Let’s dive a little deeper into the role of routine on the road to a healthier you.
I recently took a few days off of work to spend some much needed down time with my wife and generally relax over the Easter break. Additionally, the JCC has had some scheduled days off due to the Passover Holiday. The resulting complete breakdown of my workday/weekend schedule compromised my meal planning and consumption completely.
Beginning Friday, with the decision to go to the movies and go out to eat a little more frequently than we usually do, I ate. And ate and ate. I binged. I ate Chicago hot dogs and the frosting off the beater and all the Easter chocolate I could. Then I ate a half a donut. And more easter candy. Jelly beans, peanut butter meltaways, a chocolate mocha Terrine we made for Easter dessert. With more time on my hands then I new what to do with and a carb lust that seemed to increase with every morsel, I simply could not stop myself from eating.
Now part of this, I admit, is that somewhere in the back of my mind I feel like I can justify the gluttony after dropping below 200lbs for the first time in over a decade. But another part of it is that without the routine of my workday-my planned moments of eating throughout the day as a break in the monotony of work itself- I had a really hard time sticking to what I know works. I just wanted something to do. And when you’re at home, even if you are keeping yourself busy, a little munch here and there can lead to a steady stream of eating crap. Suddenly I felt awful and had the kinds of stomach aches (and more) that prior to my weight loss were a routine themselves.
Bottom line: Maintaining a routine helps me (and maybe you) keep your goals in mind. Breaking this routine on occasion is a must, but never let your goals drop from sight.
Bottom line #2: Get the Easter Candy out of the Gods’ damn house.
Meanwhile, I’ve been doing 20 minutes of Yourself Fitness Yoga on the days I don’t go to the Gym before work. I also read that squats are as good or better for your abs than crunches, leg lifts and the like, so I’ve integrated three sets of low-weight squats into my routine. I screwed up my knee about 7 years ago doing squats with too much weight, so I’m going to take it extremely slow for now.
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I have passed 50 pounds lost since January of this year. I now weigh less than I did at the end of 12th grade.
Observations:
- This has been incredibly hard and at the same time incredibly easy.
- By training myself to look forward to the leftovers I create by not eating traditional portions, I have drastically reduced the amount I eat, and the amount we spend on food.
- In general, I feel better than I have in a long time. This is psychological as much as it is physical- I love watching the fat melt off.
- Discipline is everything. This is the first time in my life, outside of when I was playing sports and competing for a spot on a team, that I have been able to routinize my working out and eating so effectively. I feel that if I stop I will quickly drop into bad habits, and this has become somewhat stressful
- I allow myself nights where my eating goes way over the top- candy, ice cream etc.
- Related to that, I do not deny myself any food; I simply minimize the amount of it I eat. A pint of Ben And Jerry’s consumed over two weeks is a treat every night and surprisingly easy to do with my weight loss goals in mind.
- While these changes have been easy/hard, thinking about eating takes up a considerable amount of my daily thought. I have not been as productive this season and I’m not sure how I feel about it. Perhaps weight loss should be my only goal right now anyway.
I’m going to post some before/after images soon. I have about 20 more pounds to go. Things have slowed considerably since the beginning of March. A chronicle of every single thing I have eaten since January can be found at my PBT Spreadsheet.
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I’ve lost 45 pounds.
I’m still pretty damn fat though. Regardless, I have crossed the thin line between loose clothing and clown clothing. I am going to have to bite the bullet and buy a few items.
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I just threw out two months of dedicated mindful eating in a riotous bit Thin Mint consumption.
Evil, thy name is Girl Scouts.
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I have to put a new hole in my belt. Literally.
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Despite the occasional sugary setback, I have hit 20lbs lost.
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600mg calcium tablet (1)
1000mg vitamin c tablet (1)
Red Juice Plus Pills (2)
Green Juice Plus Pills
Shot of Orange/Tangerine Juice (1)
Cup of Coffee (no cream, no sugar) (3)
Glass of Water (8)
1/4 Apple Cranberry Gorgonzola Salad
1/4 Chicken Cannelloni
Fried Chicken Breast (1/2)
Baby Carrots (8)
Birthday Cake (1/2)
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For better or worse, I have rejoined the Blood Team. Once I get my spreadsheet set up I’ll be chronicling my eating habits there, rather than annoying everyone on my blog.
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600mg calcium tablet (1)
1000mg vitamin c tablet (1)
Red Juice Plus Pills (2)
Green Juice Plus Pills (2)
Shot of Orange/Tangerine Juice (1)
Cup of Coffee (no cream, no sugar) (4)
Glass of Water (8)
3/8 Apple Cranberry Gorgonzola Salad
1/8 Garlic Bread
1/4 Chicken Cannelloni
Glass of Unsweetened Iced Tea (2)
Piece of Hershey’s Chocolate
Birthday cake (1/4)
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Bowl of Frosted Wheats with 1 cup milk
Red Juice Plus Pills (2)
600mg calcium tablet (1)
1000mg vitamin c tablet (1)
Shot of Orange/Tangerine Juice (1)
Glass water (8)
Cup of Coffee (unsweetend, no sugar) (4)
Piece of Hoagie Roll
Lunch Meats from said hoagie roll
1/4 piece fried chicken breast
Birthday Cake (1.5) <- too much
Pizza Slice (2) <– too much
Bread stick (1) <– too much
Salad
Too much Saturday, but I’ve lost 19lbs. This is day 16.
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