Back to Basics Challenge #3 - Stop Eating B4 Bed

Hi! How's your hydration? I've been doing really well thanks to my timer. So, far, I'm pleased with how I've been doing on the challenges.


Water: great
To-do list: good (I keep adding stuff to the list -- it's more than 3 -- but it helps me stay focused)
Move: great (I've been walking 2-3 miles each day plus JM's 30-Day Shred and arm resistance) -- I save the goofey dance when I'm in a slump.
Thankful Journal: good


T.O.M. arrived 3 days ago and knocked me down. I just did not feel like moving. But I did. I got at least my walk in, although slowly.


(Okay, I'm falling asleep here at the computer. Let's get the next challenge underway):


Physical
1. Continue to hydrate
2. Continue to move more
3. Stop eating or drinking 2-3 hours before bedtime (unless you have a medical condition where you need a cracker or milk with your medication before bed or some other very valid reason). That's my challenge for myself this week. It's a big one that has worked for me before.


Why do I want to do it? I don't need those extra calories to sleep. I have plenty to get me through the night. If those calories aren't used, then they are stored. Sleeping with a full tummy could also lead to indigestion and gas.


What if I'm hungry? Don't get mad at me for saying this, but, "It's okay to feel hunger." It's not okay to deprive yourself of nutrition. It's not okay to starve. However, if I had balanced, full meals during the day and my nutritional needs are met, then it's okay for me to feel a little hungry before bed time. I'll plan for my breakfast the next day so I don't just grab anything.


Mental
1. Continue making "to-do" lists the night before.
2. Dance to get out of slumps


Spiritual
1. Thankful journal (continue) -- or at least mentally review what you are thankful for regarding the people in your life. It helps to write it down and reread during times you just don't feel thankful at all.

Puppy Love

The Merry from Sheesh has requested to see some more of my German Shepherd, Hansi. I'm happy to oblige (a mom loves showing photos). Hansi is 16 months, neutered, and a beloved family member. His mom comes from an Argentinian line and does weight pulling competitions. One of his aunts is an avalanche rescue dog. The other does search and rescue.

Here are some favorites:

With our cat, Daisy (she loves dogs).

Wasatch Mountains

A boy and his dog.

Welcome home.

Getting a treat from Danny's mouth.

Watching Rin Tin Tin

"I make a cute face so you will play with me."

Watching more tv with his buddy (while I paint the bedroom).

Opening his Christmas gift (he managed to find, himself).

Loves to be brushed (and lets me trim his nails and brush his teeth).

How Many Bags of Dog Food Are You Carrying?

Here is a photo of a person carrying two large bags of dog food (this happens to be Dean Cain who played as "Superman"). I'm more interested in the bags (although Dean is nothing to bark at). Each bag is at least 40 pounds.


Now, I need your imagination here.


Imagine securely strapping these bags to his body. Then, we'll proceed to ask him to do a few things like climbing stairs, walking or jogging a couple of miles, doing push-ups, and jumping jacks... all-the-while having the extra 80+ pounds on him constantly. Moving that extra weight against gravity would be difficult even for Superman Cain. Now strap the bags to a person with less strength and endurance and tell that person he/she has to live daily carrying around the extra weight. Sounds miserable, but that is what I've done to myself. I have 70+ extra pounds of fat "strapped" to me that makes daily moving so unnecessarily difficult. Woof.


What made me think of this? I've been doing the "Jillian Michael's 90 30 day Shred." During the Level 1 warm-up, she says there is no modified version for the jumping jacks because she's seen 400 pound people doing them, and anyone (basically) can do them.


I struggle with jumping jacks. And no wonder! I've got "70 pounds of dog food" strapped to me! (I have no idea how someone with 200+ pounds of dog food strapped to them could do it).


It's really hard for me to do these exercises, but here's the plus-plus if I endure and continue: My muscles will become stronger trying to move my extra weight while at the same time (knock on wood) losing the extra weight. The exercises and daily movement in general will become easier and easier. Then, maybe, I might actually enjoy jumping jacks as much as Jumping Jillian seems to.


For now, I just enjoy knowing that I did it, "bags" and all.

Roth: Women, Food, and God, 2

Prologue, page 4, Geneen is speaking to the participants during a retreat lunch:
"Now, take some time and notice what you put on your plate. Notice if you were hungry when you chose the food. If you weren't physically hungry, was there another kind of hunger present?


And looking at your plates, decide what you want to eat first and take a few bites. Notice how the food feels in your mouth. If it tastes like you thought it would taste. If it does what you thought it would do."

Page 4 and 5, participant asks what's wrong with wanting comfort from food:
Geneen - "Not a thing. Food is good and comfort is good. Except that when you are not hungry and you want comfort, food is only a temporary palliative; why not address the discomfort directly?"


(Me)
Last week while at the grocery store, I managed to steer clear of the bakery section but then came upon a big basket of moon-pies positioned next to something else I needed. I don't think I've ever had a moon-pie: two cakey-cookies with marshmallow-type substance in between and all covered in chocolate. And on sale. I caved for just one.


Upon returning the the van, I opened up the moon pie and took a bite while starting the ignition. I was disappointed. It didn't taste the way I thought it would taste. It felt crumbly and dry in my mouth, kind of flavorless. "No wonder it was on sale. Why do people make a big deal about these things?"


And I threw it away ate the rest of it.


I don't know why I did. There was no nutritional value in it. I don't remember if I was hungry for food. Sometimes it's habits and surroundings and going through the motions without thinking.


Or going through the motions to try to keep from thinking.


Or feeling.

Back to Basics Challenge #2 - Move - Give Thanks

Physical

1. Continue to hydrate

2. Move More and/or Finish Stronger

{This may not be much of a challenge for those of you that are very active and are already set in an exercise routine. For you, I challenge you to Finish Stronger. For example, run your last steps as if you had the energy you started with, lift that last rep as if you're not fatigued and with control and full movement (grunt and growl if you have to).}

For the rest of us -- Each day play an upbeat song you like and "dance" to it. (I have a playlist on the side of my blog if that helps. Scroll down. It's on the bottom. I suggest song #2 "Big N Chunky" for a fun song to start moving ...thanks, Larkspur).

"Can't dance," you say? Neither can I. It's embarrassing at first (even alone), and I have this paranoid feeling there's a hidden camera somewhere. Move as if you can dance. Shake it. Shimmy. Wave your arms. March in place. If you have to do it from a chair, fine, just move more than you used to. Wiggle. Jiggle. Whip out some 1980's aerobic moves. Be unapologetically yourself (a quote that I love from MizFit).

Why do it? It gives you a boost of energy and endorphins and makes the day seem more possible to handle. It also kick-starts your metabolism. And...it's a gateway activity that may lead you to trying other activities and exercises.

When? I think mornings are great (start it off in a fun way). You can do it anytime you want to be awake. Feeling a little low or depressed? Take 5 minutes and dance.

Mental

1. Continue your to-do list the night before. (Modify it to fit your needs).

2. Dance (see above) - The physical movement will boost you mentally.

Spiritual

1. Thankful Journal -- Write at least one thing you are thankful for about the people (or animals) in your life. For example, before I write my nightly to-do list, I list my immediate family members (same notebook as the to-do's). Next to their names, I recall 3 things that each of them did that I was thankful for. "Marie - said thank you to the clerk, played with little brother, gave me a hug." It can be about anyone.

Why? We are bombarded with negativity and discouragement. If we choose to see the good stuff, that will help to counter-balance what surrounds us. This may lead us to seek for more good things. If we are listing our family members, that could help us see them in a more positive light and relate to them in a more loving way (which comes in handy when all live under one roof).

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Bonus

There are some great blogs I'd eventually like to introduce to you. Cammy from TippyToeDiet had a "Trainaversay" a couple of days ago, so I'll start with her. I encourage you to read about it here. She has lost 100 pounds and writes about the day she began strength training and even shared journal entries from that day. I find it motivating.

I first noticed Cammy when she would comment on others' blog posts. She was always encouraging, positive, and funny. I eventually clicked over to her blog and was happy I did.

Roth: Women, Food, and God, 1

Hello! How's your hydrating?

Last month I ordered a used copy of Geneen Roth's Women, Food, and God (in spite of the title, it's not religious nor is it referring to the "God" many envision when that word is spoken).

I read it.

I'm reading it, again.

This time as I read it I thought I'd use my blog to jot down some of my ponderings as a way to get to know myself. I'll share things she says, questions she asks us, mental exercises she poses.

Prologue, Page 2, Roth writes:

"The retreat is based on a philosophy I've developed over the past thirty years: that our relationship to food is an exact microcosm of our relationship to life itself."

AS I turned out the light last night and tried to fall asleep, I began wondering in what way does the way I eat reflect how I live my life. I don't think I binge on life. Maybe I do now that I think about it. I can be kind of compulsive. When I work on any project, I keep going until I'm finished and don't want to be interrupted. It drives me crazy when I have to stop; it drives me crazy when there's still cookies left in the package.

One thing that dawned on me last night (enough to turn the light on and write it down) as I was stuck on making the comparison is that I just don't like to deal with food. I don't enjoy shopping, lists, menu plans, cooking and cleaning up after. Sometimes I do, there are moments, but not everyday three times a day.

And, sometimes I just don't like to deal with life. I live in this grown-up world, and I don't always feel grown-up. There's tough things to deal with. Can't someone else take care of the mess while I enjoy the end product?

How does the way you eat reflect the way you live your life? Are you fried, raw, or shaken? :)

Back to Basics Challenge #1 - Hydrate, Mini List

Larkspur from Am I Really That Fat? challenged me to do a challenge. I've slipped away from most of the good habits I had developed and am wanting to reestablish them again into my life. I want to build fitness, and with any good building project, there needs to be a firm foundation. Every week I'll add new challenges. They will be very simple at first, but sometimes it's the simple things that are hard to maintain yet are so important.

I delved into Onederland last year briefly. I looked at what I was doing at that time to help me get there. You can read about it here, if you would like. I drank a lot of water, moved more, and brought better foods to my meals. I also did things for my mental and spiritual health.

Let's make small changes together and make them stick. I will be doing additional exercises not listed here, and you can, too, but I find I become so distracted that I forget the basics.

How long does it take to form good habits? I Googled it. It basically depends on the person and the habit. I found this article. Two - three months seems to be the average. I liked what the author said at the end of his post, "It’s essential to find things to enjoy about the steps along the way in order to keep up anything important long enough for it to matter."

Let's get started.

Physical Challenge -- Start you day off with a glass of water and remind yourself every hour or hour and a half with a timer (I use my watch) to drink some water (the amount is up to you). I personally have a hard time remembering to drink. Water helps with alertness (sometimes sleepiness is a sign of dehydration), hunger (our hunger may actually be thirst), moods (a disagreeable mood may be another sign of dehydration). We are made up of mostly water so our body needs it to function. Idea: If you are a big soda or coffee drinker, try replacing one serving of those with water. (I wonder if replacing one cigarette with one glass of water is helpful...I don't know, I'm just brain-storming).

Mental Challenge -- Mini nightly to-do list: each night think about things you need to get done the next day. Try for 1-3 doable things. Don't overwhelm yourself. For example, is there a phone call you need to return? Grocery shopping? Return something to a neighbor? Write them down. Do them the next day and that evening you get the satisfaction of checking them off. Then write down 3 more things for the following day. Keep the list, if you'd like, to see what you accomplish. I often forget what I need to do the next day especially when kids start crawling into bed with me, the dog barks, and the craziness begins. Of course we do more than 3 things each day, but is there something you keep forgetting to do? Write those down.

Come back here (anytime -- once per week or day) and report it in the comments section how you did (or not...You knowing how you did is what counts, but we could certainly cheer you on).

Maybe I could post the reports along with the next challenge.

So, what do you think? Are you up for it? Come join me.

Getting Crotchety Here

Do your pants ever look like this:

I've worn out the inside thigh area, again, on the only pants that fit me. My daughter discovered the tear last night.

"Mommy, are you going to buy a new pair of pants?"

(sigh) "Yes." But in my mind I was saying, "No! I don't want to buy another pair of plus-sized pants."

I've read in blog-land that we shouldn't wait until we lose the weight to buy flattering clothing for ourselves. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. "They" are right, but I loath shopping. This is what happened the last time I went shopping: click here. (And, yes, those are the same tan pants as above...note: October).

I have one other pair of pants (jeans), but they are too tight. My goal is to lose 5 pounds so I can breath in them then another 5 so I can move freely (strut instead of waddle). Maybe I can make these last until I get down to the next size where I have a few dusty pairs on the shelf waiting for me.

So, I took pictures of the too-tight jeans. I'm hoping these become my "before" photos. I can't believe I did this but I read photos are good measuring tools when the scale lies. It's also nice to see the difference (assuming there's a positive change).

Trying my best to hold in my stomach:

(Big Bottom Blogger, this one is in honor of your blog).

The End.

Cowgirl Up

Time to get back in.











Yep. Time to get back in the saddle. I think this is how I've been doing it:

I've been really having a hard time keeping the binge-eating under control, but that doesn't mean I can't continue to exercise, particularly strength training.


Greta from Big Bottom Blogger has a challenge for us called "Race to 10." We are to lose 10 pounds of fat while increasing lean muscle mass, and we are using our % body fat measurements to monitor the changes. The scale may not show a weight loss, but the fat% numbers should. Click here to read more.


I like the idea of not relying on the scale, and measuring is more time-consuming than a quick weigh, so I won't be doing that every day. I guess I better get a plan. That would help. I'll work on that after I post this.


I'll admit I have this nagging fear of failing (again). I can't give up, though (I think that would be the ultimate fail). So, I'm gonna get back on that horse and show it who's boss.