Life Happens

Funny thing about this world.  It keeps spinning and moving no matter what you do.  The past week we have eaten horribly for one reason or the other, but it mostly to convenience and not liking certain recipes.  So, we have decided to streamline.  Holding my weight is no longer an option.  I will lose.  Instead of huge variety in our meal plans, we have simplified it down to 3 different breakfasts, 3 different lunches, and 5 or 6 different dinners.  We have gone with healthier versions of things we know we like and are limiting our intake of bread type carbs.  Also, I am printing off the eating menu for the week and posting it on the refrigerator.  One of our main problems the past 2 weeks has been only having the menu on the computer.  We would forget to look and then not have something thawed for the next day.  Yes, it seems as if we are at another restart, but we knew we would have to find a plan that works for us.  We will figure calories for meals this week so we will know my calorie count for the week.

Also, I have decided to approach my exercise regime a bit differently.  I will continue yoga, but I am also going to start a set of challenges to meet goals and get more physically fit.  For the most part they are thirty day challenges except for the first one.  The first challenge which begins tomorrow if the Mile Everyday Challenge.  This challenge is what it says it is.  I will challenge myself to walk a mile everyday.  This is not a 30 day challenge.  This is a lifetime challenge.  For the rest of my life, my challenge will be to walk a mile everyday.  This is the first challenge because it is the most basic, but also being a lifetime lifestyle goal, it is the foundation upon which all others shall be built.  Honestly, my end goal is a marathon.  Lofty, but doable.  What does all of this mean?  Especially the new challenges.  Well, it means I will have to set my alarm and roll out of bed at least 30 minutes earlier than usual in order to meet the challenge.  I will do this whether Shiloh sleeps 8 hours or 2.  That is my challenge.

Starting April 1, 2014, I will post a new 30 day challenge every 30 days with increasing difficulty so that anyone who wants to join can do so.  My hope is that we can challenge each other and meet tough goals to get where we want to be.  This will be an adventure and an obstacle at times, but well worth it in the end.  If you are around me in the coming months, please don't tempt me with foods I should not be eating.  I know there will be holes in my eating plans.  Family visits, special occasions, and other things can throw off my diet, the goal is to be faithful 90% of the time.  It's a baby step, but a step that must be taken because every journey begins with one step.    Pray for me as I restart.  Pray that we can eat low calorie enough and like it so that we can stay faithful.  Pray that consistency and lack of variety in our meal planning can work in our favor.  Pray that I can walk away from temptation.  Just pray.

Update and Decision

I know I have been a little while getting back on here, but we have been working through some issues and I have fallen behind.  After weighing options and looking at my body's reaction to a few off days (I lost more weight on those than I had in a week), I have decided to quit counting my calories.  Instead my focus will be on better choices and portion sizes.  For those who don't know me well, I am a little OCD, and the calorie counting was actually counter productive.  I would get so consumed with the numbers that the stress was affecting everything in my life.  If I didn't lose the weight the numbers said I should, be it more or less, I was frustrated.  Also, I was never hitting my calorie goal, and my weight loss had stopped.

Then, I cheated a couple of days and lost 4 pounds.   So after a lot of discussion, we made the decision for me to quit calorie counting and simply make better choices and control my portions.  Carrie wants to add some old standbys back into the diet so we compromised.  I told her that would be fine as long as on those days SHE counted my calories and made sure I stayed under a preset limit.  We won't be adding those things back in everyday, just once every week or two.

I write all of this to say I will spend more time on this blog sharing feelings and concerns rather than daily logs.  This means my posts will be farther apart, but I will try to give a weigh in update each week with a little insight into what the diet has been.