Habit Change

I came across a fantastic article yesterday about habit change. Basically it explained why some goals are very, very difficult to realize, but then went through ways assure obtaining them.

Bottom Line: "Increase positive feedback and/or decrease negative feedback until the ratio favors the habit change."

Quickie

Don't have a lot of time to write, but I wanted to say that things are going much better the last couple of days. I've even taken it upon myself to buy lots of healthy veggies to snack upon and cooked a couple of fast healthy meals. Will update more over the weekend.

You mean I'm not infallible?

Wow, it's been 3 weeks since I've last posted. And here's what I've figured out since then: I CAN'T DO THIS WITHOUT HELP!

The last few weeks have been discouraging, to put it lightly. I've gained weight (I'm a bit scared to actually find out how much) and lost the control over my eating habits that I had gained. I guess you could say I fell off the wagon. Completely off.

I've never been one to seek extra help. In my mind it's akin to admitting weakness and showing others that I'm not infallible. Which I would very much like to be and would liked others to think I am. In school I never asked for help and at work I'm more likely to try my best to figure things out before running to someone else. Sometimes my independence is a great quality to have, but it just hasn't been working with my weight loss goals. I need serious help. And I've decided to join Weight Watchers to get the help I need. It'll give me a good support group and people to teach me what I need to do to be successful. Tomorrow's going to be my first day, wish me luck!

Anyway, I've also decided to make myself blog at least every other day. That way I can't ever go to long without out accepting responsibility for my actions.

Ooo, That Hurts

I finally did it, I weighed myself. It's been a VERY long time since I've done it. Maybe back in the day when I got mono and had to go to the doctor's office. And since then I've gained about 40 lbs! Ouch!

But it's going to be okay. I feel like this is a very good step in the right direction. I've admitted that I need to strictly monitor what I take in and that I have a problem doing that efficiently. Buying a scale for regular use is going to help in that endeavor. Right? And without further ado, the grand total comes to: 219.4 lbs.

I guess part of the shock factor comes from the fact that since that long ago weigh in, I have surpassed the 200 mark. And that I need to lose about 40 lbs. to become non-obese. Still, knowledge is power and I'm glad and a bit relieved to know exactly where I stand.

For some much happier news, I went running again today. I did 3 miles at a little faster pace and added a bit of sprint work into the mix. I'm especially proud that I did my run even though my body just wasn't feeling it today. Hooray!

Goals for tomorrow:
* Weightlifting & walking
* Throw out all the tempting junk food in my house
* Come up with a healthy lunch I can have regularly

The Anticipation is Killing Me!

Yesterday was awful. Downright awful. I didn't stick to any of my goals and overate like food was going out of style. I've started to notice that on days I run I don't eat as much. It's not because I think, "I just killed myself for an hour and I better not ruin all my hard work." Rather I just feel like eating less and I crave healthier food. Which makes me think that I should maybe be exercising every day instead of 4 times a week. Throw a little cross training into the mix.

The problem is that I'm not really sure what I'd do for cross training. I don't really want to make my way to the gym for a short workout and the options I have at home are limited. I could jump rope, but in the past jump roping has really done a number on my feet and knees. I could run stairs, but I tend to think my neighbors won't really enjoy me pounding up and down the stairs multiple times. Not to mention stair laps are completely miserable. The easiest thing would be some light weight lifting, sit-ups, push-ups, etc. I'm just not sure that it would have the same affect on my appetite as aerobic exercise does. Still, it would help with my running, so I think I'll give it a trial-run for the next week or so.

In other news, tonight is my first weigh-in! Yikes! It'll be the first time I've actually weighed myself since before I can remember. I've always just sort of guessed at my weight based on my pant size and height. Wish me luck!

working it 4 miles at a time

The weekend:

I did not get to my Saturday run like I should have. I told myself that if I started doing too many miles too soon, I would just be setting myself up for injury. Which is true, but I'm sure doing a mile or two wouldn't have any detrimental effects on my body.

I did however work on my goals to set up a routine eating schedule. Three smaller meals with healthy snacks in between. I wasn't perfect, but I did make some real meals. Instead of popping a frozen pizza into the oven or eating random food around the house.

Today:

I ran 4 miles on the treadmill and it felt awesome. I took it at a slow jogging pace, but threw in some faster 1:00 intervals at mile two. It's amazing how much I loathe and love running. It's so difficult to make myself keep going when my lungs and legs are burning, but when I get through it I'm filled with an amazing sense of accomplishment. I also get a kick out of telling my non-athletic skinny friends that "I went four miles today." And then asking if they want to come next time. Mwahahaha.

Goals to focus on this week:

*Solidify an eating schedule
*Get three more days of running in
*Go weight lifting one day
*Buy a scale for my first weigh-in

Consistently Inconsistent

Okay.... So after some brief observation of my personal eating habits, I realize that I'm completely screwed up. Not only do I eat way to much junk way too often, I eat really inconsistently.

For example - today I had some peaches for breakfast but then didn't eat again until 3:00 when I had a large lunch because I was starving. But because I ate so much at lunch I wasn't hungry for dinner at a normal time. But the hunger pangs struck at 11:00 and that just can't be very good for a body. Conclusion: My eating habits are consistently wacked up.

So here are the goals as far as food goes:

1) Eat 3 medium size meals at consistent times
2) Eat 2 small snacks in between meals
3) Stop putting junk into my body
4) Replace the junk with healthy options such as whole grains, fruits, & veggies.

Of course I'm not going to try and tackle them all at once, but I think I'll try for achieving #1 this weekend.

Hello Running Shoes & Blogosphere!

I've decided to do something about my weight and start running. Seriously running that is. It's always been such a painful sport because of my somewhat rotund self and I figure if I can develop a love of running, some of that rotund self will disapear.

I can already run up to ~5 miles on a good (really good) day, so I'm not a total newbie to the sport. I would like to eventually gain enough stamina to run a half-marathon. Maybe even a full marathon someday.

Today was a good start. I hit the gym and treadmilled my way through 3 miles straight. I didn't go at a particularly fast pace, but it was steady and challenging.

Thursday's Accomplishment: 3 mile run @ 4.5mph

Friday's Goal: Weight Lifting