The mind is the enemy

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Oaks

Oaks

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Hello out there, world!

I'm a 29 year old female who is looking to improve my eating habits. I'm currently trying to avoid hitting 160 pounds, which on my 5'7"ish frame isn't tooooo bad..... But it could be better. I'm not as concerned with the number on the scale as I am with going to bed at night knowing I made good decisions. I'm a sneaky eater and an emotional eater, so I tend to ruin the day after 8pm.

My exercise habits are sporadic. I do consider myself a runner, and have completed a number of races, but if I'm not training for a race I'm not doing ANYTHING. I haven't tried enough things to find anything besides running that I enjoy. Of course I would love to change that. I'd also love to eventually be able to do some real push-ups, haha.

Anyway..... I wanted to get this diary started before I chickened out.... More to come in the very near future!
 
Hi Oaks & welcome to the forum. At 29 & with some self-awareness, now is a great time to make decisions about the way you want your life to be. If, at about your age, I had decided never to let myself get overweight in the first place I would most probably never have to diet or struggle to maintain a healthy weight. Seeing a Nutritionist I think would be a wonderful idea & starting a regular & maintainable exercise program. Posting a diary is a great idea. Logging your food in any of the many available apps might help you to see where your calories come from. I use My Fitness Pal & find it really helpful. Eating mostly fresh fruit & vegetables & lean protein(preferably organic) & "not eating anything your grandmother wouldn't recognise as food" would solve the world's obesity problems I think. Cheers, Cate.
 
Hear hear! Also: the mind is not the enemy but your greatest ally and resource - if and when you can convince it to be on the side of weightloss. Good luck with the process!
 
Hello,

I've just read your problem and I think that this is on of the frequent problems for all of us. According to me, the thing that you need it is a good motivation. You can find everywhere good motivational things <link removed> (articles, music, quotes, pictures, movies etc). I hope that you'll energize yourself and you'll start with additional activities and new habits to lose and get your ideal weight.

all the best
 
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Hi Cate! Thanks for the warm welcome. I agree whole heartedly that now is the time to make some positive and long-lasting changes. I'm young, in a great relationship, with a steady and predictable 9 to 5 job, and basically no other major responsibilities in life. It's not going to get any easier than it is right now to focus on ME.

Thanks for the well wishes, LaMaria! Your comment makes me want to change my diary title to a more positive one, but I guess it's mine now, haha :)

Giolisa, I appreciate your thoughts but I believe you may be breaking some forum rules with your link.
 
Oaks - welcome to the forum. You are right Giolisa was indeed breaking one of our rules - but I've corrected their posting...

There are tons of motivational things on this forum. Cate has a lovely motivational thread there which I have long liked....

My best advice is to keep looking around for a form of exercise that you really enjoy... Try new things... If you could eventually find something that you really loved - it would be a thing that you wanted to do all the time - and not just sporadically... You must be good at running - to have completed races - so maybe it is the thing - just you need to adopt a new form... It could be that you are target driven and only get that with a race coming up... Have you thought about joining a running club?

Good luck
 
Hello Omega! I'll be sure to check out that motivational thread. I've thought about running clubs but I haven't been brave enough to try more than a couple, and that hasn't resulted in finding a group that's right for me. I'm a long distance but slow runner, and in my area (Boston, Mass) people are generally pretty fast! I trained for a half marathon with a group of people, but they all ran together and I trailed out of sight behind. We didn't exactly become friends that way. But I should keep trying, I've got some coworkers who can run with me, I just have to be the motivator for us.
 
Q: What lifestyle changes do you think would help you lose weight?

A: Stop drinking

This is my biggest downfall. I love a good night out with my friends. I work with a group of fun young professionals who also love a good night out. I'm not one to plan social gatherings so I try not to say no when other people plan, out of fear that I'll stop being invited (I've seen it happen to other people). But I haven't yet figured out the moderation part. So drinks are a waste of calories, the greasy food we tend to eat is a waste of calories, and the late nights and dehydration end up preventing any early morning workouts. This is something I would love to get a handle on. I'm not willing to give it up, but I'm ready for a change.
 
One option may be to get chatting with one or two veteran members of those running clubs at the next race... Maybe they are nearer your current pace - and wouldnt mind you tagging along with them... Some of the fit older folk can be pretty fit, pleasant company and can have a lot of experience which can benefit people willing to listen...

In my own case - I started out as a very big lady and my initial exercise was slow walking... My stamina improved as I lost weight - and I ended up joining a light aerobics group where all the people were noticeably older than myself... I enjoyed the dancing though and did this regularly... I continued daily walking and ended up getting to goal...

As time went by - I progressed to zumba - and in time became more selective in the intensity of it... I now do a lot of zumba at the highest level of intensity... I also do a lot of other dancing too... There is no way that I could have started out at this level of intensity though... I had to work up to it - and indeed only do it when accompanied by others working at this level - I would not work so hard by myself... For this reason - I am sure that you would benefit from getting into some form of group.
 
Good luck! I can very much relate to ruining the day after 8pm. Maybe sign up for a new race to give yourself some extra motivation?
 
Hey Oaks, drinking soda will probably get you some dumb comments the first couple of times but those pass pretty quickly in my experience. And it might mean
- no dehydration
- less gusto for greasy food
- less fluid calories
Leaving only the lack of sleep which may be mitigated by a 25 minute nap before you leave... It´s worth a try!

LaMaria
 
Omega said:
Some of the fit older folk can be pretty fit, pleasant company and can have a lot of experience which can benefit people willing to listen....
Click to expand...

I have absolutely had the best experiences while running with a slightly older crowd! My favorite moments from training with the group for my last race were with people at least 15 years old than me. They were experienced runners who were happy to be out there doing what they love, without the pressure that comes from racing with people in their mid-twenties. And one of my absolute favorite racing moments ever was finishing a 5 mile race with a man in his sixties who thanked me for pushing him at the end. I didn't even care that he beat me :)
 
justjenn said:
Good luck! I can very much relate to ruining the day after 8pm. Maybe sign up for a new race to give yourself some extra motivation?
Click to expand...

I am actually putting off signing up for a major race that a friend wants to do.... It's a half marathon, which I've done before, but I'm not excited to do another one (my last one was 7 weeks ago, and it didn't go so well). But I think I should listen to your advice and sign up for a smaller one that's a bit less intimidating! I'm going to research some today.
 
LaMaria said:
Hey Oaks, drinking soda will probably get you some dumb comments the first couple of times but those pass pretty quickly in my experience.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice, LaMaria! I need to remember to go on here for a little inspiration before my next outing. I meant to do that yesterday before we went out for a co-worker's going away party but work ended up being hectic. My food consumption wasn't awful but that was just because I didn't like the food much. The best thing I ate was actually the healthiest.... I have a friend with a gluten intolerance who ordered buffalo chicken lettuce wraps with grilled chicken and it was delicious! Who needs things to be breaded and fried in order to enjoy them???
 
Thanks for the welcome, Gingerjv! Glad to hear it's not just me who likes to indulge every now and then :eek:Everything in moderation, right??
 
Q: Do you binge eat?

A: Yes. Usually late at night when I'm feeling emotional.

I don't binge eat when anyone's watching. I'll snack heavy, but the biggest regret comes when the boyfriend is asleep and I'm wide awake stressed about something. That's when I get a small snack from the kitchen, eat it in the living room, go back for another round, and repeat until the stomach ache has already kicked in and I'm groaning in pain. Some weeks this doesn't happen at all, some weeks it happens a few times.

I read in a book that if you eat when you are truly hungry, then you will stop eating when you are truly full. But if you are eating because you are bored or anxious or stressed then there is no trigger to stop. So you keep eating, chasing something, a solution to a problem that you aren't actually trying to solve. So you finish some popcorn and don't feel better, but maybe ice cream will help? Maybe that will make the stress of a deadline you didn't meet at work feel like less of an issue! No? It won't? Weird, it seemed like such a great plan when I opened the pint of Ben & Jerry's.

Anyway....yes, I am guilty of overeating for reasons that have nothing to do with hunger.
 
Small victories: Just busted out twenty push-ups on the stairs. (I'm working my way up to real push-ups, I've gotta start somewhere!) I also put together my running clothes and set my alarm for a bright and early wakeup.
 
Does anyone binge in company? I might even say that when you can do it in company it´s an indulgence, not a binge. Which can also lead you to gain weight but doesn´t feel quite as bad. For me a firm "no" and then a lot of distraction is the only way to deal with bingedanger. O and I´m single so after the stores close the danger is pretty much past for me...

Good job on the push-ups! It´s way better to start them elevated and keep them correct then to tell yourself you have to do them on the floor and then sag and harm yourself.
 
Oaks said:
Small victories: Just busted out twenty push-ups on the stairs. (I'm working my way up to real push-ups, I've gotta start somewhere!) I also put together my running clothes and set my alarm for a bright and early wakeup.
Click to expand...

Good job, and good idea to do them on the stairs. I may have to try that! :)

Enjoy your run!
 
I'd never even thought to do them on the stairs until last week. I was trying to do them using a counter top but the stairs are much easier on my wrists. I read that you start with a high step and then just work your way down one by one.... And then one day, bam! You're doing pushups on the floor like a champ!

So last night I discovered a chocolate bar that makes it very easy to stop after a tiny amount. It has cayenne in it and it was HOT! I needed water in between every bite. I love a little spice with dark chocolate but this was intense. I had three little bite sized squares and called it quits. That was all I ate after dinner, too.
 
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