Mindfully Eating

I am trying something new! Something revolutionary! Something I have known for a long time! I am working on my mind/food connection instead of counting calories. Crazy, I know! (I have known and said for years that it's a mindset, but I didn't do it.)

I am reading and going through the Am I Hungry program written my Michelle May, MD. It is WONDERFUL and so liberating!! I am looking at food in a different way, I am looking at myself in a new way. Counting calories hasn't worked by me for any extended period of time. I am an emotional eater to the extreme and I am now more conscious of what I am eating and why I am eating it. Its awesome. I feel like food no longer has a hold on me, I have a firm hold on it. I feel liberated!!

The weight isn't dropping off like mad, but it's coming off and I feel better, emotionally and physically.

My journey feels so much less burdensome. This no longer feels hopeless.

Victory is MINE!

I have been stuck at 320. I couldn't seem to get past that number. I would lose to that and then go back up. I was getting really frustrated!

Yesterday I weighed. I weighed four days before that. I had lost 4.5 pounds in 4 days.

Bigger news is the fact that I smashed through 320.

I will NEVER see that number again. EVER.

I have decided that I'm not going to make my goal to 299 by then end of July. I have only myself to blame, I wasted about 4 weeks not doing everything possible to lose weight. I am just a little disappointed, but I will not let this missed goal define this journey. Its a journey and I am sure that many missed goals will come along. So I will make a new goal for that 299!

My goal is to weigh 299 on August 20, 2010. I will commit to these things to reach my goal:

~~I will stay within my calorie goal everyday by eating healthy, nutrient dense food!
~~I will drink no less than 12 cups of water everyday!
~~I will do 60 minutes of cardio everyday! (minimum)
~~I will do my established yoga routine everyday!
~~I will do strength training, core, upper and lower on days assigned.
~~I will keep writing in my journal and stay positive.

Plan of Attack!

So tomorrow is the big day! Tomorrow I will "officially" be off and running on my journey to a new me new lifestyle. The reason tomorrow you ask? Because tomorrow is I do my Gallbladder~Liver Cleanse. Sounds fun huh? I haven't done it before, but my dad has. So tomorrow will be a light eating day, starting the cleanse in the evening and then Wednesday the bathroom and I will be very good friends. Sorry for TMI, but I need to be as open as a person writing under a pseudoname can be.

Tomorrow I will also be making a huge pot of my Veggie, Veggie Soup Baby and that will be my food for the next several days. I will eat it until it is gone, so however long that takes. I will still cook for my family of course. ~Smile~ Then after I have a good jump start, I will be doing a low carb, high lean protein diet, with lots of yummy veggies and fruit. I will be striving to keep my calories within this range: 1,250-1,550. I am still doing my best to get off soda completely, but I am going to wean myself down, so I am going to diet soda and then hopefully soon, no soda at all. I WILL be drinking no less than 90 oz. of water per day. Because I believe in the power of herbal tea, I will also drink at least 2 cups per day, honey as a sweetener~I technically already do this, so this isn't really a change.

As for exercise, this is the real crux of the matter. I will be doing a good mix of strength training and cardio workouts. I really don't have trouble with the strength training, its the cardio that gets me. I am sore, I have sore joints and muscles and so flat out, cardio is painful. But cardio is also completely needed, it isn't an option. To lose this weight pain will be involved. I know this and I am on board, but my knees and hips are quite convinced. I have several workout DVD's (one is Jillian Michaels box set and it KILLS me), I also have a couple of walking DVD's and a Pilates Burn and Firm (which is MUCH harder than it sounds).

One of the best things I have in my arsenal of weapons is Spark People. If you are trying to lose weight, you should use this site! I love it! I have joined some teams and have made connections for support. I also join in on the challenges which is good for me because I am so competitive, so I stay motivated. It also has a calorie journal, as well as a fitness journal. I love it. I can keep track of what I'm eating (calories/fat/carbs/protein) as well as the calories I am burning. It also has a wealth of information for you to read through and keep you encouraged and motivated. Oh! And there are wonderful recipes you can find on there too!! I definitely consider spark people one of my fat blasting weapons!

So I realize that this doesn't lay out my plan for losing the first 25 pounds rep by rep per se, but it does give you an idea of what I am going to do! I have set the goal that I want the first 25 pounds gone by March 9th, my darling Hubs birthday. I know that kind of sounds like a long way away, but usually I set my goals so lofty that I fail and then I give up. So this time, I am giving myself enough time. If I get it done sooner, then YAY me, I refuse to set myself up to fail anymore! I also set to buy myself a little gift at the end of each 25 pounds. This first one is a new pair of tennis shoes. I am saving back a little money here and there so that when my goal is reached, I'll already have the money!

Happy fat blasting,

Joy