So here's what it's going to be, for now: 45 minutes of exercise four times a week--lunchtime cardio or swimming at the gym on Monday-Wednesday-Friday, and one hour long walk, hike, swim or elliptical workout at home on the weekend. No red meat, no fried foods, limited starches, lots of water. Focusing on low-fat meals and small fruit or grain snacks. Wheat toast with a dab of peanut butter for breakfast; bannana or yogurt for a mid-morning snack; a sensible lunch of either chicken with brown rice, turkey sandwich, grilled chicken salad; pretzels or a granola bar for an afternoon snack; and a sensible dinner (light pasta, fish, chicken, etc.) along with a salad at night. Frozen yogurt or smoothies when I need a pick-me-up. Lots of coffee, still, always, lots of coffee. Beer on the weeknights, permission to drink the hard stuff on the weekends. Not ready to give up alcohol just yet.
That's how I'm going to do it. I'm not counting grams of fat or calories, I'm not going to be religious about making sure I get enough of this or not too much of that. I'm going to stick to relatively healthy foods that I know I like in moderation and force myself to be vigilant about an exercise regimen. I will slip, on occasion, and if I have uncontrollable insane urges I will give in and not beat myself up about it. My watchwords are BALANCE, MINDFULNESS and SELF-CONTROL. Listen to my whole body, not just my stomach. My stomach is a greedy bastard, and it lies.
I started yesterday, and so far so good. I'm going to try to stick to my original plan and post something here every day to help keep myself accountable. Full speed ahead.
"My Stomach is a greedy bastard, and it lies"
ReplyDeleteNow that is a quote I need to put on my fridge! You should make magnets. :-)
On a more serious note, Tom, you are showing courage every day that you don't give up on the future you see for yourself. Kudos, my friend!
Jen
No need to count the calories, what you are doing is great. If you stick to that and regularly workout (which is tough to stay in routine) you'll be fine. And don't judge by the scale too much dude, judge by how your clothes fit you. With two months of this you'll need new jeans, I guarantee it. :)
ReplyDeleteGood luck man.
I want to reiterate the comment about not paying too much attention to the scale. Muscle weighs 3x what fat does so if you exercise and build muscle, your clothes get looser but the scale won't show big drops. When I started doing yoga, I gained 10 lbs. but my clothes fit exactly the same. All the extra weight was new muscle.
ReplyDeleteI would also encourage you to try to eat organic/all natural. More and more they are linking the chemicals in foods with weight retention. Also, drop the saturated fats, but make sure to eat lots of good fats like avocado and olive oil. Good fats don't make you put on weight and studies show that without enough fat in your died, you are more likely to be grouchy and "out of it".
Thanks all for the advice and encouragement. I'm going to do my best not to let myself get obsessed with the scale. Christi, I'd definitely like to move toward eating all organic food, but it seems like it would take way more energy and attention than I have right now. Baby steps ;-).
ReplyDeleteSounds like a plan! Lots of luck and determination.
ReplyDeleteAparna