June 14, 2014: More on Goal-Setting and Getting Motivated

June 14, 2014: More on Goal-Setting and Getting Motivated

Hello Friends,

 My last blog talked a lot about what I do to get motivated, and I'm still thinking about this.  So let's get started on some research, shall we?

Here is a great article that indicates some steps to take to be more motivated:

http://zenhabits.net/get-off-your-butt-16-ways-to-get-motivated-when-youre-in-a-slump/

I like, specifically, what the author says about people finding inspiration from other people.  This applies to my life for sure.  I also appreciate the his idea on writing a goal, or making signs, and posting them in  places you see every day.  My brother had a door-to-door sales job one summer where his business associates encouraged each other by having them decorate their cars on the inside with sticky notes that have positive messages.  His car was full of motivating messages like "You can do it!"  "This will not be the last opportunity you have today," etc.

Here is also a link to an article I found in the online version of Shape magazine.  This article gives many good ideas and tips to get motivated that are specific to leading a healthier lifestyle.  However, my least favorite suggestion in this article is to "give yourself a short two-three day break from your diet," and it's the first step.  To me, this provides an "out" to those who are looking for one.  Isn't the idea to motivate people to stay on their diet??  I don't think that's the key. However, maybe to give yourself an one-hour break, but for me this would be like skipping a bar and having a piece of pizza (with soaking up all the yucky oily fat on the top with a napkin of course), and then having a lighter dinner in the afternoon.  http://www.shape.com/weight-loss/weight-loss-strategies/22-ways-stay-motivated-lose-weight/slide/22

I've been thinking as we have these conversations, I should include my meal plan so you know how insane I have been for the last twelve weeks.  This is my daily meal plan:

Morning Breakfast:  1 non-fat yogurt (I usually choose Yoplait), 1 serving of fruit (for me this is usually  1/2 of a grapefruit, 3/4 c berries, or a small peach w/ 1/4 c berries depending what's in season), and 1-2 Decaf cups of coffee

Bar at about 10:00am  (familybariatric.com)

Lunch:  1 serving of a very lean meat (chicken, turkey, fish, shrimp, etc.), with 2 cups of either raw or cooked veggies.  My veggie preferences also vary with seasons, but I almost always choose green veggies that are made mostly of water. For example, zucchini, yellow squash, green beans, rutabaga, or asparagus.  A friend of mine on the same diet as I often cooks cabbage, puts a little salt and pepper on it, and eats this as her serving of veggies. I tried this....it's okay, but not my preference.  Whatever floats your boat.

Bar at about 2:30-3pm (familybariatric.com)

Dinner:  1 serving of red meat (deck-of-cards size), and 2 more cups of veggies cooked or raw.

8PM- Shake/Pudding (Puddings can be made by the shake mix. I love this, and use this perk almost exclusively.  These are also found at familybariatric.com)

Originally, I directed by my coach to eat two cups of raw veggies, and two cups of cooked veggies per day to get the most nutrients.  This didn't work out for me. I got very tired very fast of raw veggies for lunch all the time.  Now I change it up a lot more, and don't pay as close attention to raw/cooked as I used to in the beginning.


Well, this is my blog for the day.  Hope you see you back on Happy Monday!  Have a great weekend.

Rachael

June 11, 2014 "Why? and How?"

June 11, 2014

I spend a lot of time lately thinking of "Why?" and "How?"

Questions like "Why did I get so overweight? Why'd I let this happen to me?"  or "How did I get this motivated to finally lose the weight?  If I lose my way again, how do I get back to 'here'?"

Have you ever read the books by Gretchen Rubin called The Happiness Project, or Happier At Home?  I love these books. I think they have great ideas in them on how someone could better their life, become a better person, and make others around them happier.  Generally, even make your life a little easier to lead.

She discusses a lot of ways people can wish they were happier.  For example, say your a happy person already, could you be happier?  One of my favorite questions on a date to ask is, "What one thing could you start doing today that would change your life forever?"  Thoughts like this cross my mind daily.

After mulling this kind of thing over often, I still have no idea how I got "here".  My go-to answer when someone asks lately is pretty simple. I just got "tired."  One day I just got tired of being lazy all the time, wanting to go to bed when others I knew where still wide-awake.  I got tired of wanting to take naps all the time, spending my weekends taking naps instead of having fun with my friends and family, going to the store and not being able to find anything that fits me, feeling terrible every time I looked in the mirror, or looked at a picture someone took of me, etc.  Sometime I must have made this mental list in my subconscious because it's so easy to rattle off.

Motivation is a funny thing.  How does one become more motivated?  What is the basic recipe, if you will, for motivation?  For me it's these things:

1.  Do it right now, don't procrastinate.
2.  Listen to fast music when it's hard to get moving.  It'll make you go faster.
3.  Get 6 to 8 hours sleep at night.
4.  Drink more water.
5.  Get an idea, and then do some research by reading a new book, watching a video, looking at the internet, or even just Pinteresting. The research might get you more excited.
6.  Start.  The first few minutes of a task are always the toughest, but after you start get going, you're half done.
7.  Discuss your idea with a friend.  Maybe the conversation will motivate you.
8. Do the task while with a friend, or even just talking to them on the phone.
9.  Discuss with others who are already in the midst of the journey, or are just now completing the goal.
10.  Make a list of baby-steps.

June 9, 2014 "Consciousness"

Dear Dieting Friends,

 I didn't think a lot about my diet today.  I was on the diet. I followed the diet...but did I actually think about the diet??  At the end of the day I am realizing that my new eating habits, etc, or being on a health-kick, is almost always in the back of my mind.  I did consider things like, for example, usually I exercise at least fifteen minutes every day.  Today I didn't. I think I'm being attacked with either a new cold, or some allergies, which to me, warrants being able to skip a day.  

I'm thinking about this a little more while discussing this with you; once today, I even had a teacher come in and try to pawn-off a cupcake on me from one of his students who was having a birthday...and I politely refused the cupcake.  At the time, I think I was so busy, I'm not sure that moment of my day even provoked much thought of my diet.  Not to mention, I never once wished I could eat that cupcake.  Wow, that's a good change ;o)

Now, if that cupcake was a pizza...I'd be in big trouble.

How often do you think about being on your diet?  I'm in week eleven, and so maybe it takes this many weeks to finally feel comfortable enough to not think about it that much.

Rachael

June 8, 2014 "Little Successes'"

June 8, 2014  "Little Successes'"


When I started this blog, I forgot to mention "success."  I feel I wasn't positive enough about this experience, and am now looking back at how I began this journey 11 weeks ago, and realizing there are also many little daily successes that should be discussed.  So in light of this, let's discuss some:

Yesterday, I got in the car with my parents to go out to lunch.  At the time I got in the car, I had been told we were going to a place I knew I would be able to get the two cups of raw veggies I needed for the day, etc. I wasn't worried.  We get down the block from their house, and all the sudden one of them exclaims, "Let's try this new place downtown."  Now, nothing against new places, love to try new places, but of course, this is where I get slightly concerned I may just be sitting across from them eating a slice of deli meat and some salad I'm not sure what exactly it was made of....  Before this diet, I  loved trying new places.  I was usually the one that said, "Hey, let's go try this new place."  Now, it's tough. I never know if there are going to be any options that fit the food schedule I'm suppose to stick to.

We go to the new place, and of course, there's nothing on the menu I feel like I can be "certain" about.  I end up sitting across from them the whole aprox. 25 minutes that we're in the place watching them eat their sandwiches.  Even though this was torture for me at the time, I guess it was a success because I was saying that I was going to wait and eat something I knew I could have.  Originally, when I first started this diet, I would have been concerned about hurting their feelings by not trying to put up with something on the menu, but now I realize they're not concerned about it...so I'm not either.  "I can eat when I get home," has become somewhat of a new mantra.

New Tips:

•  Drink lots of water. I know you hear this all the time, but it is such an important part of being able to lose weight, and feel better while doing it.  I was concerned about this factor of my diet before I began, and so I became a frequent water-drinker before I went on the full-fledged diet.  I highly recommend this for you if you feel water isn't something you would normally be drawn to.
• Exercising just fifteen minutes every day can get you in the habit very quickly.  It doesn't even have to be strenuous exercise.  Just walking the dog for fifteen minutes daily for three weeks can really get you going.  Before I began this diet, I did some research on habit forming.  More on this later...

Rachael

June 7, 2014: "My First Blog"

June 7, 2014:  "My First Blog"

Today I decided to start a blog about my weight loss journey.  I have no idea what I am doing, in weight loss or blogging, and I really am just an average person trying to lose weight.  I make small little defeats every day.  In elementary school teachers say, "Make good choices," and that's exactly what I try to do, and struggle with every day.  I think I try to live like a normal single woman generally lives, but I just have to "Make good choices" while doing so.

My intentions and goals for this blog are:

• To provide a forum for others to discuss their own weight loss journeys and struggles.
• To have a place to vent when I'm frustrated, and gain extra support to stay on track.
• To share with others about what I learn about weight loss, health, and give helpful tips as I discover them.
• To learn from others.

First, here are some basic things about me you should know.  I'm 33-years old, I teach preschool-level art and music.  I also am currently an administrative assistant Wednesday through Friday for my boss.  I love to go out to eat, and so one of my desires for this blog will be to share tips I discover about popular resteraunts and what to order.  I have an awesome coach from a local weight loss program named Jane, and she's amazing.  The things I learn from Jane I'm sure I will use for the rest of my life, and the way she supports me...I just don't think I could do this journey without her.  My favorite food is pizza...and I'm not supposed to have any.  Although, occasionally I cave and have one piece of pizza.  So far this has only happened two times, but it's only my eleventh week.

Tips I've discovered so far that could help others:

1. Walden Farms makes dressings and condements.  Their products are zero calories.  I can't eat salad without Walden Farms dressings, and I currently use two of their dressings to make stirfly often (Asian and Seseme).
2. From someone who hardly makes any money at all, know that all your muscles can easily be stregthened at home, and for free.  You don't have to join a gym to do this. I haven't, and don't intend to while I make my current paycheck amounts.
3. Tracking and recording what you eat today is really helpful, and apparently, Jane tells me that 50% more people that do so have better success than those that do not. I believe her.  If there's anything I've learned in teaching, tracking and recording progress is a very important element to having the best results possible.

Stay tuned!  Hopefully all of these goals will be met.  As you read, please share tips and "struggle stories" of your own defeats.  Thanks.

--Rachael