May 2017 - A Weight Loss Adventure

Consistent Motivation – Step 3 To Losing Weight

May 29, 2017 2 Comments

I want to apologize in advance for this long post. So many things motivate me and so many things can help me stay on track. However, I do know, that no matter the amount of motivation, sometimes my desire of eating more or sugar is stronger than listing my motivations and sometimes I simply forget them in my desire for the foods that I crave.

I, therefore, thought it a good idea to list all of the things that could motivate me so I have something to look back at to help me remember why I am doing this in the first place.

I want to list all the things that my friends and family can help me with as well. As you are part of my motivation and as I mentioned in an earlier post. Sometimes, I need a little help to stay on track as I can have a weak backbone.

Also, I will list images, sayings and tough words to keep me on track. These will be a mix of images and words, I aspire to or images that should wake me up should I have a moment of being too weak to take the next step. It would be helpful if you help me make this list longer. Post images of what you find beautiful, what you aspire to, saying that keep you motivated or images that you know you loath but it is a reminder of never going back there.

Firstly, my list of things that keep me motivated and will keep me on track.

Stopping the perpetual sweating when it is hot outside. I know it is a bit odd but there is nothing more unattractive than someone sweating.
Feeling better. When I am in good shape. I eat healthy and balanced. I simply feel better, my mood is fluctuating less and I feel like I can conquer the world.
Rewards. Having something to look forward to is a big one for me. For this reason, I will set up a “Rewards Calendar” for every 5 pound goals that I reach and each main goal that I get to.
Having people around me helps me stay on track. So do not be shy.
A good kick in the ass (verbally of course) is always a winner. I get competitive (yes me, I get competitive).
Listen to people and their advice. A lot of you have already given me such great advice and I will start taking those to heart and try them out once I start losing my motivation. So keep the advice coming.
Not fitting into clothes that I like. I know this is superficial but I can’t help it. I like to know that I could wear whatever clothes I want.
Wearing a pair of beautiful heels without feeling like I am running a marathon. This is so going to be one of my rewards…
Good, healthy recipes help me stay motivated. There is nothing like an easy, health, filling and yummy recipe. So please share if you come across one and I will start sharing some of the meals that I do. Maybe you can get motivated by some of my recipes.
Singing, has always been a release for me and always will be. It is, also, a great distraction (one of the 3 D’s Weight Watchers use in their program).
Freedom. This is an odd one for me as weight loss is not in itself freedom but the opposite but there will be some freedom at the end of it. I will have the freedom to not me held back by my size and abilities to hike, travel, simply feel comfortable around other people. Freedom is in that sense the most important and biggest motivation for me.

Now, for what you can help me with. I do not think anyone can lose weight on their own. I know, it is me making the choices. Me, who has to get my ass out of bed in the morning when I really do not want to get out from underneath the covers but what friends and family help with are the tough days. The days when my cravings take over and I lose myself in them.

Invite me for a walk, talk or simply send me an image or saying what helps you stay on track. The love is what helps me when it is most difficult.

So to help you, help me, I wanted to give you some ideas of what you can do, either if I ask for your help or if you simply feel like it.

Show me images that inspire you
Show me images that should wake me up
Give me a pep talk
Share a saying that is dear to your heart
Invite me to things that will help me burn calories or invite me to a restaurant than can inspire my own healthy cooking.
Join me at my gym (I have unlimited guest passes) to make sure I give it my all on the days I really do not want to go.
Share your own goals and aspirations.
Help me celebrate when I reach my goals and make sure to compliment me when it is warranted.
Give me a verbally kick in the ass.
Share your thoughts and advice.
Share your best healthy recipes

This is a list that will be ever growing but what I could come up with at this moment. So do not be surprised if it will be re-posted with updates.

I have images and sayings that help me keep straight. It is a mix of uncomfortable images, aspirations, things that I would like (yes the material stuff), goals and simply truths that I live by or try to aspire to.

I will try and post these images and sayings on Facebook and Instagram when I am starting to lose my motivation and I would love for you to like, share or comment with your own thoughts and images that keep you motivated.

Stay in touch!

XOXO

My Journey

Guidelines – Step 2 To Losing Weight

May 29, 2017 2 Comments

Losing weight is a numbers game. You need to take in less calories, than you can burn. You need to burn 3,500 calories to lose 1 pound. This means, to lose 5 pounds, I need to burn 17,500 calories more than I take in to be able to lose 5 pounds.

Therefore, my guidelines are very much based on numbers to make sure I will get to my first 5 pound weight loss.

For every 7 days, I will have 1 Off day from exercise and tracking my food. The only caveat is that on my off day, I burn 2,500 calories on that day.

I will have 4 days with burning 2,500 calories and 3 days with burning 3,000 (give or take a few calories of course). This will leave me with a total burn of 19,000 calories.

My intake of calories will have to be less than the 19,000 calories in order for me to lose weight so with a day off where I don’t track calories, I have to create a plan that will allow me for this.

I, therefore, estimate that I if I take in 1,500 calories on 3 of the days and 1,600 calories on the other three that will leave me with a total of 9,300 calories. This leaves me with the ability to eat no less than 2,700 calories on my day off and still manage to loose 2 pounds each week.

With this much cushioning on my day off that leaves me thinking very comfortable and that it is doable. It, also, leaves me with a sense of not having to feel bad after my day off.

It is all easier said than done but as I am breaking out my days I hope this will mold my thoughts around the concept of ‘taking one day at a time’.

I will keep you all posted on my weekly progress on how many calories I have taken in, burnt and how much I have lost for the week but keep an eye out for the different things I might take advantage off to make sure I stay on track and keep my goal. Which leaves me to my next step and my next post: Consistent Motivation.

Do you think it would be helpful if I post what I ate during the week?

Keeping constant track of everything will be my challenge, but i hope, I will be able to get into a routine that works. Hopefully, I have an understanding husband that helps me and understands the hours it requires to keep up with all of this.

I love the support, I have around me and my friends who are able to keep giving suggestions. Go to events and make sure I get back on track. More to come on this!

I will start posting more about what I do during the week to stay motivated, to get to my calorie count and what might be on the calendar for me in the future in case you want to join me. I have dancing in Bryant Park, Yoga in Inwood Hill Park and testing out the different Planet Fitness locations around Manhattan (and I can invite a guest every time).

If anyone want to join me, let me know. The more the merrier and it is so much more fun to do it together!

The more I write, the more I get my motivation back and I am getting very excited. You, my audience, will therefore be more of a priority than you have been in the past. You are part of keeping my motivation.

Stay tuned on the next post.

XOXO

My Journey

Goals – Step 1 To Losing Weight

May 29, 2017 No Comments

I do not think there has been a diet, book or TV program I have not watched that has always started with “Goals”. Some have said to set yourself the overarching end goal, others have said to set yourself small goals, medium goals… you get the point.

One thing most have in common is a set of smaller attainable goals that will give you the sense of victory. This has always been both a motivator but, also, one of my pitfalls. I would reach goal 1 or 2 and then be so pleased with myself I would “allow” myself X amount of time to enjoy not constantly thinking about what I eat and drink and how often I go to the gym and how much I burn while I am there. This is all well and good, however, I would always forget to move towards the next goal and I would end up going back to goal 1, if not -1, after having put on more weight than I had already lost.

My thoughts are therefore, how can I avoid my own trap?

Talking to my friend Claudia yesterday made me realize that there is a thought behind the idea of what Weight Watchers do (that is her thing) and she managed to loose 60 pounds on that system. You would get 1 day off every week so you had a bit of a break from counting, managing, dealing and simply being in a constant state of competition with yourself.

I think, I will take her advice and try that out this time around. I will set goals but leave myself to breath 1 day every week, which honestly, also works much better with my lifestyle and my other blog, as I have restaurant reviews pretty much every week. Luckily, I have my husband to take care of the leftovers.

From the title and my post from yesterday, there are a few steps I need before I feel like I can succeed.

Step 1: Set Goals
Step 2: Set Guidelines
Step 3: Consistent Motivation
Step 4: Results

This is one of four posts on setting myself up to success and the only thing I know that could knock me off my course is the need for a schedule but I will have to bite the bullet and just deal with it.

I hate schedules. I have never been a fan and I tend to be a “off the cuff” kind of person

I should probably get on with it, setting my goals but before doing so I wanted to make sure you all were aware of my thoughts behind my goals and why I decided to set this type of goals.

I want to set small goals. Even smaller than I have done in the past to make sure that I celebrate the victories. The older I get the harder it is to loose the weight and I should be rewarded and celebrate even those small moments.

We all know that I need to lose 100 pounds but that is a bit too much to think about so this time, I am simply going for an overall goal of 30 pounds which would then be divided into even smaller goals. I will celebrate ever 5 pounds that I loose. The celebrating and rewards that would come with every 5 pounds would be part of kicking off my motivation as well, although much more would go into Consistent Motivation.

I am not going to set myself a timeline, as that would simply stress me out and I know too well what stress does to me. I give up before I have begun and I start stress eating and I put on more weight. So there we have it. 30 pounds with 5 pound intervals.

I will still keep you all informed on where I am weight wise but I will move away from my weight pictures as I have done in the past and instead focus on the things that I do to reach my goal. More on that in my next few posts.

Stay tuned and I am so happy that I have a following that has not given up on me just yet, while I keep struggling to lose the weight that my body so desperately needs to get rid of.

XOXO

My Journey

Confession

May 28, 2017 2 Comments

I have been slacking off. When I got back from vacation I found myself having a hard time getting back into my routine both with food and with my exercise.

I do not really have any good excuse. Just that I did not have the motivation. I guess this is not uncommon but I kept thinking about what I can do about getting back to my groove and motivation.

I concluded that there was not anything I could do but simply wait until I felt my motivation come back on its own as it tends to come back once I start feeling unusually large and uncomfortable in my own skin. And as usual, I was right. I have gained weight (not sure how much as I have been on a scale yet) and I am starting to feel that my health is deteriorating.

As soon as I felt these things change, my motivation started coming back to me. I guess it is my brain naturally telling me I need to start focusing on my health again. I just hope I am not starting from scratch this time around.

My next step was to figure out what I could do to keep my motivation. Usually, I need a set of goals, I need a consistency of motivation, I need results and I need guidelines.

My next post will be about setting my goals, guidelines and how I could go about creating consistent motivation and then I would simply have to trust that the results will come.

Mike and I have been doing A LOT with my other blog that I write for SociallySuperlative. Perhaps, too much as I have been writing articles one after the other and I have not really been motivated to write here for the lack of energy and inspiration.

As we always agreed that health comes first, I will try and cut down on my articles with SociallySuperlative and focus more on what really matters. My weight loss.

Some of the things, I know motivate me are seeing images of myself being overweight, as I hate looking at images of myself, especially, when it is obvious that I am much larger than everyone else. So do not be shy to share those images. I tend to stop being motivated as soon as I start seeing results which is not really a great trade and I have a long way to go an loosing 10 pounds is not really rocking the boat when I have a total of 100 pounds to loose. So please encourage me continuing this process and help me if I reach out for help, motivation or simply the need to get distracted from eating a tub of ice cream.

One thing I do know, is, that I can’t do it alone. I need the help of my family and friends as my backbone tends to be a bit weak.

Hoping for your help, encouragement and engagement and I will try and commit to my new plan (to come).

All help is welcome!