Monday, February 20, 2012

Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants.


I think this is my new mantra.

I lost weight this week. I don't know how, but I did.  I lost 4LBS! Holy balls, I lost 4 lbs. Let me explain why this had me running into the living room squealing like a little girl last night.

You see, I've tried a million times to get on the right track. I've started Couch to 5K probably 4 or 5 times. I've been on SparkPeople. I've tried yoga and cross training. I've set goals. I've tried portion control. Nothing worked. It was either too hard to stick to to begin with or I didn't see any results in the first few weeks (that's plural...weeks), and I'd give up.

So I joined Weight Watchers about a month ago. I did it for a week before a work trip and lost 2 lbs. When you're first starting out 2 lbs feels like a real achievement. Then I went out of town, and didn't bother to track anything for several weeks.

Then I realized that was a waste of money. I joined WW for 3 months, and I'm paying the fees. I'm also a member of a gym, and I'm paying for that as well. So last weekend I decided to go ahead and start following WW again, and try to head to the gym a few times. I want to be a person that can run 5 miles, no problem. I want to be a person who can train for a half marathon and feel that accomplishment when I cross the finish line. The only thing holding me back is my own lazy attitude.

"But wait!" you say. "Your update on Saturday said you failed miserably to stay within your allotted WW points. What gives? And side note, what does any of this have to do with your mantra?" I imagine you wondering. It's true, I spent my points and then some. BUT! I was spending them on mostly whole foods. Fruits, vegetables, yogurt, pasta and rice. I ate a few frozen meals for lunch, to be sure, but overall I ate fresh, unprocessed foods. I really think this fact has a lot to do with the reason I lost weight while exceeding my WW points (by a ridiculous amount, seriously).

So, my sentiments yesterday about wanting to eat more whole foods and less processed and pesticide riddled foods - definitely getting reinforced today.  And that minor victory - seeing the scale go down so quickly - actually makes me excited to get to the gym, to stay on track, to eat right. If I can see such a significant change in such a short amount of time by only barely following the guidelines, imagine what will happen when I hunker down and do it correctly.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Whole Foods?

I'm considering moving towards a whole food diet.  I've heard nothing but good things about about it, from the health benefits, to enjoying the taste of food better. The only negative I've heard is that it can be more expensive, but I imagine since it will involve cooking and eating at home more, it won't be a problem budget-wise.

I'm not the kind of person to go "all-in" on something. I've learned that about myself over the years. It takes time to gradually form a habit, but I'm the kind of person that has to seriously ease into it.

Here are a few resources I'm looking into.
Clean Eating Magazine
100 Days of Real Food Blog
100 Days Recipes
NHerShoes 100 Day Challenge

I'm also not a wasteful person (or at least, I try not to be). I have plenty of processed food in my refrigerator and pantry that I need to eat, but I'm going to slowly introduce more and more fresh fruits and vegetables, and hopefully make a transition over the next month or two. We'll see. It might be too hard. I'm a pretty lazy person, and if preparation becomes too much of a hassle, I can see myself caving and just ordering take out.

I also can't imagine doing this whole hog. There's family sushi nights, mom's steak and cheesy cauliflower, and Taco Tuesdays to consider. But even making a moderate change has to be a good idea, right?

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Plan: 2/19-2/25

Sunday 2/19: Walk 30-60 mins or 3 miles, Rest if it rains
Monday 2/20: C25K W2D1
Tuesday 2/21: Yoga
Wednesday 2/22: Walk 30-45 mins or 2.5 miles
Thursday 2/23: C25K W2D2
Friday 2/24: Walk 30-60 mins or 3 miles, or rest if needed
Saturday 2/25: C25K W2D3

Goals:
1. Complete all C25K workouts
2. Complete at least two add'l workouts
3. Track all food and drink
4. Stay within WW allowance
5. Lose 1 lb

UPDATE: 2/12-2/18

PLAN:

Wednesday 2/15: Gym - C25K W1D1
Thursday 2/16: Gym - C25K W1D2
Saturday 2/18: Gym - C25K W1D3

Goals:
1. Complete 3 workouts
2. Track all food and drink
3. Lose 1 lb

REALITY:

Wednesday 2/15: Gym - C25K W1D1 Completed
Thursday 2/16: Gym - C25K W1D2 Completed
Saturday 2/18: Gym - C25K W1D3 Completed

Goals:
1. Complete 3 workouts Achieved
2. Track all food and drink Achieved, but the results were horrendous
3. Lose 1 lb  Check back on Monday Lost 4 lbs, bitches!

Monday, February 13, 2012

PLAN: 2/12 - 2/18

Wednesday 2/15: Gym - C25K W1D1
Thursday 2/16: Gym - C25K W1D2
Saturday 2/18: Gym - C25K W1D3

Goals:
1. Complete 3 workouts
2. Track all food and drink
3. Lose 1 lb