Dieting is a tricky thing, let me tell you. It's easy to count calories, but it's harder to keep track of sodium, sugar, carbs, proteins, etc, all at the same time and make sure you stay within daily limits. (I don't think I even know what my daily limits for those things are until I exceed them. Must learn how to keep an eye on these things.)
I must admit, I've been sloppy lately. I will sometimes track half of what I've eaten for the day, and not every item of food. I've also had a couple times where I eat what I really shouldn't. Not really an actual binge, but bad enough, such as an excessive amount of potato chips in one day.
Today I loaded up on a big breakfast, trying to make sure that I could make it through my work shift on 4 hours of sleep. I don't run well on little sleep, so I made sure to look up foods that would give me energy. I had coffee, orange juice, oatmeal, and an orange. I even planned on having yogurt, but I was actually full by then. It's weird for me to be full and go without food for a while... it makes me a little nervous, which is part of the problem.
I still need to make a proper exercise regiment. I have yet to do more with my elliptical machine than fiddle around with it here and there. I heard that the recommended amount of exercise is 30 minutes 5 days a week. That'd definitely be a step up from my current amount of exercise.
Right now I'm hovering at 258 pounds. If I tighten up my eating and compulsive snacking, and get moving a little more, I know I can keep losing weight. Just reminding/allowing myself to snack on apples and oranges should be a big help. I need to remember that when it comes to fruit, it's okay to indulge. It's better to have two apples than one apple and a bag of chips, right?
Showing posts with label habit building. Show all posts
Showing posts with label habit building. Show all posts
Monday, November 28, 2011
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Extreme Diets
I have to admit, there's been the moments where I wish that I had the self-control to go on a stricter, more drastic diet. At the same time, I don't want to endorse anything like anorexia or starving yourself. There has to be a way to lose the weight without going to unnatural measures of forsaking food. Besides, food is too damn tasty.
Mmm, all the oxygen I can eat.
If anyone happens to read this blog, I want there to be a story unfolding here of a girl making better eating choices and losing the weight in a healthy way. But there's still the temptation of having a super low calorie diet that will take off pounds like a dropping stone, or finding a diet pill that works and is supremely strong.
I've always heard the warnings against crash diets, and losing weight too quickly. The trouble for me is that my weight gain has been so extreme - isn't that just as dangerous?
The main reason why I know I should take the longer path is because it will help me build healthy habits. If I lost the 100 lbs overnight, there wouldn't be a switch in my head to suddenly flip and make me into a exercising machine who eats like a rabbit. I'd end up gaining the weight right back, because I haven't unlearned these bad habits.
As daunting as it is to realize that it will take me about a year to make my goal, the rewards will be more than just the immediate pleasure of being a smaller size. It will take me a year to build up healthy habits, like training myself to get rid of fatty foods I don't need, finding healthier choices and making them my new favorite foods, building an exercise routine, figuring out how to eat 3 meals a day without overloading on calories, figuring out how to keep an even calorie goal when I do reach my target weight, and learning how to treat myself without breaking my diet.
So, as tempting as an extreme diet is, I recognize that cutting corners isn't the way to lose weight for good. Learning how to cut calories and build healthy habits is.
Mmm, all the oxygen I can eat.
If anyone happens to read this blog, I want there to be a story unfolding here of a girl making better eating choices and losing the weight in a healthy way. But there's still the temptation of having a super low calorie diet that will take off pounds like a dropping stone, or finding a diet pill that works and is supremely strong.
I've always heard the warnings against crash diets, and losing weight too quickly. The trouble for me is that my weight gain has been so extreme - isn't that just as dangerous?
The main reason why I know I should take the longer path is because it will help me build healthy habits. If I lost the 100 lbs overnight, there wouldn't be a switch in my head to suddenly flip and make me into a exercising machine who eats like a rabbit. I'd end up gaining the weight right back, because I haven't unlearned these bad habits.
As daunting as it is to realize that it will take me about a year to make my goal, the rewards will be more than just the immediate pleasure of being a smaller size. It will take me a year to build up healthy habits, like training myself to get rid of fatty foods I don't need, finding healthier choices and making them my new favorite foods, building an exercise routine, figuring out how to eat 3 meals a day without overloading on calories, figuring out how to keep an even calorie goal when I do reach my target weight, and learning how to treat myself without breaking my diet.
So, as tempting as an extreme diet is, I recognize that cutting corners isn't the way to lose weight for good. Learning how to cut calories and build healthy habits is.
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