The phrase is always - The diet starts tomorrow.
Well tomorrow has come. Today it starts and I'm serious.
I'm only five foot tall and carrying extra weight really shows on me. I can also feel it. I feel cumbersome lugging this weight about. I'm having trouble with my hips and knees so know losing weight can only be a positive from that point of view.
I really struggle with diets. I lean towards food when I'm upset, stressed or bored. It's often hard to see the bigger picture (excuse the pun) when I'm about to eat something I know I shouldn't. It's difficult to stop and tell myself it's no good for me. The gauge for sense around food is broken and I need to attempt to repair it and cut back on the things that are keeping me this size and resulting in the unhappiness in my own skin.
I know I can be slim. I'm petite. When I was 21 I weighed in at 7st 10lb. Now I don't want to go back to that. But I'd like to get somewhere closer to that figure than the one I'm at.
This isn't going to be easy. Struggling with my weight has been an ongoing issue. As soon as I look at food the weight goes on, so you can imagine what happens when I'm eating the wrong things. And just because I've announced I'm back on the slimming wagon, it doesn't mean I will somehow magically stick to it and the weight will drop off. This is going to be hard. Fighting to stay off the foods I'm used to eating is going to be hard. Some days I will probably not do very well but today I'm saying that I'm going to try. I'm unhappy with the way I look so I need to do something about it.
Now tomorrow has come and it's called today.
I'm not expert with diets but I know that you have to have treats and you shouldn't miss out on meals. My daughter was very successful on a fat free diet because it meant she could eat as much food as she wanted as long as there was no fat in it. It worked for her and now she's able to eat some fat (cheese is one of her weaknesses) as a treat.
ReplyDeleteTry to avoid any diet that bans a food group - fat is a food group, it's important and we need it. Moderation is best, increasing veg whole foods (wholewheat bread, brown rice, pulses etc). Eat more protein (which can include a slight increase in fat, but the combination leaves you more sated). And exercise - dieting alone fails (I can explain in more detail if you like, but I don't want to clog up your comments)
ReplyDeleteI am just under five foot. On the graph I am within normal range for my height, although at the top end. I would like to lose about half a stone.
ReplyDeleteAt 46, I find its my middle that is the bit that is problematical, and my bust. I have skinny legs,hips & backside. Sometimes I feel as though the top half of me is not related to the bottom.
Being short I think & this is not an excuse more a fact, means its much more difficult to get away with putting on a little weight. Its hard with health issues to exercise in the way that others may take for granted. But its important I don't allow my weight to creep up as EDS & weight gain are not happy companions.
I really agree with Annalisa on a diet that bans a food group, I have a bit of a thing about dieting persay. Various family members and a very dear friend struggle with eating disorders. Yo yo dieting is not for me.
I think I will be happy to lose a little over a pretty long period of time rather than aiming to lose a lot rapidly as I am sure I would just put it back on as quickly if I go mad.
Good luck with it all. From your picture you look great, so don't disappear on us now!
I agree with Annalisa. Cutting out fats is actually damaging to your brain--it's not all about your tummy.
ReplyDeleteI eat best when I grocery shop best. I make sure to eat a good meal so my blood sugar is up before I go so I don't buy things in reaction to a craving. I plan a few meals I want to make from scratch and start in the produce section.
I buy all the produce that looks good to me. Then it's just a quick jaunt to get some meat/dairy and bread for my recipes.
Then I only have healthy choices in my fridge.
The bad thing about tomorrow now being today is that soon it will be yesterday and it won't be long until it's "remember when".
ReplyDeleteI sometimes think about diets. Sometimes I even make feeble attempts.
Lee
Tossing It Out
Hi again.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad people have agreed with me - after I pressed the button, I wondered whether I'd slipped into lecturing mode. I work as a fitness instructor and I'd just come off a shift where I was trying to convince a lady away from the more faddy of diets - I guess I just stayed up on my soapbox for my comment!
Good luck with it, Rebecca!
Rebecca, if you don't mind I will use this post as inspiration to kick-start my own diet. Last year, I lost a LOT of weight. I've since managed to put it all on again and then some. Things that should be easy to do are becoming difficult.
ReplyDeleteMaybe we can motivate each other. We can do it.
Oh, congratulations! Loved your post, very brave. :-) This is a lifelong (and I've had a relatively long life so speak from lots of experience) crusade of mine. I'm happy for you! I went back to what I know works for me--eating and fitness--about four weeks ago. It has been fantastic and the results are very pleasing. I went out last Friday night and my (hidden away) tight jeans were loose! I was completely shocked--I don't use the scales as it becomes a game and I cheat when I do.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to tell you about HealthMonth (www.healthmonth.com) which is an on-line monthly game and the brainchild of Buster Benson, he of 750words.com fame. Some people in an online course I did last month talked about it and I joined in July. It's very fun, quite motivational, a little bit silly and free for up to three monthly "rules/goals". Five of us went from the course and now my step-daughter has joined for August. I find it daily encouragement, support, help and monitoring--and it takes just a couple of minutes each day to check in (or longer if you get engaged in the conversations, etc).
If you want to come along and have a look, please do. It's early in August--and you can join any time. You said "some days I probably will not do very well" and we all have those days. One of the good things about group support, however you get it, is that we ALL know it and it's great to help each other.
I love your post, and agree with Cynthia that it's very brave of you to share this. I got serious with a diet a year or two ago and finally had success, it's an ongoing process but I'm so glad I did it. I wish you all the best and much success, I know you can do it! :)
ReplyDeleteMany of us can relate to what you're experiencing. Though I'm tall, when I have too much weight on, I feel uncomfortable both with the way I look and how I feel. It's a constant struggle trying to to eat too much of the wrong things, but day by day is the right approach, I think and much as I hate it, exercise does help. A little at a time, Rebecca. That's all you can do.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your encouraging comments. I did my first weeks weigh in on Monday and was thrilled to see I had lost 3lb!
ReplyDeleteI just have to keep it up now :)