Category: #Maintaince

Building Better Systems for Weight Loss

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Dinnertime was always a struggle for me because by the end of the day, I’m tired and I don’t want to make any more decisions. So, I’d either: make something convenient that was not so helpful on a weight loss journey; or, get takeout (also not helpful and too expensive). I knew that If my weight loss journey was going to be successful, I knew dinnertime was something that I’d have to overcome.

Strategy #9: Building Better Systems

I had to build a better system that would accommodate my needs. A couple of things I know about myself:

  1. I’m a planner. If I have a plan I will follow it.
  2. I need a variety of food. I don’t want to eat the same thing every night. I would quit tomorrow if I had to eat grilled chicken over salad every night.
  3. I need a little flexibility. If I have all the ingredients in the house for these recipes – I like the option of moving them around to suit my needs. Not everything is set in stone but there is enough structure so I don’t have to think too much.

Paprika helps me with every aspect of what I need to plan for dinner. I typically plan the beginning of each week (it’s nice because I can create grocery lists and export them on my Reminders). If I want to get SmartPoints values I use Weight Watchers or Skinny Girl, or sometimes I use the nutritional values to create a food.

Tonight is the last night for my planned dinners for the week. We are having Mexican Chicken, a Weight Watchers Recipe:

Mexican Chicken 2 Smart Points
3 SmartPoints

I’m not trying to sell you on using Paprika or joining Weight Watchers, because I can’t know what will work for you. Only you know yourself. Do a little inventory about what is not working for you. Consider why it’s not working. Then build a better system. Try it out, reflect, and tweak it as you go. I promise you can find the solutions you need and make meaningful actionable changes that make your life better.

It’s All in Your Head: Deciding What Habits to Keep

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What kind of person are you? It’s the habits you keep that will give you away every time. If you identify as a person who lives a healthy lifestyle; but don’t work out, drinks too much, and eats mostly fast food – you are not living a healthy lifestyle, are you? Habits dictate how we live, they are the workhorses of everyday life. The goal for intentionally setting up personal habits is to simplify life. When it comes to deciding which habits to keep, is a deeply personal affair. Before you can decide which habits are serving you well depends on who you are now and your end goal.

There are five steps that anyone can use at any time to establish productive habits:

  1. Identity Work: Who are you? Who do you want to be?
  2. Lifestyle Choices: How do you want to live your life?
  3. Name the Goal: What do you want to achieve?
  4. Developing Systems: What habits need to be set?
  5. Momentum & Joy Are habits building momentum? Do they bring you joy?

Here is the template if you think it will help you do this work

There is no reason to wait any longer to grow into the person you want to become. This is your one beautiful life, live it the way you want. Allow yourself to be inspired and be inspiring to those around you. Believe you can do this and you’re already there…

A Better Day…

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Things are clicking and it’s a much better day. That is the way it goes, for me, with weight loss. There are good days, better days, worst days, bad days. The common thread? Don’t give up. I will never give up I plan to keep at this. I will:

  • Celebrate my good choices
  • Be helpful to others who share the journey
  • Reflect on my poor choices
  • Monitor my external and internal hunger cues
  • Look for ways to stay engaged
  • Reach out when I need help
  • Not take my good habits for granted

There is a lot of effort that goes into this but it’s worth it – aways. Even (maybe especially) when weight loss is very difficult. Yesterday was crumby but today is better.

Zeros to Heros…

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I am sick, and went to the doctor. I was prescribed some antibiotics, but also recommended that I eat grapes and oranges. This was some good news because they are zero SmartPoints. So I began to wonder, what makes grapes, and oranges so good for me.

Grapes pack a nutritional punch; namely, antioxidants, which means they’re good for the skin, and hair which I can really use these days. They are one of the healthiest zero SmartPoint foods around. In fact, some studies show that grapes may have anti-cancer properties. Did you know, grapes were one of the earliest fruits grown by man? They have roots (sorry) going back 6,000 to 8,000 years ago.  

Grapes and Peaches Paul Cezanne!

Oranges are also zero SmartPoints but (just like grapes) are chock-full of nutrients. Strangely they also support clear, healthy, skin and can help to to fend off serious diseases when eaten as part of a healthy diet. Another reason to love WW (as if I needed one) these zero SmartPoint foods are built for better health for life. An orange has over 170 different phytochemicals (cancer fighting nutrients) and more than 60 flavonoids. Many of these have been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties which is really good for those of us who have rheumatoid arthritis.

Oranges – Vincent van Gogh!

Turns out, grapes and oranges really are the comfort foods my body can use. There really is so much to learn, and I have to remember not to take my weight loss journey for granted.

Be My Own Hero…

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I have routine and rituals. Routines and rituals are what helps me to stay on plan Between yesterday, and today all of my routines and rituals were thrown out the window. Yesterday I just ate too much. Today I started off good, but was quickly followed by a series of bad events that thwarted my efforts:

  1. I packed my lunch but ended up having to work through lunch. By the time I got home, I was famished! Then overdid it with snack mix.
  2. I didn’t have dinner planned and I ended up making roast beef sandwich melts that were not plan friendly
  3. I found out I have to pick up my daughter from the train station at 11:00 pm tonight so that’s going to mess with my sleep

Some of today’s crack ups were just bad luck, some were a lack of planning on my part. It’s really hard to keep it all together, all the time. Now, I am thinking of of what I can do next…

  1. Continue to pack my lunch, and eat it before coming home no matter what.
  2. Plan ahead for dinner. We are going to eat breaded chicken, potatoes, and carrots tomorrow night.
  3. Get to bed by 10:00 pm for the remainder of the week. I know I can’t catch up on sleep but at least I can prioritize it.
  • I wanted these
  • I looked up the points
  • I said “No”

The truth is, I’m pretty disappointed that I had two rough days after building so much momentum over the past week. Even though this really bothers me I can also say I am proud of myself for taking the time to write tonight’s post. I’m writing because I want to figure out why I did what I did and I’m doing this even though I have quite a bit of work left to do before I can call it a day. I am taking back a little time just for me and that’s something to celebrate.

We took Sadie for a walk – that’s a good thing.

So, I can either, sit here and call myself a failure and that be the end of it, or I can concentrate on what I learned and try to improve. I am practicing being resilient right now, I have a plan of action and even though my routines and rituals did not save me today it doesn’t mean they wont work tomorrow. Sometimes I have to be my own hero and rescue myself. Sometimes, I may have to fail and figure it out as I go. No matter what, I’m worth the fight. So are you, and don’t forget it.

Saving Up for a Rainy Day…

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Rain is not a friend to weight loss, or at least not for me. Today has been a stay inside, snuggle up with blankets, watch movies, and snacking kind of day. Plus, we celebrated my son’s birthday so dinner was followed by ice cream cake. Need I say more? I am over my SmartPoints budget.

Perfect for today

Tomorrow is a new day.

Weigh the Pros & Cons…

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It’s getting close to Halloween, and I said “No” (in my mind) to candy all day long. Then, I ate the lunch I brought with me, rather than buy lunch from the deli with my colleagues. I ended my day, shopping for a healthy dinner to prepare. I came home and cooked a healthy, reasonably pointed dinner for my family and me.

  • “No.”
  • Grocery shopping for dinner after work
  • “No.”

After all of this, I cleaned up and as I did so, I thought about eating the tub of Salted Caramel Enlightened Ice Cream that is in the freezer. Then I realized what was really happening, I wanted a reward. I wanted a reward for all of my efforts. The family was fed, the dishes were put away, a successful work day was behind me. I wanted something good just for me.

What do I really want? I want to reach my goal. I want to get back to Lifetime status. I want to be able to move easily with lots of energy. The last three days has been really good ones for me. I want to continue my success and get my groove back.

I have a problem though. I’m not sure if I should weigh in tomorrow. I’m not convinced that if I weigh in I won’t be discouraged when I find that my number on the scale has gone up. What should I do? I don’t know what I should do. I tried to write a pro’s and con’s list but I’m feeling stuck about that too. My feelings about it are too complex for a list. I want to be honest with myself, I want to feel like this is period of struggle was just part of my journey. Inside, that is what I believe. Then I think, well what if that number goes up a lot and then I feel defeated and demoralized? How can I recover from that?

A number does not define my success on this journey. I know that in my head, but do I believe that in my heart? I don’t want to be heartbroken tomorrow in the Moose Lodge. Standing there in stocking feet, on a (slightly) wobbly digital scale. Looking at the receptionist hoping she isn’t secretly judging me. I know she wouldn’t by the way, all the receptionists are lovely. Right now, you are listening to my lesser angels talking out of fear not reality. This is what I have to say to that, “It’s just a number. It’s just a number. It’s just a number!” I did something remarkable, Now I’m the road to doing something extraordinary because I’m in the midst of a comeback. I believe in me, and that’s why I will weigh in tomorrow. No regrets.

One last thing…

I try not repeat my blog titles, so I did a search for today’s post, and this post came up: “Beginning” It came up because I used the word, “prosperous” (pros) and “continued” (con). Funny. Then I read the post, and my own words came to my rescue.

Talking About Lifelines…

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There used to be this show, “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” on TV. Contestants would be asked a series of questions, and when they got stumped they could use a Lifeline:

  1. Phone a Friend – call a friend for help with an answer
  2. Ask the Audience – poll the audience for help with an answer
  3. 50/50 – remove two of four multiple choice questions

How great it would be if I had these Lifelines for my weight loss journey? When I really think about it, in a way I do have them. My sister is my “Phone a Friend”. She is always there to support and encourage me. If I’m stuck she is the one who knows an answer. Sometimes the answers come from my workshop and blog communities. These spaces offer me an Ask the Audience option. Learning from the experiences of others is invaluable. Hum… that’s two for two! Sometimes, I really don’t know the answer and I just have to make my best guess.

today was another good one for the books. It was an extremely long day but I’m proud that I stayed on plan.

Heartfelt…

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I had a great day on plan. It’s the first great day in a long while. It’s been a total of fourteen days since I wrote my last post and tonight I am writing from my heart. My weight loss journey is very important to me it has given me both confidence and energy. It has shown me that I can overcome obstacles and reclaim my personal sense of power. Since I’ve been on this journey, I have made important self-discoveries because writing these posts has pushed me to be more reflective. I am extremely grateful.

Even with all of these positive rewards, this is still hard. If you find yourself in a similar spot (thinking this is too hard) I hope you will give yourself the time and space you need to reengage with your weight loss efforts. You can do this, don’t forget that because it’s the truth. Thank you for reading. More tomorrow…

Making Weight Loss Stick….

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What are your personal beliefs about weight loss? Before you answer that question consider what informs a belief system. Beliefs are shaped (in part) by what the people around us say, our own experiences, and what we read from credible sources. If, upon reflection, you sense that there are some negative forces at play with your belief system for weight loss – it’s not really that surprising. Most people don’t believe long lasting sustainable weight loss is possible. So if you’re attempting to build up and fortify your belief system that not only is weight loss possible, but it is going to happen for you, seems like a tough sell well then those feelings just makes sense.

It’s all in the details. when Building a strong belief system Having a detailed plan of action to fall back on makes your peroanl outlook well – believable. You know because you’re make it happen.