Tuesday, April 19, 2011

I'm in.

Thanks for getting us going again Kara. I think it was my idea in the first place and then I fizzled. You know, the blog just isn't enough, we have to change habits too. But a blog is a good place for support and goal-setting.

My life has changed a lot in the past six months. I feel like I am able to make myself a higher priority than I have been able to for many years. On November17 I sent of my twin sons (age 19 at the time.) on missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They will be gone for two years. Prior to that day my life was obsessed with my children. It took a lot of work to get them sent off and we spent a lot of time making family memories before they left. I still have two daughters around - one will graduate from college this week - and another who is very busy with high school. So I'm finding more time with myself now!

After my sons left the next project was Christmas. I got that done and gained a few pounds along the way. But January left me with time to actually work on those New Year's Resolutions! I resolved to eat healthily, exercise more consistently, and get current on all of those health checkups I hadn't bothered with.

I work part-time at Brigham Young University, so the first thing I did was check out the gym I have access to for free. FREE is one of my favorite words. Well, I actually paid $20 for a year-round locker and wristband that gives me access to everything. I also bought an extra set of hair and makeup stuff to keep there. It took a while to figure things out and develop a schedule. At first I just snuck in workouts wherever they would fit. I keep learning about more things I can do there and now I go almost every morning. Right now my daughter is extremely busy at high school - from 6:00 when I drop off her carpool for driver's ed, to at least 5:00 when she finishes working on the school play. So I usually spend an hour at the gym, shower and go to work. The pool is available from 6:00 am to 7:15 am, so I have been swimming.

I'm a lousy swimmer. I've watched some people who know what they are doing and I'm starting to figure out the breathing thing. Good thing, huh? I probably won't drown. I can feel it making my back and arms stronger. I also do some weights and the ellyptical (my favorite). I just learned that I can sign up for non-credit exercise classes for a small charge so I'm looking for details on that.

In February Kirby and I went on a cruise to celebrate our 25th anniversary. Awesome! We went to Belize, Costa Maya, and Cozumel. We decided to certify for SCUBA diving as part of that. Well, I needed a doctor's clearance for that because I am over 45, have asthma, and have a relative who has had a heart attack. I knew I was overweight, but thought I was in pretty good health. But I decided to do that resolution and get a full physical and blood tests. I had not had blood tests since I had my last baby, and these were different! I had to fast.

The doctor cleared me for diving. I got the test results back the day before we left on our cruise. He was sorry to give me bad news just before my vacation, but my cholesterol was very high! He gave me three to four months to change with diet and exercise before I have to go on a prescription. I'm now about 2 months into that.

I only had time to google a few things before we left on the cruise. Then I was afraid to eat anything! But cruises have tons of food. I ate salmon a lot and had lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. The first day or so I passed on desserts. I passed on most breads the whole time. But then I calmed down and enjoyed the foods more. I ate plenty of food and got too full sometimes. But most were pretty healthy foods. The day we flew home I didn't eat much. We were very active with diving and hiking Mayan ruins. I also enjoyed the ellyptical that looked out the front of the ship.

I was stunned to find my weight the same as before we left! The next day I was about a pound below! I returned to normal life and started gaining again. So depressing! Most people gain weight on a cruise, but I gained in normal life. It went up a couple of pounds, but now I'm back to my pre-cruise weight.

So I'm trying to eat mostly fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. A lot of oatmeal.

So I'm exercising a lot and eating fairly healthily. But I have only a month or two before I need to have my cholesterol checked again and I want a big difference. No drugs for me! So I have to eat less of those healthy foods and figure out some way to lose weight!

Here are my goals:
1. Exercise five to six days a week.
2. Eat mostly fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
3. Eliminate most animal fats.
4. Increase healthy fish.
5. Continue to learn more about lowering cholesterol.
6. Only eat when I am hungry!
7. Eat smaller portions.

Okay. Enough goals for now.

I hope I can figure out how to post this again. It has been a while.

Cindy
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Weight Watchers - The ABCs of Weight Loss

I read this in the Weight Watcher magazine July/August 2008, and thought there were some great suggestions here. These were all contributed by successful WW members)...

A - Ask questions (when dining out, don't be afraid to ask your server how a dish is prepared - and request it without sauce or oil).

B - Budget for snacks - you don't have to give up all of your favorite treats, just plan ahead.

C - Cancel the pity party - when you're down about your weight, remind yourself that everyone struggles.

D - Distract yourself - If you're hungry, call a friend, go for a walk, write a letter or email, etc. You'll notice that the hunger usually passes in a matter of minutes.

E - Eat slowly - put the fork down between bites, be more aware of how much you're putting in your mouth.

F - Focus on the presentation - arrange your food creatively, use a larger plate and spread your portions more artfully, it will help you feel more satisfied.

G - Give the new habits time - make a commitment to stick to your new regimen for at least 6 months, it often takes that long for revamped eating or exercise habits to feel natural.

H - Hang out with optimists - The can-do spirit is contagious.

I - Inspire yourself - brainstorm a list of activities you've been putting off because of your weight - it will provide a built-in incentive to slim down.

J - Join up - exercise with others - this often provides a sense of accountibility.

K - Keep your focus - as you lose weight, notice what you're gaining - a healthier diet, slimmer profile, or a new love of exercise.

L - Lighten up your favorite - Use cookbooks that can show you low-fat, healthier versions of your favorite dishes.

M - Make over your kitchen - get rid of trigger foods (those you often overeat) and restock your kitchen with healthy items.

N - Navigate out of your comfort zone - try a new exercise once a week.

O - Opt for the 10-minute rule - Even if you don't feel like it, get moving for at least 10 minutes.

P - Push yourself to try at least one new fruit or vegetable each week - expand your culinary repertoire in a healthy, low-calorie way.

Q - Quit the clean-plate club - stop eating once you're satisfied, and you won't eat tons of extra calories.

R - Reward yourself - if you are looking for a snack after dinner, give yourself a manicure or pedicure instead!

S - Stand up to food pushers - if a host pressures you to eat something you'd rather avoid, tell her you'll try something else on the table - compliment her, and she'll be distracted.

T - Treat your body like a temple - exercise and take care of yourself as if you were an athlete.

U - Use your lunch break wisely - spend half of your lunch break walking.

V - View sweet treats wisely - if you want to shed pounds, you can't eat sweets whenever you like. Find a low - calorie substitute that you can have every day, or limit rich desserts to once a week.

W - Write a gratitude list - each day, jot down 3 to 5 things in your life that you're grateful for.

X - Xerox your exercise moves - find exercise routines you'd like to try in books and magazines, and make copies, then refer to these when you need new moves.

Y - Yearn to accept where you are now - when you fell discouraged by your rate of progress, try to accept and appreciate yourself at your current weight. This might help you hang in there until you start losing weight again.

Z - Zero in on your body - Don't wear big baggy clothes - wearing clothes that fit well to remind yourself of your diet and fitness goals - and the slimmer body your are striving for.

GOOD LUCK!