Man, I gotta start writing these blog posts earlier in the night, because by now, at 1am, my brain is shot. And I don't get to say everything I thought about during the day.
Okay. HOLY MONKEYS!! OH MY UNHOLY MONKEYS!!! I weighed myself at the rec center this morning, and I lost another 2 pounds. What the?!!!! Dude, it's like I discovered my own personal magic diet pill. Here's the recipe:
1. Cut the simple carbs (things with table sugar, white-flour-based food like crackers)
2. Increase fresh fruits and veggies, as well as whole grain foods.
3. Watch portion sizes. Just eat until you are satisfied, not full. And yes, there is a difference. Quit thinking full is satisfying, or the goal of eating. There's a difference between satiety and being stuffed.
4. Recognize when you want food for emotional/impulse reasons, not basic physical reasons. Then, whatever it is, don't eat it!
5. Drink lots and lots of water.
6. Exercise!!! Man, you've got to push yourself. A casual walk isn't going to cut it. Constantly challenge your body. Never plateau and let your body get used to only one type of exercise. Either step up the level of intensity, or do a different exercise that your body isn't used to.
7. Do some type of light exercise after dinner, even if you just go walk around the block for 15 to 20 minutes. I'm not a scientist, so this is just my opinion, but it seems like it prevents your body from going into a sluggish shutdown, and thereby burning less calories and storing more calories as fat, at a time of day when most people have eaten the biggest meal of the day.
8. But my favorite rule for myself, and one that seems to be making the most difference, both now and in times past, is to QUIT EATING at least four hours before going to bed. And five or six will make an even bigger difference. Give your body the opportunity to burn off what you ate, so that it will go to work getting rid of fat while you sleep. Refer back to rule #7 about light exericise after dinner. I'm thinking I need to switch my cultural relationship with food, and start making lunch my biggest meal of the day, instead of dinner.
9. TIME. Just keep on trucking, sister. You know what to do, just keep doing it.
After all my experiences over the past two to three years, exercising and dieting, I know exactly what I need to do, for my own personal body. And, now that my head is back on straight, and I've left my big cocoon of procrastination, I feel like now all I have to do is apply the last ingredient of time. The decision struggles are over. I know what's going to work on my personal body. I just need to get it done.
What I ate today - 32 oz. water, 1/3 cup dry Malt-o-Meal (add 1 cup water) cooked with frozen strawberries and blueberries, handful of grapes, 1 piece of banana bread, 8 oz. 1% milk, 1 cup lettuce & tomato salad with raspberry vinaigrette dressing & Salad Toppins dry topping, 6 oz. cooked spinach, one more handful of grapes, 1 more piece of banana bread, about 1/3 of Emma's cheesy brat no bun, 2 thick pieces of wheat bread, ham & swiss cheese lettuce & tomato, 2 Tbsp. Miracle Whip Light, 3 baby carrots, a few more grapes. 1 piece of banana bread, 32 oz. water. I was done eating about 6:30 pm.
Exercise -
20 min on Elliptical - PRECOR EFX576i, crossramp 5 (of 10), resistance 6 (of 10), 1.47 miles, 2495 strides, 228.5 calories. Then, I swam for 20 mintues, 10 laps, 500meters. I felt great after all that exericise. I think a healthy body just likes exercise more, looks forward to it. The more you exercise, the easier it gets to push yourself into higher levels of exercise. After dinner, I cleaned out the garage, lifting boxes, etc.
Food temptations: It's hard not to eat the kids' leftovers. I kept trying to give Emma the last few bites of her hot dog, so I wound up eating it. I should have just thrown it away. And tonight, when I picked up Gil from the last play performance, he was determined to celebrate with a smoothie from Taco Time. It was torture smelling those great Mexican Food smells. I think I will make a healthy version of burritos tomorrow. Craving some Mexican food! Also, I love the banana bread, but I think I can take the original recipe, and make some alterations so that it has less fat and sugar, and more whole grain.
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