Breaking Up with Numbers

When I say, "breaking up," what I really mean is, "taking a break from..." I don't like numbers. They confuse and sometimes discourage me. The scale is a major number, though I am not taking a complete break from that. The real numbers that have been bothering me lately have been on My Fitness Pal. The calories. The minutes exercised. The number of steps. The burned calories. The macros... O, the macros. All this to say that I know I need them to lose, but I have been maintaining for a solid month by simply writing down what I am eating.

This month, I'm going back to the weights and measures, but still holding off on the calories. Probably until January. Without judgy red or over-achiever green numbers staring me in the face, it has been easier to work on other habits and not be distracted. For example, I have been more consistent with sitting and eating my food off of a plate, as opposed to grazing while cooking or impulsively bingeing on whatever passes me by.

This has been more empowering than having over 1000 days streaked in logging on to MFP. I never knew that I could track progress in such a different way. No, the scale has not gone down, I have been maintaining within a 1 pound range (207-208). Technically, you could say that the scale has gone up almost a pound, BUT if this were 5 years ago and I was tracking my progress by the scale, macros and calories - I would have binged up 5 pounds out of frustration and discouragement. I am mindfully working on my habits and my body is still in recovery from having our son.

With constant transitions and inconsistent sleep patterns, I am doing really well.

Comments

Goals, Expectations, and Hitting Refresh

These past few weeks have been difficult to get on a plan and to be self-controlled. I ha ve found myself over-indulging with food, slacking in my work, and losing focus on my goals. Then I realized this week that it is because I have too many of them; which actually translates, "I have no goals at all." Have you ever sat down, made a to-do list, stared at it with overwhelming stress and anxiety, promptly set the list aside and then did nothing? Well, that's what having too may goals is. My focus is scattered, I cannot see progress in anything, I am frustrated by the sinking feeling of defeat and then I simply give up. Earlier this week, I realized the foundation of my problem and hit the reset button. After sitting down and spending some cleansing time in prayer and Bible reading, I made the most cleansing decision I have practiced in weeks: I deleted everything from my Google calendar. As I clicked, "Are you sure you want to delete this calendar, this action c...

Calorie Counting, Honest Tracking, and a Break from the Numbers

Babies at the park, whom I am capable of keeping up with For the past 6 months, I have been eating at a caloric deficit and tracking my calories on My Fitness Pal. It is a handy little app in which I can keep a recipe box, my meals are tracked and it remembers my frequently used items. I am also able to keep a close eye on my macros, and this has kept my simple carbohydrate intake in check, as I have drastically limited these and the majority of my carbs have been fruits, vegetables, and multigrain/whole grain light breads. Keeping an eye on these things has helped me to increase my protein intake and keep me better filled throughout the day. By default, this is limiting binges, grazing, and general overeating because the satiation from the protein combined with the satisfaction of my exercise have kept my success rate high! Cue last Thursday. A refreshing morning ritual that keeps me sane throughout the day Early in the week, I had decided that Friday I would not be trac...

Dealing With Stress

Emotional eating is a definite struggle of mine. That feels kind of obvious to me, as if it is clearly a problem or else we would not be here, right? Anyway, recognizing it has been an imperative part of my journey. Stress bingeing has not been as much of an issue since I started, but when I dwell on the desire to binge, I have begun to recognize that something stressful is causing anxiety or frustration. It would be so easy for me to close my tracking app and head for the kitchen. Then I consider the journey that I have been on over the last six months. It has been so encouraging to see my progress. I know that there is no perfection to be attained and that I will (have) slipped up from time to time, but I also know that my choices will affect my mindset. Today, I chose not to thaw a box of chocolate chip cookies after pre-tracking my entire day. I chose to eat my evening snack before dinner after a cup of green grapes and will be content to have my tea on its own this evening. ...

Healthy Living

Search This Blog