So I've been doing some thinking. Crap, that means another rant. That's right! If you did not sign up for a rant, please navigate away from this page.
:) OK, everyone else with me?
Weight loss is a tricky thing, when you aren't on a "diet." Tricky in that it is an ever moving and fluid thing. I don't lose the perfect 2 pounds a week, when I'm eating well, I lose about 1 per week and then one week a month I lose 2-3. So on average I lose around 5-6 pounds a month.
Some people wouldn't be very happy with that kind of slow progress. Sometimes I'm "over" it meaning I want to be at my goal weight already! But I haven't plateaued in awhile so I'm feeling pretty good about being down almost 70 pounds. I decided to do a few things to motivate myself and get me over the over it feeling.
1) I'm going to schedule my hair appointment to get my hair cut. What does that have to do with weight loss? Well, its a reward, getting my hair cut somewhere - I don't do it often (maybe once every 4 months) and thankfully my hair is healthy enough not to need it (even with the dye). But I'm definitely ready for a change of sorts, nothing too drastic, I don't think, but the anticipation of coming out a "new woman" always makes it a fun outing. I always look forward to a hair cut and it is my reward for reaching 75 pounds down. I have 7 pounds to go to reach that so I'm making the appointment for exactly 1 month from now. This will motivate me by kicking my tater into gear knowing I need to be down 7 pounds by the time haircut time arrives!
2) I'm going back to 90/10. I tend to eat well about 80 percent of the time and 20 percent of the time indulge in things that aren't necessarily bad for me but aren't...necessary (like dark chocolate every day). I'm going to limit my dark chocolate intake, will still have some daily, but not what I've been consuming. And I'm going to tighten up on my eating to make sure I'm not consuming unnecessary foods or extra portions of something just because I like the way it tastes. So I'll be a little more conscious - notice I did NOT say strict, I said conscious, of what I'm eating. Awareness is what it is all about. So when I ate an ice cream bar last week I was fully aware that I was eating it. And fully aware that it was probably a wasted 200 calories and there was probably green dye in it (mint ice cream). But it was good and I have no regrets. Just awareness.
Sound like a diet? It's not at all. It is simply a heightening of my awareness of the healthful content of the food I am ingesting. So there. Still not counting. Still not relying on pre-packaged fake diet food. But I will limit the sweet potato fries. :)
Can you see the difference I'm describing between a diet and the way I eat? The way I eat keeps getting tweaked and changed, but the constant in this equation is this - I have been steadily losing weight for 13 months - even spending a month inactive due to my ankle injury. Obviously I'm doing something right. Just saying.
Another reason to kick it into a higher gear before the holidays get here is the challenge that time of year presents. I plan on indulging in crustless pumpkin pie (who likes the crust anyway?) and whatever other goodies come my way on Thanksgiving - in moderation of course. I was not at all miserable last Thanksgiving and I had only lost 18 pounds at that point. But I lost weight that week - it helped that I walked 5 miles on Thanksgiving day...
That's the key - keep on moving when you plan to eat more unnecessary foods than normal. It is almost a social norm to gain weight during the holidays. I plan to continue steering away from the norms that helped me get fat in the first place and continue to lose! How else will I reach 100 pounds down by 12/31? Seriously.
Part of my motivation is also thinking about my running. I wonder how much faster I will be another 40 pounds down. How much easier running will be on my lungs, heart, legs, and tater!
I'm doing a 5k race in October, the Champions of Hope race in Dothan that raises money for cancer research. I walked (with some jogging) this same course last year with Elizabeth, only 2 months into my healthier lifestyle, in 58 minutes. It's a rough course with a few key miserable hills. I'm of course going to run it this year...and can't wait to do a comparison between how fast I completed it last year and this year. Of course I should knock 5-10 mins off just due to having a fussy 5 year old that I had to carry part of the way - ha! This year its just me and the road - and my parents and little girl there cheering me on. That will be cool.
I went shopping at Kohl's this weekend, yeah, I know I already shopped at Ross last week but my Kohl's shopping trips never have any aim except to see how much I can get for very little. I never spend more than $20-$30 there and I get a ton of good deals.
This time I picked up a pair of capri jeans made by Daisy Fuentes for $8.99. I looked them over and realized they were a size 14 (remember I just got into a 16), but they looked big. I told myself it wouldn't hurt to just try them on, and I could be disappointed or I could score a new "goal" outfit. Imagine my shock and excitement when they easily slid on and buttoned! And looked good! I was ecstatic. I also scored a denim jacket for $9 and a few other odds and ends. I felt amazing wearing my size 14 capris the other night. I wanted to tell everyone! Props to Daisy Fuentes for giving a little "give" to your clothing line...you made a thick chick very happy. Even though that is probably why they were on clearance - it also means they made some size 14 girls feel happy when they were too big and they had to put them back! A good thing for society overall. Give the woman a nobel peace prize!
So that's enough ranting for now. All good stuff, all the download of my brain as I continue on this journey to saving my own physical life. I'm excited about each chapter and this one, "tightening up" is no different. I know I will see successes as I have along the way as I still have aLOT to lose!
It's been BROUGHT!
Clara
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