As I've said, I'm not a dieter. I'm a "watch my weight-er" and a "work out more-er" and a "try to eat healthy-er". I'm no expert in any facet of the weight loss or exercise world. I'm just a gal, trying not to be fat. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I fail - but each "relapse" I learn more and find ways to catch my bad habits.
So here's my quick list of my bad habits and why you should just not do them, or keep it to a minimum. My hope is that writing this list and sharing with the world will give me some humility so I am more motivated and aware of these bad habits that hold me back. So, just DON'T:
- Have a small second helping of cereal to use up the remaining milk. C'mon, Monica! You know I already have much more than the "serving size" in that first bowl! I need to simply use less milk or not cry over the spilled milk down the drain.
- Eat my daughter's leftovers. This is a hard one because of course she is a finicky eater like all toddlers. Add that to me being frugal and against wasting food and we have a lethal combination, my friends! I have gotten better about just discarding her wasted food or salvaging what I can for another time. We're also better at working her into our own meals, so instead of having her own separate meal, she's just eating what we're having - which, in turn, helps me eat less since I give her food off my plate!
- Snag the office freebies. Another side effect to me being cheap, is that I can't say no to a freebie. I'm like Pavlov's dog when there's free food or treats put out in the office. I think the urge to take advantage of something for free is bigger than my actual urge to eat whatever junk it is. Thankfully, I've grown tired of the monthly Deerfield's birthday cake and most of the usual candy found in co worker's candy dishes. But every once in awhile, someone will put out a favorite candy of mine and I'm putty. It's even worse when I'm the one to tempt myself. Case in point: the jelly beans I've had in my candy dish this month :(
- Over-indulge the splurge. So my husband and I will decide to "splurge" on pizza for dinner on a Saturday night. We'll say "let's be fat!" And that's fine every once in awhile, but ordering pizza is considered fat enough. Declaring a "fat night" doesn't put me in a consequence-free world. It's not like these calories don't count! So it's a bad habit to throw caution to the wind after already indulging in fatty pizza, to say "to hell with it" and bust out a pint of ice cream or something.
- Go on hiatus. When we moved in late October, life got very busy. All the packing, moving, unpacking, decorating - you know how it goes. By the time we were mostly settled in, it was Thanksgiving and right into the busy Christmas season. Knowing it was going to be very busy to fit in any workouts, I basically just gave myself a "hall pass." Not cool. Now, I think it would have been just fine to not feel guilty for only working out once a week or only squeezing in 5min of sit-ups here and there in that time. But I really just said to myself, "I'm not gonna bother working out until after Christmas." Gee, what do you think happened next? Yup! I gained 6lbs. I'm sure I would have gained a few anyway with the holidays and only being able to work out a little, but at least I would have not completely fallen off the wagon. When January hit, I felt like I was brand new to working out and starting all over. Even though I was on a really great workout regiment for almost a year before then, it was as if all that work and training and progress had just washed away. So yes, sometimes life just gets too busy and stressful and workouts have to take the backseat, but that doesn't mean they have to just be ignored completely. If I had just done some of my Just Do Something tips, I would not have felt so out of touch with working out when I got back into it. AND I wouldn't have had the guilt I had from slacking off for 2 months.
Um, yes, all of the same!! I know i addressed most of these in my blog also, i definitely got in trouble with eating the kids leftovers. Once i became aware of how often i did this it was easier to back-off. I do still take nibbles here and there but nothing like i used to. I too, tend to fall hard when i do fall off the wagon. I have really been working on that lately. It helps to have Josh remind me it's not about the food when times get tough. I think that is my main obstacle. I have to keep reminding myself that the food is not going to help me in any way! It is just going to make me feel worse after. So i have been making a very concerted effort to do other things instead of eating, to help reduce stress, whether it's talking to someone, working out, going for a drive, etc...
ReplyDeleteOne of my worst habits is/was night time eating. I used to be a hard core snacker at night, sometimes it's almost be another meal. I think because my days are so long and by the time i get the kids down and the remaining housework in order, i feel i deserve a "reward". But that goes along the same lines as not using food to curb stress; I can't use it as a reward either!
The same goes for us when we splurge. Lately, we've been getting out for dinner every other friday and we'll split a meal instead of getting our own. That way we are saving calories AND money. A double whammy, lol! For me it's all about emotional eating. If i have a slice of pizza and realize i am full, I just have to quit eating. I used to just keep eating because it was good, but i'm learning how to listen to my body.
Also, working out is something i have to really try hard at too. I didn't work out for like 2 weeks in a row because i was stressed. I forced myself to run last night even though i REALLY didn't want to and I felt a ton better afterwards. I guess the things in life worth having are going to be hard work but worth it in the end! ;)
Go on hiatus: Only 6lbs? You're doing great. I sprained my ankle badly a while back. Combined with stress and other life events I gained WAY more than that. If you only gained 6lbs I'd say you're dong great!!!
ReplyDeleteGood Lord! I was all sad I didn't get any comments here - since I usually get an email when there's a comment. Sorry, I wasn't ignoring you ladies - I seriously thought no one read this post!
ReplyDeleteAndrea, the 6lbs puts me at a total 10 more than I would like to be, so that's no fun. I seem to go on "hiatus" way too often. It's an endless cycle, 3-4mos of eating well and working out, then I fall off for 2mos, then back on for 3-4mos. Spraining an ankle!!! That's a total legitamite excuse, so don't even stress about it. You're pretty much limited to sit-ups with a bum ankle! Hope you heal up soon!
Yea, Tina - I was reading your blog too and your point about eating the kids leftovers made me realize that I do it too. So yea, I've been better about whenever Addison is done eating a snack or meal, I just put it in tupperware or throw it away - don't eat it myself.
ReplyDeleteI'm not an emotional eater, I'm an "event" eater - like, if we decide to watch a movie or something, we'll "make a night of it" and want to snack or pig out in some way. And then I'm just a boredom eater. Those are my two biggest hurdles and I really need to work on that. I went back on Slim Fast for lunches at work, that usually is a good jump start for me. Now, if the weather would ever get above 30 degrees, I'd love to get back into running!!! UGH.