It's not just New Years!

 It isn't like I made a New Year's Resolution to get back on track. It's more like-this is my only decent break of length in the middle of the year, and why not? 

So I had gotten down to about 175 last summer and then slowly the weight started creeping up again. Now I wasn't weighing myself to see this. It is more like, my clothes started getting tight around the waist again. You just sort of know. And when it gets to the point where you don't even WANT to weight yourself (kind of like when you don't want to check your bank account after a spending spree), I knew I was in trouble.

What happened?

1. I just got bored with low carb. My back teeth are less than optimal and eating meat gets painful sometimes. Plus I just was so tired of not being able to just eat without thinking so hard.
2. Baking! I love baking in the fall and winter. Pumpkin bread, cookies, had-a-bad-day brownies. All of it!
3. Work. I just crave treats at my day job and working in a school-there are usually treats.

Getting Back on Track

 Finally last week, the scale dropped 3 solid pounds. After being stuck for a couple weeks, I was pretty happ with this. I think I did have some carbs the night before-I don't remember what happened, I just did.

I am going to start carving a cheat day into my week. Not a go-crazy, see-it-and-eat it day, but just a day to have a candy bar, a couple slices of pizza, whatever. I still plan to stay within my alloted calories. I just want a day to enjoy a little of that less-than-optimal food without losing control.

I am swearing by low-carb though. I mean the over lack of extreme hunger has been fantastic. I imagine as I drop more weight and become more active, I will experience more hunger. I will see how to handle that when it happens.

What I really love is the feeling that I am in control of this. I control how to best care for my body. I give it nutritous food and I decided when to have a treat. I love making good choices for me. 

Finally, just being back into the 170s, after a year or so of creeping into the 180s, is great. Next stop 160s! I haven't seen that since 2013/4. I can't wait!

 I am Stuck!

Stuck. My weight has been stuck at 180 for a week and a half now. It is really frustrating as I am consuming between 1100 and 1500 calories most days (I did have one day at about 2000). I am also experiencing some bathroom problems due to cutting back so much on carbs and fruits. I am trying to add food in that will counteract this (like lower carb foods with fiber and flax seed), but so far, they aren't working. Nothing is really wrong, aside from the occasional lower backache. Overall, I actually feel great. It feels good to feel satisfied on 1200 calories of food and not be stuffing my face all the time. It gives a peaceful feeling of control. Maybe I will cut out the cheese with lunch and add in a little more vegetables. It gets hard to stuff down a quart of raw veggies in 20 minutes, though (I am a teacher).

Physical Activity

I haven't really upped my physical activity either. Since I am now a single mom and my ex is not in a healthy enough state to keep the kids, anything I do I have to take the four-year-old and that is just a lot of effort. The older kids can stay home for 30 minutes or so, but not the young'un. This weekend is pretty chilly, too. It's hard to handle 50 degrees after experiencing 70-something! Excuses, I know. I am trying to add some stomach "vacuum" exercises to my day as shown here:

Link to Smaller waist video

Really, with things like this, I either forget or I do. I need to find a way to incorporate it into my schedule. But just like I used to do squats while waiting on my Keurig coffee, sometimes I just stop without realizing it (I am very much an in-my-head type of person).

It's a Lifestyle, really

One thing I am trying to remind myself is, that this isn't a "diet." This is my new lifestyle. If I want to be slim and light, I have to commit to making that worth more than stuffing my face with an ooey-gooey cinnamon roll. That doesn't mean treats are always out, but I am trying to limit my treats to Friday night. My son's birthday party will be next weekend, so I am going to enjoy a piece of birthday cake, but what isn't eaten will be out the door with guests or in the trash. I think the key to handling these "extra" days will be having a plan for the leftover unhealthy food. And now, I've got it! 

So why are you hear? Are you working on losing weight? Feel free to drop a comment with any advice or just share where you are in  your life's journey!

See you soon!