A Turning Point

Last night I saw an old friend I hadn't seen in a year. We met at work way back when. We just got along so well and became fast friends. I moved on from that company with a new job and she and her husband had a baby... so this explains our gap in hangout time. But we finally got to meet up again... and boy did it help me get back on the diet wagon... heres how:

I'm not judgmental, but from my experience in the past with seeing friends have kids, I've learned that having a baby changes things. It changes your body, and most of the time, makes you gain weight. When I saw my friend last night she looked thinner and fitter than before she had her baby. It was a WOW kind of moment... I was amazed at how awesome she looked, and then thought, why don't I look that good?

After talking with her about her life-changing motherhood, she told me how she gained 50 lbs during her pregnancy, but brisk walking daily, and eating almost all vegetables and fruits with whole grains (occasionally she'll eat fish, but she's mostly vegetarian) she lost her baby weight -- and then some.

Walking and veggies. Is it really that simple? It got me thinking... perhaps motherhood for her created a shift in priorities. Before the baby she thought more about food and cooking and recipes and what her husband would think was tasty, and now she just makes sure she eats and eats healthy. Food is a lower priority than baby.

Maybe I should re-prioritize my own outlook on food. I put food at the number one spot on my list. WHY? because it's the reason I am so unhappy with my self-image. It is my main focus, my drug of choice, and I give it way too much attention. So what I am going to do is this: Food is what keeps me alive. Eat what's right, and what's good for me. Splurge once a week... that's it. I'm changing my workout routine to walking every day, with a run once a week. If I keep it low-impact and do it longer I burn the same amount of calories without the pain and suffering. I am NOT becoming a vegetarian, but I think I might give the idea of ridding my diet of RED MEAT a try... Chicken and Fish only.

It's amazing how inspired you can get when you see someone break the mold and succeed with weight loss. I can only hope that I will be able to do what she did... baby or no baby.

Progress in Measurements...

I took my measurements this morning... and am finding that some inches have wandered off my body... and I have no intensions for sending a search party after them...

Here are my new measurements:

• • • • • • • • • • • • • 

Waist: 36" (– 1 inch)

Hips: 40" ( – 1.5 inches)

Chest: 36.5" (– 1.5 inches)

Arms: 13" (same)

Thighs: 22" (+1/2 inch: I'm calling it muscle)

• • • • • • • • • • • • • 

TOTAL inches lost: 4 inches... guess all that running is actually doing something  : )

WOO HOO!!!!!

An Experimental Break

I just realized how long it has been since my last post. I haven't posted, probably because I haven't really been following the regimen I so strategically set up for myself. A lot has been going on these past few weeks. Holidays, schedules, gatherings, work and night school. When I have that much going on I tend to throw my hands up in the air and say 'forget it all' when it comes to my diet, and I go about my business... then I weigh in a few weeks later and regret that decision. You see the vicious cycle yet?

I still weigh the exact same. My measurements haven't changed either. I can definitely see more definition in my legs and arms from working out, so at least there's ONE result from all this... I've basically gotten too frustrated with the idea of counting calories. It's a joke actually. I hit my limit after my lunch almost every day, so I work out to be able to eat dinner... which allows me 300 calories. If you're anything like me, that's nearly impossible to do without still feeling hungry.

I'm a very picky eater and need a lot of variety... and variety isn't a close friend of Mr. Diet. So, yeah... finding an eating routine is VERY hard for me. I like change way too much, and shudder at the thought of eating the same thing for 5 days in a row...

One other problem has been my night class schedule. I get off work at 4:30 and race through town to get to class by 5:00 -- no time for food. Class starts at 5:00 and goes til 9:30... we get a 20 minute break around 7:00. I know I could bring something to eat, and probably should, but I hate eating food that has been sitting in a car or a fridge getting soggy or stale... I'm kinda OCD about fresh food... and there's not enough time to go grab something fresh from a store, so I don't eat until I get home.... around 10:00 p.m. -- and I'm starving and gorging on all kinds of random things, and I end up overeating. BAH.

Luckily class is only 10 weeks long and I'm nearing the end of week 3. I've decided the calorie counting is going to be temporarily put on hold, and I'm going to just make healthy choices and stop counting calories for the remainder of class, and continue to exercise whenever the opportunity is present.

It's kind of like an experimental diet break, with the continuation of exercise... and it should be interesting to see if it results in a loss or gain. Sometimes I lose more weight when I'm not thinking about it so much.