There’s a fine line between being obsessive about what you eat and losing weight the healthy way. I had an eating disorder so the line is very fine. It can be scary to think about counting calories and “weighing in”. However, the time has come and I need, okay, I want to feel better about myself. Oskar is 6 months old now and I’ve lost most of the 50+ pounds I gained while pregnant with him, but the last 15 (give or take) are very stubborn and do not want to fall off. I want to fit into my old clothes again! Anyone relate?
I had an epiphany the other day. The conversation that proceeded (with myself) went something like this “if you want to actually drop some of the excess baby weight, you just might have to make a few sacrifices with your diet. SACRIFICES!?!??!?!? UGGGG!! ” I then thought about the craft beer I like to enjoy on the weekends and the occasional dessert, okay, almost nightly dessert that I indulge in ON TOP of the copious amounts of food that I am capable of shoveling into my mouth during one meal. That’s all going to have to take a backseat for a while…
That’s right. I know it’s what I need to do if I want to achieve the toned body and excess energy that I had before getting pregnant last August. For one thing, I need to track what I eat. It’s something that holds me accountable to what I’m putting in my mouth. I’ve found that when you record everything you consume, it makes you want to eat less, so that: a.) you don’t have to record so much and b.) you don’t feel like a complete fat-a** when you review your daily report. In the past when I felt I needed to lose weight, the healthy way, I learned that by stopping the pre and post meal snacking that I do, (you know what I’m talking about) the weight seems to just fall off. You’d be surprised; the calories add up my friends. Once you start tracking them, you will see.
So what’s my plan to lose weight in a healthy, non-obsessive manner? Glad you asked.
- I’m going to use Sparkpeople.com to track my diet. You can track your exercise too, but for the sake of time, I am just going to track my diet as I have no issue with my workout regime of 4-5 days per week – a mix of cardio and strength training.
- I commit to stop snacking while cooking and cleaning up
- I will continue to have fresh vegetables and fruits in the house
- I will eat slow and really enjoy my food (and breathe while eating!!)
- I’m going to heavily reduce my alcohol intake- for me that is wine and beer. Though I will enjoy the occasional glass here and there that fit in with my healthy weight-loss goals. It’s about balance guys!
- I will not beat myself up if I do not do this “perfectly”. It’s all about balance and putting forth my best effort.
- I’m going to update my thoughts and feelings on this blog without discussing numbers on the scale too much. Instead I am going to focus on how I feel and the goal of fitting into my pre-baby clothes, because, that is what matters most!
- I’ll share select healthy recipes along the way – see below for a hearty gluten-free “grain” salad recipe that I enjoyed on day 1!
- I’ll share my weekly eating with you as a reference if you want to lose weight the healthy way along with me!
Now, onto the HUGE salad I have waiting for me. If there is anything special you want to see while I go along this journey, please leave a comment and I will do my best to accommodate.
- 1 cup cooked amaranth
- 1 avocado sliced
- 1 can garbanzo beans drained (save liquid)
- 1 ripe Roma tomato
- 1/4 sweet onion diced
- 1/2 cucumber, skinned
- 6 leaves romaine lettuce
- 1 T olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- few dashes oregano
- few dashes onion powder
- 1 fresh garlic clove pressed
- dash sugar
- few dashes sea salt
- Cook the amaranth according to the directions: boil water 2:1, add amaranth, cover and let seeds absorb liquid while stirring occasionally for 20 minutes
- Chop vegetables
- Add amaranth, beans and veggies to a large bowl
- Add vinegar, oil and seasoning
- Toss until coated
- Serve warm or cold!
- *save the liquid (aka aquafaba) from the garbanzos and use as an egg replacer in baking. 1 egg = 3 T aquafaba
Ashley:
Solid post, timely given weight management is a hot topic of late given America’s shift in attitude about accepting being over weight: http://ow.ly/YPmvr
I appreciate you reading the post, Jim. It seems that weight management is always a topic of discussion – or at least in my circles it is.
Great post Ashley!
I’m in the same boat and have been considering similar goals. What’s your sparkpeople username so I can say you referred me??
Thanks for reading, Valerie! I’ll email you my username!