A Plan, I Has One!

It's Tuesday again, which means it's check-in time for the Healthy You Challenge!  I hope everyone is having a successful August!

Me -- I've been flopping.  A lot.  I have good intentions, but haven't actually accomplished anything in a couple of weeks now.  In fact, I gained weight, and then managed to maintain the gain.  Whoo, go me!

I've been trying to think about why I haven't been seeing any results, and I think I have a solution.  Check out my flow chart:

No Plan ---> No Goals ---> No Results ---> No Motivation

So today, I'm excited to announce a plan.  I has one!

I will be following the Eat Clean Diet, which isn't actually a "diet" -- it's a nutrition plan.  There are no caloric restrictions, no foods to eliminate, no potions to drink.  You eat 6 to 7 small meals each day, drink copious amounts of water, and feed your body healthy foods.  The plan jump-starts your metabolism each morning and keeps it chugging all day long.  And best of all, it's highly compatible with gluten-free living!  I've eaten "clean" in the past and saw great results; I don't remember why I stopped, but this time, I'm going to make it last!

As my Eating Clean book states, a good body is created with 10% genetics, 10% exercise, and 80% nutrition.  By following the meal plan, I'm already addressing the 80% component.  To kick up my exercise, I'm going to start with walking during my lunch breaks 3 or 4 times a week.  I also want to start weight lifting, and although space is an issue in our tiny apartment, I'm going to find a place to set up our weight machine.  And then, I'm going to start using it.

As much as I love my morning Starbucks run, I'm going to eliminate that (most days -- a treat is okay once in awhile!) and replace it with wholesome green tea.  I'm also aiming for getting in at least 80 ounces of water each day (I realize this puts me well over my "8 glasses a day," but given the Sjögren's Syndrome, I really need to keep myself completely hydrated!)

So, we'll see how this goes.  Today is my first day in full-swing, and I spent a good half-hour last night packing a cooler for work today.  The cooler is full of nutritious foods -- low fat yogurt, carrots, green beans, an apple and a banana, Jell-O (for dessert!), lean turkey lunch meat (I had to improvise on my proteins), and tuna.  With practice, I'll get better at packing and planning!

My goal for the week is to really give this my all.  I know that if I can "tough it out" for one week, I'll be feeling really good -- and making healthy choices will come a lot easier, because I'll want to maintain my wellness.  As far as a weight goal, I just want to see that number edge down, baby!

Healthy You Update #3

Man, I hate it when I wake up in the morning and don't feel like P. Diddy!  I haven't been waking up feeling good at all.  Actually, it's generally been an "off" week.

Let's see.  I gained weight (and not just a fraction of a pound -- a whole pound!)  I sucked at drinking water, we didn't set up the weight machine, and I'm way off from my weigh-in goal.  I did take our new puppy, Piper, for lots of walks -- but she's so excited about smelling! peeing! pooping! sniffing! barking! chasing the bugs! peeing some more! that the walks weren't exactly great exercise.

I hate having celiac disease, and I hate that I allowed myself to binge on gluten so badly last week.  I am really, really sick again today (and was yesterday, too).  Why did I do this to myself?  Stomach cramping, aching muscles, headaches, psoriasis flare-ups, and dehydration don't particularly make me feel like working out -- or even being healthy for that matter.  Right now, I want to curl up under my desk and cry.

I'm not setting any particular goals for myself this week.  I just want to get this train back on the tracks and get myself feeling better.

Blah.

I hope everyone else had a good week!  I say, let's make this one good!

Healthy You Update #2

I've neglected my poor blog for a whole week! I have entries to write, comments to respond to, posts to read... and I haven't even finished my coffee yet.

So let me just start by admitting that no, I did not meet all of the goals that I set for myself last week. I re-discovered Diet Coke, which I accidentally-on-purpose kept filling up on, so the 70 ounces of water per day thing didn't really happen. The weight machine remains in pieces at the back of our closet, and while I'm not sure exactly how much aerobic exercise I squeezed in, I know it wasn't in the neighborhood of 90 minutes.

BUT (and as you will have noticed if you scoped out my "Weight Tracker" thingy), I DID meet my goal weight for the week! I was sitting at 191.1 lbs on Sunday, which is (a) the lowest weight I've seen in a good 6 months, and (b) means I'm almost to the 10 pounds lost mark!

I'm feeling pretty good as I move into this week. Goals:

• Drink at least 70 ounces of water each day
• Walk for (at least) 30 minutes every day **
• Get husband to help me set up the weight machine
• Weight goal for next weigh-in:  189.0 lbs

Yes, most of the goals are the same as last week's.  "If at first you don't succeed," etc. and so on.

** As of Saturday, I have a pretty strong motivator for getting in those 30 minutes of walking each day!  Meet the new addition to our family, Piper!  She's a 14-month-old Parson Russell Terrier mix.  She's a tiny little thing; 11 pounds and essentially full-grown.  She's got the spirit of a much bigger dog, though, and is full of endless energy!

Piper has brought a lot of joy into our home already.  She's the perfect blend of active and loving, curious and assertive, hilarious and adorable.  She's spoiled rotten (and she knows it, too!)

Looking forward to a good, brisk walk-and-romp tonight with my daughter and our pup!

Here's to another great week -- cheers!

Healthy You Update #1

I am now officially recognized by the Healthy You Challenge! I'm new to the community aspect of blogging, but so far am enjoying myself. It's truly inspiring to read about other people's experiences and successes -- weight loss is difficult but possible, and it's nice to know that people are backing me on this (and that I can make a difference by supporting others, too!)

That said, this past week has been emotionally and physically challenging. It's been just over a week since I ate my last trace of gluten (accidentally), and with each day that passes, I'm feeling (physically) better. The disappointing factor is that I won't feel 100% normal until every last ounce of gluten has left my system -- and gluten is stored in fat cells, so as I continue to lose weight, gluten will be slowly released. It acts as a toxin or poison, so I can look forward to some icky days until I'm truly "clean." I've been under a lot of emotional strain, and my doctor has suggested that I try seeing a health psychologist, who could help me process my diagnosis. I'm open to this idea, but I'd like to come to terms with having celiac disease on my own first.

I gained weight at my weigh-in on Sunday, but less than half a pound. The gain may also be due to girly-related bloating. Out of curiosity, I stepped on the scale this morning and weighed in at 193.2 -- so at least we're heading in the right direction.

My goals for the week:

• Drink at least 70 ounces of water each day
• Go for (at least) a 15-minute walk each work day
• Get husband to help me set up the weight machine
• Accomplish (at least) 90 minutes of aerobic exercise
• Weight goal for next weigh-in:  191.5 lbs

I want my goals to be challenging but reasonable.  Baby steps.  These goals push my present routine, but shouldn't be too difficult.  I need to see change so that I can kick my excitement and motivation into high gear!

Have a great and successful week, everyone!

Addicted to Veggies

I'm an afternoon snacker. It's my vice.
Lately, given the whole diet/lifestyle change thing, I've been aiming to improve my snacking habits. This afternoon, when the 2 o'clock hunger pangs rolled around, I headed to the cafeteria and was pretty proud of myself when I skipped the vending machine and hit the salad bar instead. I loaded up on veggies -- celery sticks, baby carrots, cauliflower, and cherry tomatoes, with a light drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette.

At the checkout, the elderly cashier gazed up at me from her chair and said, "You must really be hungry for veggies today, huh?" Now, really -- commentary? On a healthy snack, no less?

There's definitely something "off" when it's perfectly acceptable to binge on large amounts of junk food each afternoon, but the purchase of vegetables raises an eyebrow.

Regardless, tiny successes like this are what keeps me going. (Another small win -- yesterday at the grocery store I bought myself Women's Health magazine instead of chocolate!)

As you will find out, I am a 23-year-old gal on a mission. To lose weight. Edit: A substantial amount of weight. I want to drop somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 pounds, and I want to look and feel better on the way.

Sure, I've been down this path before -- many times, actually. My biggest hiccup has been the detours of Mommyhood. It's hard enough to keep a sense-of-self when you're married and have a child, but have you ever tried losing weight while catering to a three-year-old's diet of macaroni and cheese, chicken nuggets, french fries, and ketchup? It hasn't worked so well for me.

However, it's time to start making my lifestyle work for me. That's why I've started The Mama Diet -- which isn't actually a diet, but rather a series of healthy choices that will add up to a major lifestyle change. I'm not letting work, school, or parenthood be my excuses anymore.

I'm not in this alone. I have built myself a network of supports, which includes my amazing husband, some groovy workout buddies, the Calorie King system, and the Healthy You Challenge!

Let's do this.