I need to talk to you about something that's been really hard for me. I've been eating a lot! I know it may seem like strange that this is a problem but trust me when I say IT IS! This summer, before going to work at Busch, I was at my lowest weight I have been in ages. I had worked so hard and had the correct mindset on being successful in my journey to losing more weight and being physically fit. Then something happened. I got thrown off the wagon and headed straight back to where I was before starting losing weight. I gained 10 pounds! Totally unacceptable in my eyes along with my trainers eyes. I'm devastated that I can't gain control over my eating. My problem is I know that I shouldn't eat such delicious items but my stomach takes over and tells me my life would be much better if I ate the ice cream.
When it comes to the regulation of body weight there are five critical control factors.
1. Physical Activity
2. Food and Calories
3. Record Keeping
4. Stimulus Control
5. Support
Here's how I put the five critical control factors into play:
1. Physical Activity: I work out/try to work out a total of 6 times a week so that's good!
2. Food and Calories: I know how much calories I should have in one day (if you're a woman and you want to maintain your weight you here's the math: your current weight x 11= how many calories you can eat a day.) When it comes to food, it's all about balancing the pyramid.
3. Record Keeping: I'm about 70/30 on this. I try to keep my journal current but I really struggle during the weekend.
4. STIMULUS CONTROL! This is the one that makes me falter and ruins my life. As I mentioned above, I know that I'm eating poorly but I just struggle stopping.
5. Support: I have support all around. My friends help keep me accountable and Lane does a good job telling me "no we can't go get ice cream."
Doesn't it seem ridiculously easy to maintain weight with proper dedication? I think so. I know what to do, no excuses. Seriously, no excuses from this girl. I've been bad at tracking my food and what I've decided to eat. It makes me depressed that when I can't control myself. Then when depressed, I emotionally eat. It's a vicious cycle. Here's my fear: I start school on Monday. I will not have time to run home after to work and grab dinner before going to class at 6. So, I must be fully prepared and pack dinners to take with me. This does not give me the right to eat crap or fall deeper into my bad food habits. What I'm hoping is that I gain confidence to stay strong with proper eating and thus my body will be more willing to lose the pounds. Also, all this weight makes me more tired. I need to clean out the tired toxins and move forward so my precious brain can absorb all the knowledge that is to come.
I don't know if I can promise I won't eat ice cream or have a soda but I really want to stop this madness. Ugh...how unfortunate that I let this happen. I have no one to blame but myself. So it's time to dust myself off, dust off the wagon and get back on. Like the Little Engine That Could, I'd better start saying over and over "I KNOW I CAN! I KNOW I CAN!" More importantly, I had better start loving myself again.
I struggle on the weekends too! I think its because I'm out of my "normal" rhythm. I've found that if we have it in the house, I EAT IT. So, no ice cream in the house, no potato chips in the house, no cookies in the house. Or, if cookies are made, only half the dough goes into cookies. The other half goes into a tupperware in the back of the freezer so I can make cookies later. Or, if I really, really want something (spinach artichoke dip), I'll make it for an event or party so that I have to share it.
ReplyDeleteI've found that as I get older, weight control is all about eating and not so much about exercise anymore. Which is too bad; I used to think that I could eat whatever I wanted as long as I exercised!
You CAN do this! My problem is, I get bored with eating all of the same things when I'm eating "healthy." Like Courtney, I don't keep the junk food in the house or else I eat it-especially when I'm bored. When eating fresh foods, you DO have to take the extra time to prepare them, but it's SO worth it. You have to get excited about eating healthy-it doesn't just come. And if you do want to eat ice cream-get the little Skinny Cow individual servings, or the Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches. Give yourself a little, and you'll find it's easier to resist a binge.
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