I don't want to know how many calories I took in today. Too many, that's for sure. I had chocolate cake at lunch time and three muffins after dinner. I'm a little nervous that my next weigh in won't be as good as the previous three. I guess I've felt the same way before and things worked out well, but now is not the time to be resting on my laurels.
I only have three more visits to the gym before I will have gone 21 days in a row. I'll probably go on Monday too because, well, Monday is weigh-in day and I've exercised before every other weigh-in. I will be grateful to have rest days again. Maybe, for my next three-week challenge, I'll go without a cheat meal. Oh, man, that one would be tough. Maybe I'll start by just planning everything I'll eat the day before for three weeks. We've got a little more than 10 months left, does anyone else have any ideas for 21-day habit-forming triple-hyphenated challenges? They don't really need to be triple-hyphenated, or even single-hyphenated for that matter. They just have to be healthy habits that I'll practice every day for three weeks.
Finally, I've been toying with the idea of awarding a blog of the week to another weight-loss blog. I'm discovering there is an active community of weight-loss bloggers in all different stages of their weight loss journeys. Some, like Tyler at 344pounds.com, have lost over 100 pounds. Others, like Tom over at I Hate Green Apples, are just starting out. I decided to do blog of the week for a couple reasons. One, to fend off writer's block when I feel like all I'm saying in my blog is "I'm hungry all the time". And two, to show my readers (that's you) where I draw a lot of inspiration. I mean, I get a lot from comments I get (public and private), but I'm also inspired by other peoples' journeys.
This weeks blog of the week goes to Jack Sh*t, Gettin' Fit. His posts are pretty silly at times, but this guy is serious about being healthy. He deals with the same writer's block I face from time to time by cracking jokes and rewriting lyrics to popular songs. I always LOL a little when I read his blog. His most recent post is about weight-loss bloggers who have disappeared from the blogosphere and how that translates to their weight loss journeys. Check him out.
Yay!! I'm first!
ReplyDeleteOk-my triple-hyphenated challenge: Enjoy eating your low-fat, low-cal, high-protein foods. Once you get your body to start craving those, declining to eat junk won't be that difficult. This is more of a mental challenge..
Second: I think a good 21-day challenge would be to not drink pop, sugary juices, or sweets. Not all at once, but something that you know gets in the way of your goals and becomes a distraction. A few winters ago, I decided to be a vegan for a month. The first day one of my co-workers had a hot piece of cheese-dripping pizza was SOO difficult, but by the end of the month my body didn't crave cheese (which is high-fat and addicting!).
Third: Set a weight-lifting goal. When I started lifting weights this past summer, my goal was to be able to do push-ups again (ya know, tendinitis). After 3 months I was able to do them-though not many. But because I set that goal, I've also been able to increase all of the weights for my upper body. So for you, you could set a goal to be able to increase your squat weight by 10 pounds, including lunges. Which is feasible in 21-days. (I do 20 squats, 15 lunges 3x)
Ok- new subject: I have a terrible sweet tooth! I always want sugar, but when your body has sugar to break down, it doesn't want to burn the fat on your body. So try to cut out the sugars-I do this by making my own cookies. I have this fabulous oatmeal raisin cookie recipe that replaced the butter with unsweetened applesauce (less sugar, small addition in fiber) and replaced the sugar with honey (more natural). I freeze them and then when I'm having a sweet craving, I can allow myself to eat those instead of something worse. So, if you want the recipe, let me know. Otherwise allrecipes.com has great recipes that will provide alternatives to butter and sugar.
And I like the idea of showcasing those that have inspired you!
You know what is great about counting calories if you go over your daily? You can just take a few away the next day! There is no permanent mark here! I don't think there are cheat meals. I treat it like a bank. I have so many calories. Take some out, put some back in. Feeling guilty about things is what we did before, not what we should be doing.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the 21-Day. That is very tough. I didn't go to the gym last night. Was too tired. Had 7 hours sleep in the last two days, so last night I hit the pillow at 8:30 and feel much better today. I will just add extra time over the next couple of days to make up for it.
Also thanks for calling out my blog....
http://170lbstogo.com/blog
"I Hate Green Apples"
Tom
Thanks for the "Blog of the Week" nod. I very much appreciate the kind words.
ReplyDeleteGood luck on your own weight-loss journey.
A great idea for a 21-day challenge is to see if you can cut out caffeine. It can be a biotch, but you'll feel immensely better by the end and won't even miss it.
ReplyDelete