Ok! I'm back to losing weight. I had to take a little time off to put forth the effort with all the other major things going on but now, I'm basically unpacked in the new house and the majority of the other issues have worked themselves out.
However, I'm glad that I did take some time off from 'diet and exercise' ( I don't really 'diet' and I always 'exercise' so really it was time off from the 'effort of losing weight') But I think many people find themselves in a situation like this where the act of 'making the effort' ceases and many view it as being permanent when it really can very easily just be a temporary hiatus. So I took about 2 months off from watching what I eat and being vigilant about exercising and I have not been juicing at all. Which is kind of like taking a vacation from work. For those of us whose weight is a never ending battle, I think from time to time it's important to just take some time to not think about and it will give you that jump start to get back into it! And ( I don't know if this is true but I think there is a lot of truth to all the things my Grandma used to say-she insisted that you would only lose weight for three months at a time-then your body would just stop so you would have to take some time off to rebut.) I believe it-kind of, I have noticed trends like that in the past.
I just weighed myself -my last post in April I was 174 and my weight today 2 months later-173!
I am ardently determined to get to 171 by next week as that will take me to my '90 lbs lost' mark. I think I can do it no problem! People who are overweight know how to lose weight better than anyone else- because we have lots of experience so I am taking a mixture of several eating and exercise habits I have tried in the past and one new one and combining them, it's a 7 step plan detailed below....
1. JUICE-- As you know- I'm an advocate of juicing. It is the best changs I've made in my life towards better health. For those of you who are unfamiliar with juicing, it is simply making your own juice with fresh fruits and veggies. Each day I take in 5-15 servings of fruits and veggies. I've written a lot about it and I think it aids in weight loss, can serve as a treatment to nearly any condition and obviously will promote better overall health.
2. NO CARBS AFTER 5H-- I think most of us do our bulk of eating carbs in the evening, I cannot affirm strongly enough how effective this is. There have been many times I have simply cut out carbohydrates after 5:00 and shed pounds so easily and quickly.
3. WALK 5 MILES/DAY-- I began walking 5 miles/day last spring and the weight started to melt off in the sun. I love vigorous exercise but I needed something I could do with my daughter in tow. Walking is easy, she gets fresh air and usually takes a nap in the stroller. 5 miles may seem like a lot and it is in the beginning but it takes less than an hour and a half and it's easy. I think people forget how simple it is to 'walk' and it is so good for you! I also like my long walks because it gives me time to think. All you need is a pair of shoes, water, sunscreen and mase.
4. DRINK TWO GLASSES OF WATER BEFORE EATING-- Again-this is very easy to do and free especially if I'm going to eat something that I prefer to indulge in i.e. pizza or sweets-I'm less likely to over indulge if I drink a bunch of water beforehand.
5. EAT SOMETHING EVERY HOUR FROM 9-5-- I personally have no interest in sitting down and eating a meal, I am a snacker- so it finally dawned on me- just snack! Make that my 'diet', snacking-just plan to snack instead of eating the three quintessential meals each day AND snacking. I also have added sweets into my meal plan because the reality is that I want to eat chocolate every single day...so I'm going to, and you know what I've lost 88 pounds eating whatever I want! The idea behind eating something small every hour is that it's like regulated snacking so it doesn't get out of control. And if the snack of choice is something like chips then I just have one serving.
6. SUCK ON HARD CANDIES WHEN AS NEEDED-- As a 'snacker' I think food or eating rather, is more of a habit than anything else. Like when I used to smoke I'd ALWAYS light a cigarette every time I got on the phone now when I'm on the phone I just pace all over the house. You know how 'doodlers' say they have to keep they're hands busy all the time-well some people have to keep they're mouths busy- not a second of the day goes by where I am not either talking, drinking something, chewing on ice, grinding my teeth, applying chapstick or sucking on hard candies. I know personally they're are many times I've eaten something when I wasn't even hungry. Occasionally I will stop myself and say 'why am I even eating this?' and throw it in the garbage. By sucking on hard candies it satisfies the mouth in lieu of eating a high calorie food something.
7. SIT UPS-- Well I wish I had the time to do two hours of aerobics every day in order to tone up but I don't.... so at this time in my life it seems my mommy tummy is the fattest part of my body and will not go away! So I'm going to being focusing on that for now by just doing sit ups throughout the day when I think about it, when my daughter's watching cartoons or when I'm playing on the floor. Nothing I'm going to stress about it, just do whatever I can.
I'd love hear some of your weight loss secrets that you swear by and maybe I'll even add it to my 'routine'!
For the sit-up's part maybe you could turn that into a plank position instead. I read somewhere that the plank is the best ab exercise and that it engages all your muscles. Time yourself each time, see how long you can hold it and watch yourself improve. Also something I do is to try to remember to tighten my abs up occasionally when driving and walking.
ReplyDeleteThat's great that you've been able to maintain your weight without really trying. Good luck with the rest of the weight loss:-) As for your stomach, think of all the pilates exercises for your stomach as they are so good for flattening the abs!
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