Tuesday, June 2, 2009

It's getting hot in here ... and what works for me

Man it feels great to be back on the losing train again. I've diddled around for so long and right now I feel like it's just clicked for me. I don't feel like I'm struggling, I don't feel deprived, I don't feel desperate. I just feel great and I don't want to stop!

The things I feel that are helping me are:

* Setting a goal with a timeline (to be under 150 by Jul 9th). Normally I don't like these types of goals, because it implies an end, but somehow this just seemed to be what I needed to get going again and keep me focused. I'm not feeling at all that that date will be 'the end' but rather just a checkmark.

* Tracking everything! Even if it's not pretty.

* Preplanning. Almost every night (or early morning) I write out a plan for the next day. It really helps on work days because when I wake up I already know what to pack. I've tried planning an entire week, but my tastes change or someone ends up eating the food I had planned for a certain day and too many things come up. I still make changes sometimes, but having a plan makes such a HUGE difference.

* Being honest here (and maybe not popular) but I've stopped worrying about filling every category according to Weight Watchers Healthy Guidelines. While I do very much agree with them, I find it very hard to stick to them. I know I don't get as much dairy & healthy oil servings as I should and those are my downfall. I still have them, just not as often as I should. I was just finding it kind of stressful to get them all in within my points allowance and ended up feeling like a failure when I didn't, or eating too many points to try to get them in.

* Having an afternoon snack. Trying to get from noon to 6:00(ish) without having something just doesn't work, and by most research isn't healthy. Now I plan for it, have a slightly smaller lunch, and have something light in the afternoon around 3:30-4:00. If I have exercise planned for the early evening (6:00) then I eat more at my snack time and have a lighter dinner afterwards.

Tonight I have bootcamp. It's going to be killer as it's super hot here today 28-30° C. That's pretty smokin' for us, but I love it. So what do I plan to do .... I'm going to add more exercise and ride my bike to/from class. It's just over 9 Km each way, though I may take a 10Km route instead.

Today's menu:

Breakfast - Red River Cereal (2)
Lunch- 4 c. Raw Veggies, hummus, 1 hard boiled egg, 1/2 c. yoghurt (6)
Snack - 1/2 c. 2% cottage cheese, 4 wheat thins, hummus (4)
Dinner - 1 c. beef tortellini, 1/4 c. alfredo sauce with added spice, broccoli & red peppers (9)

Total - 21 points

Exercise - 60 min bootcamp, 60 min cycling

2 comments:

Tiffany said...

Glad to hear you're on a roll.

I think you've set some really good goals for yourself. Realistic and challenging enough all at the same time.

And I completely agree about the healthy guidelines. While I agree that they are good, they can also hinder progressed if one gets too wrapped up in it. As long as you're being healthy, you're well on your way.

skinny me! said...

Sounds great!!! Good luck!

You're doing all the right things...hitting 150 is going to be incredible!