I knew it was time, and I finally did it.  I knew I had lost some ground with my weight loss, and I was not keeping track of my weight.

I didn’t want to do it.  I had gotten to that place where I didn’t even want to know.  It’s not a very good place, but that’s where I was.

When I did get on the scale this morning, boy was it a wake-up call.  It’s almost as if I blinked and someone added thirty pounds.  The only problem is that I did it…to myself!

Denying the Weight Gain

After I got on the scale the first time, I stepped off and weighed myself again.  There was a half-pound difference, so I got off the scale and got back on it.  The half-pound reappeared.

I just stood there in the bathroom, still trying to wake up and trying to get my mind around what the scale was telling me.  It couldn’t be right.  That’s thirty pounds.  That’s way too much.  The battery must be low.  Something must be wrong.

So Angry I Gained Weight

How could this be?  The goal was to lose weight.  I didn’t just go in the wrong direction just a little.  I gained back weight in a big way.  You don’t just have a bad weekend, or even a week, and gain thirty pounds.  It takes consistent effort.

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I then thought of how far I had gotten and where I would had I lost the thirty pounds instead of gaining them back.  I could be around 230 pounds instead of 290 pounds.

Can I Just Exercise More?

When I think of how I gained this thirty pounds, my mind immediately tries to figure out how to get this weight off fast.  At the same time, I don’t know if I’m ready to be really strict with my eating.  I want a little freedom to eat some other foods, and sometimes those foods are not great for me.

I’ve thought about exercising more.  Maybe I can exercise an hour each day, and that will offset my minor indescretions with food.  Then I realize I haven’t been exercising consistently.  I was exercising at least four and half hours per week, and now I am barely getting in two hours.  I just need to exercise like I was.

No Time to Dwell On It

It’s depressing when I think of the good work I’ve undone.  I worked hard to lose those thirty pounds, and it was almost effortless to gain them back.

Now that I know the number, I can look at myself in the mirror and almost see where all thirty pounds went.  I am also made aware by my clothes.  They don’t feel as loose as they did.

I’m sure there is other evidence of my weight gain, but it does me no good to spend time thinking about the extra weight.  I just need to get back to my really good habits.

Accepting and Moving On

I think I’ve done it.

First, I actually figured out what I did.  I gained thirty pounds.

Secondly, I accept I gained thirty pounds, and I’m ready to move on.

Lastly, I know how to lose weight, and I know I haven’t been doing it.  The good news I can re-focus my attention on my healthy eating and exercising plan, and I can lose weight again.  I can reach my goal of 200 pounds or less.

When a Gain is a Loss

What is the most important thing you do when you get off track and gain back weight you’ve already lost?  Everybody’s been there, and there are many different ways to handle it.  What has worked for you?  Please share your thoughts in the Comments.

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.

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

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.

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: ?

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. 

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:  ?

I woke up this morning at 4:45am as planned.  My routine has become logging into my work computer to check other computers at work.  For many days, I have checked the computers and all was okay.  Recently, however, the computers have been having problems.

So, instead of checking the computers and then getting on the exercise bike, I feel obligated to work on the computers at work and try to fix them.  Since my morning schedule is already pretty tight, an issue at work can easily impact my exercise routine.

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

I used to exercise in the afternoon.  I was pretty good at coming home and getting on the bike.  Issues with computers at work would rarely interfere with my afternoon exercise.

So, I am tempted to move my exercise back from the morning to the afternoon.  At the same time, I have gotten used to getting my exercise out of the way.  Plus, I am optimistic I can get the morning computer issues under control.  I am not ready to make a change now.

Tomorrow is a new day.  I’m hoping I will wake up and check the computers, then get on the exercise bike and finish my exercise for the day.  If not, I’ll seriously need to consider a change to the exercise plan.

What challenges have you had with your exercise plan?  Has an unexpected change in your schedule negatively affected your exercise routine?

Breakfast:  Lemon Poppyseed Muffin; Egg; Banana; Bread, oatmeal; Morning Coffee

Morning Snack:  Ham, low-fat; Banana

Lunch:  Chicken A la King; Boiled or Baked Spaghetti Squash with Salt

Afternoon Snack:  Honey Mustard Pretzel Sticks

Dinner:  HomeStyle Chicken Noodles with Gravy; Cauliflower, cooked; Mandarin Oranges; Oil, canola, olive, peanut, safflower; Sweet Potato

Dessert:  Golden Pound Cake

Drinks:  Crystal Light

Exercise:  none today.

Pedometer:  ?

Unfortunately, there is not much left of this week to salvage.  I can exercise tomorrow, and then I “Climb Miami” on Saturday.  I was caught off guard without a real good “Plan B”. 

This is a critical moment, however.  Although I am not on track to accomplish my exercise goal for the week, I cannot let this one missed weekly goal distract me from the big goal.  Next week is a new week.  I can start fresh and achieve my weekly exercise goal.

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

The big goal is to lose more weight.  Yes, I have lost ninety pounds or so, but I have many more to lose.  Another ninety pounds would not be out of the question.  I want to lose sixty-five more pounds at a minimum.

I haven’t been to the gym for strength-building exercise for a few weeks either.  The training for “Climb Miami” became the focus, but I do expect to return to the gym on May 2nd.

Hopefully, by acknowledging my shortcomings in my healthy eating and exercise plan, I will be able to move past them.  It is a must! 

How do you get around these rough patches in your plan?  How quickly are you able to bounce back?

Breakfast:  Lowfat Granola Cereal; Yogurt, nonfat; Cherries; Bread, whole-wheat; Morning Coffee

Morning Snack:  Egg; Mandarin Oranges

Lunch:  Noodles with Chicken and Vegetables; Cabbage, raw; FF Dressing

Afternoon Snack:  Zesty Herb Snack Mix

Dinner:  Roast Turkey Medallions; Cantaloupe; Oil, canola, olive, peanut, safflower; Sweet Potato; Fennel Bulb

Dessert:  Blueberry Parfait

Drinks:  Crystal Light

Exercise:  none today.

Pedometer:  ?

I must say this is unusual.  Computer problems happen here and there, but I don’t usually have problems two days in a row.

Aside from fixing the problem causing this obstacle to my morning exercise, I had another idea for doing some substitute exercise.  At work, I could take a walk.  Heck, a couple people have brought their bikes to work and went for bike rides at lunch.  I shouldn’t overlook the opportunity to exercise at lunch.

Yet another option would be to distribute the missed exercise among the rest of the days in the week.  It’s not a perfect solution, but it is feasible.

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

After missing the thirty minutes of exercise yesterday, I would just need to add ten minutes to my exercise on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  I don’t have much wiggle room in my schedule, but I could work with that.

Obviously, everything goes out the window when the computer issue persists.  What obstacles do you have to exercise?  If you have young children, how do you work around them to accomplish your exercise goals?

Breakfast:  Lemon Poppyseed Muffin; Cottage Cheese, 1% Fat; Applesauce, unsweetened; Bread, multigrain; Morning Coffee

Morning Snack:  Egg; Mandarin Oranges

Lunch:  Pasta with Beef; Mushrooms, raw; FF Dressing

Afternoon Snack:  Honey Mustard Pretzel Sticks

Dinner:  Shrimp Alfredo; Mandarin Oranges; Oil, canola, olive, peanut, safflower; Couscous, cooked; Boiled or Baked Spaghetti Squash with Salt

Dessert:  Ice Cream Sandwich

Drinks:  Crystal Light

Exercise:  none today.

Pedometer:  ?

When I logged on this morning, one of the computers was going a little crazy, and things were out of whack.  Generally, I check things, and we’re in pretty good shape.  Today, I had to jump into action, since things were going downhill fast.

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

While I was working on the computer problem, I was not able to exercise.  So, my renewed focus on exercise suffered a minor distraction today. 

I know computer issues are a possibility, but I do not want them to have the ability to derail my exercise plan.  I need a plan B.  I am toying with a couple options.

One option is to address the computer issue until it is resolved then exercise.  Yes, this will mess up my morning schedule, and I’ll get to work later than expected.  However, I like to get to work early and leave early.  I don’t want my late arrival to indicate I need to work late.  I was already up and working real early.

Another option is to come home and exercise, however there are other things I want to do when I get home.  So, as a result of work, I’ll need to move my personal life around.  It’s hard for me to accept.

I know people are able to deal with this on a daily basis.  Do you have a job that gets you up at all times of the day?  How do you manage to keep your exercise schedule?

Breakfast:  Apple Strudel Bar; Egg; Banana; Bread, rye; Morning Coffee

Morning Snack:  Chicken Breast; Banana

Lunch:  Pasta with Beef; Cabbage, raw; FF Dressing

Afternoon Snack:  Cheese Puffs

Dinner:  Glazed Chicken Tenders; Lettuce, green or red leaf; Oil, canola, olive, peanut, safflower; Sweet Potato; Boiled or Baked Spaghetti Squash with Salt

Dessert:  Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pudding

Drinks:  Crystal Light

Exercise:  none

Pedometer:  ?

That’s what happened to me last week.  I went to the gym on Monday to train for “Climb Miami”, and that was it.  I am used to exercising at home, but it was necessary to go to the gym to train on the stair climber.  When I woke up on Tuesday, I just didn’t want to go through the whole ordeal of getting to the gym.  Even worse, I didn’t get on the recumbent bike at home.

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

It took me a little while to change gears.  I knew I should be training for the 55-story, 1,210-step “climb”, and the stair climber is a really good way to do it.  However, my desire to exercise at home is greater than exercising at the gym.  Although I knew I should be going to the gym, I just couldn’t get my head straight about my exercise plan for the rest of the week.  And I didn’t exercise over the weekend either.

I did, however, get focused this week, and I was on the recumbent bike this morning at 5am.  There were moments where riding the bike was really difficult, but I made it through the entire thirty minutes.  I am determined to continue the entire week.  As soon as the bike becomes easier, I am going to be increasing my target heart rate from 138 to somewhere near 155.

I think the key discovery that motivated me to get on the bike is that I am not yet riding the recumbent bike at my peak level.  Since I have room to increase the intensity of my morning exercise, I also have room to accelerate my rate of weight loss.  That’s motivating.

What motivates you to lose weight?  How do you keep super-focused on your weight-loss goals?

Breakfast:  Cranberry Orange Pastry; Egg; Banana; Bread, rye; Morning Coffee

Morning Snack:  Ham, low-fat; Banana

Lunch:  Beans & Ham Soup; Cucumber; FF Dressing

Afternoon Snack:  BBQ Soy Chips

Dinner:  Tender Beef with Portobello Mushrooms; Asparagus, cooked; Strawberries; Oil, canola, olive, peanut, safflower; Sweet Potato

Dessert:  Golden Pound Cake

Drinks:  Crystal Light; water

Exericse:  30 minutes on recumbent bike at 138 bpm.  16.67% of weekly exercise goal is complete.

Pedometer:  ?

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

I think the shipment includes the foods I know and love.  I believe the frozen foods will come a little bit later, delivered by Schwan’s.

I noticed that the food choices in my NutriSystem account have changed to reflect the new NutriSystem Select foods.  I can’t wait to try the Steak and Cheese Melt, the Golden French Toast, and the Apple Crisp.  If they are anything like the regular versions Schwan’s sells, that’ll be great.

Schwan’s foods are typically very easy to prepare.  Since NutriSystem foods are easy to prepare, too, I expect the NutriSystem Select foods to be easy to prepare as well.

Schedule Stress

In other news, I am still adjusting to my morning exercise routine.  It’s nice to get the exercise out of the way, and I like that I’ll be exercising more.  However, it is a bigger adjustment than I thought it would be.

My mornings are rushed now, and my stress level is a little bit higher as a result.  When I get home, I do have a lot more time, but I am not full of energy.  I think my afternoon exercise served to refresh me a little bit.

Despite the difficulty with the new schedule, I am not ready to abandon it.  I figure I need to give it some more time, say, at least a week.  I’ll re-evaluate it then.  I’ve also had a high level of stress at work this week, so I can’t say I’ve given the new schedule a fair shot yet.

How long does it take you to adjust to a new schedule?  Is one week long enough?  Is it two weeks or longer?  Please find the comments section below and speak your mind.

Breakfast:  Blueberry Muffin; Egg; Cherries; Bread, oatmeal; Morning Coffee

Morning Snack:  Yogurt, nonfat; Cherries

Lunch:  Pasta with Beef; Mushrooms, raw; FF Dressing

Afternoon Snack:  Honey Mustard Pretzel Sticks

Dinner:  Turkey Tetrazzini; Carrots, cooked; Mandarin Oranges; Oil, canola, olive, peanut, safflower; Sweet Potato

Dessert:  Mint Chocolate Crunch Bar

Drinks:  Crystal Light; water

Exercise:  30 minutes on recumbent bike at 138 bpm.  That’s 50% of my weekly exercise goal of 180 minutes.

Pedometer:  ?