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Monday, February 3, 2014

Becoming Health-E: Month One

I might regret this later - talking about my weight loss on my blog that is.  But, the truth is, I've found a lot of encouragement and inspiration in following other people's journeys towards a healthier lifestyle and seeing their successes (and failures) along the way.  Plus, I function well on words of affirmation and accountability (#peoplepleaser), so putting this out there can only help my progress. Right? Let's hope.

Anyway, I'm keeping this short and sweet...
Here's a bullet point for each pound I lost in January:

1. My last Diet Coke was on December 31st.  I do not crave them like I used to, and I can fairly easily resist their allure now.  BUT, I still think about them and have to convince myself not to "cheat" almost every day. #addicted I AM still drinking about two cups of coffee every day, and guzzling LOTS of water.

2. I got a FitBit Flex on New Year's Day and have been wearing it to keep track of my steps/ calories burned ever since.  I am also using the My Fitness Pal app on my iPhone which automatically connects to the FitBit.  My goal each day is to have a 1,000 calorie difference between the number of calories burned and the number of calories eaten.  (To be fair, most days I am usually closer to the 700 - 800 calorie range.)  So far, I am REALLY liking this method.  It has gotten to be a habit for me, and it is kind-of like a game every day.

3. At the beginning of the month, I was exercising four - five days a week pretty regularly.  After we got sick mid month, I have been a little less consistent with my workouts - probably getting them in more like two or three times each week. My workout of choice is a Zumba class (SO fun), but I also enjoy walking/jogging on the treadmill with my Kindle or a magazine.  So far, I haven't done anything really with weights, but I'm hoping to up my workouts a little this month with more interval training etc.  (Maybe Jillian Michael's Shred again.  Thoughts?)

4. Other than d-coke, I really haven't "cut out" anything entirely.  I have still let myself enjoy favorites like cookies, pizza, and Chickfila, BUT I am MUCH more aware of how much and how often I am eating these things.

5. For the first two weeks, I felt sluggish and maybe even more tired than usual.  (Also, grumpy.)  I can't say that I feel a huge difference in my energy levels now; but, I do think there is some subtle improvement.  For example, I'm not napping nearly as often (almost never), and I'm feeling a lot more motivated to get things done around the house etc. after work in the afternoons.

6. The biggest difference between this time and other times I have tried to lose weight, is that this feels A LOT more permanent.  I am trying to lose weight slowly and by making healthy decisions that will become a part of my LIFE - not just a phase.  Unlike times before, when I've had a bad day (and, trust me, there have been plenty), I don't feel like a total failure.  I tell myself: "This isn't about ten days in a row of being healthy, it's about ten years.  What's one day?" and get back on track.

7. A few people have said they can tell a small change in my face and - in general - I feel less bloated and like my clothes are a little less tight; but, for the most part, I can't really tell a big difference outwardly yet.  I'll admit, that is frustrating to me at times; but, I'm sticking with it.  I am trying to remind myself that this is about MY HEALTH and NOT my appearance.

8. While I am genuinely happy with my progress so far and proud of myself for my work this month, I still think it's been at about 75%... I could work harder and make better decisions in this process.  I am choosing to look at this past month as the BEGINNING and to up my efforts from this point forward.

9. I "weighed in" on Friday and then spent the weekend with my sister.  I didn't totally blow it, but between that and the Superbowl, I should probably just cross this last point off. ;)

So... There you have it.  An update on my progress so far.

25 comments:

  1. I LOVE the idea to shoot for a certain calorie deficit, rather than allowing yourself x # of calories!

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    1. Yes! My Fitness Pal still gives me a calorie target each day, but I almost always go over. Oops. I find that shooting for a deficit makes it less likely for me to just write off a whole day when I make one bad choice. This way, I'm never really "failing," just some days I'm doing better than others. Does that make sense?

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    2. Totally agree! That sounds like a GREAT plan and one I may implement myself :-)

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  2. Love it!!! Proud of you, girl! Have you taken 'before' pictures?? In 3 months, you'll wish you had...so get on it if you haven't already!! :) Now, with the Fit Bit + MFP thing...do you still have to manually enter in the calories you take in? I'm guessing yes, unless like...the Fit Bit is psychic or something. Which it could be, because technology and robots today are like..whoa. And I definitely think you should add in some occasional weight training to your repertoire-- that will definitely increase your calorie burn post-workout for longer than cardio alone!!

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    1. Thanks girl! Yea, I was really hoping that FitBit would just magically know how many calories I took in too (that would make cheating A LOT harder), but no such luck... Yet. That said, it does link from My Fitness Pal automatically, so I'm only actually tracking calories in one place. *Weight training is starting SOON. (Any advice or good workout plans to try?)

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  3. Yay girl!!!!! 8 pounds! That's rock star status!!!!!!! You're doing awesome. Keep it up, friend! I heard somewhere that at 8 pounds you can feel a difference--12 pounds family can tell a difference and at 18 everyone else can tell a difference. Totally motivating for me when I started. :)

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    1. I had heard that little diddy about 8/12/18 pounds too, and I do think it is SO encouraging. THANK YOU for your incredible support and motivation - you are definitely one of my go-to bloggers!!

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  4. Great job!!! A lifestyle change is so much more effective than a quick diet. I need to do something... I am starting to buy new clothes because I don't like how I look in my current wardrobe. Talk about bloated and muffin tops. Yikes!

    PS Zumba is the best!!

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  5. Keep it up! I am in love with my fitbit too. Until I started wearing it, I thought I was doing a "good" job of getting enough exercise. Boy was I wrong. Even if its just walking enough to reach my daily goal, having the fitbit help me out a ton!

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    1. Yes! Me too! I've heard that everyone should aim for at least 5,000 steps a day (which is fairly easy to get), but you should try for 10,000 when you are attempting to lose weight. That is SO hard. I find I absolutely have to exercise in order to get above about 7,000 no matter how "busy" I think my day has been.

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  6. 8 lbs is huge! I am using a Fitbit too (for insurance savings purposes) but haven't linked to MFP yet. Might need to get on that. The FitBit is eye opening.

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    1. Insurance savings? Tell me about this!!!

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  7. YESS! good work :) and body pump. Take a class. Add it in 1-2 days a week.

    xo

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  8. That's so great!! 8ibs is something to be proud of, heck I was proud when I lost 1ib! I am currently your friend on myfitnesspal, and I find it so encouraging to know other people are in this with me. Much like yourself, I haven't cut out any foods entirely, but I am instead becoming more aware of how much food I actually need in order to lose weight. 6ibs so far and counting... I love that I can still have whatever I want to eat (or drink, hello skinny Starbucks drinks!) but I just need to not overindulge every meal, which I used to be so guilty of. It is working great so far! I am going to try out Jillian Michael's 30 day shred later this week (I can let you know how it goes) and I may try the stronglifts 5x5 program to work on getting lean and building muscle (I've heard it is an awesome program). I don't know if I ever commented before (maybe once??!) but I found your blog awhile ago (pre-Sam) while searching for teaching info and I am so happy I did!

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    1. YES! I am your friend on MFP too and am always encouraged by your progress. (Although, sometimes your stuff shows up in a different language?!? Any ideas about that?!) Haha! Thanks for taking the time to comment! **P.S. Your profile isn't set up to link back to an email address... Hope you don't mind me responding this way!

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    2. Oh, P.S. MFP starting weight is about five pounds less than what I really weighed because it used a weight I put in YEARS ago as my start. Sad. Anyway, it says on there that I've only lost 4 pounds. Didn't want you to think I'm a fraud. ;)

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    3. I have no idea why it would show up in another language! That is SO weird... I am going to check it to out though because sadly the only language I speak is English lol. I will check out my google account to see if I can set it up to link to my e-mail, I did not realize that it was not. Yeah, MFP says I have only lost 2.2ibs as well because it uses a weight I recorded awhile ago. I get so mad too, I'm like "No! I have lost 6ibs! You're a liar myfitnesspal!" It legit makes me mad :P

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  9. I am so impressed with your journey and mindset! I started off 2014 with a sugar detox and like you was frustrated that I did not see more results. However, I did notice the first two days of no wheat, no meat, no sugar and no dairy and literally felt hungover... I guess I over indulge in those things too much. I am just trying to make cleaner choices for my family and watch my portions.

    PS - I love the punny title!

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  10. You go girl! So proud of you! One of my favorite work out quotes is: "It doesn't get easier, you just get better". Stay motivated! Slow and steady is the way to go.

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  11. Yay for you! Also, it's so refreshing to hear someone else say that they cheat on what they eat & are still successful! I have to let myself cheat or I would totally give up trying be healthy. Today, because I had a faculty meeting after school, I have 25 timeline projects I promised would be graded today, & a grad school assignment I need to finish tonight, our dinner was Steak & Shake. I have to be okay with that sometimes! Good luck!

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  12. Is there a weight training class where you take your Zumba? That is the only way I can stay motivated for weights. It's so boring to me other ways. I will say be careful of putting your weight loss on your blog. I tried to do that, but then it made me pregnant. :) I'm sure blogging is the reason.

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  13. You go girl!! I need to check into this FitBit ordeal...that sounds like a great alternative to counting calories---creating a deficiency is a different approach and I think I like it! If 3500 calories=1lb...then that seems like great way to track it and it seems like if you are hitting the 800 deficiency mark each day...I think you are on to something here!! I'm going to check out the FitBit! :) Keep it up girl! I follow you on MFP and I've been encouraged by your activity!! :)

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  14. Way to go! 8lbs is such an accomplishment! :] I love MFP and you can find me if you want, my name is summergirl212. I try to log even when I had bad days so that I can look back on them and improve. The fitbit sounds really cool, I will need to look into it. I've been wanting to get heart rate monitor for a while. Keep up the awesome work, I can't wait to hear about month two!

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  15. Thumbs up to you, girl! Well done for sticking to your plan and making this about lifestyle instead of dieting! When I read your post, I remembered this link https://www.facebook.com/gokaleo/posts/591689230915425 - for me at least, this makes sense and puts things into perspective, whenever I feel the results aren't coming fast enough.
    I started doing a program called MuTu (Mummy Tummy) last July. It was originally designed for mothers that had developed diastasis recti during pregnancy, but I find it works very well for the kind of mum that I am (one that needs to work out at home, and doesn't have much time). The approach is very down to earth and realistic, which I love.

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  16. I'm so curious about the fitbit, but I think it probably wouldn't be a good idea for me. I think it would motivate me to find out how many steps I could possibly take and how little sleep I could possibly exist on.

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Your comments are what makes this thing fun! I LOVE to hear from you and do my best to respond to everyone! THANK YOU!


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