so, the good news: I've steadily been losing weight! I even made it through the speedbumps of easter and mother's day, which are huge feast-offs in my family. I think getting past those two holidays without any substantial weight gain is a good sign: things will continue to get easier from here on out.
to keep holding myself accountable for what I eat and to better maintain my weight loss, I've put together the following tips & goals.
I will:
- drink more water. in the morning, throughout the day, in the evening. oftentimes, I feel that I eat when I'm actually just thirsty and should be drinking
- curb my liquid calorie intake. lattes, milkshakes, whole milk...it all adds up to hundreds of extra calories a week. I need to remember that just because it's not solid, doesn't mean that it won't turn into sold fat on my body
- make healthier choices. all across the spectrum of what I eat, I will try to take the healthier option. whether it's not putting dressing on my salad, selecting the smaller serving size or even picking the healthier brand of chips, I'll always lean towards the healthier option when it's available
- not feel bad about throwing extra food away. having grown up poor, I still feel bad about not eating EVERYTHING on my plate. I'm still working on this. when I feel full, I will stop eating and throw the remaining food away, or save it for later
- take time to cook for myself. my schedule is so busy that I have to make an effort to set aside time for myself to grocery shop, nevermind cook. but I'll have to brainstorm to create quick, healthy meals for myself and make real meals, not just the scraping to get by filler that I usually eat
- to stay healthy and make myself feel better, I'll continue to eat primarily gluten-free. it's not easy and sometimes that means not eating anything AT ALL, but I will strive to maintain my gluten-free lifestyle for the majority of the time
- try one new fresh green a week. to help myself get into the swing of eating healtheir and cooking for myself, I'll make it a point to try one new vegtable or fruit a week. I'll introduce myself to things I normally wouldn't eat and will broaden my palate
- make fitness a priority. I've started jogging and running again, and even if it's just for 15 minutes, I feel that getting some sweat time in will go a long way towards helping me reach my goal. I'll continue to start gradually but I will eventually get up to working out for at least half an hour every day. whether it's a walk around town, yoga, a GND workout block or stretch exercises, I will make it happen
- get more sleep. for some reason, this is a major issue for me. it's really hard for me to go to sleep early OR on time, fall asleep, stay asleep & feel well-rested the next day. getting enough sleep is so vital to weight loss, I feel like I should be getting 9 hours of sleep a night to really function at my best. every night, I have to FORCE myself to shut everything down and just get in bed and get comfortable
with these guidlines, I feel that I'll continue on my path to weight loss (13 pounds in a month and a half so far, woooooo!!!) and get right for the summer
