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Saturday, February 27, 2016

35th Birthday

35, it's a nice round number to me.  It's halfway between 30 and 40.  Established in my life enough that I can build and make plans, but not so set in my ways that I can't course correct if needed.

Graduation is just around the corner and I am anxious to get started with this next phase of my life.  What exactly does adulthood look like without the burden of school?  I'm ready to advance in a career and stop living paycheck to paycheck.  I don't have to be rich, though I wouldn't object to that, but I don't want to have to struggle the way I have been the last 15 years.

I'm trying to focus on the positive things ahead of me and not get bogged down in the worries I've started to feel pulling at the corners of my mind.  I need to not rush into things out of fear that I'll miss out on something.  But I also need to not be afraid to take chances and make changes as needed.

This is all somewhat cryptic, I know.  But I am hopeful for the future without knowing exactly what path I should take next to make all of my hopes and dreams come true.

Friday, February 5, 2016

Weight Watchers - Week#6

Official Weigh-in: 203.7 lbs.
Starting Weight: 207.2
Change since last week: +0.5 lbs.
Overall change:-3.6 lbs.
Goal Weight: 145-155 range
Last Week's Weekly Goal:  Track more carefully
This Week's Weekly Goal: Track more carefully

I'm keeping the same goal again for this week.  I started off strong this week, but then slacked off again towards the end.  There's a gain of .5 to show for it, though it's actually down from the official Weight Watchers weigh in I did at a meeting on Saturday.  So there's improvement, but I can definitely do better.

I've been dealing with a lot of negative head space lately.  I know we all deal with it from time to time and especially when we're working on something as personal as weight loss/healthy lifestyle changes.  This journey is not like any other goal in our lives.  Because everyone has an opinion on it and will offer it unsolicited.  

Even if people don't know that you're dealing with it, you still hear their opinions.  At work the other day, there was a conversation about how easy it is to lose weight and don't people realize that it's just a simple matter of calories in and calories out.  But it's not that simple.  It's not like smoking or drinking or biting your nails where it's something you struggle to abstain from completely.  Food is something you need to survive.  Yes we should abstain from the things that aren't healthy for us, but it's not always that easy and it can feel like all food is your enemy when we reduce it to calories in.  Just as exercise can feel like a punishment when we look at it as simply calories out.

Many of us struggle with the journey because of our relationships with food.    Advertising is constantly telling us about our cravings and how their product is the only one that will satisfy said craving.  Time out with friends is usually around drinking or a restaurant meal.  Free lunches at work meetings where Pizza is always the quickest and easiest option to feed a crowd.  In our society, food is a reward, a stress reliever, a social outing, and a comfort.  It's easier to stop at a fast food joint on the way to this appointment or between obligations than to cook something at home.

I love the new Oprah commercial where she talks about bread.  Because I share her love of bread and completely relate to what she says.  But I've learned this week that, unlike Oprah, I can't manage it yet.  If I'm presented with rolls I'm not going to eat just one and then I don't have points for real food.  So maybe I will focus on that while I'm tracking this week.  

I'm going to try and budget points not just for a single day but for each meal within that day. So 10 points per meal and if I consume fewer points for breakfast the remaining points will be evenly distributed to the remaining meals.   Meaning, instead of seeing 30 points for the day (12 of which are taken up by garlic knots) I will see 14 points for lunch after my yogurt breakfast.  Maybe this will help me to weigh my options more carefully.  Because 12 out of 14 sounds a lot more wasteful than 12 out of 30.  Hopefully, this way I won't trash the whole day with free garlic knots at work.

Good luck this week!