So far this has been one step at a time. First it was starting my workouts and focusing on getting in shape. During that time I lost a couple pounds (and maybe more importantly didn't gain) and I saw my body change in a lot of ways for the better.
Then we started cooking on Sundays for the week and tried to incorporate Paleo into our diets.
Then I took the 30-day no sugar challenge.
Then on day 15 of the challenge, it was going so well that I decided to cut carbs and dairy and go 100% Paleo.
I dropped 5 pounds. I threw my hands up in the air with the thrill that I finally felt like I was making progress!
But now I'm sort of feeling stuck again even though I've only been doing this for a couple of months and the last week has been successful. I tend to bounce on the scale (only by 2 pounds) here and there. I'd be okay if it stayed the same, but of course I want to see it go down and I really feel discouraged when it goes up, even if it's by a pound or two.
But I'm trying to tell myself that this is a journey and a process and it's not all going to click into place overnight. Part of my problem is wanting instant gratification (i.e. sugar fix or caffeine boost) and that I need to be patient and give my body a change to respond.
Easy come. Easy go.
When people lose weight quickly they gain it back quickly and usually add a few pounds while they're at it. And by people, I mean me.
So I'm trying desperately to be patient with this, take my time, give my body time to adjust to the workouts and dietary changes all while nursing a baby who is in the weaning process. Lots of changes.
But this is what I know so far:
-Eating Paleo cuts off my cravings. If I'm feeling hunger it's because I am hungry, not because I'm craving something or because I'm bored. I don't mind being hungry for a little bit so much, but I am no match for a sugar craving, I give in every time. So this is huge step toward normal eating for me! And it shows me that it's not about being disciplined so much as it is about choosing and eating the right foods to begin with.
-This is something I feel I could do long term, it's not a gimic, it's not a starvation diet, there's nothing yo-yo about this.
-I sleep harder and better. This maybe be a combination of the diet changes and the intense workouts.
-I have more consistent energy. When the boys go down for their naps and I'm tired from chasing them all day or from being up some nights, I typically want to eat sugar, drink caffeine and watch tv in order to make the most of my "me" time. Now, if I'm tired, I sleep. I take a nap when they're napping. Not everyday, but sometimes. I used to judge stay-at-home moms if they napped during the day because I figured it must be the easiest job in existence. Now I know otherwise. This is the hardest job I've ever had in my life (though the benefits are incredible and my clients are pretty cute) and it is very physically demanding. But...that's a post for another day. So if I'm tired, why not sleep for a bit?
If I'm not tired, I usually put on a show in my room and have an apple with some almond butter so I don't feel deprived and I still have a nice "me" time to recharge me for the second half of the day.
This has helped me to decrease frustration I'm feeling due to the fact that with little ones, my day doesn't always go as planned and I'm not always the one calling the shots. A little me time in front of the tv or in a smokin' hot bath does the trick!
-If I'm having a sugar craving, it's probably because I've let myself get too hungry. So I eat. Protein.
So these are huge accomplishments for me and great progress and I hope and pray I can incorporate them into my life after the 30 day challenge in a way that will help me to feel good, healthy, happy, lose weight, and be a good example to my boys.
For a while my focus was on getting the workouts under my belt and learning how to choose the right foods.
Early on someone asked me if I had looked up Paleo recipes and I laughed. I was so not there yet!
But now I'm starting to read other's blogs and articles about eating Paleo. What I'm discovering is that even though Paleolithic foods are more healthy and better fuel for your body, you still have to have a deficit in calories in order to lose weight.
I really really really really don't want to over complicate this. I like that it takes thought to choose the right foods and time to prepare them, that's okay. But I don't want to calculate and count points, measure, weigh, and get bogged down with all of that.
But I do think that my next step is to start counting calories to make sure that there's a deficit between calories in and calories out. Because as of now I know I'm picking all of the right foods, but I don't have a clue as to how many calories I'm intaking each day and it could be varying significantly from day to day.
And my family will be happy to know that I'm ready to start cooking Paleo friendly meals they will like! I just ordered Eat Like a Dinosaur and Practical Paleo. So I'm excited to broaden our horizons and get creative with this new way of eating.
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Two years ago (spurred by a bridesmaid dress size wake-up call for Erin Basden's wedding) I decided it was really time to lose the weight I had steadily packed on since we got married.
ReplyDeleteI used a free app on my phone called My Fitness Pal to track my calories. I, like you, was not thrilled with the whole calorie tracking idea but I knew that calories in and calories out was one of the biggest keys to weight loss so I bit the bullet and started tracking. Ultimately, I lost 30 pounds in six months and have kept it off for a year and a half now.
My Fitness Pal made all the difference for me for a few reasons:
1.It helped me set reasonable weight loss goals based on my current stats and activity level
2.It's food database is the most reliable I have ever come across for three reasons:
a.They use a wiki-user entry method so the database is huge with every food item and brand you could ever eat
b.Even though the database is awesome, you don't have to search it often because the app has a bar code scanner, so just scan the bar code from the packaging of whatever food you are eating and all the exact matching nutrition facts will pull up.
c.It has a recipe entry feature, so you can put in all the ingredients for the meal you just made (using the database and/or bar code scanner) tell it how many servings were in that meal and it will give you all the nutrition data and allow you to save that recipe to log again in the future. (So no guessing like "Is this "lasagna" that's in the database the same as my homemade lasagna?")
3.It let's you track calories burned from exercise (you can log the exact specific exercise and amount of time you did it) and will adjust your net calorie goal for the day accordingly.
For me, logging made all the difference in the world. I found that the biggest change I ended up making was not in what I ate, but in how much.
I continued to track on and off after hitting my goal weight but pretty much don't track at all anymore. Yet the weight has stayed off, because in six months of tracking I really got a good handle on how much I should be eating and created a habit of eating proper portions and making healthier choices. Those eating habits continue even without tracking.
So know that committing to tracking doesn't have to be a life-long chore. Use it as a tool as long as you need to reach your goals and create healthy eating habits. Once you've met your goals and created those habits it's likely you won't need the tool anymore.