Stuck in the Middle with Me

I've read that creating a new habit takes 21 days to accomplish. Old habits are hard to break. I am a creature of habit. I never make it to the 7 days in a row, much less 21! 21 days!?? Really? If I could just try harder to do one good thing habitually for 21 days, I could create a new healthy habit. I'll have to try that...

Have you ever tried to break a bad habit? Breaking up is hard to do. Hard to get out of that comfort zone – what you’re used to, even if it’s not good for you.

I used to be a smoker. I smoked until I became pregnant with my daughter. Quitting wasn't the hardest thing to do, nor was it the easiest. But I had a higher reason than just for myself. Why is it we have such a hard time doing something good for ourselves? At least some of us do. Some of us cannot even manage doing something good and healthy for our kids. If I cared more about her future and her being clutter free, then I'd set the example, right? If I want her to have a healthy, fit future, then I'd be in prime shape, right? She is the perfect size and weight for her age - she's as healthy as they come and I used to be in perfect shape at 10, also. But then, at 29, I got married, by 30 I was pregnant and figured that meant I could eat whatever and however much my body craved. Well, only about half that gain left me when I downloaded my daughter and I hung on to the rest of the weight. Plus, part of it has crept back up on me. Go figure. Ok, it didn't creep in. Yeah - more like I ate my way back up and exercised less. At what point did I stop caring how I looked, how I felt, my energy level?

We treat ourselves and spoil ourselves with whatever we want to eat, whenever, however much we want, and then complain when we've gained 50 pounds, as if it's someone else's fault. They forced me to eat that! Right? So, now, we get the tumultuous task of slimming ourselves, placing ourselves on the treadmill, trying to run and shake the weight off as violently as we can, so that we can fit into that size 5 pair of jeans we've been holding on to for 10 years. Don't get defensive. I'm talking about me. We did this to ourselves and now, if we do actually make the choice to be healthier, then it is up to only ourselves to get back on track and get our rears in gear.

Tips to slim down:

*Half the portions than normally eaten. Cut it in half. A serving is flat as you
can get it and about the size of a deck of cards.
*Using a saucer rather than a lunch or dinner plate will help with this.
*No seconds.
*Cut back on the sugar. I didn't say you couldn't have any, but pace yourself.
*Remember the goal - every time you start to put something in your mouth - remember
the goal.
*Integrate healthier food items such as fruits, veggies, fish high in omega-3.
*Less or no red meat and
*Try switching to skim milk instead of 1%, 2% or whole milk.

I had a real problem when my mom first switched our family to skim. I think I was about 14. It was like drinking milky water. Wasn't happy about it but now, I LOVE IT and cannot go near whole milk ever again. I will drink 1% or 2% if the store is out of skim but I don't like it as well.

This past Friday marked the end of the first three weeks. Weighed in at 169, which is just not good at all, but at least I did not gain, which is what I was expecting. I was weak. We celebrated three birthdays at work and so, of course, everyone brought food. I made brownies. There was peach cobbler, fruit trifle, peanut butter rice krispie treats, pigs in blankets (which would make a great description of me on that day), deer sausage, lemon pie, m&ms, need I go on? I’m sure it’s not helping you to hear of these fantastically fattening foods, nor is it helping me. Looking back, I started out strong. I told myself I was going to drop off the brownies, come back later and sing happy bday and go back to my desk without food. I WAS going to be good. Then, I saw plates full of mouth-watering treats walking down the halls. I figured, “oh, one little taste won’t hurt.” That’s when I decided to sabotage my efforts. And no, I did not just get one little taste, either.

I met my best bud for breakfast this morning and I usually go all out on breakfast. You know, the 2 or 3 pancakes with blueberries on top, a couple of eggs over medium and a couple of strips of bacon on the side, with my oj and bottomless cup of coffee. Not today. I’d already reached my coffee quota before leaving home, so no more for the rest of the day. I planned to have a veggie omelet or something off the healthy part of the menu if there actually was such a thing, no bacon, no pancakes, just orange juice and something a little healthier to eat. I did good. Had a glass of oj and an egg substitute veggie omelet with fresh fruit on the side (they did have a healthy place on the menu).

I am a bit more clutter-free! My bathroom shines and sparkles. I took everything out of drawers, medicine cabinet, under-the-sink cabinet, everything off shelves. I not only scrubbed the toilet, sink and tub, but I scrubbed the walls, doors, floor and baseboards. I threw away old makeup, lipstick, eyeliner, etc. Just a side note regarding that. Makeup starts to grow bacteria after about 3 months of use, so it’s a good idea to throw out the stuff you know you have had at least that long or longer.

I’m a little pleased with myself for working on the clutter but not very proud of my weight-loss, nor my effort, nor my fitness level this week. I have no one to blame but me. I am going to try harder this week. It hasn’t helped that I haven’t tracked my calorie consumption for the last week. I’m sure that if I had, there would have been more weight lost this past week. Oh well, time to put on my big girl panties and deal with myself. The next post will be more positive, because I’m going to work harder on myself this week.

27 more days to be clutter free.

90 days to be fit and 135 (173-169=loss of 4 lbs total, and 169-135=losing 34 lbs in just a little over 12 weeks? Looks like I’m going to have to do a juice fast this week. I did this a few years ago and I lasted about 4 days. 4 pounds lost in 4 days. I went to a medical website and got the instructions. I only consumed water, fruit juice and vegetable juice. I made sure to get the juice 100% pure, not from concentrate – less sugar and preservatives. It was soooo hard to do but well worth it. Hunger pains stopped on the 3rd day. Lost weight, had the best sleep of my life on the 3rd night of the fast, and entered a state of euphoria and an energy surge on the 4th day. I’m going to try to do the fast for at least that long starting tomorrow, although hopefully for 5 days, then eating a small healthy meal on Friday night. Will let you know how it goes.