Monday, August 29, 2011

Sometimes all you can do is try to hold on and not fall off the wagon

The last two weeks have been such a time for me. Lots of eating out. A tight packed schedule most days - and I need some time alone to replenish my energy, so too many plans stress me out. And, of course, when I'm stressed, that's when all my good intentions get out of dodge.

The low point was the day I ate brownies for every single meal (including breakfast!) - not my proudest moment. Luckily, the very next day was the opposite - I managed a whopping 1800 calorie deficit without even trying! I ate what I usually eat, but didn't stay off my feet the entire day. No strenuous exercise (except for my c25k run), just cleaning the house, taking a (slow moving, non sweaty) dance class and walking there and back. I was flabbergasted by how many calories you burn when you're not relaxing in front of the couch as I do way too often. I don't think such a large calorie deficit is good in the long run, but it really helped after the gazillion brownie calories from the previous day. :)

Despite the stress, I did manage to get in all my c25k runs, and I am very proud of that. I've made those runs a priority! Even though I sometimes had to run far later than I wanted (I get wired and can't sleep if I exercise too late in the evening), I did manage to squeeze them in. AND last night I ran 30 minutes for the first time! Woot woot!

Right now it sounds like I actually did pretty good these past weeks. I didn't, I just don't like to dwell on the negatives. I don't believe in beating yourself up after you've slipped, that only lead to self loathing and often makes it even harder to get back on track. But I DO believe in learning from your mistakes, so here is what I (re)learned (nothing new under the sun here).


  • Stress, and having too many plans, no matter how fun they are, is a major trigger for me. I need to prioritize more 'free' days, and I need to find a way to lower my stress when I can't.
  • It is much harder to avoid candy that is right in front of me, then to just not buy it. I have the latter down, but in order to not pig out when someone else brings candy, I'm trying out chromium in large doses to see if it helps.
  • When I've mentally prepared to stay off a certain temptation (ie a special type of candy), and another type appears instead, my mental strength falters too often. Not sure what to do about this, maybe try to not focus so much on what kind of temptation I'm expecting?
  • When I have a planned cheat, I way too often feel like that gives me a free pass to eat whatever I want the rest of the day/week. Challenges help with this, so maybe I'll try some half-day challenges as well.

6 comments:

  1. Those are great lessons. Seems I keep relearning certain things myself. I'll be interested to hear about the chromium; I have heard it mentioned before.

    ReplyDelete
  2. We are so much alike it is atounding. I could have written that same post!
    Lori

    ReplyDelete
  3. in my lull..I have introduced some no no's into my eating. Lately, the sale on 5 candy bars for 3 bucks sign is calling me from the local convenience store as I pass it. I decided to not put candy or soda into my equation again. Realizing that the lull only allowed me to gain 3 lbs...I am optimistic in getting my system back in track with low carb.
    You are lucky you can do the exercise. Exercise makes you feel good later. Keep up your great work!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love how your positivity shines through. I try really hard to diet with my positive head on and blog like that too, because we all need a cheer up and I love to read when others either have a great success or have lessons they have learned and shine with positivity, its infectious!
    Dawn

    ReplyDelete
  5. I LOVE how you forgive yourself. I really agree with not berating yourself or it can lead to more bad behaviors! That is awesome! I also agree that we need to make mistakes in order to learn and remember what does not work for us. We don't always get it the first, second or third time- but eventually we catch on!! :)
    Your positivity is contagious!!!

    ReplyDelete