New Year, New Pounds

Well, 2011 is upon us, and I greet the new year with about 10 extra pounds to lose.

Nice.

Knee troubles, foot pain, monotony of weighing foods, and annoyance of keeping a food journal have taken their toll. IT JUST GETS OLD!

Why can't it be as simple as cutting portions and moving more? Doesn't work for me.

All these articles I read about people who cut out fast food, got rid of sodas ("real" and diet), cooked more at home, upped their whole grains, switched to skim milk, etc.....blah, blah, blah.

Been there. Have already done that.

I really think those changes only work the first time you implement them. Someone drinks a bunch of soda for years...then stops. Of course they will lose some weight. Someone else never moves a muscle (except to feed themselves) and starts walking. Of course the pounds will come off.

But if you've been doing the healthy things for YEARS, they don't work any more.

For me: no alcohol, no sodas, no juices, no smoking, weight lifting, cardio, no fast food, no eating out, no breads, no pasta, lots of veggies/beans/whole grains, too much water consumption, low fat choices, etc. AIN'T CUTTING IT!!!!!!

So frustrating.

So, 2011 brings more of the same. Trying the same eating plan, food journal, weighing food, cardio, and strength training. We shall see if anything changes. Why do I doubt it will?

Does Blogging Help Accountability?

Gloria, my nutritionist, has given me some interesting things to do and think about. I blog here in cyberspace, but no one actually reads what I write, so why do I do it? Does putting things in black and white (or purple and white, in this case) help in some subconscious way? Maybe seeing it will make it more real?

I thought I might do different things on different days, depending on my mood. First, I might just chronicle my food intake for the day. How exciting! Or, I might discuss my exercise for the day. Or I might just complain. Or maybe writing a blog draws attention to the one things I'm trying to NOT think about: diet, exercise, food, and weight. They say NOT to think about food and dieting, but how can you lose weight without doing that?

Here's what I wish:

1. That I would be able to remove dieting and food from the forefront of my daily thoughts

2. That I could really actually eat only when hungry

3. That I would view food as a fuel, not as anything else

4. That I would not eat because it tastes good and because I like it

5. That I could stop before being full

I also wish that:

1. Water tasted good

2. Chocolate had fiber, less calories, and was it's own food group, preferably the base of the USDA food pyramid

3. It was easier to make a "balanced" meal or snack on the fly, with good carbs, protein, and a healthy fat

Oh well. Don't see any of this happening.

Yesterday, I started back on my strength training, after a 4 day hiatus for my birthday.

I did drop sets (3) of:

-curls

-tricep kickbacks

-chest presses

-rows

Then I did 10 Australian rows on the Perfect Pullup bar.

Then I worked the lower body:

-50 squats

-penguin walk w/band (200 steps each way)

-hip rotators w/band (70 each leg)

-hip hikes on step (50 each leg)

-wall sits (100 seconds)

I will be sore later today, but so far this morning, not too bad. It's always delayed.

I wanted to get up early this morning to walk the treadmill. It seems that, if I wait till the evening, it never happens. Day after day goes by and the cardio goes undone. So...I didn't get up early, but I did go ahead and walk. I really hate starting the day out with wet underwear.

30 minutes. 4000 steps done before lunch. I think that feels good to have it over with.

Going to try drinking 16 ounces of water before every meal. Will see if this helps. But, once again, here I am, having to focus on how to make myself more full and less hungry. Always counting, measuring, planning, analyzing, etc. Just want to live each day, eating when I am hungry, not eating when I'm not, making good choices instead of so-so ones, loving exercise, and finally not having my thighs rub together when I walk.