GETTING HEALTHY FOR FIFTY
3/19/2024 0 Comments Ebbs and flowsI'm at a standstill with on the scale. And I hate it.
I can't remember what they call it, but NOOM does say you will have good days, bad days, and you will even stand still - like I am right now. It's hard not to be disappointed when I look at the scale, even though I am still down 15lbs. I didn't gain that back. Shouldn't I be celebrating that? I am actually fluctuating from 15lbs down to 20lbs down. Of course I like that bigger number much better. That one makes me excited. And it's hard not to get down on myself when I'm eating the correct calories, I'm using my compression wraps, and I'm drinking my water, and the scale isn't cooperating. Yes, I am bloated and PMS-ing right now, so that would explain the few pounds I went up. But I'm having a tough time letting myself be okay with that. And, yes, NOOM does try to teach you to be okay. Planning healthy meals also gets tiring around this point during my two week menus. But, even though I don't feel like chicken AGAIN, we are still having chicken enchiladas tonight. I just need to change some things up. Maybe add some more movement? Or more water? Or more produce? I don't know, I just need to change something. And find some new motivation. Yes, it's a long term change. I know that. I also know I didn't gain it all in one week, so it's not going to come off all in one week.
0 Comments
3/7/2024 0 Comments one of those daysToday is one of those days for me. Yesterday I was motivated and ready to get into gear. Today I want to dive into a cupcake (or cookies). I'm feeling PMS (even though it isn't PMS). Of course the scale wasn't cooperating this morning either. Stupid scale, lol.
But I am pretty sure my issue is too much lunchmeat (I started to have a sandwich for lunch, had turkey and swiss the other night, and an antipasto salad last night (with a few pieces of a Chef Boyardee pizza). That is something I can change. Lay off the processed lunch meat. But that has me going back to my breakfast sandwiches for lunch. But at least it is something I can control - do better with my meals. Or maybe i should go back to protein shakes for lunch? I can do a breakfast sandwich once a week as a treat maybe. I also need good veggie or fruit for snacks. I like celery but the celery I've been buying tastes nasty sometimes. Why is that anyway? I can't let today keep me down. I will take a little time for some self care, but I need to stay at it. At least get my steps and water in, and try to watch the calories. I think all the stress I've been dealing with is just affecting me today. I feel like I'm weighted down. Maybe I'll look for a meditation video and try that later. Or maybe I just need some sleep? All good ideas! Good food for fuel, meditation, and sleep. This post could work for this blog, or for my Lymphedema blog. It fits both.
Taking care of me, for once, is not that simple. Even as I sit and write this, I am thinking I need to be doing something else, making sure someone else is doing what they should be doing, and maybe doing dishes... You know what I have the most difficulty with? Balancing working on me and other things in life. 1) Concentrating on my LE, meaning using the pump, using the velcro wraps, getting movement in while in the compression wraps, and of course trying to keep up with new research while wondering why my legs don't look like they're changing, while focusing on getting healthy, trying to eat better, plan the family meals, grocery shop, find ways to exercise, get my water in (while not straying too far from a bathroom), and trying to stay motivated when the scale isn't changing. And 2) making dinner, cleaning, staying after my child to look for a job, having others tell me what I should be doing, paying bills, doing the budget, etc. It's almost impossible to do both of those things. Also a neurotic dog who takes a lot of my time and keeps me up at night. I'm the conductor driving this train, basically. If I don't push, things don't get done. But that all means putting me on the back burner. Putting me second is why last year my legs got worse and not better. I skipped the pump and the wraps almost daily because I had other things to do. How do people do it? How do you manage your healthy lifestyle, and getting in the exercise, while running the household and raising/motivating/directing children? And again, I really need to go enforce my child is doing something he needs to do, so I need to cut this short. Plus, my mind is wandering to being a mom and my other stressors. Shut out the world - right? Wait, that won't work. I mean, for me, sure it would work. But I don't think this household would run without me. (Considering the first question I get asked in the morning, yes, even BEFORE my coffee, is "what's for dinner?") Advice? Suggestions? I'm open to them all... 3/3/2024 0 Comments it's a journey not a raceI know this.
I live this. But that doesn't mean that some days aren't hard. Right now, it's hard. I am down 20lbs from starting NOOM. I'm keeping it off, but it's not enough. (That is not me being hard on myself, that is me being realistic.) My goal is big. And I didn't get where I'm at in a month, or even three months. Where I'm at now took years (including a pregnancy were I gained 50lbs because I thought being pregnant gave you license to eat whatever you wanted whenever you wanted because you were eating for two.) I haven't been trying that hard lately, but I haven't been going wildly off plan either. You're thinking, what the heck are you trying to say? Right. Well, what I mean is, I'm trying to log my meals, and trying to get in celery whenever I'm snacky. I'm trying to get in my water, and drink water instead of an extra cup of coffee (and creamer). I am making homemade fries with the NOOM recipe instead of buying frozen french fries. But I'm not walking like I should be. I'm not technically going over my calories most days, but I'm not choosing the right foods either. I'm a walking contradiction right now. But I see it. So that's half the battle, right? My short term goal is June. I want to lose another 20lbs before June. then by next June I want to have lost 100lbs total. Yeah, just writing that makes it feel daunting. But my goal (and the name of this page) is to be healthy by 50. And that's next summer. So it's time to get at it. Meanwhile, today I'm sitting on the couch watching tv. My Lymphedema makes me feel tired all the time. And the only way to start getting the toxins in my body that are making me feel crummy is to move. See? Catch 22. But it is what it is. And sadly, I am self employed, and my job is sitting and typing. Once I get up and move around, whatever I was thinking about creating leaves my brain. It's annoying. But I am literally at that stage in life where in one room of the house I get a great idea for something, and when I get to my laptop to start working, I have no idea what it was I was thinking about. (oy vey) The only way I'm going to get moving is if I choose to move (or if I have to go grocery shopping. Those are the days I always get my steps in without thinking about it.) I'm currently forming a plan to get movement into my week. I will say I haven't been buying frozen processed foods for the fam (you can imagine how happy they are about that), and our kitchen is mostly filled with ingredients versus grab and eat food (again, not a happy fam there.) My snacks consist of little snack packs of veggie chips (70 calories) or Belvita breakfast biscuit bites (130 calories.) And I enjoy both of these things. Planning healthy balanced dinners is where I fail. I always make a menu, and tend to stick to it, but that menu is only the main course (and it is usually chicken, again, I can hear the fam groaning now) i always forget we should have a veggie and another side so it's filling and nutritious. I did serve some asparagus and mushrooms last week though. (win!) So I am in a moment of refocusing and recommitting. I know what my goal is, it is just really foggy between now and getting there. I am a planner, so I need to plan how I am going to get there and then implement said plan. And stick to said plan. The weather is getting nicer, will that entice me to do a little walking? Not sure, we'll see. But maybe. (I hate when articles say "if you're stressed, go take a little walk." I'm a big girl, and I sweat. That little 5 minute walk means when I get home I need to hit the shower before I do anything else, then it's just a big production. And that keeps me from wanting to go take a "little walk.") Today is Sunday, so Monday morning sounds like a good day to try to start a little moving each day. Today I will try to keep the calories in check and pick the best foods (and get my water in.) I need to note that once I am up and moving, I'm fine. The thought of getting up and moving is what is exhausting. But little by little I will try. It's a journey to getting healthy. I didn't gain it quickly, so it's not going to come off quickly. But it will come off. I'm learning to eat right and still enjoy what I like. I will keep learning, and hopefully keep getting healthy! |
ABOUT GETTING HEALTHY
Just an author who loves to eat trying to get healthy in a fast food world. There's no quick fix to losing the weight, just like it took time to put it on, it will take time to lose it. Join me on the journey to getting healthy for fifty, and beyond. Learning how to eat what you love, without binging, is the key to happy and healthy. Archives
March 2024
Categories |