Eating Intuitively

I don’t know about you, but I just came off a holiday weekend filled with unhealthy eating.  A party Saturday night with chips, dips and tacos.  A barbecue Monday with grilled veggies, ribs, corn, ice cream, dirt pie and more!  So many calories and so little exercise.

Unfortunately, it’s not just one weekend.  Recently, I have been a little off course.  I haven’t followed my plan.  I might even be a little lost.

For so long, I had kept things together fairly well, and then little things began to slip here and there.  I missed one day of exercise.  It turned into two, then three and more.

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I was going to the gym every week to build muscle, but I have only been once in the last couple months.  I can feel the difference.  I was building muscle, and now I’m not.

I have been a little less careful about eating.  I was being very strict about my eating, but now I make some allowances where I have not before.

That’s the bad news.  The trick now is to get back on track and return to the level of healthy eating and exercising I attained previously.

The best way I am going to be able to accomplish this is by taking one day at a time.  I’ll start each day focused on my ultimate weight loss goal.  I’ll think about the success I have already achieved.

The silly part is that this should be easy.  When I get on the bike and exercise, I feel better.  I enjoy seeing the muscle I built.  I like seeing my body weight going down on the scale. 

I’m going to force myself to get back on track, and I’ll take time later to figure out how I got off track.  I have a goal.  I need to attain it.

What words of encouragement can you offer someone who has gotten off track with his or her healthy eating and exercise plan?  What works for you?

Breakfast:  Apple Strudel Bar; Egg; Banana; Crackers, wholegrain; Morning Coffee

Morning Snack:  Ham, low-fat; Banana

Lunch:  Pasta with Beef; Fennel Bulb

Afternoon Snack:  Honey Mustard Pretzel Sticks

Dinner:  Turkey Tetrazzini; Asparagus, cooked; Mandarin Oranges; Salad Dressing, light or reduced fat; Sweet Potato

Dessert:  Chocolate Pound Cake

Drinks:  Crystal Light

Exercise:  none

Pedometer:  none

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”  – Einstein

Lately, I may have been going insane.  Every weekday morning I’d wake up at 4:45am and expect to get on the exercise bike at 5am.  However, I’d check in with work, find something going awry, and end up not exercising.

Despite my track record, I continued to plan to wake up and exercise.  Each day I was unable to exercise due to my work obligations, I would be a little bummed.  Yet, I did not make a change to my routine.

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My first approach to this problem was “hoping” that the problems at work would just go away.  After all, things had not been this bad before.  It’s just a recent thing where my morning is completely sidetracked.  I’ve gotten over that, especially since I realized that I think there will actually be some relief with my work problems by the end of next month.

So, I have finally made the decision to move my exercise back to the afternoon, as soon as I get home from work.  It worked before, and it will work again.  I do see a couple scheduling conflicts, but I think they will be much more manageable than my morning challenges.

I actually prefer to exercise in the morning.  I like waking up and finishing my exercise for the day.  Plus, I also have more time in the evening to do other things.

I finally resolved to make the change, because I need to exercise, and I do not want it to slip.  Also, I am optimistic that the work issues will actually be resolved, and I can return to morning exercise in June.

What challenges have you faced with your exercise schedule, and what have you done to resolve them?

Breakfast: NutriCinnamon Squares Cereal; Cottage Cheese, 1% Fat; Applesauce, unsweetened; Bread, oatmeal; Morning Coffee

Morning Snack: Yogurt, nonfat; Cherries

Lunch: Beans & Ham Soup; Beets, cooked

Afternoon Snack: Honey Mustard Pretzel Sticks

Dinner: Ravioli Formaggio; Zucchini, cooked; Mandarin Oranges; Oil, canola, olive, peanut, safflower; Barley, cooked

Dessert: Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar

Drinks: Crystal Light

Exercise: none today.

Pedometer: ?

Sometimes getting from one place to another is easy.  There are no barriers, and you glide easily to your destination.

Other times, there can be major roadblocks between you and your goal.  To get around those obstacles, you may have to adjust your path or your strategy.  The same is true with attaining your health goals.

Eating the right food is important.  Exercising helps even more.  If you create a calorie-deficit, you may begin to lose weight. 

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EatingIntuitively.com is a paid affiliate of Nutrisystem, Inc.

Depending how much weight you have to lose, consistently burning more calories than you consume is necessary to reach your goal weight.  It could be weeks or months before you reach your goal weight. 

When the road gets rocky, it is very important to find a smoother path to your destination.  It could be a small adjustment to your diet.  It may be a change in the exercise you do or when you exercise.

I am on a rocky road now.  I missed my exercise this morning.  I ate a couple things not on my healthy eating plan.  I am working to get myself on a smooth path again.

I have already implemented some changes to my food.  I have replaced salad vegetables with cooked vegetables at lunch.  I’m also trying to determine if I am adding extra calories inadvertently.

Although I like finishing my exercise in the morning, it has been too easy for my obligations to my job to sidetrack my exercise.  I cannot let this happen any longer.  I really want to start the day successfully finishing my exercise.  It could mean I wake up earlier.  I don’t know yet.

I’m open to ideas.  I just want to get things running smoothly again real soon.  What ideas do you have?

Breakfast:  Cinnamon Bun Bar; Egg; Banana; Bread, whole-wheat; Morning Coffee

Morning Snack:  Ham, low-fat; Banana

Lunch:  Beans & Ham Soup; Zucchini, cooked

Afternoon Snack:  Zesty Herb Snack Mix

Dinner:  Rotini with Meatballs and Tomato Sauce; Zucchini, cooked; Mandarin Oranges; Oil, canola, olive, peanut, safflower; Barley, cooked

Dessert:  Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar

Drinks:  Crystal Light

Exercise:  none today.

Pedometer:  ?