Eating Intuitively

Diet and Exercise Struggle

Wow, look at that.  It has been more than a month since I last wrote anything, and, as you’ve suspected, the reasons are not good.  Healthy eating and exercise slipped away from me, and, before I knew it, I had gained back twenty pounds!

It’s really scary to see how easy it is for the weight to come back.  The combination of almost no exercise and eating a lot of what I wanted immediately put me on a path to my previous weight.  That can never happen.  I need to stop this now.

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Very Unhealthy Eating

For a little while there, I started eating restaurant food again.  I had forgotten how big the portions are, but I eagerly ate everything on my plate.  In the back of my mind, I was calculating the calories and realizing how easily I was exceeding my 1,500-calorie plan.

Sinking my teeth into something like the Sausage Egg and Cheese McGriddle sandwich at McDonald’s caused such an internal conflict.  On one hand, it tastes really, really good.  On the other hand, I can taste the excessive amount of butter and sugar.

Exercise Plan Slips Away

I went from exercising seven days a week to sleeping in each morning.  Yes, I was riding my recumbent bike each weekday.  I would go to the gym for muscle-building exercises on Saturday.  Sunday was open for any kind of fun exercise.

I woke up one day, and I didn’t exercise.  It was hard to get up the next day and the day after that.  When Saturday arrived, I didn’t think I could lift weights, because I hadn’t been active the days before.

Sunday is a little bit more complicated.  Fun exercise should be easy.  However, in the middle of summer in Florida, it gets extremely hot and early in the morning, too.  It makes it difficult to enjoy outdoor hiking or biking.  So, I go looking for indoor (read cooler) exercises, and I find it hard to do.  I need to get more creative.

Body Weight Management

So, the last four or five weeks have been quite a lesson/reminder.  Whatever the reason is, my body gains weight really easily.  If I eat unhealthy foods and fail to exercise, the body weight comes back quickly.  I should expect that; it’s just the speed that surprises me.

As I look forward, I realize I need to continuously manage my food well, and I need to exercise.  These are not bad things.  Great things can still be eaten.  Exercise can feel great.  I will feel great.

New Focus on Weight Management

I have had a little setback.  Instead of twenty pounds closer to my goal, I am twenty pounds more away.  I’ve been reminded of a valuable lesson about my body, and I need not forget it.

This morning, I woke up and exercised.  It wasn’t as bad as I was making it in my head.  Once I set the tone for the day, it was relatively easy to eat healthy foods.  If you started the day exercising, your mind almost won’t let you ruin it.