HOW I WILL KEEP IT OFF THIS TIME

Baby Steps, Baby Steps, Baby Steps, Baby Steps,
Baby Steps!

That is why I have lost 33 pounds and will continue to keep loosing. It is the basis of my WHOLE plan. It is what is working for me and what I would recommend to anyone else trying to loose weight for good. (At the same time, I know we are all different and what works for me might not for you)

When I say Baby Steps, I MEAN Baby Steps.

I think I speak for A LOT of us fat people when I say "I have tried to loose weight so many times... I do well at first but then I gain or just loose motivation." And we just keep trying. We say- OK, on 'this' date I am going to stop eating all 'this' stuff, and work out 'this' many hours and only eat 'this' many calories. Right? EVERY time. At least for me, that's how it always went. (except for the calorie counting) I would start it, I would loose a little, then I would eat one of those things I forbid myself from eating. I would get mad at myself, and pick a new date to start since I ruined that whole week anyway.... and the cycle goes over and over and over again. This time is different...

I KNOW I AM NOT GOING TO GAIN ALL MY WEIGHT BACK. I am not even worried about this, AT ALL. Why? Because this time I am doing it smart. Because I refuse to keep doing the same things and expecting different results. Because I will NEVER go on a diet again. This time is so completely different from any other time I have tried to loose weight. It is different in SO many ways. I'll go more into all the differences other posts, but this one is about Baby Steps...

I have a LOT of weight to loose. I didn't gain this weight over night, and I can't change everything over night either. I do not have a goal weight, and this is on purpose. It would take me so long to get to a goal, that I might get discouraged or disappointed in how long it takes. I enjoy the milestones as I get to them. My next one will be getting out of the 280s, and it will take as long as it takes :) I am concentrating on one day at a time. I am trying to improve one week at a time. One of the main ways is the treadmill. I have gone a little longer or farther every week. It has been a slow climb, but that's part of taking baby steps. I am not overwhelming myself. Or making it so I will get to a point that I am bored with it and quit.

I have no delusions about my eating. I know it's FAR from perfect. I also know that without the treadmill I wouldn't have lost 33 pounds so far. I would have lost, but not as fast. In the first 5 weeks I did not exercise or do the treadmill ONCE. I lost 10 pounds anyway. After the 5 weeks I started on the treadmill, about 15 minutes when I could, and it wasn't every day. Then I made the goal of doing it EVERY day even if only for 10 minutes. (Then 15, Then 20, then 22.) Soon after, I started my Biggest Looser Walks, and went as long as I could while watching Biggest Looser once a week. I worked myself up to an hour, then more, till I got to 90 minutes. This took until last week, baby steps. Also this week I have worked my waking up to 1 mile a day. I didn't start there, I took small steps to get there. I think that has made all the difference.

Changing my eating is also happening in baby steps. On January 1st I started writing down everything I ate. For those first 5 weeks I had stopped drinking all pop, started drinking water and concentrated on smaller portions and THATS IT. I knew if I jumped in on the 1st, all gung ho and deprived myself of everything I love (like every other time) I would fail. Since I was doing so well, I then added walking. I made a food change, instead of chips I eat baby carrots. After a while, MORE changes. 'ONLY ONE' is a goal of mine when eating pizza or other foods like that. I don't always follow it, sometimes it's 2, but it's NEVER 5 anymore. Eventually I replaced white bread with 100% natural whole wheat. I started eating salads. I have slowly been adding more fruits and veggies. Very slowly, but surely. I drink only Fat free skim milk (unless I run out for a day, or am somewhere else that doesn't have it). I started keeping track of my calories, I don't have a limit, but it's good for me to know how many I have. These are all changes I have made gradually. I have a lot to work on with my eating, and I will. Slowly. I am over all OK with my eating right now. The main thing I need to work on now is fast food. 

I welcome and appreciate all comments and suggestions. I have taken a lot of them and changed, like the counting calories, eating whole wheat etc. Everything else I might not do right now like cutting out cabs, because I'm just not ready to. 'Why fix it if it ain't broken' is what comes to mind. Everyone that has a LOT to loose like me, seems to hit a point where nothing is working, and they can't loose anymore. I figure I am no different. I continue to improve slowly and continue to loose. When I come to that point, 'Plateau' is what most call it, THEN I might have to make more drastic changes. Such as cutting way down on carbs or quit eating cereal all the time, stop adding the cheese to my salads (and everything else lol). I know that day will come eventually. For now I have to concentrate on cutting back on the fast foods, eat more fruits and make sure I keep those portions in check. When I check those (or some of those) off my mental list, I will add something else and make more improvements. 

So that's the plan! So far so Good! Of COURSE I have bad days, where I eat to much or have fast food. The difference is, even on those bad days, I am conscious of HOW MUCH I'm eating not just mindlessly shoving it in my mouth. Also, one bad day doesn't ruin my whole outlook anymore either. 'Tomorrow is another day' is a good one, but for the first time I'm thinking "Dinner is another meal" and a chance to eat well even if I messed up for lunch. Not only do I not let these mistakes ruin my week, but I TRY not to let it ruin my day either.

One day at a time.

Moral of the Story: I'm not taking giant leaps and risking falling on my ass. I am making sure I don't fall, even if it takes longer- with Baby Steps.

OK, I think I am done rambling now :) So...
Here's My Day:
Breakfast: Nothing (slept in... WAY in lol)
Lunch: (473) Tuna Sandwich on whole wheat, 7 sun chips, 5 baby carrots 1 1/2 tbs light ranch, water
Snack: (450?)1/2 piece of chocolate cake with 1/2 cup ice cream, 6 oz whole milk
Dinner: (248) Large Romaine, carrot and broccoli salad with cheddar, croutons and 2 1/2 tbs light ranch, Water
Snack: (200) 1 cup MultiGrain Cheerios with 1 cup Fat Free Skim milk
Total Water: 24 oz (not enough)
Total Calories: 1371
A little less calories then usual. Not on purpose but it's fine with me! I got up late so I didn't have breakfast. After being at my mom's (where I ate the cake) I actually got into a bad mood, and didn't have an appetite. I ate the salad because I thought I should since I hadn't had much and still had to get on the treadmill. I did get hungry at about midnight and had the cheerios...
Treadmill: 27 minutes/1.01 miles
Tomorrow is Monday Weigh In, as I mentioned last week I am a little worried that my big loss means a little loss this week. Any loss will be fine with me, even a .1! I just hope I don't gain!!!