Sometimes we receive messages exactly when we need them. Mine came to me this morning in the form of an email from Jillian Michaels. Her words, “Weight loss is a process — it takes time. You will encounter small failures — everyone does — but every pound you gain can be lost. And if you miss a workout, it's not the end of the world! Get to the gym the next day and continue to focus on your short-term goals. Just because you made bad choices today doesn't mean you can't start over tomorrow. New day, new beginning. And don't you forget it! “
I WON’T forget it, thank you, Jillian! I needed to hear those words. The reason? After a much needed cup of coffee upon my return to work ending a week-long vacay I went straight to the scales, anticipating the reaching of my short-term goal of getting under 210 lbs. I stepped on the scale with a smile on my face, moved the bar across the balance beam and - Wah wah wahhhhh (cartoon sound for disappointment, failure, etc.). I had gained 4 1/2 lbs of the 9 ½ I was so jazzed up about losing. Needless to say, I was kinda devastated……. But only for like 15 minutes. Disappointment has always been one of my downfalls, I used to give up easily when I felt defeated or should I say defeat was my enemy. Jillian reminded me that this is not a defeat. It is a bump in the road and one that can be overcome. I can sulk about it and give up or I can get back on track, the choice is simple because one leads to inevitable weight gain and the other to my goal - weight loss. It’s a no-brainer. I summon Ida K.
I reviewed my past week and assessed where I went wrong. I thought that swimming every day for 20 minutes was adequate. But, my previous post clearly states that I attributed working out twice a day for 20 minutes to my success and yoga was big part of it as well. I didn’t do either during my break. I thought being at home would work in my favor but as I confessed before, I was distracted by home improvement projects, converting capris to shorts (convinced that they will be way to big for me once short wearing season is over at work and the capris would no longer fit me anyway) and I was pulled in so many different directions taking the kids here and there – back and forth and back and forth all day long. I’m actually happy to be back at work.
Another aspect of my program that I slacked on was eating small meals throughout the day. I have learned that alternating between 2 choices every day keeps it simpler for me. I used to come up with these elaborate meal plans but for me keeping it simple is the key. For example:
Monday, Weds, Fri. A.M.- apples dipped in low fat organic yogurt, any flavor (not Dannon or any of those brands that are full of sugar, purchase Stoneyfield or one of the other organics.)
Monday, Weds., Fri. mid morn. – Go lean with strawberries
Monday, Weds. Fri Lunch – grilled chicken with salad veggies
Monday, Weds. Fri afternoon snack – cup of almonds
Tues. Thurs. A.M. – Cantaloupe w/ skim milk string cheese
Tues., Thurs. mid morning – bowl of low fat vanilla yogurt with fruit of choice
Tues, Thurs. lunch – Low carb tortilla with black beans or chicken, avocado, sprouts, spinach
Tues. Thurs. afternoon snack – small cherub tomatoes or sliced cucumber with ginger dressing.
What did work for me:
- Eating small healthy meals through out the day
- Sticking to a routine as much as possible.
- Plan meals, purchase food at the beginning of the week based on the meal plan so I don’t go out for a burger.
- 2 - 20 minute work outs a day. Yoga is a must for me.
- Stay positive and determined
- Blogging has helped me so much. Everybody’s support and encouragement keeps me honest with myself and I want to be successful so that others know that it’s possible. It has also been a great therapy for me. Thanks for allowing me to indulge in my narcissism.
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