I have never really been a very good crash dieter. I have "succeeded" in some endeavors, that is to say I hit a number; however, it really just comes right back on when I give myself permission to eat what I want again because I made it! Right? No.
I have struggled with bulimia, over-eating, binge eating and emotional eating. Bulimia simply scared me and I didn't like the idea of vomiting or taking diarrhetics to get rid of my intake. I knew it was bad, but it seemed easier than giving up food that I enjoyed eating. Over-eating makes me feel so stuffed, it's an uncomfortable, need-to-unbutton-my-jeans feeling, so I would do that on a regular basis when eating out. So, ordering a soda, appetizer, entree, dessert, and maybe a drink if it's a fun friend's night out. Binge eating usually happens when I am bored or overwhelmed and trying to avoid what I need to do. This began to hit me when my oldest daughter began spending more time awake and eating table food. I found myself the biggest hypocrite when I would set restriction upon her intake and limit the types of things she could have while I sat on the couch eating ice cream or a cookie. It was an eye opening moment. Emotional eating comes in when I get stressed and I don't want to deal with something that is bothering me and/or I have no control over. I think more people struggle with this than they may know and stress with family is the real cause of holiday weight gain, not really just that the sweets are tempting and calling out to us.
What I know right now is that I love sharing this journey with you. The positive stress of sharing my experiences and managing my time to grant myself ample opportunity for accomplishing my goals (food, exercise, research, Bible study, etc.) has been empowering. I have been getting a lot of questions along the lines of, "What are you doing?" Well, to answer that question simply, eating less and exercising more. It's not glamorous and no one is interested in hearing that. "Well, what program are you following?" Well, mine. In the words of Sean Anderson from the Transformation Planet podcast, "I eat what I like and I don't eat anything that I don't." I am making small changes and tweaks to some recipes and I am eating out less, but overall, I have chosen not to take drastic measures because I choose not to do what does not work. I'm too tired of failing at health to keep trying to crash diet.
I will say that the most drastic thing I have done is to stop bingeing, over-eating, and emotional eating. When I'm bored, I double check my calendar and switch my mindset to look ahead. When I am stressed, I visualize something I might want to eat, consider whether or not it's actually worth the calories; usually it's not. When I eat out, I take my time looking at the menu and I don't apologize for it. If it's breakfast, I get wheat bread instead of sourdough and don't order coffee; around lunch time, I might get a salad and make sure I ask for a box to put half of my meal in before I get started on it; at dinner, I don't order dessert. Small changes over time. I also track my food and eat at a caloric deficit. When I see it, I change my mindset around it. It is like a money budget, instead of seeing it as something restricting me, I understand that I have set aside X amount of calories for this meal and that gives me permission to eat that many calories.
I do not pretend to consider that I am doing this on my own. I am abundantly loved and blessed with family, friends and resources that are helping toward my goals. The Lord has given me strength to keep pushing, I have an incredibly supportive hubby, I belong to a great church community who are cheering me on, my family are following my journey and are sharing in victories in their own lives. I cannot stress the fact that I needed to find a like-minded group who are coming from a similar place of struggle; the Half Size Me Community has been an AMAZING resource for me. The Facebook group has helped me actually find a much better purpose for social media. And my Instagram is filled with fit moms and health gurus to keep me focused.
So, there you go, that is what I'm doing :)
I have struggled with bulimia, over-eating, binge eating and emotional eating. Bulimia simply scared me and I didn't like the idea of vomiting or taking diarrhetics to get rid of my intake. I knew it was bad, but it seemed easier than giving up food that I enjoyed eating. Over-eating makes me feel so stuffed, it's an uncomfortable, need-to-unbutton-my-jeans feeling, so I would do that on a regular basis when eating out. So, ordering a soda, appetizer, entree, dessert, and maybe a drink if it's a fun friend's night out. Binge eating usually happens when I am bored or overwhelmed and trying to avoid what I need to do. This began to hit me when my oldest daughter began spending more time awake and eating table food. I found myself the biggest hypocrite when I would set restriction upon her intake and limit the types of things she could have while I sat on the couch eating ice cream or a cookie. It was an eye opening moment. Emotional eating comes in when I get stressed and I don't want to deal with something that is bothering me and/or I have no control over. I think more people struggle with this than they may know and stress with family is the real cause of holiday weight gain, not really just that the sweets are tempting and calling out to us.
What I know right now is that I love sharing this journey with you. The positive stress of sharing my experiences and managing my time to grant myself ample opportunity for accomplishing my goals (food, exercise, research, Bible study, etc.) has been empowering. I have been getting a lot of questions along the lines of, "What are you doing?" Well, to answer that question simply, eating less and exercising more. It's not glamorous and no one is interested in hearing that. "Well, what program are you following?" Well, mine. In the words of Sean Anderson from the Transformation Planet podcast, "I eat what I like and I don't eat anything that I don't." I am making small changes and tweaks to some recipes and I am eating out less, but overall, I have chosen not to take drastic measures because I choose not to do what does not work. I'm too tired of failing at health to keep trying to crash diet.
I will say that the most drastic thing I have done is to stop bingeing, over-eating, and emotional eating. When I'm bored, I double check my calendar and switch my mindset to look ahead. When I am stressed, I visualize something I might want to eat, consider whether or not it's actually worth the calories; usually it's not. When I eat out, I take my time looking at the menu and I don't apologize for it. If it's breakfast, I get wheat bread instead of sourdough and don't order coffee; around lunch time, I might get a salad and make sure I ask for a box to put half of my meal in before I get started on it; at dinner, I don't order dessert. Small changes over time. I also track my food and eat at a caloric deficit. When I see it, I change my mindset around it. It is like a money budget, instead of seeing it as something restricting me, I understand that I have set aside X amount of calories for this meal and that gives me permission to eat that many calories.
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| L: 2/9, 230.6 ; R: 1/9, 251 |
I do not pretend to consider that I am doing this on my own. I am abundantly loved and blessed with family, friends and resources that are helping toward my goals. The Lord has given me strength to keep pushing, I have an incredibly supportive hubby, I belong to a great church community who are cheering me on, my family are following my journey and are sharing in victories in their own lives. I cannot stress the fact that I needed to find a like-minded group who are coming from a similar place of struggle; the Half Size Me Community has been an AMAZING resource for me. The Facebook group has helped me actually find a much better purpose for social media. And my Instagram is filled with fit moms and health gurus to keep me focused.
So, there you go, that is what I'm doing :)
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