It's been a long week. I can't put a finger on exactly why this week has seemed to take forever to get through, but it's been a slog. I'm glad the weekend is almost here, though we don't have any exciting plans. My surgical touch-up came at a bad time. I'd like to spend Saturday working in my garden, but I am sidelined until next weekend. Jack is going to have to do my manual labor for me. We have our kickball tournament on Sunday and I can't play. Darn! It'll be fun to be there for the team, but it's more fun to play. I'll be up and running again just in time for the season to be over!! The new season starts in June. We are encouraging people to sign up for the team. Do you want to play kickball with us?
During my conversation with Carla yesterday we hit pretty solidly on the defining factor when it comes to my success or lack of success with weight loss and fitness. It boils down to whether or not I "want to lose weight," or have "decided to lose weight." I know it seems too simple, but sometimes the most powerful tools are the most simple. I've said it every morning of my adult life, "I want to start losing weight. Today I'll try to 'be good.'" Yeah, right. As if. On a day like that I am usually "pretty good" until someone puts a box of donuts in the break room or I get cravings in the middle of the afternoon.
I am only successful on my program when I have decided to lose weight and get fit.
Sidebar: I feel like it is necessary to lump "lose weight and get fit" together because this is not about being a smaller person. This is about being a healthy and strong person. I believe that it is unhealthy for me to carry excess weight and I've chosen 150 pounds as my target healthy weight. I also believe that it is unhealthy to be sedentary and to allow my muscles to atrophy as I age. This captioned photo (Thanks Rebecca! I love this photo!!) perfectly says what I've been trying to express for years:
Lifting weights, running, playing sports, and otherwise being physically active are key components to being healthy and staying young well into my old age. So as long as I weigh more than 150 pounds, I will be working on losing weight and getting fit. Once I am at 150, I'll be focusing on maintaining my weight and being as strong and physically fit as I can be. So please understand, when I say "lose weight," I really mean get to my healthy weight of 150 and get fit by exercising regularly.I've described making this decision to lose weight as a switch flipping in my head. It's like going from dark to light. One moment it seems impossible to keep my promises to myself and the next minute I am wondering why I thought it was so damn hard to say no to a donut.
It's all about making the decision that being fit and keeping my body young is more important to me than any pleasure junk food can fleetingly provide. Once I decide that I am on program, I'm on program. I can't just want to be on program. I can't just hope I make it through the day without raiding Kate's candy dish. I can't just think that I shouldn't mix myself a drink at Sunday's kickball game. I have to know that I am not going to do any of those things because I know that those activities will be prevent me from reaching my goal. I'm not saying I never slip. Of course I do. Otherwise I would have been at 150 pounds for the last 4 years. I am saying that my self talk is drastically different when I am on program vs when I am not quite on program but wished I was. That self talk is critical to my success.
There is one other little thing I want to mention; there is another side benefit to eating dinner before I leave work. I pack my dinner in the morning shortly after I eat breakfast, therefore I am choosing my dinner portions when I am not hungry. When it's time to eat dinner, I take out a pre-portioned meal, heat it up and eat it, causing me to eat less than I would if I ate at home. I've noticed that when I eat at home I almost always put a little more food on my plate than I know I need for dinner. I'm hungry, tired, and a little cranky from being at work all day, so putting a little more food on my plate feels like a treat or reward for a hard fought day. It doesn't do me any good, not really, but I tend to do it anyway. I can't do that if I've packed my dinner in the morning and eat it at work. This one minor change to my routine has made a big difference.
OK, it's time to run. Have a good one out there!!!
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