Day 97- Use what works

My thoughts on 100 Days of Weight Loss by Linda Spangle

Spangle asks, "What worked before? What did you do to stick with your diet program? How did you keep yourself on track, even thorugh the difficult days?

I really had to think about this. How did things that I have struggled with become habits of mind, routine and rituals that I do daily now?

On Exercise-

• The night before I put on my workout clothes and sleep in them so I have no excuse, but to get up and workout.
• I set my alarm 5 minutes before I have to get up. So when the alarm goes off I have 5 minutes to wake up and get going.
• I have set days with the bootcamp ladies at the park and being accountable to other people has helped me stay consistent
• I feel awake and ready to face the day after I have worked out in the morning. I like that the blood is flowing to the brain and I feel like I can handle anything
• If I am working out alone. The night before I set up the DVD so I know what I am going to do. I am not a morning person so it is best that I make the decision ahead of time or I won't do it.

On Eating Breakfast-

• I used to skip breakfast everyday and then, binge at 10:00am in the breakroom because I was starving
• Instead of rushing around getting ready I set everything up the night before so that I can sit and enjoy my breakfast with my son
• I tried new foods for breakfast- steel cut oatmeal, museli, hard boiled eggs, peanut butter on whole grain toast

On Portion Control-

• I track everything I eat
• I measure out everything that I eat
• I check the calories on an item before I eat it
• I serve my food on a smaller plate so the portions have to be smaller
• I ask family to support me since my spouse does most of the cooking

On Getting a Handle of my Emotions and Stress-

• I go for a walk
• I drink my water or have a cup of tea
• I chew gum to "chew" on the issue- 11 calories burned in an hour chewing gum
• I do some deep breathing exercises
• I journal my frustations
• I practice my ukulele
• I talk to Mo
• I distract myself by reading or commenting on a blog or rereading my own posts or Mo's
• Look at my vision board to get myself refocused on my goal
• I look at my own self-talk that I have on a 3X5 card to remind me that I CAN DO IT! NEVER GIVE UP!

As I reflect the journey that I have gone through in the last year. I really have to give myself a pat on the back for I have come a long way. It is funny that at first I was disappointed in myself because I have not progressed with my weight loss as much as Mo, but that was because I am going through what I call "invisible" growth. The wheels have been turning on the inside and making this work more pernament so that I can make this a real healthy lifestyle change.  I just had to remember all the strategies that have worked and make them a part of my life forever.  For everytime that I take a step forward I am making progress and that is what I want to do for now and forever from this day forward until the day I die and go back to being part of the earth. 

Spangle encourages all of us to-

Remember what use to work
Pull out the best strategies back off the shelf
Put them into your program again and again

TAKE ACTION TODAY!
DO WHAT WORKS!
YOU CAN DO IT!
BELIEVE IN YOU!
STAY FOCUSED!
STAY STRONG!
NEVER EVER GIVE UP!

Being reflective on the journey,
MER

Day 94- Three Columns of Weight Loss

Weight loss	Maintain	Gain
Live here and stick with your eating and exercising  plan. You don’t have to be perfect, but if you were consistent you would lose weight	You don’t go off your eating or exercise plan, but you are not solid. You eat some dessert and treats so you maintain your weight when you are here.	You are back to eating too much, portions are too large, you are having more sweets and snacks than usual. And you don’t exercise. So you gain weight here.

Everyday I live my life in one of these columns. There is no in-between here. At the end of the day I am going to to know which one matches my life.  I want to be in the weight loss column this year! Spangle says that I will need to live in the weight loss column 90% of the time. This is going to take hard work, but I know with the tools that I have I can do this! I can do hard things!
Where do you want to live this year? Can you do it 90% of the year? That will be 328.5 days out of 365 days.   36.5 days in which you could live in the maintain or gain column.  That is about 3 days a month to indulge.  So bring it on! Let's do this thing 90% of the time! Who is with me?
YOU CAN DO IT!
STAY STRONG!
NEVER GIVE UP!
Working on Losing It!
MER

What's it all about....this blog....

What is a blog...?  A Blog - a time to reflect, say what you want, and well, just have some fun with those typewritter keys.  I have done my research, watched the Julie & Julia movie about 100 times, so a blog is familiar to me - BUT I have never had the drive to actually start one.

Two good friends - huge BFF's since 1988 - have teamed together to make this blog inspirational, uplifting, encouraging and a chance to just use blogging as an outlet. This blog is giving us a chance to share what life can be like for two "gal pals". We are also trying to give each other support and inspiration to take off the weight that we have put on, kept on and just can't get rid of.

So - "the losing it" aspect - keep our lives connected from a distance and to keep us "sane" in this crazy life we live, while putting our minds, body and soul into an active healthy eating and exercising lifestyle.