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Losing Weight Requires Flexibility Why is it that when youdecide to get in better shape or lose a few pounds, lifesuddenly throws you a curve? I decided to "get back in shape" and had a planning sessionabout what I might change, how I might do it, and whether Ibelieved I could do it (would I follow through or was I kiddingmyself?). My plan is a regular workout schedule (four days a week athome), drinking less wine (special occasions and weekendsinstead of regularly), and tightening up "weekend eating" frommy current Thursday evening through Sunday to just Saturday andSunday. Monday: All is well, worked out and ate as planned. Good day. Tuesday: Worked out and ate as planned. Good day No. 2, this iseasy. Tuesday evening sister No. 1 invites me over Thursday evening,"I'll have something there to eat," she adds. I'm about to say,"That's okay, I won't want anything anyway," but thought betterof it. Telling someone you don't want what they're servingbecause you're trying to get healthy is a surefire way to beattacked with a full-frontal assault on why that is ridiculousand, "Just this once won't hurt." Who needs it? Wednesday: Ate fine and worked out according to plan. Very good,hump day and all. Wednesday evening sister No. 2 calls saying we're celebratingfamily birthdays with a Friday night dinner out. Nobodyrequested traditional birthday cake (I'm the family birthdaycake maker) so I'm bringing a blackberry cheesecake, while momis bringing blackberry pie. Wednesday evening I'm taking stock of the rest of this week andit's not pretty: The Thursday evening workout won't happenbecause I need to be baking and said I'd go to sister's thing(evening workouts are often waylaid); Friday evening is alsoshot due to birthday dinner at restaurant. To top it off Easteris this Sunday so most of Saturday I'll be shopping and baking.I already decided I want to make the "Almost Better Than SexCake" and scalloped potatoes. This is turning out to be a lousyweek for my new getting in shape plan. But, all is not lost. This is a typical week in a typical life.You must be flexible if you expect to lose weight and keep itoff. You're always going to be confronted with the unexpectedoccasions, birthdays, parties, special events where they havethat yummy goody you just can't resist. Thursday, ate well. Didn't eat at my sister's Thursday event(nothing out of the ordinary was served). Too busy with bakingto do my exercise routine (I knew this would be the case so I'mnot upset about it). Since evening workouts are so often missedI'm already trying to figure out how to get them done earlier inthe day. Friday: Ate great, dinner was wonderful. Had a "splurge" glassof wine with dinner at the restaurant (tasted pretty darn goodtoo, but didn't leave me wanting another). Ate plenty but notuntil over-stuffed; I knew we had birthday desserts coming afterall. Enjoyed a piece of blackberry pie and cheesecake and it wasgreat. I'm right on target. Saturday: Ate well, did my exercise as planned. Shopped forgroceries for Easter dinner and suddenly decided to makehomemade peanut butter cup easter eggs; how's that for a healthyeating plan? Now I'm a candy maker! I enjoy candy, so sue me. Easter Sunday: Big family dinner, potluck style. Nothing isbetter than good homemade food, especially when you're learningto eat better and make better choices. I ate what I wanted andfelt great, satisfied, content. You can take a bit small amount,eat it slowly, taste it, check out the texture, and really makean effort to enjoy the buffet style dinner. There's no need tostuff yourself. It's not the last time I'll ever eat. Eastereggs turned out great. I left plenty behind and took the rest tomy office on Monday. I love to bake for special events as I get to eat the goodiesbut I ditch the leftovers. A piece or two of cake every so oftenis not a problem, but half a cake on the counter, or sweets anddesserts every day for a week is a recipe for the beginning ofpoor eating habits. I use my 3-Day Rule (more on this nextmonth). Sunday evening (remember I had the big Easter dinner earlier) Istarted feeling somewhat hungry, but it was late, so I ate theleftover desserts I'd brought home for my dinner. Cake forBreakfast, that's my motto; this time it was "eat dessertfirst," as grandpa used to say. You make a choice, sometimesyou'll overeat, and sometimes you won't and it's okay. The trickwhether losing weight or maintaining weight loss is to changethe equation from overeating and indulging often to eating wellmost of the time and indulging infrequently. A look back at Week 1: Lots of sweets, plenty to eat. I stuck tomy overall plan for the week. I drank far less (from a coupleglasses of wine a night down to just a couple for the entireweek). I ate plenty of the good foods I wanted, but didn't feelthe need to stuff myself, nor did I ever feel deprived. I didn'thave the, "I better eat now because I'm starting a diet onMonday" mentality. Every meal stands alone, so if you over ateat lunch that doesn't mean the rest of the day is blown (whypre-blow it?). Overall I exercised and ate according to plan Monday throughThursday then lots of unexpected events started to occur thatcould have been big roadblocks but weren't. Was the week asuccess? You bet. Having dinner out once a week, a glass ofwine, even enjoying homemade desserts is not what makes a persongain weight, but having them every day, or never exercisingregularly does. You don't have to be a fanatic, but withconsistent effort you can win this weight loss race. |
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