Fine by 2009: Week 4
Last week I asked you all about tips for curbing your appetite. Despite the fact that you all left some really great tips, I still managed to eat like a bear getting ready for hibernation. I have no excuses (well, of course I have them, but I won’t bore you with them.).
In addition to my terrible eating, I only managed to exercise two days. Since starting this challenge, I haven’t been able to reach my goal of exercising at least 4 days a week. This week will be the week. I am determined.
My determination stems from a clip I saw on Oprah of Gwyneth Paltrow talking about the fact that she can’t diet, but looks the way she does by constant exercise. She says:
“I just can’t do it … I think maybe it’s the idea that you can’t have something… It’s worth it to me to do that extra exercise so I can eat what I want and not think about it.”
I’d say she is doing something right.
My other motivation comes from the lack of movement in the opposite direction on my scale. I can’t be too upset because I was really thinking that I was going to gain weight from all the eating and I didn’t.
Since most people don’t check back, I thought I’d highlight a few of the tips for curbing your appetite from last week’s comments:
Marie, who is not participating in the challenge because she is VERY pregnant, offered 3 great suggestions:
1. Accessibility. People eat what’s convenient, no matter what it is. So make sure you always have healthy food that’s convenient and accessible.
2. If you just snack on small protein bits throughout the day, you’re more likely to eat more reasonable meals.
3. Another thing I recommend to a certain degree is chewing gum. It does two things: keeps your mouth busy, and helps you feel energetic and purposeful.
Carol says:
“I find the more I drink the less I wanna eat.”
Now I’m assuming she means water or some other healthy beverage and not margaritas. Though I think margaritas would offer the same benefit but I doubt they would aid in any kind of weight loss.
I agree with Carol. There have been times since starting this program that I thought I felt hungry but when I really stopped and listened to my body, it wasn’t food I was craving, but water. The key is not ignoring your body like I seem to do.
Mrs. N suggested brushing your teeth after every meal since not much tastes great with toothpaste.
These are all wonderful suggestions and I plan to put them into action this week.
This week, I have 2 questions about motivation.
1. What gets/keeps you motivated to stick to your plan? Is it trying to fit into your old skinny jeans? Is it seeing a picture of a skinny celebrity? Is it just wanting to have more energy and be healthier for your family?
For me, it is all of the above, but at the same time, none of the above. Let me explain. As much as I want to lose weight and look great, I can’t seem to resist the temptation of pizza, ice cream and the lure of just being lazy rather than doing a workout video.
I was thinking it might be a good idea to set some type of reward system for myself to help motivate myself to exercise consistently. The prize can’t be too expensive and I’m thinking that making it food related sort of defeats the purpose (dinner and dessert at the Cheesecake Factory was my initial thought).
I was thinking of setting the goal at 20 days with exercise (not necessarily in a row, just total). The faster I complete the 20 days the quicker I will be able to get my reward. Obviously, toning up and feeling more energetic is the ultimate reward, but for whatever reason that just doesn’t seem to be enough to motivate me. I’m thinking I need to bring in the big guns.
2. Do you have a mini-goal (days exercise, pounds lost, etc..)? What are some ideas for rewards that don’t cost a ton of money (ie-NOT a trip to Hawaii), but will be enough to motivate you to stick with your plan?
How did you do this week? Don’t forget to check in with a post or in the comments.
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13 Responses to “Fine by 2009: Week 4”
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My personal struggles have more to do with not “letting myself go” than with weight loss. But it’s not celebrities that inspire me, it’s when I see other women out and about IRL that haven’t let themselves go. I feel like such a frump next to them. But I really have no sense of fashion (or money!) and am terrible with hair. I really need to learn how to do my own hair.
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I guess my main motivation is that I simply don’t feel comfortable in my own skin and I want that to change. I know what I looked like in high school and even college, and I know what my family looks like as they age (not skinny). I want to beat my odds. I want to wear clothes that aren’t in the plus size section and don’t have an X in their size.
As for goals and rewards, so far I’ve done nothing with the rewards thing, but I am toying with the idea that for every 10, 20 pounds I lose I get some piece of clothing or a book perhaps? Maybe? Maybe put a dollar amount on it of what you can spend and know that if you wait to spend you can get something more expensive. So say, you lose 5 pounds, you can buy a $5 something but if you wait until you’ve lost say 20 pounds it’s $20. Now wouldn’t you like to lose 75-100 pounds?
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I’m in NO position to give advise about either, but I’ll be reading for tips. I need to lose weight by my next Dr. appt. in January, as in after Thanksgiving & Christmas. Wish me luck.
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[...] How close are you to looking fine by 2009? [...]
My ultimate motivation is seeing myself naked and thinking what the heck happened here? Well I know what happened I had a baby and immediately had another and that doesn’t make your body look pretty at all I assure you. I don’t care what the scales say when I look in the mirror and like what I see I will be happy. Simple as that. Plus I don’t ever expect to see perfection when I look in the mirror just reasonable change.
I have done pretty well this week slogging away just a repeat of last week so I didn’t feel a need to post. But I have decided to break my love affair with all caffeinated beverages. I had stopped a few months ago but got sucked back onto the bandwagon somehow so now I am back to water. Boring, dull, tasteless water.
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Thanks for the info and love your blog!!! You’ve just inspired me to reach one of my goals and have just finished a post about your questions and a couple of comments. Hope you stop by the psych ward and read them!!!
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[...] out Jen at Daily Mish Mash for more folks who are Looking Fine by 2009 Subscribe to Runningamuck by [...]
Just posted my answers. I love what Gwenyth said… and I hope it’s true for me. All my mini-goals are now centered around exercise!
Not that I’m a bag of Doritos every night or anything. I’m still watching that too. I just hope that once I get my exercise up I can afford to indulge a little more freely.
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Umm, always proof read… I’m NOT a bag of Doritos. If I was, I’d be an empty one! That’s supposed to read, “not that I’m EATING a bag of Doritos”!! lol.
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> jessica alba is my thinspiration. seeing her in workout outfits reminds me that if i really want to look fine by 2009 i really have to work for it..
> setting up a s.m.a.r.t. (specific measurable attainable realistice timely) goal.
>reward system: “I have the dress, now I just need the body to go into it then il be getting another dress or a sexy pump to go with the dress” something you really really like except food. hehe!
> journal. you actually inspire me to blog about my weight loss project. this way i could also keep track of myself.
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Ugh, I wish that I could figure out how to keep myself motivated! I have plenty of reasons that I want to get healthy, but I just can’t seem to keep my head in the game.
I intend to make a list of mini-goals for myself. I have intended to do so for the last few weeks, but I haven’t bothered to take the time to sit down and do it yet. I’m going to have to see if any of you have good ideas for me to steal!
Luck to all!
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I’m a little FRUSTRATED this week. I ate less than 1400 calories everyday (according to ‘the pyramid’ I’m supposed to stay under 1600, so I did extremely well) AND I exercised a good amount for me. I walked 1.5 miles three days, did a stomach workout one day and an arm workout another. And what do I get for all my effort? A weight loss of .7 pounds (that’s POINT seven as in less than 3/4 of a pound. ) I guess I’m still in a place where I can achieve my goal, which is 15 lbs lost by Christmas, but it is getting more difficult if I can’t get off atleast a full pound a week. At this point I don’t know what to do differently.
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I guess I am materialistic b/c my goal is usually a new pair of jeans. I recently splurged on an expensive pair of jeans b/c I reached my goal weight, although some stress in my life has caused me to once again be higher than that goal weight. Hmmmm, someone at that designer jeans shop is laughing at me right now, I’m sure of it.
My daily motivation was often just the satisfaction at the end of the day at seeing all my results – I am a planner/organizer at heart so I tracked everything at http://www.fitday.com – I really loved it and for some reason it worked for me. If it was late at night and I wanted a snack, I’d pull up my chart and realize I’d blow it if I added more calories . . . then I’d remember that I’d feel gross going to bed, and how hungry I would be at breakfast the next day if I didn’t gorge at bedtime.
Sometimes that worked, lol. Other times chips and dip became my best friends. It’s all about moderation
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