Making Healthy Choices!!
Do you know which foods are healthy? If you are like me I was counting calories from the time I was a young teenager, even though I weighed 110 pounds at the time. I thought I was fat! I have gained and lost weight my whole life. I have dieted, I have exercised almost to the extreme, but here I am today, overweight again. I am around 70 pounds heavier than I was as a teenager. How does that happen when I know the calorie count in almost every food that exists?
It is true that today's foods have many more additives that alter our food. The thing is any packaged food has the serving size and calorie count right on the package. When you eat out there are probably a lot of hidden calories in their foods. Even with that, you can get nutrition facts on most chain restaurants. Do you really think that weight loss in about counting calories?
I believe that most women have been learning about healthy foods and counting calories since they were teenagers. It is something that girls face as soon as they start developing. I laugh when my husband and son decide they are going to eat healthier. My husband will say he is eating something because it is healthy. I will look at him with a look of incredulity, then why are you eating that, I will say. He says this has fruit in it, or it has vegetables. I will explain to him the calorie and fat content, and he will be disappointed. My son now has studied healthy eating in health class so he is better, and he will ask me if I think it is a good choice.
This is a different story for most women. We know what is healthy, for the most part. If not, we know how to check the content and figure it out pretty quickly. Why are most weight loss apps used by women, most weight loss blogs written by women? It is really harder for women to lose weight, that's no secret. We have less muscle and muscle burns fat. Lucky men!
Today, I am going to look at weight loss with a new mindset. As I make choices for myself, I am going to say is this what I want to put in my body? I doesn't matter what the people around me are choosing. They are deciding for themselves, as I am choosing for me. I know there will be times when I don't make the appropriate choice, I am only human. If I make the best choice at least 90% of the time, I will be much better than I am now. I will lose weight and I will get to a point that I have learned to make a lifetime change.
Weekly Weigh - In!!!
This week I have peeked at the scale way too much! It exhilarates and depresses me. My weight fluctuates so much from day to day and I know that. I get on one day and it will be down two pounds, the next up 2 pounds. This causes me to get upset every time it goes up. I am only weighing in weekly for the blog so I can get the true trend. I need to stay off the scale. I know weight is an indicator that you are doing well. I just don't seem to trust that my clothes are fitting better and I am feeling good. Why is an exact number so important?
My weight - in for the week is 177.0.
Starting weight - 184.5
Week one - 180.0
Week two - 179.5
Week three - 179.0
Week four - 178.5
Week five - 177.0
My doctor told me last week to stay at about 1/2 pound a week. I just do not like being told what to do. I always rebel against it. I don't know that I really did anything different this week. It just doesn't make sense, how it just changes all of a sudden. On Thursday and Friday I was even down below this, but after eating out Saturday I jumped up some. That was probably due to sodium.
Okay, I know I have to get a new scale. It is three pounds light.
I just like seeing the lower number.
congrats on the loss! I definitely think you are on the right track. I think women are more into getting fit for a number of reasons:
ReplyDelete1. men's impression of us
2. men just don't care/aren't as worried about appearance as much as women are
3. men have better metabolism's than women. They can eat more crap but burn it off better.
4. men don't stuff their feelings down (with food) as much as women do/have been trained to do.
5. men do more athletic activities, in general, than women do.
My own personal window of 'error' is much lower than yours...if I were to put a number to it (I don't), I guess around 2%. But that's through my own trial and error for me. I find the more room for error I give myself, in the past, the more I took it. That, plus having developed (and am continuing to expand) a real aversion now to crappy food...has made it much easier to just.say.no.
Events for me are as happy/as joyful as ever eating well/healthy, if not more so, because I no longer have the fear, guilt, self-loathing that came with choosing poor foods. I don't push my agenda on anyone (in the real world LOL)...I just choose for me, and they can choose for them, and we peacefully, happily co-exist. :)
Stopping by to follow you back! And I love your blog. Good for you for making healthy changes & taking care of yourself!!
ReplyDeletewww.werefarfromnormal.blogspot.com
Go you! I am so impressed that you are sharing your journey and continuing to lose weight each week- way to go! And I think you're totally right about not being yourself up over a little indulgance here and there. My husband calls in the 80-20 rule- eat healthy 80% of the time, exercise, and allow yourself up to 20% of things that would not fall into the "healthy" category. I think you're doing GREAT!! Keep it up. :)
ReplyDelete~Heather
Keep up the great work!! I would like seeing the lower number too. haha.
ReplyDeleteI'm so thankful that I read this post today. You said exactly what I needed to hear (or read lol). I told myself since Mid January that I was going to start a healthier lifestyle. While I started out awesome,just as I was starting to see results (dropping 11.4 lbs) my motivation took a back seat & my old bad habits returned & took over. I was feeling horrible with myself,until this morning. I woke up, ate the right things all day & worked out. Then I sat down & read this motivational post of yours. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for sharing this post!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by today...also following your blog with bloglovin!
ReplyDeleteI thought I was so fat in high school also. Oh how I wish I could be that "fat" again. LOL
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog from Silly Sunday hop. I look forward to following your blog!
hey there. thanks for the comment. I have you added on here and bloglovin'
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! Remember, it's a marathon, not a sprint. I think it's great you are losing pounds the "old-fashioned" way....through healthier eating and exercise. This is how it's supposed to be accomplished!! You are inspiring people. :)
ReplyDeleteXOXO,
Meredith
Your doing great! It sounds like you are making great food choices (I allow myself a ten percent cheat factor too-I have to have chocolate :)
ReplyDeleteI definitely have to only weigh once a week. It really throws me off with the weight fluctuation. You had a really great week!! Keep up the healthier lifestyle change!!
ReplyDeleteTake care,
Frances
@ Notions from Nonny
You're moving right along (and who knew you were a rebel?!??! LOL!!). Excellent numbers you've got there (and can I borrow that scale ;) ).
ReplyDeleteI think you're doing great! I seriously do not get on the scale very often, or I will get obsessed. When i do weigh myself, I will only do it first thing in the morning after I've gone to the bathroom. When I go to the doctor, I ask them not to tell me!
ReplyDeleteYay for you! And great attitude too! (I found you on Prowess ans Pearls Wednesday link up,I'm following ..)
ReplyDeleteWonderful choices! so excited for you!!
ReplyDeleteIt's sad the pressure we are put under young, I was 9 stone (126 lbs) at school, which was in the healthy range for my height and age, and some girls called me a 'fat cow'. I too wish I could be so 'fat' again. Especially when I'm 6lb off being double that young lady's size! I also weigh myself daily, I shouldn't but... there we go lol :-)
ReplyDeleteOnwards, isn't it?
Your attitude and plan is smart! Its so important to remember that food at restaurants is just loaded with extra fat and calories (I swear, they must use a calorie injector!) When I needed to lose the most amount of weight, I put myself into a mind set of "what do I need to eat right now, what does my body need". Asking myself that question before eating helped me steer away from a lot of really poor choices I could have made. I like the 10% error rate, sounds like just the right amount of wiggle room. Keep up the good work!
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