Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Progress Report

Hi guys, I tried to post this on Monday, but something wacky happened. Anyways, this is mostly reposted from my other blog, with a few extra details for you guys :)
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I'm happy to say that this past week was very productive in regards to my goals. I worked out 5 times this week, for a total of about 3.5 hours, at least. I wrote down every single thing I ate, cut back on unnecessary foods, lowered my portions, drank at least 2 litres of water a day, cut back on my evening 'cocktails' and managed to lose one whole pound! My final goal is 10-15, so 1 lb is a good chunk of that.

I also did some more research on the CGC, found a local training organization, contacted the lead trainer and have a 'phone appointment' with her this week to talk about what I'd like to get done with Winston as far as CGC training is concerned.

I'm really proud of myself...I even started working with Winston on one of the CGC test items which is to keep your dog in a sitting position even when being petted and touched - he has already mastered this with me, now the key is to get him to do it with a stranger. This gives me hope that he really can contain his pug-energy when properly trained, and that it doesn't mean he can never be energetic, but that I just have to help him learn when it's appropriate and when it's not. I really feel like this will make my own life much easier as well and am looking forward to seeing what he's capable of.

This week has been harder - work is really stressful right now (I work at a college and it's the first week of classes) so when I get home all I want to do is crash on the couch with a bottle of wine. I had two drinks last night and probably a larger portion of dinner than what I needed (I made home made mac and cheese!! Comfort food, like whoa - I couldn't help myself), and I did not go to the gym - yikes!

But today, I am convinced, will be better - I'm having a slim fast for breakfast, a small portion of left overs for lunch, low-fat fajitas for dinner, and will definitely do some extra time at the gym tonight to make up for yesterday.

I'm wondering, a lot of you are losing a lot of weight: what kind of diets are you doing? Specific regimented diets or just general portion control and consciousness? Are you counting calories, carbs, trans fats? Are you giving up something altogether? I'd like to hear more details about what everyone is doing - I'm not on a specific diet, I'm just portion controlling and being more conscientious about the things I do eat, but I'd like to hear what's working for others.

5 comments:

  1. I am doing the weight watchers points system. So I figure out all my points and go from there. Green beans and broccoli are no points, so I LOVE those. Same with peas and mushrooms.
    I have my morning smoothie, 1/2 banana, 4 quarters of canned peaches, 1/2 c rozen raspberries, 1 kiwi, and i c No Fat French Vanilla Yogurt (Stonyfield Farms). This holds me til noon!
    At noon 1 have 4 or 5 fresh mushrooms, 1 tbsp Newmans Ranch dressing, 1 slice of rye/pumpernickel bread and chicken salad with no fat mayo. Also, 1 small apple. At 2:30 I have my peas or green beans or broccoli.
    Dinner is usually meat, veggies & milk.
    I, personally, must stay away from chips, cackers and that stuff. I drink water, no soda. It'w roking for me. I am down 7 pounds since the day after Xmas.
    :)
    I usually do not eat after 6:30pm. That helps me.
    Marie

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  2. I was planning on doing a modified South Beach (to get the best out of it) but my husband found this Alternate Day Diet. It's got some decent research but I'm not sure how long I can stay on it.

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  3. Great resolutions Rachel, keep that positivity! It'll carry you far!

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  4. Hi Rachel,

    Good for you, you're taking steps and becoming more aware. It's easy to get down on yourself when you don't think you measure up (something I'm guilty of doing a lot), but it's important to cheer yourself on and celebrate all victories -- both big and small. I think a lot of us are more supportive of other people than we are with ourselves.

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  5. I didn't mention weight loss as one of my goals, but I have lost weight during the last few months. I'm following the 80/20 rule where 80 percent of the time I eat healthy, but I still occasionally indulge in treats. I'm looking at this as an attitude and lifestyle change I want to live with and not as a short term prison sentence.

    I'm learning to listen to my body more: to eat when I'm hungry, pay attention to what I'm hungry for and stop when I'm comfortably full. I've learned that if I'm hungry for pasta with pesto, I'll have that along with veggies rather than something that won't satisfy me. I need to stop skipping meals (when I'm busy or in the flow with a project, I can't be bothered to eat); my body works better when I have regular meals. I'm also learning that it's true what they say that it takes about 20 minutes for your body to realize you've had enough to eat, so I need to slow down and not allow myself to become too hungry before inhaling everything that's not been nailed down. My other issue is eating dinner so close to bedtime; I need to prepare earlier meals.

    Awareness is huge. I think one of the reasons I gained the extra weight was because after moving in with my partner we were giving each other similar portions. He still does that to be "fair" to me. :) The thing is he's six feet tall, a healthy male with a faster metabolism than mine and he cycles a fair distance to work.

    To deal with emotional issues I use EFT.

    Years ago I wrote an article on eating disorders and from the research I've done extreme dieting slows down our metabolism and sets us up for becoming even heavier than before. Some books you might want to look at: Diets Don't Work: Stop Dieting Become Naturally Thin Live a Diet-Free Life by Bob Schwartz and Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch.

    I don't weigh myself, but ideally I would like to shed another 1 1/2 inches from my waist. I'm allowing my body to take its time and find the weight that is right for me, something I can maintain without having to go to extremes to achieve. I would love to do this faster, but I've learned from my past that if I drastically cut calories, I'll rebound big time and hello food orgy.

    Another thing I found to be helpful was my naturopath's NAET treatments for my numerous allergies. Since being treated for sugar and grains, I don't binge on the stuff. (Usually, what I craved or couldn't stop eating ended up being something I was allergic to.)

    Sorry this is so long. Hope it helps!

    Judy

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