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I want to share a post I read today on Tiny Buddha that has helped me gain perspective on the emotional side of my weight loss journey.
I have been pretty down on myself because I have not been working out or eating clean. I started getting into “What’s the point?” thinking. This article has reset me mentally. It addresses three common phrases we tell ourselves that can sabotage our growth.
As is often said: Strive for progress, not perfection.
Photos courtesy of Stephen Odom and Mitch Frink Photography / Via mitchfrinkphotography.com
I had been wondering a lot about what keeps people motivated to continue on their weight loss journeys and I stumbled on a Buzzfeed article that shed some interesting insight.
In Here’s How This Man Quit Drugs, Alcohol, And Junk Food and Lost 125 Pounds, Stephen Odom listed six things that helped him:
1. Rewarding oneself: This made me think about how my restrictive diets every time I try to lose weight always leads to me craving and breaking to those foods. For Odom, it was junk food, for me it’s things like buttered toast.
2. Focus on a short term goal: He so aptly says that looking at the macro weight loss picture of “I want to lose 125 lbs” would seem so daunting, it would demotivate anybody. So instead of saying “I want to lose 15 lbs,” I should start saying “I want to lose 2 lbs this week,” and take it one day at a time.
3. Start small: Gradually eliminate unhealthy food from your diet rather than going cold turkey, Odom says.
4. Cook healthy meals you enjoy: I enjoy cooking but healthy food usually tastes pretty bland to me and I can’t keep it up after two weeks. So I’ll need to do some research on this one. Any website tips?
5. Do actions that build your self-esteem: Odom replaced running to food for comfort with “esteemable” actions like cleaning his room or riding his bicycle when he was feeling down.
6. Reward yourself: Again, instead of restricting yourself, enjoy those things you think are weaknesses (but in moderation).
I am going to try to approach my journey using Odom’s tips. I’ll let you know how it goes 🙂
Today was the first time in three weeks where I did not follow my diet or workout. I have been so busy with work and school, I just decided to take a day off.
Starting to feel like I will never be able to lose these 15 lbs; feel like just giving up.
How do you stay motivated during your weight loss journey? Please let me know in the comments section below.
Go Outdoors. Nature makes me forget it’s work 🙂
This week was a good indication of the kind of results you can get using Focus T-25 without following the meal plan. I ate out a lot this week because my friend was visiting from out of state and so even though I did all my workouts, the results are not great.
Weight: 124 lbs (3 lbs gain)
Waist: 29 cm (no change)
Bicep: 11 cm (no change)
Thighs: 20 cm (no change)
Diet is everything!
Two weeks ago, after beginning to watch a lot of documentaries about food, health, and fitness for this blog for class, I started to get sick of the sight of meat.
In a weird way, it was like everything came together in one moment.
Firstly, I was junior head of the environment club in middle school and high school so I am well aware of the environmental detriments of eating meat. Secondly, I love animals. I did not, however, realize how my love for them could be linked to choosing not to eat meat until I watched videos of the mass production and torture of cows, chickens, pigs, goats, etc. on farms. I was crying through these documentaries. Finally, as I have gotten older, I have really begun to embrace living a life that is consistent with my values. All of this came together and I woke up one day and the sight of meat made me nauseous.
I was afraid I would feel weak without the protein from meat but, on the contrary, I have felt more energetic. My midday slump has gone away. I don’t feel the urge to take afternoon naps anymore.
I was cooking a beef stew yesterday for the family I live with. It didn’t feel right not to taste the food I was cooking for others, so I thought I will just have a tiny spoonful. As soon as that spoon hit my tongue I started gagging and I had to spit it out. It was gross and impressive at the same time 🙂
I think, for me, meat is history.
Everyone! Download Fooducate! It has changed my life.
Fooducate has taught me so much about the food I eat. I have started to make better choices because the app clearly tells me whether something I am about to eat is healthy or unhealthy.
All you have to do is scan the barcode or search the name of the product you would like more information about. The app rates the food on a scale of A to D. The best part: it tells you why something is rated the way it is. From added sugar to controversial ingredients used in pet food that has made its way to our own diets (yes, this happens).
Take today, for example, I was at the store and I grabbed a bag of frozen veggie burgers. Gluten-free, 0 transfat; it looked healthy from the description. But I scanned the barcode, just to check, and the brand was rated a C+. I was surprised and immediately clicked “Why?” and turns out that particular brand of veggie burgers was highly processed. Of course, I put it back and spared my body the junk I almost put in it.
It is a very satisfying feeling to learn more about my diet. And whenever I have questions, I post on the community section of the app and get a ton of replies. The app also provides healthy alternatives, health recipes, and health tracking.
And it’s free! 🙂
The hard part of weight loss for me is my diet. I am an emotional eater and therefore I have to constantly check in with myself when I feel like eating. More often that not, I am not hungry but bored, stressed, sad, angry or tired.
I have this other bad habit where if I mess up my diet with one thing I go into “What’s the point now?” mode and royally mess it up further.
In his book “The Ultimate Weight Solution” Dr. Phil calls this: “All-or-Nothing Thinking”. According to Dr. Phil, it is one of 10 faulty thinking habits that cause people to fail in their attempts at weight loss.
This is a challenge for me everyday. Heck, it is happening to me right now, as I type this blog post: I ate a brownie for dessert and I hear my mind thinking, “Well my diet is blown for the day, might as well indulge.”
I have started drinking Shakeology alongside my workout routines. I ordered the Chocolate flavor. I have to say: Shakeology is one delicious drink! I usually add in strawberries, blueberries, flaxseed, and almond milk. It’s yummyyy.
It makes me feel good to know it is, as the slogan states, “the healthiest meal of the day!” 🙂
I actually look forward to my Shakeology every morning when I get out of bed. It has helped with my cravings but just slightly.
The only downside of Shakeology is the price: $140+. That’s a pretty steep price for me since I am just a student. I still plan to keep purchasing it for at least a couple of months to see if I feel a difference in my body.
I love My Fitness Pal! Logging food is so easy and the app even sends you encouraging reminders if you forget to log.
I am impressed with the database of nutritional information available on this app.
The app helps track your weight and it even provides you with a calorie count to reach your weight loss goals.
I think this app has really opened my eyes to the types of food I am putting into my body. I spend the end of my day looking at the piechart of my nutrition for the day. It shows me the percentage of my diet that was Carbohydrates, Protein, and Fat. It also provides a more comprehensive look under its “Nutrient Details” such as Vitamins, Sodium, and different types of fat.
It’s like getting a my very own nutritional label on myself 🙂
Best of all, the app is free.
Is there a food tracking app you love? Please let me know in the comments below and I’ll be sure to try it out.Â
i run for my mom 