Sarah's Weight Loss Plan

[Sunshine]

So at the moment I am 8 kgs/18 lbs overweight. I'd definitely like to lose that weight, and about 4 more kilos after that, making a total weight loss goal of 12 kilos/26 pounds.
I haven't been able to weigh myself for about a week because the batteries in our scales are flat, and we've been a bit short on money lately, so I don't really know where I stand with my weight at the moment. But hopefully I'll get that sorted shortly.

Anyway, here are a few things I'm working on at the moment.

Fitness

I'm currently jogging round the block 3-4 times a week. It's not really a lot but it pushes me that's for sure. I'm trying to slowly build my fitness level up so I can run faster and for longer.

I'm also thinking about getting my old jump rope from my parents house and doing a bit of that a few times a week. The last time I jump roped I was absolutely hopeless haha, but one can only try, and I figure it would be a good form of exercise.

Food

I've decided that I don't want to go on a diet. I've tried diets before and they never work for me, and they usually leave me feeling pretty depressed. So instead I'm going to slowly cut back on things that are bad for me.

I used to drink 3-4 glasses of fizzy a day, which is DISGUSTING. Right now I've cut back to no more than 2, and eventually I want to allow myself only 1 a day. I don't want to say I can't have any and completely cut it out of my life because I know I'll end up caving and feel bad, and I don't want to completely deprive myself of anything. Who knows, I might end up deciding I don't want any anyway. Oh and definitely trying to drink a lot more water!

As for food, I'm trying to cut back my portion sizes, and incorporate a lot more fruit into my diet. I'm replacing potato chips with rice crackers, and I've started eating multi-grain bread instead of white (I don't know if there is much difference between the two, but I do feel healthier eating multi-grain).

Umm I don't know if there's anything else at the moment. Sorry this post turned into a novel haha. Any advice or ideas would be great to hear

[Kat]

I've started jump rope a little lately but I'm totally hopeless. I do about 30 seconds stop and go 'Yup, that's good. I'm done."

Sounds like your food goals will be pretty effective. I saw something on tv awhile ago about how much sugar there is in each cup of soda (something like a quarter or more) and it's awful. If you cut back that much it will make a huge difference.

I also read the other day that if you drink soda when eating, it contains a certain chemical that tricks the brain into thinking it's hungry even when the body has actually eaten enough, so it makes you overeat.

[onlymystory]

Yeah the soda with food is like the worst one. I stepped away from that first and I'm down to a soda like every other day now. When I started cutting down soda I was like 3-4 a day too and it took about 4 months to get to this point. But I have more energy now. And if you can at least switch to diet while you're easing off that will help.

I think I'm the same way on jump-roping. Like 20 seconds and done. But I remember reading once that like 10 minutes of jump-roping is the calorie burning equivalent of 30 minutes of running!

I think its good to not do a diet. The exercise plan I'm using encourages portion control too. I've got colored blocks to represent each serving of each food group I need and it may be cheesy but I keep 2 glasses and start with them in one and as I eat a serving, move the block to the other glass. Its really simple but its helping me especially with eating enough fruits & veggies cause that's tough for me. And on the bread thing, multigrain is insanely better than white. White is full of sugar and preservatives to make it white while multigrain doesn't have any of that but does have plenty of fiber. Just go with multigrain and not wheat. Wheat is barely better than white.

Sounds like you've got an awesome plan, Sarah!

[Kat]

How are you doing with your plan Sarah?

[Sunshine]

I just started a new job a few weeks ago and have been having problems with anxiety, so I haven't really been paying much attention to my plan Once I get into a depressed state I find it really hard to get motivated. One good thing though is I haven't been snacking as much as I used to, and the fizzy thing is going well. Lately I've only been having one glass a day.

[Kat]

Apr 25, 2010 2:41:39 GMT -5 Sunshine said:

I just started a new job a few weeks ago and have been having problems with anxiety, so I haven't really been paying much attention to my plan Once I get into a depressed state I find it really hard to get motivated. One good thing though is I haven't been snacking as much as I used to, and the fizzy thing is going well. Lately I've only been having one glass a day.

Good job on the fizzy. Even if you're changing one unhealthy habit it is making a difference. Sometimes it's easier to do things gradually rather then everything at once.

[Sunshine]

Soo I weighed myself the other day and I've lost 3 kilos. I was suffering from really bad insomnia for about a week which caused me to have a low appetite, so that could be why I lost weight, but I like to think that it wasn't the full reason. We got a new puppy 3 weeks ago so I've been going for walks every day with him, and I've been snacking a lot less than I used to.

I also just tried on two pairs of jeans in my usual size and they were both too big for me. It brought a huge smile to my face

[onlymystory]

That's awesome! Congratulations1 Although I hope the insomnia problem gets better. Did you try any of the tips in this month's health guide on insomnia? The yoga one was good for me. (See how I plugged the article, )

[Kat]

Congrats Sarah. Sounds like you're doing well and doing it in a healthy way. Puppies (like young children) are certainly good for exercise and weight loss. hehe

[Sunshine]

May 26, 2010 2:34:16 GMT -5 onlymystory said:

That's awesome! Congratulations1 Although I hope the insomnia problem gets better. Did you try any of the tips in this month's health guide on insomnia? The yoga one was good for me. (See how I plugged the article, )

Thanks Yeah my insomnia is all gone now. The reason I had it was because it was a side effect of a medication I was on, so there wasn't too much I could do for it. I did read and enjoy the article though, will come in handy one day.