Monday, July 28, 2008

FEELING GOOD...

Thanks, Susan, for the kick in the pants to blog over here again! I have been meaning to, but time has gotten away from me. I weighed this morning, and was so excited to discover that I lost two pounds last week! Yippee!!!

I started out last week, counting points and calories and measuring food. But, as the week went on, that fell by the way side. I know that doing all of that really helps me keep tabs on how much food I am eating, but it also takes all the joy out of food. It makes eating feel like an accounting job. I really love the joy of eating and cooking and always somewhat resent the intrusion of that from having to count everything. So, I am very flaky about it...sometimes I count, sometimes I don't. This week I didn't, yet still lost two pounds. Thinking back over the week, there are two things that come to mind that were very helpful for me.

1. Eating my big meal in the middle of the day. Last week, lunch was my biggest meal of the day on most days, and I often didn't eat it until two or three in the afternoon. This was good for a number of reasons. One, I ate lunch when I would normally have a snack, so that was skipped altogether (the snack). I had the rest of the day to burn off my big meal, and then ate very lightly in the evening. Some nights I just had a bowl of bing cherries, or fresh peaches. I felt a lot better when I went to bed too...not full. It was nice.

2. Staying busy with my hands. This week, I picked up embroidery again (thanks to this post from Aimee). I ironed. I folded LOTS of laundry. I worked in my garden. I made a ton of pasta sauce and canned it. Keeping my hands busy kept me from sitting and munching mindlessly. Having handiwork to do when I was watching a movie with Matt kept me from snacking. And, I was very mentally engaged with other thoughts and ideas that I am working through, studying, and praying about. So I wasn't THINKING about food as much. I think this was really key.

I still haven't done any exercise since the last time I posted. It is just soooo hot! Even early in the morning, it is sweltering. But, we just got our Wii back from being fixed, so I will probably do the Wii Fit a few times this week. I still want to pick back up with running also, one of these days.

So, do any of you that have lost weight have any tips to share? Anything that worked really well for you? I would love to hear any thoughts you have. I am going to try to repeat last week by staying busy and not eating much at night. I'll keep you posted!

8 comments:

Melissa said...

This is so exciting!

Big midday meal, tiny food in the evening. I believe this is the way the way the Europeans eat...maybe...some of them, at least. I remember my Spanish teacher/friend, who is from the Canary Islands, talking about how everything would stop for a time in the afternoon for the huge midday meal and siesta. Sounds good to me!!

I think you right about keeping your hands busy too!!

Sara said...

Hey there!
I think I've mentioned it before, but if you can get active BEFORE you eat anything in the morning, it will help a lot. Activity makes your metabolism speed right up :) And then it keeps working even when you're resting.

I'm not sure exactly the stuff you're eating now, but I would encourage you to cut out dairy, sugar, bread, and meat if you haven't already. Those 4 things are the big bad foods in my opinion :) They keep weight on, make you sluggish and sick, and cause cravings.

Glad you're back :)

Brandy said...

Well...I think your doing a great job! It is so hard to stay motivated and focused on your eating when you have little ones. We get lazy and just eat whatever, but your doing a good job of avoiding this by not having "crap" in the kitchen! I also think that the summer is great because it is so easy to have fruit for snack, Haydn loves it and I love it and I don't feel guilty about eating it.

I have found that getting up early and going to the gym first thing changes my whole day. I am more active the rest of the day and I tend to eat less!

Jessica said...

Do you have a bike? If I ride the bike early in the morning (before it's 80 degrees), it creates enough of a breeze that I don't even sweat!

Anonymous said...

No tips from me, but I'm glad you're posting here, and way to go on those two pounds! It always feels so nice to be making progress...

Actually, I do know that, in addition to avoiding the bad foods, making sure you get *enough* good fat in the diet really, really helps cut back the hunger and cravings.

A lot of what we feel as hunger is actually thirst. And sometimes it just means we aren't getting enough fat...

(I did have some tips after all.)

Anyway, keep it up!
Susan :-)

debbie bailey said...

All of the above is true and great, but remember you can't do it without spiritual help. It's a spiritual battle for you. Remember Philippians 4:13 and make it a matter of priority in your prayers. You're in mine. Mama

Anonymous said...

What do you enjoy doing? Do you like hiking, swimming, tennis... Maybe if you find something to do that you love you will have an easier time getting your activity in your schedule..

Annie said...

Are you intelligently supplementing? There can be great benefits/results seen in adding enzymes, probiotics along with your nutritional regimen. Perhaps your body needs that extra assistance in utliizing those nutrients? I have heard great results when that happens. If you'd like more info, please let me know.