Healthy Dot!

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PolkaDot

New member
Hi everyone!

I've been registered for awhile, but never posted. But I'm here now and that is what matters!

Weight has always been a struggle for me. Currently, I am 5'2" and 175 lbs. (as of two days ago). It's all really starting to catch up with me and I want to fix it once and for all. In a little over a year, I will be getting married! On that day, I vow here and now, that I will feel beautiful.

Ideally, I would like to lose ~50 lbs total. The last time I was that small was freshman year of college! It's amazing what nine years has done. :(

I'm approaching this as a complete lifestyle change. Since I am very task-oriented, I've created a spreadsheet to track my weight loss over time. In addition, I've created a system of goals, penalties, and rewards.

Each goal achieved gives me a certain number of points. So for example, some of my goals are:
  • 'x' lb total loss
  • Drink 80 oz H20/day
  • 10,000 steps/day
  • Stick to a daily meal plan
  • Go to the gym x times/week
Each penalty, deducts points. Some penalties would be:
  • Gaining x lbs
  • Eating over my calorie limit per day
  • Eating before dinner (my biggest downfall, and usually when I eat the most junk)
  • etc.
When I get enough points I can redeem them for something like a new book, a mani/pedi, healthy meal at my favorite restaurant etc. I think it will work out well for me!

Right now, my number 1 priority is getting out of the 170s for good. I know that my number one downfall is giving up when I don't see fast results. I just have to keep in mind that this is not an overnight fix. It takes steady determination over a long period of time.

Okay, sorry for my ramble! I hope you all have a great day!

~Dot
 
Hi Dot & welcome to the forum.That was not a rant & please don't apologise for anything you put in your diary. This is your place & they are your rules(except for the obvious ones like spamming ;) ) It seems to me that you have a well thought out plan. Determination is the key. You have to really want to lose weight & get healthy more than you want to eat things that will work against you. Nothing tastes as good as slim feels. Nothing.
Looking at this as a total lifetime lifestyle plan is the only way to get to your goal, but then, more importantly, stay there. All the best Dot. Cheers, Cate.
 
Thanks, Cate! Focusing on the long-term is SO important and I definitely struggle with that sometimes. I'm a very impatient person but I'm trying to change that! Once I fully accept that this is a slow and steady change, I will be more successful.

Today is my first official "full" day. My goals today were for activity and water. I am doing great with both! I've got in about an hour of running around at the park and most of my water has been consumed. Food has also been pretty good today. Since we hadn't gone to the store yet, we had sandwiches for lunch. I just had ham on mine with a side of cottage cheese. Tonight we will grill some chicken and I will have some veggies with it.

I have a hard time going to the gym. For me, activities that don't feel like exercise are the best. Working off 200 calories felt effortless and fun at the park, as opposed to slogging it through at the gym. Thankfully it is summer now. After being cooped up all winter, I am determined to enjoy the summer weather to the fullest!

Hope you all have a great Sunday!

~Dot
 
Hi Dot! Congrats on your upcoming wedding!! Very happy for you! :party:

Sounds like you're doing great already. I, too, struggle with focusing on the long term. It can be so frustrating seeing the scale only move down a little bit after working so hard all week, so I come here for motivation, and it's nice to see where I started by going back to page 1 in my diary. Once we see that we're making progress it will all be worth it! ?
 
Hello Dot and (a belated) welcome to the diaries! Solid plan, realistic goals, you're going to kill those pounds :)
All the best,
LaMa
 
Wow, thanks everyone! Miss Fit, you are soo accurate! I never thought of using the diary itself as a tool! Thanks for the great perspective! LaMa, I certainly hope so! At the very least it feels good to really committing to get healthier. My biggest fear right now is wedding dress shopping. There are sooo many people who have asked to come with me. Not only will the various opinions be overwhelming, but to have so many people staring at me and literally judging how I look is so nerve wracking. It's about 2 months away and if I could at least lose 15 pounds...:(

On a brighter note...my nutrition today was pretty good! My biggest thing is that I have to eat more veggies!
  • Breakfast: Some fruit, a piece of peanut butter toast, black coffee
  • Lunch: A plain grilled chicken sandwich (organic chicken from home!)
  • Dinner: A serving of grilled chicken, some green beans, a bit of fruit salad
  • Treat: Since it was so doggone hot out today, and I worked out, I allowed myself to have a light popsicle. It fit within my calorie range.
  • Water: I drank so much water I couldn't even keep track!
We ran around at the park this evening for awhile again. It feels good to work up a sweat! Supposed to be rainy here throughout the rest of the week so we will have to maybe hit the gym.

I've noticed that I can set myself on the track of success by preparing my meals ahead of time. Our lives are crazy busy, it seems like we are always running somewhere. In the past it has been too easy to just pick up fast food on the way to and from our commitments. No more! I've already prepared my breakfast and lunch for tomorrow! :)

Okay, that's it for now! Hope you all have a fantastic evening!

~Dot
 
Planning ahead helps a lot. I´m horrible a it but when I do everything´s much easier. I don´t envy you the dress shopping but here´s the thing: it´s about YOU. Plan it so you feel somewhat comfortable. If that means bringing only one trusted friend that´s ok. I would have loved going shopping with my sister but she went all by herself! And that´s ok, too. You´re not doing this to entertain other people.
 
:iagree: Do what you want, rather than listen to everyone else. (We eloped :) ) Well done on another good day Dot :)
 
LaMa - Thanks so much. You're right. I know they only mean it in the best way and I appreciate that they are excited for me. I guess we will have to see how I am feeling closer to that time!

Cate - That is amazing! I would have loved to elope! The entire wedding feels like it is more or less for everyone else. My fiancé and I would be happy eloping at City Hall. If only...

Today has been another good day as far as food goes!

Breakfast: Scrambled egg, piece of unbuttered toast, and a banana
Lunch: Hard boiled egg, small handful of crackers, and cottage cheese
Dinner: Some grilled pork, broccoli, and carrots
Dessert: I allowed myself to have another banana cut into some yogurt!
Water: Lots again! :)

The best part was...I am down a pound! Haha, 174 lbs isn't anything too special, but I just can't get out of the 170s fast enough.

One habit I am trying to get into is eating lighter Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Then eating normally the rest of the week. More than anything, I need to really practice portion control and understand how hunger works again. Sort of recalibrate my system. It's amazing how when I am at my unhealthiest I can just eat and eat and eat. I definitely want to change that!

I hope you have all had a great Tuesday!

~Dot
 
PolkaDot said:
More than anything, I need to really practice portion control and understand how hunger works again. Sort of recalibrate my system. It's amazing how when I am at my unhealthiest I can just eat and eat and eat. I definitely want to change that!
Click to expand...

Sounds like a great plan! I oscillate between wanted to be thin desperately and wanting to do things the healthy way - and then get so stressed out I have half a kilo of Toffifee... Turns out that´s not diet food ;)
 
PolkaDot said:
Cate - That is amazing! I would have loved to elope! The entire wedding feels like it is more or less for everyone else. My fiancé and I would be happy eloping at City Hall. If only...
Click to expand...
So, do it :D I have never regretted eloping. Ever. City Hall (Registry Office here) was our choice & we told everyone afterwards. It was a stress-free day :D Just saying.....You get married for the two of you & no-one else.
Getting used to being hungry is a really good lesson. I think I used to think that I would die if I got hungry. I know that sounds crazy, but now I can recognise hunger & wait. The Beck Diet solution(by Judith S Beck) is a great book to read. I bought it back in 2007 after I had already lost 36kg, but have since re-read it about 10 times. It helps put things in perspective & has helped me a lot.
 
Cate - I would love to. Unfortunately we are a little past that point. Deposits have been made, vendors have been booked, money is out the door every single day, families won't stop talking about it haha. But we've decided that no matter what we are just going to enjoy that day. And I think we will! And thank you for the recommendation! I am definitely going to check the book out. I know what you mean when you say you felt like you would die if you got hungry. I've experienced the same feeling. Getting to the point where I can control my mind and body will be a really powerful thing.

Today has been wonderful! I got on the scale and I was down to 172.8lbs! That feels amazing. I know at the beginning we tend to move a lot of water weight, so I'm trying not to get too happy about it...and to prepare myself if it goes back up a bit. But I have to say I am really doing well. I am planning my meals ahead and sticking to them.

Today for whatever reason I haven't been as hungry. My meals were:
  • Breakfast: Crackers, cheese, and an apple
  • Lunch: An egg, some toast
  • Dinner: Chicken, veggies, cottage cheese, banana
That's it I think. Hope you all have a great day!

~Dot
 
Congrats on the weight loss - yay!!! You're so close to being out of the 170's! Planning my meals really helps me as well. If I don't have a plan, I'm the type to say 'eff it' and just go for whatever is easy.

It's so true that weddings seem to become about everyone else and sooo stressful! I was fortunate enough to have hired a wedding planner with our venue, but the stress was still there! I used to have these fantasies of my husband and I traveling with just our best friends and getting married on a beach somewhere on an exotic island, just a small ceremony and that's it. My non-island wedding turned out great, though. :p And yours will be amazing!!

Try not to stress too much about the dress shopping, I know it's hard not to. I went with my bridesmaids and they were more worried about how they were going to look in their bridesmaids dresses, and no one was judging anyone. I think we are all overly critical of ourselves! You're going to find something perfect. ?
 
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