Solution", and it looks really promising. I'm hoping that posting my progress here will help me stay on track, and might be helpful to other people too.
Let's get this party started!
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