hey there one and all.
i'll try to be brief - which isn't normally my forte!
i am not hugely overweight i think. i'm 60kg (132 pounds) and i'd like to be 55-56kg (about 121-123pds). That's not based on anything other than i was once 56kg and felt good and that an extra 4 kilos on a smallish frame makes a big difference to my clothes and how i feel about myself. i have struggled with this same 4 kilos for at least 30 years! i stayed around 58-59kg for most of those years but last year put on the extra and haven't been able to shift it.
i recently listened to an audio-book, by a group of people whose stuff i've always found to be solidly researched and written, called 'Change Anything' which talks about 6 influence factors for success in changing any habit and it devotes quite a chunk of its examples to the issue of weight loss. So I got inspired.
For the record, the influence factors are: personal motivation and skill; social motivation and skill; and environmental motivation and skill. the idea is that if you're just exerting will power (personal motivation) then the other 5 could be working against you and you're doomed to fail. So i'm going about this a bit differently than previously.
(a) SOCIAL - i've joined you guys and loving reading your threads which i'm finding is a great support. thank you.
(b) PERSONAL MOTIVATION AND SKILL - i'm trying to eat healthily and sensibly and taking a long term approach. I have been called many things in my life but sensible has never been one of them. I'm trying to be a bit more grown up this time (so i should - i'm 48 for heaven's sake!) and emulating the sensible grown up friends in my life (I have about 2 of those - the rest are idiots. lovable, beautiful, gorgeous idiots, but as crazy and immature as me).
(c) PERSONAL SKILL - i'm learning what calories are in what foods. i'm not calorie counting per se but just trying to replace higher cal with lower cal options
(d) PERSONAL MOTIVATION & SKILL - i've started jogging again now there's a bit of warmer weather down here in melbourne, australia. i'm adding one minute a day to my jog. i'm up from 15 minutes about 2 weeks ago, to 26 minutes yesterday.
(e) ENVIRONMENT - i'm only letting myself on the scales once a week instead of daily - just works better for me.
(f) ENVIRONMENT - i figured that a star chart worked so well with improving my 6 yo son's behaviour that i'd implement one for myself. he takes charge. if i tell him i ate well and jogged that day he gives me a star. i let myself have two days off jogging a week but he's a hard task-master and will only give me half-stars on those days.
(f) ENVIRONMENT/PERSONAL MOTIVATION - i've set a goal for 10 pounds (roughly 5 kilos) in 10 weeks. if i lose one pound that week i can buy myself something nice (i need new jogging shoes and i'd like a couple of new knee length cardigans). if i lose all 10 pounds i get myself a ticket to a big bush-doof (outdoor 3 day dance party that takes place in November - my partner's agreed to look after our son while i go away.
(g) ENVIRONMENT - i use small plates for my meals and am not allowed to eat anything out of a packet. i have to put an amount on a plate or in a bowl.
(h) SOCIAL - i have a mate on FB who's also started jogging recently so i touch base with him occasionally and feel accountable to him.
(i) PERSONAL SKILL - one of the best expressions from this book i listened to was "turn a bad day into good data". they're also big on 'write it down'. So i'm trying to journal a few days a week to keep track of what's working and what's not. there's a lot of evidence to say that writing down a plan works much better than holding it in your head.
i told you that 'brief' wasn't my forte but i thought i'd add in all the bits i'm doing in case there are some useful ideas in there for others.
oh, and since i've officially started and been keeping my star-chart, which is a little over 1 week, i've lost 1 kilo but my biggest fear is that i start with a bang then fizzle out so i thought i'd write this to keep me on track for week two and again hold me accountable.
Anyway, good to be on board with this forum. Thanks for being here. Carri xx
i'll try to be brief - which isn't normally my forte!
i am not hugely overweight i think. i'm 60kg (132 pounds) and i'd like to be 55-56kg (about 121-123pds). That's not based on anything other than i was once 56kg and felt good and that an extra 4 kilos on a smallish frame makes a big difference to my clothes and how i feel about myself. i have struggled with this same 4 kilos for at least 30 years! i stayed around 58-59kg for most of those years but last year put on the extra and haven't been able to shift it.
i recently listened to an audio-book, by a group of people whose stuff i've always found to be solidly researched and written, called 'Change Anything' which talks about 6 influence factors for success in changing any habit and it devotes quite a chunk of its examples to the issue of weight loss. So I got inspired.
For the record, the influence factors are: personal motivation and skill; social motivation and skill; and environmental motivation and skill. the idea is that if you're just exerting will power (personal motivation) then the other 5 could be working against you and you're doomed to fail. So i'm going about this a bit differently than previously.
(a) SOCIAL - i've joined you guys and loving reading your threads which i'm finding is a great support. thank you.
(b) PERSONAL MOTIVATION AND SKILL - i'm trying to eat healthily and sensibly and taking a long term approach. I have been called many things in my life but sensible has never been one of them. I'm trying to be a bit more grown up this time (so i should - i'm 48 for heaven's sake!) and emulating the sensible grown up friends in my life (I have about 2 of those - the rest are idiots. lovable, beautiful, gorgeous idiots, but as crazy and immature as me).
(c) PERSONAL SKILL - i'm learning what calories are in what foods. i'm not calorie counting per se but just trying to replace higher cal with lower cal options
(d) PERSONAL MOTIVATION & SKILL - i've started jogging again now there's a bit of warmer weather down here in melbourne, australia. i'm adding one minute a day to my jog. i'm up from 15 minutes about 2 weeks ago, to 26 minutes yesterday.
(e) ENVIRONMENT - i'm only letting myself on the scales once a week instead of daily - just works better for me.
(f) ENVIRONMENT - i figured that a star chart worked so well with improving my 6 yo son's behaviour that i'd implement one for myself. he takes charge. if i tell him i ate well and jogged that day he gives me a star. i let myself have two days off jogging a week but he's a hard task-master and will only give me half-stars on those days.
(f) ENVIRONMENT/PERSONAL MOTIVATION - i've set a goal for 10 pounds (roughly 5 kilos) in 10 weeks. if i lose one pound that week i can buy myself something nice (i need new jogging shoes and i'd like a couple of new knee length cardigans). if i lose all 10 pounds i get myself a ticket to a big bush-doof (outdoor 3 day dance party that takes place in November - my partner's agreed to look after our son while i go away.
(g) ENVIRONMENT - i use small plates for my meals and am not allowed to eat anything out of a packet. i have to put an amount on a plate or in a bowl.
(h) SOCIAL - i have a mate on FB who's also started jogging recently so i touch base with him occasionally and feel accountable to him.
(i) PERSONAL SKILL - one of the best expressions from this book i listened to was "turn a bad day into good data". they're also big on 'write it down'. So i'm trying to journal a few days a week to keep track of what's working and what's not. there's a lot of evidence to say that writing down a plan works much better than holding it in your head.
i told you that 'brief' wasn't my forte but i thought i'd add in all the bits i'm doing in case there are some useful ideas in there for others.
oh, and since i've officially started and been keeping my star-chart, which is a little over 1 week, i've lost 1 kilo but my biggest fear is that i start with a bang then fizzle out so i thought i'd write this to keep me on track for week two and again hold me accountable.
Anyway, good to be on board with this forum. Thanks for being here. Carri xx
