As I was sitting here at the computer working on some stuff, a little Facebook IM popped up. It was one of my dear friends from childhood asking me how things were going with my "diet"...
Great question! First of all, I try to not think of this as a diet as much as just a lifestyle change (blah, blah, blah...) And the most honest answer to that question is that my answer varies moment to moment....
At THAT particular moment, not so good, because I was munching on some things that I had somehow, over the past few weeks, convinced myself were fine to munch on once in a while. The problem doesn't lie in the statement, as it is true that a few triscuits and a slice of cheese here and there are not necessarily unhealthy snack choices. The problem lies with my increasingly delusional understanding of the phrase "once in a while." There is also something to be examined in the amount of things I have relegated to the "once in a while" category, for it seems that I am dipping into my "once in a while" pile for a new "once in a while" treat several times throughout the day and have been for weeks. Hmmm........
Thank goodness she also asked me what I have been doing to loose all this weight (approx 85 lbs so far). As I typed up my response to her, I was reminded of several important things that I had been doing over the past 6 months that have really made a big difference for me.
SOOOOO...as a reminder for me and food for thought for you, here is a little list of the most significant changes I have made (sans my recent weeks of delusional thinking):
1. Exercise. You can’t get away from it. Yet, it is much more accessible than you probably think. Being a mother of 4 working a full-time job and just barely managing life, I didn’t think I had a single minute to spare in my day. My doctor had me start out by doing 10 minutes "huff & puff" exercise a day. Shoot...I had ten minutes. Anyone can find 10 minutes. I just set my alarm for 10 minutes earlier. Luckily, I had an exercycle so I just hopped on that for 10 minutes a day. Now, 6 months later, I get up at 4:30am and run for an hour 2-3x a week plus my 1-2 hour weekly hikes. I also do core exercises on my “off” days. You know…planks, crunches and bridges, oh my! It’s funny how things that we simply had NO time for eventually become a priority. If the idea of running is both intriguing and terrifying, check out the Couch to 5K program. Google it.
2.
Get a good heart rate monitor. You know me. I don't have money and I know you don't either. But if you are going to put $ somewhere, this is it. This probably was the single biggest thing I did as far as exercise goes. At first I just wore it around and paid attention to what my heart was doing as I did different things. Then, as I got to know my body better, I started noticing what I baby I had turned into when it came to moving my body. When I thought I was absolutely dying, I would look at the watch and see that in all actuality, I really wasn't dying...in fact I should really pick up the pace. Wow! It was a big eye opener for me. I thought I was exercising all those years and the truth was that I really wasn't doing much at all and used my fatness as an excuse to move WAY slower than I really could. Odds are, you are way stronger than you think!3. Order this: http://www.amazon.com/Dymatize-Nutrition-Protein-Gourmet-Vanilla/dp/B000GOY6Z0/ref=cm_sw_em_r_o_idp_-yhunb1GBQG16_im
It should last you several months. Make yourself a smoothie for breakfast in the morning before you go to work. You can also use it to make yourself protein bars. If you don’t want a 5 lb vat of it, you can find this brand of protein powder in many local vitamin shops and in smaller containers. For me, a smoothie= 1 scoop powder, plus 1 cup any fruit you like or are in the mood for and a spoonful of ground flax seed or whole chia seeds. For my favorite protein bar recipes, go to www.askgeorgie.com
4. If hungry between breakfast and lunch or lunch and dinner, munch on fruit/veggies. You can also have one “snack.” Bottom line- breakfast, lunch and “snack” need to meet this requirement: less than 200cal/less than 5g fat/ less than 5g sugar/ more than 15g protein. Many protein bars fit, but not all and some simply have WAY too many ingredients that I can’t pronounce which is why I make my own. Other snacks I will have are raw almonds or turkey jerky (but only if it is low in sugar and sodium).
5. Dinner- Lean protein and veggies with perhaps whole grain carb. I try not to have more than 2 servings of whole grain carbs a day (that plus what is in the bars and all the fruit and veggies is plenty of daily carbs for me). Normally, I eat next to no refined sugar or white flour. I also tend to steer pretty clear of fatty foods like things that are fried and cheese. It's fine if cheese is in what I am eating (I am not extreme about it) but I won't add it to anything. Same with butter and mayonnaise. Oh, and after dinner, I am done eating for the day. Period.
6. Daily Vitamins- They really seem to help and I get most of them for relatively cheap at Trader Joes. I take a woman’s multivitamin, Omega-3, vitamin D and calcium.
7. Stay hydrated! I drink green tea in the morning (often use it as the base for my smoothies) and then water the rest of the day. Coffee and diet sodas are in my “once in a while” category, but I am finding that I really seem to do better without.
Okay. That's the magic 7 that has seemed to work well for me. When I veer away from it, I get into trouble as I have in these past weeks. But, as I tell my kids all the time, there is nothing to be done about choices already past. Looking forward, what choice am I going to make next?
