Tuesday 31 July 2012

Starting Again


Well.. I've let things slide.
I got to the point where I was really getting busy at work, all my projects were wrapping up and reports due in and client feedback and reviews and it all seemed to happen at once.  On top of which the weather was getting colder, and still is cold, thanks to being winter.  The event I was initially trying to loose the weight for (my 10 year high school reunion) has been cancelled due to lack of numbers.  I was also getting such slow results, that I lost the mojo. 

However, two months later, I'm looking at starting again and getting back into the swing of losing weight.  I still want to do it!  I just need to keep on at it!  I might not have my reunion to work towards, but a I have a friend's wedding in October I wouldn't mind being slimmer and trim for.  She's my bestie, so I wanna look good in the photos that I am going to see forever!

I'm looking at starting to go to the gym again, and this time I am also overhauling my diet.
I think last time I allowed myself to "have this bit of ice-cream" or "that packet of chips" and it was okay because I was exercising, so it was going to balance out.  This time round, I want to change that.  I'm going to start food journaling and rethink my food planning when it comes to grocery shopping.  I went shopping tonight and worked out I spent an extra $45 on food that I could have done without.  Processed stuff like tinned spaghetti, frozen pizza (what was I thinking with buying them?!  Went shopping hungry, silly girl!), microwaveable pasta side dish packs, foods that definitely aren’t good for wanting to lose weight!

I've still kept up with reading weightloss/fitness blogs while I've been offline and inactive.   There are a few which have mentioned 'eating clean' - eating foods that are unprocessed.  I kind of like that idea when it comes to diet.  So that gives me another kick in the pants about what I bought above that I could have done without.  There are other ideas I want to follow through on too, like this one I saw on a tumblr:


www.weightlossproblems.tumblr.com
I'm a visual-type person, so I really like this idea. In a kilogram version of course! :)


I've talked about my friend Louisa before too, who has been working on losing weight as well.  She started about a three weeks before I did, at about 10 kilos heavier than me.  She's lost weight, without doing a lot in the way of exercise.  She goes for a half hour walk with her dogs everyday and then that's it.  It's all been about diet changes for her.  This has lead to her losing around 17 kg.  Well done to her, she looks leaner and seems to carry herself more comfortably.  I want that for me too! 

So: NEW PLAN!

MONDAY:
Wake up 5.30am - go for a half-hour walk

After work - gym 6 - 7 pm
TUESDAY:
Wake up 6am. Sit-ups, stretches, as room permits

After work - Gym 6-7 pm
WEDNESDAY:
Wake up 5.30am - 20 minute Zumba workout

After 2nd job - go for a 40 minute walk ??  Maybe too late or cold….
THURSDAY:
Morning - get in early to work

After work - Gym 6-7pm ?? 
Work sometimes has late meetings or social events that I am obliged to attend, in the timeframe 4 (30) - 7 (30), which carries over the time which gym class is on.  And it seems in this quarter, we will have something every 2nd week.  I've only been back at work 3 weeks and already twice I've had late nights on a Thursday, with another one this week and next. o_O
FRIDAY:
Morning - Sleep in!

Afternoon - Zumba? Or at least 40 minutes of vigorous dancing
SATURDAY:
1 hr bike ride ???
SUNDAY:
 - - - ?!

Okay, so I'm not 100% planned out, but I do know that I need to up exercise again and definitely make a better effort with my diet.

One thing that did surprise me to be honest, was the fact that when I re-weighed myself this morning, I haven't actually gained that much in the two months that I've slacked off.  I honestly thought I'd have gained everything back and then some, but I haven't.  I'm back up to 96kg, when I was 94kg at lightest count.  So, with work and perseverance I want get back there again and smaller still!

One more thing I'm wondering whether is worth trying/considering is smaller goals.  Instead of the all too ambiguous  "I want to lose 27 kilos" I think I should maybe set a smaller intermediate goal.  Originally, way back in April, I received news of my high school reunion in October.  That gave me 6 months to lose the weight.  I was thinking along the lines of approximately 1 kilogram per week.  I would have got to goal weight and on time for my reunion.  Even 2 kilograms over 3 weeks would have lead to a decent amount of weight lost.  But the slow going (and other things) brought me down.

A blog I've recently stumbled upon, Jack Sh*t Gets Fit, has listed his rewards for every weight loss milestone that he achieves.  How serious they are I'm not sure, because some of them seem a little silly, which matches in with his sense of humour.  However, maybe I do need to do something like this for myself too, to keep myself on track.  I will have to have a think about what I want to use to reward myself and how often. 

As for now, I have finished dinner, so I think I will do some exercises while I'm watching TV.  If I move some furniture around, I will have room to do sit-ups and push-ups on the rug.  If I angle myself right, I'll even have room to do some bicycle crunches without hitting anything.  Have I mentioned before how small my flat (apartment) is and therefore it's tricky to do any exercise inside?  And I have ceiling fans that I hit my hands on every time I stretch up.  Thanks goodness it's winter and they're not on.  Still doesn't give me a lot of options when it comes to indoor exercise.

Anyhhow, enough procrastinating, time to get moving!  Any movement is a step the right weigh - puns intended!

-Sunny Duckling