Saturday, September 22, 2007
welcome back
wow i can't believe it has been three months since my last post on here. three months and at least that many pounds. huh.
well anyway here i am again, still aghast and dismayed when i step on the scale every morning. but i feel ready to tackle this issue again, with (again) the hope that maybe this time, i can tackle it once and for all.
which is why i have invited you along, my darlings, to join me in this effort. how about we start with a little background?
so i was relatively trim and fit up until the middle of college, when i stopped rowing crew and working out twice a day, but didn't stop eating like i was. gained a lot of weight. then i got married, and gained a lot more. then i ran a couple marathons, and lost a lot. then i stopped running and gained some back. and on and on. about a year ago i was doing well, at my goal weight, eating right, exercising, all that good stuff. well then i got divorced, which is apparently no easier on your waistline than it is on your heart. so in the last year, i've gained about 20 pounds. it's not the end of the world, it's not like i am hugely obese or anything, and as everyone says, i'm tall, i can hide it. which i personally think is one big load of hooey. but who am i to say.
anyway. i absolutely agree that one's weight has nothing to do with one's worth and all that (yadda yadda yadda) so let's not start a support group for my self esteem. what i DO think, is that i have been eating more and curling up with a book instead of exercising because it FEELS good and is comforting and who can blame me for that? it's been a rough year, after all. so there is no criticism or self-flagellation or any of that. i am just at the point of saying, ok, i comforted myself with food, and that is ok, and i'm ready to be done with it. and yes, i would probably feel quite a bit better about myself if my clothes fit better and these cute little (little! hah!) jiggly arms were a bit firmer. not to mention my thighs. (oh please, let us not mention the thighs.)
i've dieted a LOT over the years and i know a whole bunch of tricks and quick fixes and guaranteed ways to lost 10 pounds in a week. all of which are so healthy and completely sustainable over the long term. ahem. but what i need now is a better way of living, and a reasonable diet and fitness regimen that i can live with long term.
so, i've put together a multi-facted strategy to help me in this effort. a plan including goals, rewards, encouragement, support, etc. i wish that i had the willpower just to not eat dessert and do lots of exercise instead, but at least for me it takes more than willpower!
so here is the plan, in no particular order.
my goal is to lose 21 pounds. let's be more specific. my goal is to lose 21 pounds by christmas. i would like to lose 13 of those pounds by october 27th. that is 5 weeks from today.
let's apply the scientific method to this goal. a goal should be SMART- that is, specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. specific? yep, it is 21 pounds by december 25. which is the same as measurable, i guess. i will know when i have achieved the goal. attainable? yes. i believe in myself that i can attain it. realistic? that is, am i willing and able to meet this goal? i have been at that weight before. i am physically able to exercise, have the resources to provide myself with the right food. my goal is a reasonable and healthy weight for someone of my height, age, and body type. timely? yep- i've got a clear timeframe.
ok so that is part one. having a clear and realistic goal with a clear timeframe. now the question is, how do i get there? what are the steps and the tools?
a reasonable approach to weightloss is to aim for a loss of 1-2 pounds per week. my initial goal is slightly more aggressive (13 pounds in 5 weeks) but we all know that the first few weeks of a weightloss attempt usually result in more like 3 pounds a week. and my final goal is more than attainable- 21 pounds over 13 weeks.
the basic forumla of course is deceptively simple. eat less, exercise more. easier said than done.
let's take them one at a time.
eat less.
my goal will be to eat around 1200 calories per day.
i will keep a food log of everything i eat (published daily on this blog)
i will drink at least 64 ounces of water per day (two nalgene bottles)
i will brush my teeth or chew gum when i have a craving for something sweet.
i will think carefully about my diet and the most effective calories i can comsume. more about this later, but the question is, how can i get the biggest bang for my buck within these 1200 calroies? should i choose cereal or yogurt for breakfast, for example?
exercise more.
for health, you should exercise for 30 minutes, 5 days a week. for weight loss, you should exercise for 1 hour, 5 days a week.
so, i will exercise for an hour, 5 days a week. join the gym in my neighborhood when it finally opens. in the meantime, go for walks or runs or bike rides or go to the other gym pretty much every day.
other things- take the stairs at work. walk or bike places instead of driving (hmmm, like, to work?) stuff like that.
ok, how are we doing? you still with me? wow- congratulations, if you are!
ok so that is the nuts and bolts. but i need more than just this. so. i have a few non-scale-related goals. my goal piece of clothing- these amazing pink velvet jeans from guess, that i have been able to wear all of one time (yep, a year ago) and that i am dying to wear again. i will feel awesome when i can put those on again.
i am also a big fan of rewards. i planning some rewards-along-the-way for the intermediate achievements. when i lose the first 8 pounds, i get a new pair of running shoes. 5 pounds later, i get to buy the ring i have been longing for from the sundance catalog. that is the 13 pounds i am aiming for by october 27th. after that i will still have 7 pounds to go. i haven't decided on a final reward for reaching my goal... i'll have to give that some thought.
oh and did i mention that i am very sticker-motivated? i get a star sticker in my calendar every day that i exercise. :o)
the other thing i am going to do is read a book that i have called 'the beck diet solution' which is more of a psychological approach to dieting. since it's not so easy as just, eat less exercise more. i started it a few months ago, and one good thing i pulled out is to create a 3x5 card which lists your personal top 10 advantages of being at a lower weight. things like, maybe, i will be able to wear those awesome pink velvet jeans. so i'm going to make one of those.
now comes the fun part. the part where you get to help me :o)
so one part of being overweight is this tendency to skulk around feeling embrrassed and ashamed and pretending like everything is fine when really you want to crawl in a hole. well that's no good, right? you people like me no matter how much i weigh. so i am just going to come out and tell you, i'd like to lose weight, and i'd love your help.
will you encourage me along the way? will you go for walks or bike rides with me, or go to the gym with me? (when it finally opens, stupid stupid non-opening gym) if we go out to eat together, will you help me make good choices? if i live with you, will you suggest fruit instead of ice cream for dessert? if you live far away, can i call you when the cake shop is beckoning to me? and will you share YOUR success with me, so that i can learn from you? i would love your advice!
will you read this blog every once in a while, so that i feel like i am being accountable to people as far as my eating less and exercising more is concerned?
or do you even want to join me? i know at least one of you out there has a goal (and a plan, which is so inspiring to me!) we can support each other and cheer each other on!
so there you have it. thanks for reading this far, if you actually read this far. and let me know if you want to help me :o)
check back tomorrow for the day, and what i ate.
cheers!
well anyway here i am again, still aghast and dismayed when i step on the scale every morning. but i feel ready to tackle this issue again, with (again) the hope that maybe this time, i can tackle it once and for all.
which is why i have invited you along, my darlings, to join me in this effort. how about we start with a little background?
so i was relatively trim and fit up until the middle of college, when i stopped rowing crew and working out twice a day, but didn't stop eating like i was. gained a lot of weight. then i got married, and gained a lot more. then i ran a couple marathons, and lost a lot. then i stopped running and gained some back. and on and on. about a year ago i was doing well, at my goal weight, eating right, exercising, all that good stuff. well then i got divorced, which is apparently no easier on your waistline than it is on your heart. so in the last year, i've gained about 20 pounds. it's not the end of the world, it's not like i am hugely obese or anything, and as everyone says, i'm tall, i can hide it. which i personally think is one big load of hooey. but who am i to say.
anyway. i absolutely agree that one's weight has nothing to do with one's worth and all that (yadda yadda yadda) so let's not start a support group for my self esteem. what i DO think, is that i have been eating more and curling up with a book instead of exercising because it FEELS good and is comforting and who can blame me for that? it's been a rough year, after all. so there is no criticism or self-flagellation or any of that. i am just at the point of saying, ok, i comforted myself with food, and that is ok, and i'm ready to be done with it. and yes, i would probably feel quite a bit better about myself if my clothes fit better and these cute little (little! hah!) jiggly arms were a bit firmer. not to mention my thighs. (oh please, let us not mention the thighs.)
i've dieted a LOT over the years and i know a whole bunch of tricks and quick fixes and guaranteed ways to lost 10 pounds in a week. all of which are so healthy and completely sustainable over the long term. ahem. but what i need now is a better way of living, and a reasonable diet and fitness regimen that i can live with long term.
so, i've put together a multi-facted strategy to help me in this effort. a plan including goals, rewards, encouragement, support, etc. i wish that i had the willpower just to not eat dessert and do lots of exercise instead, but at least for me it takes more than willpower!
so here is the plan, in no particular order.
my goal is to lose 21 pounds. let's be more specific. my goal is to lose 21 pounds by christmas. i would like to lose 13 of those pounds by october 27th. that is 5 weeks from today.
let's apply the scientific method to this goal. a goal should be SMART- that is, specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. specific? yep, it is 21 pounds by december 25. which is the same as measurable, i guess. i will know when i have achieved the goal. attainable? yes. i believe in myself that i can attain it. realistic? that is, am i willing and able to meet this goal? i have been at that weight before. i am physically able to exercise, have the resources to provide myself with the right food. my goal is a reasonable and healthy weight for someone of my height, age, and body type. timely? yep- i've got a clear timeframe.
ok so that is part one. having a clear and realistic goal with a clear timeframe. now the question is, how do i get there? what are the steps and the tools?
a reasonable approach to weightloss is to aim for a loss of 1-2 pounds per week. my initial goal is slightly more aggressive (13 pounds in 5 weeks) but we all know that the first few weeks of a weightloss attempt usually result in more like 3 pounds a week. and my final goal is more than attainable- 21 pounds over 13 weeks.
the basic forumla of course is deceptively simple. eat less, exercise more. easier said than done.
let's take them one at a time.
eat less.
my goal will be to eat around 1200 calories per day.
i will keep a food log of everything i eat (published daily on this blog)
i will drink at least 64 ounces of water per day (two nalgene bottles)
i will brush my teeth or chew gum when i have a craving for something sweet.
i will think carefully about my diet and the most effective calories i can comsume. more about this later, but the question is, how can i get the biggest bang for my buck within these 1200 calroies? should i choose cereal or yogurt for breakfast, for example?
exercise more.
for health, you should exercise for 30 minutes, 5 days a week. for weight loss, you should exercise for 1 hour, 5 days a week.
so, i will exercise for an hour, 5 days a week. join the gym in my neighborhood when it finally opens. in the meantime, go for walks or runs or bike rides or go to the other gym pretty much every day.
other things- take the stairs at work. walk or bike places instead of driving (hmmm, like, to work?) stuff like that.
ok, how are we doing? you still with me? wow- congratulations, if you are!
ok so that is the nuts and bolts. but i need more than just this. so. i have a few non-scale-related goals. my goal piece of clothing- these amazing pink velvet jeans from guess, that i have been able to wear all of one time (yep, a year ago) and that i am dying to wear again. i will feel awesome when i can put those on again.
i am also a big fan of rewards. i planning some rewards-along-the-way for the intermediate achievements. when i lose the first 8 pounds, i get a new pair of running shoes. 5 pounds later, i get to buy the ring i have been longing for from the sundance catalog. that is the 13 pounds i am aiming for by october 27th. after that i will still have 7 pounds to go. i haven't decided on a final reward for reaching my goal... i'll have to give that some thought.
oh and did i mention that i am very sticker-motivated? i get a star sticker in my calendar every day that i exercise. :o)
the other thing i am going to do is read a book that i have called 'the beck diet solution' which is more of a psychological approach to dieting. since it's not so easy as just, eat less exercise more. i started it a few months ago, and one good thing i pulled out is to create a 3x5 card which lists your personal top 10 advantages of being at a lower weight. things like, maybe, i will be able to wear those awesome pink velvet jeans. so i'm going to make one of those.
now comes the fun part. the part where you get to help me :o)
so one part of being overweight is this tendency to skulk around feeling embrrassed and ashamed and pretending like everything is fine when really you want to crawl in a hole. well that's no good, right? you people like me no matter how much i weigh. so i am just going to come out and tell you, i'd like to lose weight, and i'd love your help.
will you encourage me along the way? will you go for walks or bike rides with me, or go to the gym with me? (when it finally opens, stupid stupid non-opening gym) if we go out to eat together, will you help me make good choices? if i live with you, will you suggest fruit instead of ice cream for dessert? if you live far away, can i call you when the cake shop is beckoning to me? and will you share YOUR success with me, so that i can learn from you? i would love your advice!
will you read this blog every once in a while, so that i feel like i am being accountable to people as far as my eating less and exercising more is concerned?
or do you even want to join me? i know at least one of you out there has a goal (and a plan, which is so inspiring to me!) we can support each other and cheer each other on!
so there you have it. thanks for reading this far, if you actually read this far. and let me know if you want to help me :o)
check back tomorrow for the day, and what i ate.
cheers!
# posted by saara @ 3:11 PM 
Comments:
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Funny that I just happen to check this the day after you return to writing it! Coincidence? I think not. (Can you believe I can still do that in html? Wow, I impress myself. Anyway.)
Although I generally do not approve of dieting (because of the see-saw effect which is rather damaging), I do of course wish to support you in your desire to achieve and maintain a healthy weight for someone of your yadah-yadah-yadah. To me 1200 calories sounds rather extreme and punitive, but you're the expert as far as that goes... my main concern would be "what is your transition plan starting on December 25?" to go into sustainable lifestyle mode? I am happy to share my tips on that when the time comes! :)
Meanwhile, good luck, be kind to yourself, and I am very happy indeed to sympathize about stupid, stupid gyms located in one's neighborhood!
Love you!
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Although I generally do not approve of dieting (because of the see-saw effect which is rather damaging), I do of course wish to support you in your desire to achieve and maintain a healthy weight for someone of your yadah-yadah-yadah. To me 1200 calories sounds rather extreme and punitive, but you're the expert as far as that goes... my main concern would be "what is your transition plan starting on December 25?" to go into sustainable lifestyle mode? I am happy to share my tips on that when the time comes! :)
Meanwhile, good luck, be kind to yourself, and I am very happy indeed to sympathize about stupid, stupid gyms located in one's neighborhood!
Love you!
<< Home
