Tag Archives: weight loss

Stress and Weight Loss

Blog Posts,

We all have stress. I feel stressed every day. But now I fear stress is the root of my inability to lose weight. There have been many things that have triggered the stress that I feel and I still have a lot of work to do to sort things out. But the only thing that keeps me from gaining weight is exercise.

The CustomFit Meals help keep my cravings from taking over my life. Eating well can help cut down on the overindulgence. My husband is still losing weight and getting fit. All I can do is be supportive and hope that I can adjust my mental outlook to start my weight loss.

Stress can overwhelm everyday life, if we let it. I have let it overwhelm me for over a year now. Too many things have happened that are stressors to me and I have gotten to the point that I can’t manage them. I’ve let the work stress run over into the home  stress run into the family life stress until I feel overrun by a stress monster.

Everyone has their own way of dealing with stress and unfortunately, my way is to have a good cry. If I could focus that energy into exercise or something more positive I could make some headway. I’ve decided that I just don’t have the skill set to manage this stress so I am seeing a counselor. I know my limits and I have reached it. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. For me, it’s a sign of clear thinking that I am looking for help in a situation that I cannot resolve myself.

I am making reducing stress my number one priority. After I feel I can manage stress realistically, if I can’t lose weight then the last resort is seeing a weight loss specialist.

Weight loss specialist – now that means research…

Time Off From Weight Loss

Blog Posts,

This is my birthday week – yes, week. Birthday’s only come once a year, why not make the most of it. I decided to make it worth my while and take a break from my weight loss routine. I figured that I had gone through my loss of motivation pit last time. Now I need to start anew.

In addition to being a celebratory week, I have had some other issues to deal with that helped me decide to take a break. That bulging vein that I had last week actually burst. Now I have this mass that looks like I bruised the entire back of my calf. Easy does it says the doc, so it’s off the treadmill.

Even though I’m not walking on the machine, I am making sure that I keep active. I do plenty of seated movements. It’s simple to do and really helps to keep the blood flowing. I do the foot circles, leg extensions, and flexing and straightening of my legs. It’s bad enough that I can’t walk but I’m not ready to let my muscles get too tight.

My husband is still working out regularly at CrossFit and eating his CustomFit Meals. He’s lost 12 lbs and 3 inches on his waist. Hard work and good food are paying off in a big way for him.

I’m going to re-evaluate things when my calf heals and I am back to walking. I need to make sure the doctor gives me the okay to do what needs to be done to get me further on the road to better health and weight loss. Nothing has changed, which is good. It’s way too easy for me to gain weight when not exercising. But sticking to the food and keep as active as I can, even without the treadmill, I can at least maintain things.

How long to healing? Only time will tell…

Weight Loss vs Motivation

Blog Posts,

Well, it’s happened again. I’ve lost my motivation. I feel better but still can’t lose any weight. I’m eating good food. I’m more active than I have been. But the lack of weight loss has sent me in the spiral of lost motivation. Am I the only one this happens to?

My husband has eaten the same food, exercising a couple of days a week, and he still treats himself to chips and soda but he has lost 12 pounds and several inches. I have lost nothing – nada, zip, zilch. It’s the same story as every time before. What do I do?

Should I see yet another doctor who can tell me it’s hormones or my age? Should I forget the weight loss and just be glad I’m feeling better? I haven’t met the doctor who can help me past this point. I can’t shake the feeling that I’m missing something. It’s just not enough for me to stay the same.

I worked out in the garden on Saturday, pulling weeds and clearing the front garden.  Good exercise I thought. The Sunday, I mowed the grass. Things seemed to be going well until I felt this pain in my leg. I felt as if I has been shot in the back of the knee. I stopped what I was doing and went inside to check it out. I had this huge bulging vein on the back of my leg, right under the knee-joint. Well, what else can go wrong?

I would gladly take advice from someone else who has been there. What do you do when you try but can’t lose weight? I want to be upbeat and say that I’m just grateful for not gaining weight and glad to be alive… But who am I kidding? I want the pounds to go down. That’s the point.

Who has the answers?

Weight Loss and Stress

Blog Posts,

This has been a very stressful period for me. There are so many things going on that trying to achieve a weight loss when I am stressed out seems like an impossible task. But I am going to persevere. I’ve adopted some strategies to help me through this rough patch.

First, I don’t eat alone. If I am at work, I make certain that I eat with someone. Eating in front of someone makes me more conscious of how much I’m eating. Plus, I tend to eat more slowly if I am engaged in conversation. Making lunchtime more relaxing, rather than wolfing down my lunch at my desk, eases my digestion. The days I have eaten at my desk I almost always continue to read my email or do something while eating. That’s just not good way to nourish myself or take a breather from the workday.

When things get really tough, I used to head for the snacks. Now, I take a walk; even if I just go outside and walk between buildings, it helps me release some steam. One thing that has really helped is eating the right food – I don’t get hungry between meals. I recognize now when I give into emotional eating. I feel fine for a bit and then, if I’ve had something sugary, I can feel the crash a lot more easily than before.

I continue to eat my CustomFit Meals. I can choose to eat something else if I want but the meals satisfy my hunger and keep me full longer. It helps me feel that I have enough fuel to do my exercises too. Now, it’s time to step up the workout routines. Even though it’s been weeks that I have been on level 1, I hesitated to raise the intensity until I didn’t feel worn out completely after a session. The time has come to move to level 2.

Time to check out Jillian’s programs and move up.

And the Weight Loss Total is…

Blog Posts

Two pounds. Okay, so it’s not much but at least it’s moving in the right direction. I have had so many days with not a budge, that having a total weight loss of two pounds is worth noting.

I did my floor exercises today and worked out my legs until they burned. It wasn’t pleasant but it had to be done. My legs now feel like jello. It’s odd that when I walk on the treadmill, my legs don’t get tired. I get out of breath and my hips seems to take the brunt of the pain. I still don’t have endurance but I do go the distance.

For lunch I had the Chicken Pot Pie but it wasn’t like any Chicken Pot Pie I’ve ever had before. I’m not saying it didn’t taste good but it didn’t satisfy my “pot pie” need. For dinner I had Chicken Taco Bowl. Now that’s quite tasty. I will definitely order that again from CustomFit Meals. Tonight is another pick up date for the remaining meals of the week. My husband picks them up from the gym and brings them home. It’s almost like getting presents for me.

I have to make notes to remember who ordered what each week. My husband and I have different tastes. He likes spicy food with a punch. I like milder food with good flavors from the ingredients, not the spices. It’s more important now since I have been diagnosed with acid reflux. I’m on medicine to control it but I bet if I lose this weight I won’t need it anymore. I’m sure if I make my weight loss goal – remember there are no numbers – I will be able to stop taking blood pressure medicine too.

Looking forward to more weight loss…

 

And the weight loss is…

Blog Posts, ,

A half a pound. That’s right. Not even a full pound. All I can think is I am an older woman (as much as I hate to believe it), my metabolism is slower, my hormones are what they used to be and the body doesn’t work as well as it did in my 20’s or 30’s. But this is ridiculous.

So I’m trying a detox diet to get rid of all of the toxins built up in my system. I’m going totally gluten free, no processed sugars, no whole grains, and no red meat. I’ve ordered gluten free oatmeal, coconut milk, chia seeds, and coconut oil. I’m going to try two weeks of this detox to see if I can kick start the weight loss. No eggs or coffee for breakfast. Lean protein – chicken or fish – for main meals. No processed sugar of any kind. Protein bars are a joke for someone like me. They are for real athletes who need large amounts of carbs to keep them moving.

I will share recipes when I find good ones. They have to taste good – that’s the first criteria. If I won’t eat them, then I won’t recommend them to anyone else. Plus I need to satisfy my sweet tooth in one way or another. I did find a one ingredient “soft ice cream” recipe that is really good. I had never tried this before but some friends recommended it.

Peel a banana, cut it into rings, and freeze for a couple of hours. Place the frozen banana rings in a blender or food processor and blend the heck out of them. When they are the consistency of soft ice cream, you’ve got dessert. The first time I tried it I was surprised. The consistency was right and if you like bananas, and I do, it’s a great substitute for soft ice cream.

Detox starts in a day, more to come.

Weight Loss at a Standstill

Blog Posts, ,

I knew this would be hard but it continues to amaze me just how hard it is to lose weight. As I continue to read various weight loss articles, I keep going through the mental checklist:

  1. Get enough sleep – check
  2. Eat breakfast – check
  3. Eat small meals throughout the day – check
  4. Eat slowly – check
  5. Chew gum to avoid eating mindlessly – check
  6. Drink more water – check
  7. Exercise – check

So where’s the weight loss?

I am stuck and can’t seem to budge. I need to find the kick start. I weigh myself to make sure I’m not gaining weight. I watch every morsel I put in my mouth. I keep walking on the treadmill. It’s frustrating.

I can’t eat any less. My body will start hoarding food to protect itself if I drop my calories too low. The only other thing I can do is exercise harder. Time to ramp up on the treadmill and weights. I guess I’m not pushing myself hard enough. Even though I feel like I have just run a marathon when I get off the treadmill (even though it’s just 30 minutes), I have to do more.

Getting older sucks. I never had this problem when I was younger. I could eat anything I wanted and not gain weight. Then each year it seemed I gained a little more weight and I didn’t do anything about it until now. But that’s the past. I’ve got to keep motivated or I will always be this way. And the thought of that makes me very unhappy.

Tomorrow, I will try to do the floor exercises and the weights. I still am not ready for daily rounds on the treadmill. But I am going to conquer this weight loss standoff. I will make this weight loss happen.

Okay, now I need to mentally gear up for this change in routine.

 

It’s Not All Downhill

Blog Posts,

Weight-wise, that is. This week’s weigh in did not show any downward progress. (Somehow that seemed easier to say than I didn’t lose any weight.) I know that there are going to be weeks where I don’t lose weight but I thought that early on I would lose steadily. Now I have to think about ways to kick start this weight loss.

I need to start searching for food options to help me stay on track. There are so many options out there but I’m not sure which one would work for me. I’ve seen the commercials for NutriSystem and the famous people who lose a ton of weight and look the way they did when they were teenagers. Somehow, I don’t think I’m going to look like a teenager ever again.

Besides, I’ve tried all of the stuff before and eventually got tired of it. I want real food. I want real portions of food and not miniscule portions that don’t fill me up. That’s when I start looking for snacks. And that’s where it’s all downhill. I don’t want to go back there.

For me, the food is the key to my weight loss. If I don’t eat right, the weight just packs back on. I’ve lost weight, gained it back, and then gained more. Over and over again. I’m tired of the the yo-yo weight loss. It’s time to lose weight – for the last time. And keep it off. So the search is on for the right type of food that will get me what I want (tasty and filling) and I what I need (nutrition that will fuel my weight loss).

Looking for food in all the wrong places – no more…

Can’t Lose Weight at Happy Hour

Blog Posts,

Now I am not opposed to going to happy hour nor am I opposed to having fun. But when you’re trying to lose weight happy hour is a pit of calories. Twice this week I was invited to go out to happy hour with friends. I, of course, turned the invitations down. I enjoy a good time out with friends but I’m not deeply entrenched into this new weight loss habit to trust myself.

Once I get a handle on my ability to say no to the things that I should not have, then I won’t need to beg off. I know there are plenty of people who can manage their outings and eat the right food and drink the low-cal drinks. But I need some more time to make this commitment to lose weight to take hold. If I blow it now on pub food or some high calorie drink, it will be another excuse and I’m not ready to start back on the road that put the weight on me in the first place.

If I have another weight loss when I weigh in, I may feel a little tempted to treat myself. But that is where I have the biggest opportunity to kick start my weight loss into a habit. If I feel that I am heading in the right direction, then I can keep the momentum going. It’s when I break that routine and give myself an out that I go off the deep end. So I will stick to my promise to myself. Keep up the exercise. Keep eating right. And most of all, keep the right attitude.

Life is about choices. This one is mine. I will lose this weight. I am not going to set a time limit or specific weight. I am going to work on creating a new me that I enjoy seeing in the mirror. I’m realistic. I know I’m not a young thing anymore but I can look better. And that will help me feel better. It’s my choice. I choose to stay true to my promise to myself.

The weekend is here and so is Daylight Savings Time. Remember to set your clocks ahead an hour tomorrow night. Spring forward!

After the Snow Event

Blog Posts, ,

So I was all prepared to have tons of snow keep up in the house for days. The electric company warned about extended power outages. I had all the necessary supplies. My husband was prepared for clearing the snow away from the sidewalk and driveway. And then the “snow event” was a “no event”. It did snow but it was gone in a matter of hours. Today, no one would know it had snowed yesterday.

What does that have to do with my weight loss? I figured that I should wait and save my energy should I need to help with the clearing of the mounds of snow. Well, you see how that turned out. But what happened is that I broke my routine. And it was so much easier to try to convince myself today that I didn’t need to get on the treadmill. I was already settled in from work. I could just relax. And then I realized – the beginning of the excuses. I got up and changed into my workout clothes immediately.

While I was in mid-workout, my husband walks in the room and asks “Having fun?” Really? Is it not evident that I do not like this one bit? I would much rather be doing anything else. How do people like this kind of exercise? But I know that I have to get in shape and this is the method I chose, so on with it.

I’m still eating well and not snacking during the day. So I am surfing the web to find other outlets to distract me. This evening I found that there are downloads of music, games, and a book that are totally free until March 15th. I will use these to pass the time if I start thinking about snacking.

Snow or no snow, I have to stick to my routine and work on building that habit so it becomes second nature. I need to come home, change into workout clothes, and get on that treadmill. It’s a promise I have to make to myself.

Developing new habits is hard work.