Step by Step

So after the summer, and all the traveling that goes along with that (yes, I'm still figuring out how to eat healthy while traveling, not so big on packing my own snacks and dried noodles and things), I have decided I need to work on the weight loss again.

I'm pleased to report that 3 weeks later I've lost my first 6 pounds! Super awesome!!!

Yep, like most people, after I lost about 20 pounds a couple of years ago, I went through my usual high-stress time and put on half of that and then a couple more. It was hard, my fun new clothes didn't fit anymore, I felt bad about my weight, and I attributed a whole lot of disappointments to those extra pounds. Then, with a bit of incentive outside of myself, I decided I was going to work on this weight loss seriously.

It's not easy. That's the first thing I always need to remind myself. It's soooo easy to put on the weight. Skip exercise, eat high-calorie low-nutrient foods, skimp on sleep, and load up on the stress. It's not so easy to lose the weight, even when you reverse the trend. Here are a few things I've been doing that have helped me in the last 3 weeks:

• Get regular sleep
• No food after 7 pm
• Drink at least 2 liters of water a day
• Keep a fiber log
• Make exercise manageable

I love sleeping but I'm a night owl and I need to wake up early to get my exercise in before work. That combination does not work well. This week I'm making a deliberate effort to turn off my laptop as close to 9 pm as possible and start winding down. I read a little, write a little, and do a Sudoku puzzle before I sleep.

My rule isn't hard and fast, but I do my best to eat supper around 6 pm so it has time to digest before I go to sleep. I find that I sleep deeper when I eat earlier.

If it's hard to drink 2 liters, try a tall glass as soon as you wake up, another glass after you exercise, and then keep a water bottle with you and drink from that throughout the day. I usually have 1.5 liters in by lunch and then work on the rest in the afternoon. Staying hydrated keeps the cravings down.

I found a blog online that gave detailed steps on how to keep a fiber log using myfitnesspal.com. I faithfully tracked my fiber for about a week (being sanguine it's hard to justify more time than that!) and was very surprised to learn where the fiber was: in beans. Yep, the humble bean, no matter which form (though black beans are extra high in fiber) is perfect for keeping the blood sugars stable. I aim for a cup a day. The perfect snack is half a cup of beans with salsa poured over it! Low calorie/high fiber and tasty too.

Exercise is my nemesis because right now I'm limited to a cement road as I'm rather stingy and don't want to shell out the $50+ a month to join a gym that I would have to drive 15 minutes to get to. I have decided to cut back from an hour, though, to half an hour because I think that is more reasonable for my lifestyle. I'm using exercise at this point to jolt the weight loss, but not as the primary means. My goal is to understand how to eat right so I don't have to rely on excessive amounts of exercise to stay at a healthy weight.

Yes, I have gone to bed with a very empty stomach that hurts and grumbles and growls at me. I'm hoping that goes away soon. Yes, I've craved sweets and chocolates and all things fried and tasty. I had half a Twix and the rest is sitting in the freezer. I bought dark chocolate Hershey kisses and mini York peppermint patties. Those are in the fridge for the day I know I'll need a little pick-me-up. Yes, I don't always feel like exercising so I skip a morning here and there.

What keeps me motivated this time? I think it's because I need to prove to myself that it can be done, at home, with simple ingredients and not a lot of hassle or expensive equipment. I need to learn persistence in this area so I can be consistently persistent in other areas of my life. I also want to write a book one day about healthy living and loving the journey you're on. So that's what keeps me going.