So since I've been working on listening to my body during all of this and all, I decided to take Sunday and Monday off from any cardio and rest. I still ate what I was suppose to but I noticed the beginnings of shin splints and thought rest would be best....(not meaning to rhyme or anything)
This was tough!!! I felt like I was failing and being lazy....just for taking two days off! Whats happened to me?!
Then I realized, I've already made exercise a habit!
How is it possible that me....lazy, 3rd shifter that would rather sleep than anything else...how did I get into the habit of exercising and not even notice????
It's all seemed easy, slowly easing myself in little by little, and yes I may still be going at a turtle pace but I am actually to the point of really enjoying working out, even if it's a little walk or jog.
And so continues my road to a new more active life.....
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Rehab? do they have that for soda-holics???
I now know how drug addicts feel! Feigning for the one thing that will give you your fix. The headaches...the weakness....all because....I GAVE UP DR. PEPPER!
Not just Dr. Pepper, but ALL sodas....but lets add another log to the fire....I also gave up fast food
Yep I said it, the impossible happened! The overnight worker who had gotten her meals regularly from gas stations and fast food restaurants, all while sipping the only legal addictive stimulant we all seem to be addicted too...where is she?.....its all gone...changing.
Not only that, my boyfriend decided he was going to get on the healthy track too and gave up those as well.....you should have seen us last week....two cranky drug addicts adjusting to a new life...I feel for anyone that had to be around us.
But I will say, that after the headaches went away, the craving also went away....and so have pounds!
Its amazing how much better I feel after only 3 weeks at changing things....I can only imagine how things are going to be in the next few months!
Not just Dr. Pepper, but ALL sodas....but lets add another log to the fire....I also gave up fast food
Yep I said it, the impossible happened! The overnight worker who had gotten her meals regularly from gas stations and fast food restaurants, all while sipping the only legal addictive stimulant we all seem to be addicted too...where is she?.....its all gone...changing.
Not only that, my boyfriend decided he was going to get on the healthy track too and gave up those as well.....you should have seen us last week....two cranky drug addicts adjusting to a new life...I feel for anyone that had to be around us.
But I will say, that after the headaches went away, the craving also went away....and so have pounds!
Its amazing how much better I feel after only 3 weeks at changing things....I can only imagine how things are going to be in the next few months!
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Turtle/Hare situation
Yay!!! For me its working! My plan of adapting my healthy choices to my lifestyle is working!!!
It's such a relief to see numbers dropping! And I know it's slow but for me I'm fine with slow, slow and steady wins the race right??!?
I'm averaging 1 to 2 lbs a week and it feels great! I'm noticing small changes in my body, as well as in my fitness level.....its amazing. And as long as I keep in mind that this isn't a quick fix, its a slow permanent change....then I'm pretty sure I'll be fine.....
It's such a relief to see numbers dropping! And I know it's slow but for me I'm fine with slow, slow and steady wins the race right??!?
I'm averaging 1 to 2 lbs a week and it feels great! I'm noticing small changes in my body, as well as in my fitness level.....its amazing. And as long as I keep in mind that this isn't a quick fix, its a slow permanent change....then I'm pretty sure I'll be fine.....
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
who is the devil that put that yummy s'more in my belly!
End of week three!!! Alright I have to admit its been tough and interesting....and always a constant learning experience. But I’m excited for tomorrow to see how much its paying off.
Now I’m not a crazy health freak...I did have a not so healthy day on Saturday but thats ok....it was bound to happen. I had friends over and everyone brought a dish, it’d be rude not to try it right??? (I say try, I mean scarf like its going out of style)
So to make up for it Sunday I got right back into the swing of things. I DID NOT try to compensate by cutting my next day calories too low or exercising too much...NO I just got back in to things just as if nothing happened.
I figure I’d try that rather than kill myself, as in punish myself. Because really, I don’t see it as punishment...yes I ate really really bad one day...but thats one day. Doesn’t mean its going back into a cycle and it doesn’t mean I screwed up. I can just give myself that day as a free day.
Since this past week I have actually decided that I would give myself one free day a week, not a free day to go crazy and devour everything in sight but a free day in that I won’t beat myself up for everything I do that day.....lets see if it worked for me
Sunday, January 22, 2012
magic pill/crash diet+you=epic fail
its not rocket science!!! let me break it down for you....
3500 calories equal one pound....you need to eat 3500 less calories a week to lose one pound a week......a simple 500 calories a day
500 calories!!! not difficult, not impossible...but it will take some discipline
No magic shake, no mystical pill....it'll take work but its not impossible
Here is the major problem though....your body needs a certain amount of calories just to survive, cutting your calories too short, too quick is just going to freak out your body making it actually work against you.
Think of your body as the steam engine of a train...and the food you put in your body is the coal. There has to be a certain amount of food put in to make it function to its full potential.
Soooo many times people go on these crash diets that limit their calories too low all while working out constantly....what does this do??? NOTHING but work against you! Cutting things cold turkey without easing your body into it will literally FREAK OUT your body....when your body freaks out it assumes you've crashed on some deserted island and needs to preserve all the fat for survival.
All this in mind is exactly why I kept track of what I was normally putting in my body...then just took out some bad things that would bring me to my 3500 a week less than normal. And well...so far its worked for me....now I know its not fast but this is not some crazy crash diet....this is me, making a permanent change
So be patient....and use common sense
3500 calories equal one pound....you need to eat 3500 less calories a week to lose one pound a week......a simple 500 calories a day
500 calories!!! not difficult, not impossible...but it will take some discipline
No magic shake, no mystical pill....it'll take work but its not impossible
Here is the major problem though....your body needs a certain amount of calories just to survive, cutting your calories too short, too quick is just going to freak out your body making it actually work against you.
Think of your body as the steam engine of a train...and the food you put in your body is the coal. There has to be a certain amount of food put in to make it function to its full potential.
Soooo many times people go on these crash diets that limit their calories too low all while working out constantly....what does this do??? NOTHING but work against you! Cutting things cold turkey without easing your body into it will literally FREAK OUT your body....when your body freaks out it assumes you've crashed on some deserted island and needs to preserve all the fat for survival.
All this in mind is exactly why I kept track of what I was normally putting in my body...then just took out some bad things that would bring me to my 3500 a week less than normal. And well...so far its worked for me....now I know its not fast but this is not some crazy crash diet....this is me, making a permanent change
So be patient....and use common sense
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
plan breakdown....and go
What works for you? Is it the shake diets? Extreme calorie counting diet? No carb/gym rat/fasting diet? Have you had success with any of those? Maybe for a little bit but did it ever last?
For me I know the answer, hell no!
Personally I'm sick of everything NOT working, I'd rather complain about how I'm going to decide what bathing suit to show off rather than complain about needing to get in shape.
So this has been my challenge....to see what worked for me and being a 3rd shifter, that wasn't always easy....here's what I've done so far
week one: eat normal then write down everything, add it up. This will give you an idea of what your doing to yourself.
week two: make small changes to your eating style, not calorie counting but just being more conscious of what goes into the body. Also a little exercise, make a vow to do 20 minutes of "something" every other day....to ease into things
Alright now this is week 3 for me and I've done my research, the best and true way to lose is to eat healthy/exercise....duh! We all know this.
So I've decided that instead of cutting my calorie intake to 1200, I would start out by consuming around 1600....this is a completely doable number for me, then after a week or so, gradually deduct 500 calories so my body really doesn't realize the change, until I get to around 1250 a day.
It may take me a long time to get to that calorie intake goal but this way I will never feel like I'm depriving myself and my body might not even know the small change(think, 500 calories could just me limiting soda intake...which I need to do anyway). And really, who cares if it takes a while, this is a permanent change for me, not an overnight "diet".
Being a 3rd shifter I do have to take into consideration, my "daily" schedule. For instance, I wake up at 3pm on tuesday, I may not eat "dinner" until around 3am on wednesday morning, but for me, it's still my tuesday. So instead of looking at days of the week, I'm keeping track from wakeup to bedtime. I'm finding this a little difficult on the app I have in my phone allowing me to write down everything I eat, but if it's 3am "wednesday" morning I can always hit the back button and continue to log my stuff in for my "tuesday".
we'll see how it goes, but also I've been weighing myself only once a week too...even though I've been tempted to weigh more, just to keep a more accurate check....so far, not too shabby....but this weeks weigh in is tomorrow so we'll see if my small changes are making any difference!
For me I know the answer, hell no!
Personally I'm sick of everything NOT working, I'd rather complain about how I'm going to decide what bathing suit to show off rather than complain about needing to get in shape.
So this has been my challenge....to see what worked for me and being a 3rd shifter, that wasn't always easy....here's what I've done so far
week one: eat normal then write down everything, add it up. This will give you an idea of what your doing to yourself.
week two: make small changes to your eating style, not calorie counting but just being more conscious of what goes into the body. Also a little exercise, make a vow to do 20 minutes of "something" every other day....to ease into things
Alright now this is week 3 for me and I've done my research, the best and true way to lose is to eat healthy/exercise....duh! We all know this.
So I've decided that instead of cutting my calorie intake to 1200, I would start out by consuming around 1600....this is a completely doable number for me, then after a week or so, gradually deduct 500 calories so my body really doesn't realize the change, until I get to around 1250 a day.
It may take me a long time to get to that calorie intake goal but this way I will never feel like I'm depriving myself and my body might not even know the small change(think, 500 calories could just me limiting soda intake...which I need to do anyway). And really, who cares if it takes a while, this is a permanent change for me, not an overnight "diet".
Being a 3rd shifter I do have to take into consideration, my "daily" schedule. For instance, I wake up at 3pm on tuesday, I may not eat "dinner" until around 3am on wednesday morning, but for me, it's still my tuesday. So instead of looking at days of the week, I'm keeping track from wakeup to bedtime. I'm finding this a little difficult on the app I have in my phone allowing me to write down everything I eat, but if it's 3am "wednesday" morning I can always hit the back button and continue to log my stuff in for my "tuesday".
we'll see how it goes, but also I've been weighing myself only once a week too...even though I've been tempted to weigh more, just to keep a more accurate check....so far, not too shabby....but this weeks weigh in is tomorrow so we'll see if my small changes are making any difference!
Saturday, January 14, 2012
End of week 2 for me....yikes!
Sucess!!! Ok with the anticipation of my slight indulgence on my night off from work I decided to pre-workout in order to counteract all the useless crap I may consume....and turns out, when I did that, I was already in a healthy mindset and ended up not overindulging like I thought!
I know, I know....I was a skeptic too thinking that exercise wouldn't make you want to eat better, but I'm a believer now! I did eat what I wanted and had some beers, BUT(and I think this is all because of exercise) I did in moderation.
My only downfall this week was last night at work, I did have some delicious cookies that I shouldn't have and probably went over my calories (not sure cause I didnt add them all), BUT today I made up for it(I hope) by working my ars off at the gym....and if I can do ok at work tonight, all should be well.
So we shall see....
But atleast I have learned something, in my past couple weeks of this new plan....personalize for you, take things in moderation, plan ahead if you can(extremely important!), but if you can't don't take it as a complete flop....just work a little harder the next day!
Shhhh I also feel better than I have in a while, so something must be workin....
I know, I know....I was a skeptic too thinking that exercise wouldn't make you want to eat better, but I'm a believer now! I did eat what I wanted and had some beers, BUT(and I think this is all because of exercise) I did in moderation.
My only downfall this week was last night at work, I did have some delicious cookies that I shouldn't have and probably went over my calories (not sure cause I didnt add them all), BUT today I made up for it(I hope) by working my ars off at the gym....and if I can do ok at work tonight, all should be well.
So we shall see....
But atleast I have learned something, in my past couple weeks of this new plan....personalize for you, take things in moderation, plan ahead if you can(extremely important!), but if you can't don't take it as a complete flop....just work a little harder the next day!
Shhhh I also feel better than I have in a while, so something must be workin....
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Challenge
Alright so I realized that if it's me, home, with no plans what so ever I have no problems eating right and moving my badonkadonk a little, my issues stem from when I leave home. Going out to eat, the occasional drinks with friends....
HOW am I suppose to eat healthy AND have a life?!
This will be a challenge. A challenge that I epically failed last weekend. But need to come up with a plan, so when the situation presents itself again I will be prepared.
HOW am I suppose to eat healthy AND have a life?!
This will be a challenge. A challenge that I epically failed last weekend. But need to come up with a plan, so when the situation presents itself again I will be prepared.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
here we go! at glacier speed!!!!
Back on track and all ready to get healthy, I went to bed this morning with all intentions of waking up after a few hours to go walk with a friend and begin my "to do" list.....however, another curse of being on 3rd shift is....even though tonight I'm off work and can sleep like a "normal" human, I still could not get myself out of bed early and ended up sleeping like I normally do....like a rock!
Well this rock hopefully made up for it this afternoon. My kids got home from work and they were wired, ofcourse, so I decided we'd go on a bike ride/jog...meaning I jog(or walk faster than normal) and they ride their bikes. We did good, I let them go ahead of me...mainly because a snail passed me on the sidewalk...but we made it home safely and without the help of medical professionals.
Yes, this week I am attempting to add exercise in my routine. Now I'm not planning on killing myself with hours at the gym but I am forcing myself to do atleast 20 minutes of exercise 6 days a week...starting this week and we'll see how it goes from there.
Now, if I can make it through this week without having to be rushed to the ER I'm going to add to my routine next week......wish me luck!
Well this rock hopefully made up for it this afternoon. My kids got home from work and they were wired, ofcourse, so I decided we'd go on a bike ride/jog...meaning I jog(or walk faster than normal) and they ride their bikes. We did good, I let them go ahead of me...mainly because a snail passed me on the sidewalk...but we made it home safely and without the help of medical professionals.
Yes, this week I am attempting to add exercise in my routine. Now I'm not planning on killing myself with hours at the gym but I am forcing myself to do atleast 20 minutes of exercise 6 days a week...starting this week and we'll see how it goes from there.
Now, if I can make it through this week without having to be rushed to the ER I'm going to add to my routine next week......wish me luck!
Last Friday night, and Saturday, and Sunday.....
Welcome back....that's what I had to tell myself when I woke up this afternoon, after my weekend "hiatus". Yes, I did take a break from my diligent healthy eating during the week and yes, I didn't exercise...BUT in my defense I did not go over board.
Although I wasn't crazy watching my foods/drinks I did manage to keep things under some sort of control. Will need more work on how to balance a social life with a healthy life, but like this whole process, its a work in progress.
First off I would like to begin with my first problem this weekend, have you every seen a skinny Mexican? Actually let me rephrase, have you ever seen a skinny Mexican working in a Mexican restaurant? No! And you know why?! It's because Mexican food is soooooo good and sooooo unhealthy. And as I learned this weekend, my weakness...well that and beer(yes I went there BUT it was "light" beer sheesh!)
I really need to work on planning ahead to prepare myself for weekends like this one and try to find a balance with my social and new-found healthy life(or attempt as such).
Anyone with any suggestions pleases let me know, all input is greatly appreciated!
Although I wasn't crazy watching my foods/drinks I did manage to keep things under some sort of control. Will need more work on how to balance a social life with a healthy life, but like this whole process, its a work in progress.
First off I would like to begin with my first problem this weekend, have you every seen a skinny Mexican? Actually let me rephrase, have you ever seen a skinny Mexican working in a Mexican restaurant? No! And you know why?! It's because Mexican food is soooooo good and sooooo unhealthy. And as I learned this weekend, my weakness...well that and beer(yes I went there BUT it was "light" beer sheesh!)
I really need to work on planning ahead to prepare myself for weekends like this one and try to find a balance with my social and new-found healthy life(or attempt as such).
Anyone with any suggestions pleases let me know, all input is greatly appreciated!
Thursday, January 5, 2012
zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Zzzzzzzz..... ah sleep. It's sad how when we are kids we want nothing to do with naps, but as we get older LOVE them.
8-10 hours. That's what is considered a "healthy" amount of sleep tonight. Ha! 8-10 hours for a 3rd shifter is a luxury set aside for extreme illness or vacations.
I'm not quite sure what everyone else does but a typical "night" sleep for me begins usually around 8 am and on a very good day I get to sleep til 245 pm. On days off, things change, sleep may be a couple hours in the morning so I can sleep in the evening. The switching from day/night sleeping several times a week isn't healthy I know, but its what I have to do in order to have the most time with my family.
Sometimes when I can, I try and catch an hour nap in the evening after my kids go to bed in order to help me feel more alert at work(something that is extremely important).
So that is something I cannot change, I know that I will not always get the adequate sleep that I should be getting in order to live a healthy lifestyle. However, there are things that I have been doing for years that I can change to maybe help get me closer to my goal.
The first thing I wanted to try to work on that I do have more flexibility in changing are my food choices.
UGH! NO one in their right mind EVER wants to change their eating habits right? Not unless they have a serious screw loose.
So this is what I decided to do. Last week I ate normally, and I kept track of everything that I ate. Then when I was done I looked up the amount of calories I was putting into my body on a typical day.....WTH man, that was an eye opener. I realized that I was eating way more than the 2000 calorie "norm" that is set by the Health Department.
Yes this was an eye opener, but I also know myself. If I go extreme into exercising and dieting I will do good for a week, maybe two then I will get burnt out and quit(yes, its happened). This time around, ofcourse, I am doing things differently. I decided this week I would work more on eating habits only.
No I will not be counting every calorie like a psycho, I am instead going to just be more conscious about when I'm actually hungry and not just wanting to snack. Also along with that, what's going to change is everything in moderation. Yes I can have one snack but I will eat just the serving size and not what I'm use to.
This is different, I haven't checked but I already know I have been taking in less calories per day. After this week of changing my eating habits I will incorporate some sort of exercise into the mix, nothing crazy extreme like 7 days a week but slowly work something in and see how it goes. That way if I can, I will add to what I'm already doing.
So, yes there are things in my life I will not be able to change, obstacles that I have always faced but didn't know how to push through. This time is different, this time I am aware and taking into account that I am not "normal" and never will be, so my healthy changes probably won't be either.
8-10 hours. That's what is considered a "healthy" amount of sleep tonight. Ha! 8-10 hours for a 3rd shifter is a luxury set aside for extreme illness or vacations.
I'm not quite sure what everyone else does but a typical "night" sleep for me begins usually around 8 am and on a very good day I get to sleep til 245 pm. On days off, things change, sleep may be a couple hours in the morning so I can sleep in the evening. The switching from day/night sleeping several times a week isn't healthy I know, but its what I have to do in order to have the most time with my family.
Sometimes when I can, I try and catch an hour nap in the evening after my kids go to bed in order to help me feel more alert at work(something that is extremely important).
So that is something I cannot change, I know that I will not always get the adequate sleep that I should be getting in order to live a healthy lifestyle. However, there are things that I have been doing for years that I can change to maybe help get me closer to my goal.
The first thing I wanted to try to work on that I do have more flexibility in changing are my food choices.
UGH! NO one in their right mind EVER wants to change their eating habits right? Not unless they have a serious screw loose.
So this is what I decided to do. Last week I ate normally, and I kept track of everything that I ate. Then when I was done I looked up the amount of calories I was putting into my body on a typical day.....WTH man, that was an eye opener. I realized that I was eating way more than the 2000 calorie "norm" that is set by the Health Department.
Yes this was an eye opener, but I also know myself. If I go extreme into exercising and dieting I will do good for a week, maybe two then I will get burnt out and quit(yes, its happened). This time around, ofcourse, I am doing things differently. I decided this week I would work more on eating habits only.
No I will not be counting every calorie like a psycho, I am instead going to just be more conscious about when I'm actually hungry and not just wanting to snack. Also along with that, what's going to change is everything in moderation. Yes I can have one snack but I will eat just the serving size and not what I'm use to.
This is different, I haven't checked but I already know I have been taking in less calories per day. After this week of changing my eating habits I will incorporate some sort of exercise into the mix, nothing crazy extreme like 7 days a week but slowly work something in and see how it goes. That way if I can, I will add to what I'm already doing.
So, yes there are things in my life I will not be able to change, obstacles that I have always faced but didn't know how to push through. This time is different, this time I am aware and taking into account that I am not "normal" and never will be, so my healthy changes probably won't be either.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Good Morning....yes I know its 4 pm
Yay NYE, and guess what....everyone is all of a sudden ready to get on the health and fitness track. Big surprise...we didn't see that one coming.
But I'm not here to write about the same old "get healthy for the new year" plan or whine to you about my attempt.
What I'm more concerned for is that when I started looking for something to get me motivated there was nothing that really fit my lifestyle at all. No, sorry to disappoint, I'm not a stripper or some cool undercover CIA agent(although that would be amazing...the latter of course) but I am a shift worker and a shift worker that for the better part of 5 1/2 years has been pulling the graveyard shift.
So lets be honest, the plans that tell me to get more sleep by going to bed by 10, eat better, workout...blah blah blah...the list goes on and on, yeah those are great for everyone else but when your driving into work at 1030pm and leaving to go home when the sun comes up and your only options for lunch(3am) are fast food or the random 24 hr greasy diner....well lets just say its difficult to live a healthy life.
I may not be proud to admit but I have gotten my lunch from a gas station before, because that one also one of my limited options at 3am, I have also gotten weird looks from cashiers at 7am when I'm buying a 6 pack that yes, I was going to start drinking when I got home but it was technically my "friday night", so what if it was a Tuesday morning, JUST SELL ME MY BOOZE AND KEEP YOUR JUDGEMENT!
whew....ok, so here we are. I am going to attempt to figure a way to somehow adjust my lack of normal sleep and crappy food choices into a healthier 2012 by making my own "plan", if you will, that will cater to my not-so-normal lifestyle.
Disclaimer: I know some of you think its pointless with this December bringing on the Zombie Apocalypse and all but humor me will ya
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