MyWeightLossForLife.com

Archive for September, 2007

Work has been hectic, so my blogging schedule is way off track. You’ll probably see some shorter posts for the next few days until things slow down again.

Packing lunch daily is going well. I’m experimenting with different stir-fry recipes, so it’s going well so far. I’m getting used to not eating out, so that’s a plus.

Exercising daily isn’t going so well. I’ve spent some time painting, doing yard work, etc. Unfortunately, I’m only exercising about three or four days a week. Not bad, but not what I was hoping for either. I guess that goes to show how hard this will be for me.

How’s the diet and exercise going for everyone else?

It’s tough to change habits — you already know that. Here’s a tip that’s working well for me. I’m trying to pack my lunch more often. For one thing, it’s cheaper. More importantly, it’s healthier. Still, I have a tough time giving up eating lunch out. I’m not sure why it is, but I somehow feel deprived if I pack my lunch, so it’s been a really tough thing for me to change.

Here’s what I’ve decided to do, and so far it’s working fine. For each day that I pack lunch, I put what I would have spent eating out into my “mad money” stash. You can use a jar, piggy bank, bank account, envelope, whatever. It’s important that you actually pay yourself the money, first off. If you don’t the reward won’t seem real. Go to the ATM if you have to, but make sure that you give yourself the reward.

Also, don’t put it in your regular checking account; it will just get spent. Put it in a separate account, or put the cash somewhere. This should be special money, or “mad money” as I call it. This is guilt-free spending money! You’ve earned it.

Finally, choose something you want to buy with the money, and focus on that when you’re tempted to cheat. For me, it’s buying new carpet for one of our bedrooms. Maybe you want a new laptop, an outfit, or a mini-vacation.

This really brings home how much I spend eating out. I’m putting away almost $10 a day! Whatever habit you’d like to change, this is a technique you might want to try, especially if you’ve had your eye on something for yourself and just don’t have the cash to get it right now.

Just to repeat…I know you’ll be tempted to dip in to your money for something else. Maybe it’ll be an unexpected bill, a gift for someone else, or something equally practical. Try, try, try not to do this! Remember, this money would have been gone had you not been saving it. If you use it for something that you don’t enjoy, you take away the motivation to keep up the saving and risk stopping the habit entirely. Treat yourself! You deserve it.

The Washington Post has an interesting article on diabetes and weight loss.

The gist of the article is that aerobic and resistance training combined is better than doing either aerobic or resistance training alone. In the article, participants did one or the other for 45 minutes, three times a week OR… they did both, each for 45 minutes, three days a week.

Yes, you read that right. The participants who got better results did twice the exercise as the others. It’s not surprising that they got better blood sugar reductions!

What I’d still like to know is whether it’s the combination of aerobic and resistance training that worked, or simply the doubling of exercise time. If they had simply walked twice as long, would that have had the same result?

What is clear, for diabetics and those who might be pre-diabetic is this: Exercise improves blood sugar. So, if you’re diabetic or pre-diabetic, talk to your doctor about what exercise is right for you. Start small, and work your way up gradually.

I’m on vacation this week, hence the slow posting schedule. I have managed to stay (sort of) on my exercise schedule. Since last update, I’ve spent three more evening painting (this is a working vacation), two down with a sore back — ahem, from painting — and one hiking. I haven’t made my goal of exercising every day, but I’ve done better than I usually do.

Since my husband is diabetic, it’s important for both of us to get into the exercise habit. I’m sure you know the benefits of exercise in general, but it’s also important for diabetics to exercise in order to keep their blood sugar under control. So, we have more reason than most to work on the exercise habit.

September Habit

Sex and Weight Loss

How to Exercise with Type 1 and 2 Diabetes

Exercising for Diabetes Sufferers

You’ve probably read about how getting enough sleep can help you lose weight. Along those lines, I wanted to talk about something I’ve been experiencing lately.

Several things have combined to keep me really tired this week. Stress, loss of sleep, etc. have really taken a toll, and I’ve noticed that I’m eating a lot more as a result. In particular, I tend to crave a snack in the afternoons, simply because I’m so tired by then I feel that I need to do something to make it through the rest of the workday.

I’ve been trying to be more aware of what I’m doing. In particular, I’m trying to focus on the fact that I want to eat because I’m tired, not because I’m hungry. I’m also trying to do other things (besides snack) to keep my energy level up. One thing that works for me is taking a short walk. On bad days, I might walk down the hall and back every 30-45 minutes. I’ll also shut the door and stretch or just stand up for a while. Another thing to try is drinking instead of eating. I’ll have coffee or tea (both decaf). I might drink some water too.

Of course, the real solution is getting enough rest! I’m working on that one too.

Read more…

How Sleep can help Weight Loss

Another Sleep/Weight Loss Article

Sleep and Weight Gain 

I enjoy reading weight loss blogs, and here are some great articles I’ve run across lately.

Lose the Buddha Belly. You’ve heard over and over how spot-reduction doesn’t work. Here’s another article that says the same, and gives great tips for trimming your middle.

Lose 50 Pounds with Dumb Little Man. He lists some good tips for losing weight. Nothing earth-shattering; you’ve probably read most before, but it’s good solid advice.

5 Steps to Weight loss. Here’s another, solid, common-sense plan for taking off weight sensibly.

If you’ve written a weight-loss related article recently, post the url below, and I’ll link to you.

As I mentioned the other day, this month, I’ve committed to building the exercise habit.

So, here’s my update so far.

Yesterday, I did some shopping. Yep, I know that’s a stretch, but give me a break. It was my first day.

Today, I spent over an hour painiting trim. We have an older home with high ceilings, so that also meant climbing up and down the ladder. I think that one definitely qualifies as exercise!

So, for those of you building the exercise habit, what have you done so far this month?