And we're back! And no I didn't spend the last week sulking, things just got cray-cray with Thanksgiving and a barfing baby and husband and then a cold infested baby and husband. So far I've gotten off pretty easy on the disease front *Knock on wood*
So today's topic of discussion is that not-so-help but always free flowing unsolicited advice. Now I expected some of the advice of the unsolicited variety because I am putting my journey out there publicly to hopefully inspire some people to join. Let me be 100% clear, the comments on the blog so far have been 100% encouraging and helpful and I read and appreciate every single one. The advice I am talking about is people who know what I'm up to coming up to me and telling me how I can do it better/faster/etc. You get used to people telling you what you are doing wrong when you have a baby. It's like a free pass for strangers to come up and judge how you are raising your kid but losing weight or going on any sort of fitness endeavor is a deeply personal thing so here are some answers to a couple questions people have asked/suggested.
1- Why don't you a "X" diet? I have zero self control, let me just say that. Anything that involves deprivation will not work for me. I have tried just about every diet out there including but not limited to The Special K diet, the No Carb diet, the only vegetable diet and all have been epic failures. When I feel hungry/depraved all the time I get real depressed real quick and then end up giving up and eating whatever I want. *Personal opinion alert* I feel very strongly that cleanses, fasting, etc does NOT work. The moment you start eating again you gain all the weight back and study after study has shown how bad yo-yoing is for your overall health. Any diet that forbids you eat a certain food does not get an endorsement from me but as I said any weight loss is a personal matter and you need to choose what you and your doctor feel is the best for you and your situation.
2- Why don't you try Weight Watchers? Well, I have actually and as far as programs go I think this is a really solid one. I love that the focus is on what you can eat instead of what you can't. I like their online tools plus all the recipes and food options. I really like how it teaches you what the correct portion sizes are and how to make good food choices. I just did not have good success with it. I tried it twice and both times gave up when that feeling of "you can't eat that" came up. So while I think this is a great option (reasonably priced in my mind too) it just wasn't for me. What has worked for me is making small changes to my diet that still let me enjoy food. I'm a foodie, you all know that and taking that away does not make for a happy momma. So now I'm just more conscious of what I'm eating. For Thanksgiving I focused more on the veggies than usual. Now I eat one cookie instead of five. I eat salads for lunch and make sure that I have breakfast. I know I'm going to have to most likely make some more habit changes once I start to plateau but for now I'm seeing results and am still able to enjoy all the foods I love.
I've gotten tons of other tidbits of advice but we will save those for another post. I'm very happy with my progress so far though. Aside
from some minor depressive moments, this is the longest I have ever
stuck to any weight loss anything and the most progress I have ever
made. Shirts that I never wore fit now, old pants are to big and I don't
feel like I'm having an asthma attack when I go up a flight of stairs.
I'm by no means at my goal but I'm getting there. I refuse to set a
number goal, that isn't how I role.(Ha, that rhymes) My overall objective is just healthy
and happy (And running a half marathon of course) but I can confidently
say I have lost about 10 lbs. (YAY!) I'm still in a mostly regular elliptically routine and am excited to save up enough money for a treadmill!
That's enough rambling for the day I think :)
QOB's
What is the best/worst advice you have ever been given regarding fitness/weight loss?
How do you feel about any of the diets listed above?
Are you a fan of snow in the winter or do you wish you lived at the equator?
And the journey continues!
-B-
Seems like everyone I know that has been successful on a specific diet plan has used it more as an outline than as an absolute. Otherwise diets just don't work in the longterm.
ReplyDeleteI personally love Jamie Oliver's philosophy about food. I try to mostly eat things with ingredients I recognize and can pronounce. I pay attention to how I feel after eating and try to choose foods that make me feel good. And I enjoy the process of making food as well as eating it (double the fun!).
How do you feel about food diaries / calorie logs? I know some people that swear by them and others that hate them...
I'm thankful for no snow, but I am appreciating the cooler weather :-) There are so many more interesting things I can cook since turn on the oven no longer means roasting alive (although I did manage to start a fire in the toaster oven yesterday... oops). I've found myself thinking about soup with sausage, white beans, and swiss chard a lot lately... and other warming, delicious meals :-)
My mom has a couple Jamie Oliver cookbooks that I might have to steal, I like that guy and it's a great philosophy!
DeleteI'm so so on food journals, I used one a while ago and it think it did it's purpose because I was shocked at how much I was inputting but I haven't really used one since because I've become pretty aware of what I'm eating.
You shut your mouth! I love Snow! :) I was so sad last Christmas because it was 45 with no snow, seriously put a damper on my spirit (Could also have been the postpartum but you know whatever)But there is something so wonderful about a warm, roasted dinner or stew or something like that! I made meatloaf for the first time the other day because it was cold and I wanted something warm. Didn't turn out half bad!