March 1st. Hard to believe that the first two months of 2009 are over.
As most people know, I have been on an exercise/eat better/quit smoking plan since November of last year. In that time I have lost roughly 25 pounds (maybe more as I never did know my weight going in) and I have gained some amount of muscle mass.
As it is the beginning of a new month and tomorrow is the beginning of a new week, I think it's time to try a few more changes.
For one, I am going to eliminate diet cola. That's going to be hard, as Dad drinks it himself and besides water that is usually all that is around here to drink.
(As a side note; again as most people know, I am living at home, and with freelance work coming in slowly and inconsistently, moving out on my own is not really an option at the moment. So, that obviously presents several challenges. I have to ask for certain things when Dad makes a trip to the grocery store. Now these are things that neither Mom nor Dad will eat/drink, etc. Its not easy or cheap to eat, let alone eat healthy. But so far Mom and Dad have been very understanding and supportive of these changes. But I digress...)
In place of diet cola I will try and drink more water. I also am going to try & drink Crystal Light (comes in handy 500ml pouches). I'll still have my daily cup(s) of tea. Not nearly as many as Dave Penney though!
As for food, I have to make a better effort to eat more fruit. Vegetables as well. I have made some very small strides in that area, as I now eat tomato & lettuce on subs (something I never ever used to do).
Another area I am going to work on is snacks, especially late-night snacks. Now this is an area I'm sure people will differ vastly on. Not only over what you should eat, but when you should eat.
Being a night owl, I am usually up until at least 2am. That's pretty much my TV time; watching re-runs of House, The Simpson's and Family Guy. And when I watch TV I like to have something to munch on. No reason it can't be fruit I suppose. But as much as I want to lose weight, I am not going to totally deprive myself of food I enjoy.
To that end I've been trying to replace chips with popcorn. And it's worked for the most part. I still have too many lapses though, and before I know it I'm halfway through a bag of chips. (Ketchup are usually my favorite flavor). Along with the popcorn, I'm trying whole grain nachos and salsa. As I said, no need to deprive yourself.
It's all about moderation.
As for exercise, my weight training with Jason (aka BG [Baby Gibblets], aka BAG [Baby Audio Gibblets], aka BUG [Baby Uncle Gibblets]) is going really well. Where I am falling down slightly (still!) is with cardio. So starting tomorrow, and on that advice of BG, I am going to try to increase my speed on the treadmill.
I figure if I can get these elements all together I'll see some more weight come off in the next month.
One can only hope!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
This may sound strange, but what about getting into cooking? Of course, I mean really making things with fresh ingredients, not just heating things up. Since I lost the job, I've been cooking on a regular basis, and have almost completely abandoned junk food (I used to load up on chips, candy, chocolate, etc, almost on a daily basis). Now, when I go to the supermarket or pass a convenience store, I don't even bother with junk food.
ReplyDeleteYou might say that, like your plan, this is step 1 of my plan. I used to hate cooking...all the buying, preparation, and cleaning would drive me nuts. I still don't like the cleaning much, but I find the buying and preparation interesting. It takes serious planning before you even enter the supermarket, to know what you'll need for the next week or so. So, you make a list, and you stick to that list almost exclusively, and things get done quicker.
I find too that making and eating something yourself gives you more care and pride in what you actually eat. If you're going to spend a few hours in the kitchen, what comes out of it can't be half-assed (no pun intended). Definitely, I pay more attention to what I eat these days, not to mention how well its prepared and cooked. I almost have a feeling of disgust now for restaurant/fast/frozen/etc food.
I'd say its worth a try...not to mention its a great skill to have.
I see what you're saying. But I hate the cooking process. I really do. And as much as I hate cleaning, I'd rather clean the dishes than spend hours cooking.
ReplyDeleteAnd as I mentioned, going shopping and buying things that I can cook on my own is not an option at the moment. Obviously if I was on my own I'd have to cook. It wold be that or starve. Or give in to the fast food. But here at home with three of us, we tend to go with what is easiest to make and clean up. It's not always the best choice health-wise, but from a budget standpoint it makes sense.
What it sounds like I'm doing is making excuses I know. And in some ways I probably am. If I'm going to cook and I'm going to cook for more than me, I really need some practice, because I don't want to be the one to have ruined everyone's dinner. At least if you're only cooking for yourself it's not too big a deal.
It is worth investigating. I'm going to need to know how to do it sooner or later.
With shopping, you could collaborate with the folks on what they need/want, and add a few extras of your own. I know the feeling about hating it all...used to avoid it like the plague. Of course, now that I'm not working, I have a different perspective, not to mention more free time, so maybe, at least partly, its a way to fill up my time.
ReplyDeleteMaybe one day/week you could decide what you want to have for dinner, make a list of the exact things you need for that dinner, and see if you can go to the supermarket and come out with only the things on that list, at the cheapest prices (Yes, I know I sound like a domestic "guru" or something...even as I say this it sounds a little pathetic :)
I'm just sitting here, smiling at the picture of Bob and Geoff in the Noseworthy kitchen, cooking dinner for everyone. I think you should be held to this the next time we're all home.
ReplyDeleteIt is really hard to change years of bad behaviour. I'm in the middle of the same crisis myself. It is easier to open a box of something that's already prepared than it is to cook something from scratch, and it's so easy to make excuses about no time and no energy to do it all. But, the year I did lose over 100 pounds I took the time to measure, weigh, and prepare everything I cooked, and I did get good results.
You're doing a great job so far, Geoff, even if you do slip up every now and again. When you have as much weight to lose as we do, it can seem insurmountable, but you're doing things the right way, and you're ensuring that you'll keep it up as a lifestyle rather than just axing everything from your diet and depriving yourself. Keep it up.
Do I detect a slight hint of disbelief and doubt, Sandi? :) Don't forget I always did a lot of cleaning, and still do in our house now (when your significant other is in sales, you end up having to be the housekeeper). Mind you, I'm not sure about cooking one of those taste-tastic turkey dinners.
ReplyDeleteI never doubted your abilities in the cleaning department at all....just in the cooking department.
ReplyDelete