Sabotage!!

It seems lately that all my efforts have been sabotaged by well-meaning friends, including by ever-lovin' husband!! That's not to say that it's really my own responsibility, but it sure makes things difficult when:

We're going out to eat - please come with us!

I'm coming over to your house! I stopped and picked up your favorite cheesecake!

The kids are coming over to celebrate my birthday. They're bringing dinner & cake!

It's like Grumpy's post about the weekends undoing all the success during the week! If I were living alone with no one else in my life - no friends, no husband, no family - I wouldn't have a problem at all becoming lean and svelte! But I'm not giving up those important facets of my life, so I must find a way to work through it!

Eat More . . . Protein!

I have come to realize that my diet is seriously lacking in protein. In cutting back on calories, I have added more fruits & vegetables, but cut back too much on lean protein. Which makes me get hungry more often! So, I'm going to try to add protein to my diet and see if that helps to stave off my hunger.

I love eggs, but of course there's the cholesterol factor in the yolks. I'm not a big meat eater, but I'm adding fish and chicken. Nuts are a pretty good source, and low-fat cottage cheese, which I like to have with fruit.

Regroup

The past few days being out of pocket and the week or so before that when things were crazy cost me about three weeks progress! But I'm ready to get back in the saddle and ride! What I don't want to happen is this cause me to lose momentum and completely quit! How many times has that happened!?!

There are some things coming up which are incentives to continue on. A family reunion in May, another one in the fall. A golf tournament in the spring I'd like to enter (I haven't played in three years! I'm lousy at it but enjoy just getting out!)

I read Grumpy's very timely post this morning. It made me feel a little better knowing I'm not the only one struggling! I actually thought about waiting until after the weekend to start back, but after reading her comments, realize that would just put me days farther back than I already am! So, thanks my friend!

I'm ready to get back on the treadmill, even for just a few minutes each day. I'm ready to eat good food again instead of the Cracker Barrell, Denny's, and other stuff close to the motels where we were staying.

Incentives!

My calendar says it's that time once again to schedule my Well Woman Exam. Yeehaw. Being the health-conscious woman I am, I call the scheduling center to make my appointment. Remembering what the doctor said last year about my weight, my first thought was [tum ta tum tum] "Oh No! I'm in Trouble!!"

I adore my doctor, who I have seen for the last 17 years. But I don't think he's gonna like me much this year! I'm pretty sure my weight hasn't changed enough to make him very happy to be sure! The good news is that I have until the first week in April to get it down to some reasonable level. Thank goodness for over-booked doctors!

The Sugar Solution

I've been reading about the problems caused by high normal blood sugar levels, which include polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), obesity, diabetes risk, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke. High normal blood sugar can be controlled by eating foods with a low glycemic.

I know of one person who strictly followed a diet of low glycemic foods, lost over 20 pounds, had a tremendous drop in his ldl cholesterol and tryglycerides, all within a short 2-1/2 month period! This involves strictly limiting sugary foods, but also starches which turn into sugars when digested (think potatoes!)

I'm going to look into this further, but this may be something which will help me. I have a family history of diabetes, so hopefully I can avoid that!

End of the year

With the holidays heading to a close, I am thinking about how I will jumpstart my own weightloss effort. All the magazines - Reader's Digest, Health, LHJ - are writing about various diets. Kirstie lost 70+ on Jenny Craig. There are new surgical techniques, new obesity drugs. But when it comes right down to it, there is no one magic pill that will work for everyone. Each individual needs to assess her own issues and ways of dealing with things and decide how to best proceed.

For me, since I hate (despise, detest) exercise, I know a comprehensive exercise plan won't work. Never has, never will. But I can walk a treadmill, even if for only a few minutes a day. My friend Patience has decided to set a weekly mileage goal for walking, and I think that might work for me. I always tried to walk three miles every day. But if I didn't feel like it, or for whatever reason couldn't do it, I felt like I failed everything! But maybe if I have a weekly goal, I can span my walking for the times I feel most like walking. (As long as I don't leave everything until Friday and have to walk 20 miles at a time!!)

Some things I can give up quite easily. Sweets like cakes or pie don't really tempt me too often. Now give me a chocolate candy bar, Snicker Bar, Reeses, and get outa my way!

One thing that will help me is water and lots of it. I have heard one man who lost 50 pounds or so doing nothing different in his diet except drinking water. He drank one 8-ounce of water before, during, and after each meal. I can probably do that, at least most of the time.

I will also weigh myself daily and keep a log and diet journal. That may help me to see realistically what I eat and when I eat.

Things I have determined not to do are diet pills and surgery. Diet pills make me feel ick, and surgery, well surgery is surgery! And when you get right down to it, surgery is not a quick, easy fix. It usually works and works quickly, but too often those I know who have had some type of gastric surgery have various side effects either from the surgery or from the drastic drop in nutrition, vitamin deficiency and the like (one woman even lost half her hair from vitamin A dificiency!) For the grossly obese, surgery may be the only option to jump start weight loss, but for me, I don't think so!

I'll be looking for strength! From my family, from my friends, from my blogger friends. When 2007 gets here, I'll be ready!