I talked about losing weight last year, and, well…It’s been a year of ups and downs. First my weight went up, and now it’s coming back down.
I was so proud of last year’s exercise streak, and it didn’t survive much past last year’s post. My knees have been a mess since a rec-league basketball accident in college, and one of them got really cranky a few weeks into 2019. From there, my weight started to creep up. And up.
After ignoring what the scale was telling me for most of the year – denial’s not just a river in Egypt – I got serious about my weight again in the fall. I decided to refocus, pay attention to what I eat, and work on building up my knee strength. (I know I should be doing my knee exercises, but I’ve been ignoring them for years. See “denial”, above.) I blew the dust off of our exercise bike and started riding it again. Cycling helps my balky knee, and bores me to death. I watch a lot of YouTube videos at 2x speed – it’s the only thing that can distract me while I’m cycling.
That got things moving in the right direction. My weight is back on a slow trend down – slower than I’d like, of course, but at least it’s trending down, not up.
I’m not big on New Years resolutions. To paraphrase CGP Grey, I always fail at them, and just feel bad about it. What’s helping me is habits – the book Atomic Habits was particularly useful. My exercise habit: when I get home from work, I change into my workout clothes. That’s it. Because, once I’ve put on my exercise shorts and my t-shirt, I’ve overcome the resistance – it’s easier to head down to the basement and hop on the exercycle.
Eating well is an occupational hazard for food bloggers. I started writing because I love to eat. I know how to lose weight – here’s what I should be doing. It’s the gap between “knowing” and “doing” that makes eating healthy such an issue. Sure, I know I should be ordering a salad…but that braised short rib on the menu is calling out to me. I should – and do- cook a lot of vegetables. But what I want on a cold winter night is a hearty stew, a bowl of soup, or a spicy curry. It’s a matter of moderation, which is not my strong point. But, I must be doing something right – my weight *is* going down, finally. Now all I have to do is keep after it.
Good luck in the New Year!
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You got this. It’s the mind you have to trick or force into doing something it’s not used to or doesn’t want to do. Something I found that helped me when I was in the military and had weight restrictions. I didn’t change my diet. I still ate the things I liked. I just ate less of it. I’d still make spaghetti and garlic bread. But instead of the big bowl that I’d fill, finish, and still want a little bit more, I grabbed the smaller bowl, filled it up and finished it off. I’d still go back for seconds, but it would be a smaller bit than before. Seems my mind just thought I needed a serving and a little bit more, so I gave it a smaller serving, and seconds.
Good luck with it. Just keep taking little steps, or bites in this case, and you’ll get where you want to be eventually. Stay positive. You didn’t gain it over night, it’ll take time to retrain and lose it.
Good for you. The first step is admitting there is a problem and the excuses need to go out the window. I hit my goal weight right before Christmas and felt great. I slacked on my food choices over Christmas break and paying for it on the scale. One meal at a time, I am getting back on track. I am adding to my fitness routine and committing my family to join in the healthy eating.
Good luck on your journey, you are right about moderation. Enjoy what you love but balance it out. Happy New Year!