Getting Serious in 2014!

New Years is probably the biggest time to make weight loss goals and resolutions! This year I will be continuing mine started last year.

Before 1: Front

Over the course of the year i lost around 30 pounds (gained 4 back over the Christmas break though). This past year's journey has taught me a few things. We all know the basic concepts of loosing weight, eat less and be more active. Easily said and not so easily done.

The most important is that I started tackling this issue as if it was an issue a client had that was coming to see me (I am a Master of Social Work and counsel) I started to look at the food issue and my addiction to ice cream and sweets as just that, an addiction and began using tactics I would use for people quitting smoking for instance.

Before 2: side

Some Tips For the New Year: 

1. Slow and steady wins the race: those who loose weight quickly gain it back quickly too. I lost 30 pounds over the year and only gained 4 during the holidays while in previous years I would have gained at least 10 during this stretch on time. 
2. The key is substitution: The best way to stop a bad habit like eating sweets (or smoking but i don't smoke) is to not say that you can never have those things ever again, rather just make a commitment to yourself to have something else first. For me I usually choose to enjoy an apple prior to indulging in ice cream. The sweet apples usually satisfy my craving but if I still really want ice cream I allow myself to have a bit (because I am full from the apple)
• Behavioral Substitution: sometimes eating is not to satisfy cravings or because we are hungry it is simply out of boredom or just not knowing what else to do, simply a behavior that we are enacting. Apply the same substitution concept here by making a commitment that you cannot have that piece of chocolate or candy without first cleaning something. This kills two birds with one stone (and if you really feel like you cannot clean anything then you don't need that chocolate because there is always something to clean or organize!) 
3. Play: Whether its kids or dogs spend time playing with them! My dogs like to go on long walks and chase after squirrels so that's what we do. We may be known around the neighborhood as the people who are always walking their dogs but that doesn't hurt anyone and keeps our dogs' weight in check too. 
4. You can still have Starbucks: but it's how you do it. It is way too easy to fall into the trap of getting the nice blended drinks or some peppermint mochas or lattes but it pays to find a substitution here. Coffee is good to motivate you to do your work and be more active but it can have a substantial amount of calories in it too. You can dramatically cut not only the price of your morning Starbucks by getting just a hot or iced coffee and some syrups. Find a blend that you like but I am a fan of caramel iced coffee with a splash of soy milk. Or even better since we just got married I now benefit from my Keurig and making my own blends at home. 
5. Don't get discouraged if you slip up: another key concept I teach clients and had to internalize and apply for myself. When you slip up: don't go to the gym, skip straight to the ice cream or eat out and don't pick the 'healthy' option it does  you no good to beat yourself up and feel guilty. Take that feeling and channel it to motivation. Say to yourself exactly what you want to change and establish a REALISTIC goal. EX: "I have not been eating an apple before resorting to ice cream so I will go and get my favorite apples and only buy a ice cream flavor that my husband likes (not me)" OR "I have not been going to the gym in the morning like I should but I still want to get in at least 30 min of some exercise so I will take the dogs on a long (fast) walk on those days". 
6. Your weight loss goals should not revolve around the gym: my personal trainer friend might argue with me here but your weight loss goals should start with how your view yourself and how you handle your stress (I totally stress eat).
• Another important lesson that I learned is that the way you see yourself will impact how you approach your goals. I noticed that as soon as I started thinking negatively and that I was fat, comparing myself to others and getting discouraged about loosing weight I would stop loosing anything and actually gain back weight! to paraphrase RuPaul: "Girl, if you don't love yourself, how the hell you gonna loose any weight!". It seems counter-intuitive at first but if you don't love yourself you aren't going to work to give yourself what you deserve.
• Also, I have lost more weight when I skipped the gym and was more cognizant about what I ate than when I went to the gym. (probably because I was constantly starving when I was working out) 
7. Pay attention to the calories you burn when you do go to the gym: When you do get yourself to the gym look at the calories your burn and pay attention to how may strides on the elliptical or how long you have to run to burn those. Its not to make yourself feel horrible about what you ate earlier but rather to help inform your choices. Hopefully taking this amount of work into consideration with decrease your impulse food purchasing and eating. This has kept me from munching on some Cheetos from the vending machine or grabbing a candy bar from the check out line. 
8. Make realistic (& behavior oriented) goals: I mentioned this in #5 and it seems like common sense but with my work as a counselor so many people make goals that are just too difficult. Remember slow and steady win the race. Don't make a goal to loose 2 pounds a week or something ridiculous like that.  Focus your goals on your behaviors and the weight will come off. 
9. Reward yourself: Don't use food as a reward though! It's so important that you don't use cake or brownies as a motivator, if you do then that is all you can think about where as if you just start eating non-sweets like fruit your sweets craving will naturally decrease. If you use any food as a reward then that is what you are working for and you will be more likely to 'cheat'. Instead reward yourself with a new shirt or pair of pants (even shoes) as you loose weight your will need new clothes and getting them little by little will help with the overwhelming concept of buying a new closet. Also, it allows you to get some good stuff when it is on sale. 
• Warning!: only get things that fit you now! we all have fallen into the trap of "when I loose some more weight this will fit me" NO! it probably won't fit you right because your body shape will change and (from experience) you cannot predict how it will change. 
10. Don't use compliments as an excuse to 'lighten up': maybe I am the only one that does this and maybe not, but as soon as some one compliments me on my weight loss I for some reason immediately go against my goals in some way. I let my guard down with apparently the though of "oh this works and people can tell that means I can lighten up on the strictness and determination" Wrong! Thank them for their compliment and reaffirm your goals and motivations. 
11. Cool it on the Alcohol: I don't drink much, and it usually corresponds with my period, however I noticed that I have started to drink more often. My rule here is no more than 2 glasses/servings of whatever. Keeps you from getting sloppy drunk and also keeps those alcohol calories in check.
12. Being a woman is hard: we have so much to do with work, home and everything else! Not to mention we also get a visit from Aunt Flo every month which if you are like me make you so irritable people are afraid of you, so tired you could fall asleep at anytime, so hungry your could eat an entire buffet or so nauseous you avoid food all day, not to mention the amazing pain through your abdominal area and lower back. I must admit when it comes to my period i allow myself to completely give into my body's cues. For me this is usually 2 days of either eating so much that any other day I would probably puke or sticking strictly to crackers and water. I encourage all women to pay attention to your cycle and for those few days to not hold yourself to the same standards as the remainder of the month. 



End of 2013: front

13. You aren't in a competition with anyone: I have to remind myself constantly to be happy and excited for my friends who are also on this weight loss journey and who are skinnier than me. when they share their accomplishments I treat as any other accomplishment like graduation or a promotion for them and make sure to show my genuine pride and happiness for them. I have to remind myself that they are not the competition, I only compete against myself and where I was yesterday. 

Some Things I am planning on for this year:

1. It seems a challenge to me but I would like to blog more. I have an idea to include recipes as well which goes along with #2
2. Try more new recipes 
3. meal plan (this includes lunch!)
4. give myself a Starbucks allowance (otherwise I get addicted too easily even though I do have a Keurig at home)
5. Dance more (Already working on this by getting involved in a community theatre's musical going up in March)
6. Continue to use/try new stress management techniques (stress eating is a big trap for me and therefore I need to continue to try new forms of stress management, not only when I become stressed but as a preventative measure)

The Important thing is Owning It!