HI Everyone,
It is so early and I have been trying to figure out what week I am at, my brain hurts! Last week was July 1st so I know I am now on the downward slope of 2013. I have great news to report though. I am down 8.6 pounds this week! I am super excited about this because I did it in a way that I feel is sustainable and even better, I feel great. I have been in a pattern for the last few months of going up and down. I couldn't settle on a method and even when I went to old faithful (low carb) I wasn't losing. I am so happy this morning, I can't even begin to tell you!
Last week I mentioned that my friend told me to read Chris Powell's book "Choose to lose" (thank you Laura!). I did just that and was inspired. I am not following his program because it is just not realistic for me for a few reasons:
1) Eating 5-6 small meals a day: WHO CAN DO THIS??? I am just not that organized. That said, I spent some time researching this suggestion (which is a common way of eating in the sports nutrition world) and there is no scientific validity to it. There have been a few studies done but they show no difference in weight loss for those people eating the same amount of calories split over 6 meals or 3. PHEW, I can drop that pipe dream!
2) Waking up every morning and doing a crazy routine of exercise: Doing exercise in the morning is a good call but he has 30 different routines in his book. He says they are only 9 minutes long but you have to do a 5 minute warm up then the routine. These routines are complicated and timed. I would spend more time trying to figure out how to do the exercises and which I was supposed to do, than actually exercising. Who has time for that. I am 100 pounds overweight, ANY movement is good for me. It doesn't have to be complicate. So I am just focusing on walking more and going to set my pilates system up again.
3) Even though he doesn't focus on it a lot, this program is a low calorie program. 1200-1500 for women and slightly more for men. No thank you. If I have to pay attention to calories, I am not interested.
What did appeal to me was the concept of carb cycling. He has a whole pile of different options in his book but basically it is combining low carb days with high carb days. His turbo program was 2 low carb days followed by a high carb day (rinse, repeat) and then a reward day on Sunday. On the high carb day you were supposed to basically eat no fat. Not doable for me. I believe that fat is really important. I did take some time to research the whole concept of carb cycling and while there have not been a lot of studies done on it, there are a lot of people out there using this with success. So I put together my own little program and so far so good:
3 days low carb (eat until satisfied of meat and veggies and add in high fat dairy like cheese and cream for flavour. Low carb salad dressing is fine and some nuts/seeds)
1 day high carb ( I ate a protein shake with fruit for breakfast, greek yogurt and another shake for lunch and then whatever I wanted for dinner: last week it was a grilled cheese sandwich and blizzard for dessert! Not the best choice but it was what I was craving).
REPEAT
The high carb day helps to replenish your glycogen stores and keeps your body guessing. Anyone who does low carb can attest that after a while your body becomes really freaking stubborn. I am hoping this cycling method prevents that from happening. Today is my high carb day and I am thinking sushi is in my future. I feel like this is a really easy way to eat. I am satisfied and I am no longer asking "Hmmm can I have that piece of bread" I am asking instead "Is it a low carb day or a high carb day?" Nothing is off limits, it might just be off limits for a couple of days. I can live with that.
Monday, July 8, 2013
Monday, July 1, 2013
Half way there and nowhere near....
Well today is the half way point of my journey to lose 100 pounds in 2013 and what a journey it has been. Those of my readers who don't struggle with their weight might have a hard time understanding my ups and downs, I am sure it is frusterating for some. It seems so easy....JUST EAT LESS AND MOVE MORE but I wish it were that simple. Many of the people following my blog are on their own weight loss journey and are having varying amounts of success. Some are kicking ass and I am so happy for them. Others are still trying to find their place, like me, and seem to be dealing with more failures than success. Then there are those who have given up completely. No judgement here, I have felt like doing that many times.
Today is July 1st and it is half way through the year. There are 6 monthes ahead where we can change our lives for the better. This is a call to action to everyone to put all of the past bullshit behind them and start fresh today. I know I am. Here is what I have learned from the first 6 monthes of 2013:
1) This blog is one of the hardest things I have ever done. Being so transparent leaves you feeling a bit vulnerable but it is also very liberating. Exposing your "secrets" to the world helps you to see that you are not alone and you are not all f*&ked up (or any more f*&ked up than anyone else). Secrets hold so much power over us and just releasing them lightens your load. If you are carrying something around that causes you shame, tell someone. Tell someone or tell everyone. You will be surprised that it might not be that big of a deal afterall.
2) I NEED structure and a program to follow. The last few monthes I have been doing things myself. I have been trying to listen to my body and feed it appropriately. I am not there yet. CONFESSION TIME: as of this morning I have put back on half of the weight I lost earlier in the year. So I am starting today with a net loss of 17 pounds. I am so disappointed in myself but I am leaving that behind today and starting fresh. I can do this, I know I can.
3) Even though I need a plan, Weight Watchers still isn't it. I don't look at foods as points values and don't really think I should be anyway. Jon is still going and that is fine, if it works for him I am happy for him. It is a great program for some people, just not for me.
4) I do not deal with chaos and change well. This year has been one of a lot of changes for me and my family. New city, new lifestyle with a baby, new financial situation with Jon staying home with Aidan. Work is good but crazy busy. We have a friend crashing with us while he gets back on his feet. Just a lot of stuff going on. When things get like this, I find it far too easy to put my goals and needs on the back burner. It is even easier to fall back into old habits like eating take out and drinking coffee for lunch instead of a meal. Life is all about change and I need to learn how to go with the flow but not allow that flow to take me too far off course. This is something I am very aware of.
All that said, I am feeling very happy and excited today about what the future holds. A few weeks ago I was at the spa and my friend had mentioned a book to me by Chris Powell (the extreme makeover weight loss edition cutie patootie!). I picked it up and read it from cover to cover. It is great for some people but not realistic for most I think. Just far too complicated but some of the key concepts were intriguing. So I have put something together that I am going to try for this next week and will report back next monday with the results. It may need some tweaking and I am doing some research to make sure that it is based on good science but I feel like this just might work!
So start fresh today. Renew your goals and your commitment to reaching them. A lot can happen in 6 monthes! I may not lose my 100 pounds but I know I can get close and what I have gained by the journey is much more important. Thanks for all of the support guys, you are amazing!
Today is July 1st and it is half way through the year. There are 6 monthes ahead where we can change our lives for the better. This is a call to action to everyone to put all of the past bullshit behind them and start fresh today. I know I am. Here is what I have learned from the first 6 monthes of 2013:
1) This blog is one of the hardest things I have ever done. Being so transparent leaves you feeling a bit vulnerable but it is also very liberating. Exposing your "secrets" to the world helps you to see that you are not alone and you are not all f*&ked up (or any more f*&ked up than anyone else). Secrets hold so much power over us and just releasing them lightens your load. If you are carrying something around that causes you shame, tell someone. Tell someone or tell everyone. You will be surprised that it might not be that big of a deal afterall.
2) I NEED structure and a program to follow. The last few monthes I have been doing things myself. I have been trying to listen to my body and feed it appropriately. I am not there yet. CONFESSION TIME: as of this morning I have put back on half of the weight I lost earlier in the year. So I am starting today with a net loss of 17 pounds. I am so disappointed in myself but I am leaving that behind today and starting fresh. I can do this, I know I can.
3) Even though I need a plan, Weight Watchers still isn't it. I don't look at foods as points values and don't really think I should be anyway. Jon is still going and that is fine, if it works for him I am happy for him. It is a great program for some people, just not for me.
4) I do not deal with chaos and change well. This year has been one of a lot of changes for me and my family. New city, new lifestyle with a baby, new financial situation with Jon staying home with Aidan. Work is good but crazy busy. We have a friend crashing with us while he gets back on his feet. Just a lot of stuff going on. When things get like this, I find it far too easy to put my goals and needs on the back burner. It is even easier to fall back into old habits like eating take out and drinking coffee for lunch instead of a meal. Life is all about change and I need to learn how to go with the flow but not allow that flow to take me too far off course. This is something I am very aware of.
All that said, I am feeling very happy and excited today about what the future holds. A few weeks ago I was at the spa and my friend had mentioned a book to me by Chris Powell (the extreme makeover weight loss edition cutie patootie!). I picked it up and read it from cover to cover. It is great for some people but not realistic for most I think. Just far too complicated but some of the key concepts were intriguing. So I have put something together that I am going to try for this next week and will report back next monday with the results. It may need some tweaking and I am doing some research to make sure that it is based on good science but I feel like this just might work!
So start fresh today. Renew your goals and your commitment to reaching them. A lot can happen in 6 monthes! I may not lose my 100 pounds but I know I can get close and what I have gained by the journey is much more important. Thanks for all of the support guys, you are amazing!
HAPPY CANADA DAY! Update to follow
This picture was taken a year ago today. My little guy was celebrating his first Canada Day and his 5 month birthday. I was half way through my maternity leave and loving every minute. I was about 10 pounds lighter than I am today (damn I miss breastfeeding! BEST WEIGHT LOSS PLAN EVER!). It was all good. Fast forward to today and my little man is 17 monthes old. So hard to believe. Time passes so quickly.
Happy Birthday Canada! I feel best to be born in what I consider to be the best country in the world. Granted I am sure most people feel that way about their country but today and always I feel proud to be Canadian. So humm the national anthem, drink some Canadian beer and if you are my neighbours, finish your fireworks by 11 PM. Enjoy your Canada Day everyone!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)