Friday, February 10, 2012

Time to Do, Not Try

In January I promised myself I would make small changes to lose weight and get healthy.  I need to lose 25 pounds to get back to my healthy pre-pregnancy weight.  I thought it would be easy to set a small goal, only two pounds a month, which will do the job over the course of a year.  Small changes are all it takes to lose two pounds a month, right??   

My problem is cookies and ice cream.  I don't really even like ice cream.  My other problem is a pinched nerve in my left hip, my good one, and the long-term nerve problem with my right leg and foot. 

For the whole month of January, I've been eating terribly and not exercising.  Big surprise - I gained two pounds instead of losing two. 

I have several medical issues that would be minimized by losing the weight, exercising, and changing my diet back to the healthy one I swore by before I got married.  My pre-marriage diet included 35-40 grams of fiber (in the form of whole foods, not supplements), vegetables, practically no cheese, virtually no white flour, no processed foods, no fast food, lots of beans, absolutely no ice cream and cookies, and no meat.  I ate vegetables, whole grains, fresh fruit, beans, and probably not enough skim milk. 

I was a practicing vegetarian for three years after being told I had precancerous colon polyps and suffering from two bouts of diverticulitis.  My avoidance of sweets and unhealthy fats ended gradually in the months after I got married.  I felt bad keeping my husband from eating yummy foods - if he was eating pie and cookies, I wanted to eat it too.  My vegetarianism ended about two minutes after I got pregnant and started craving meatballs.  The daily exercise I used to do also ended with my last pregnancy - I was sick and tired for the entire nine months. 

Today I return to my hard-core, pre-marriage, vegetarian/whole food diet.  It's going to make me grumpy, possibly evil.  But I bet it's going to make my husband just a little grumpier when I ask him to do it with me (he's too sweet to turn to evil, so that's lucky).  I dread seeing the look on his face when I present him with a bowl of unsalted beans with a side of steamed veggies and brown rice for dinner.   

Today, it's time to stop trying to make gradual changes and just do it.  (Yoda reference in case you missed that.)

19 comments:

  1. If you can both eat that way, it will be easier. We aren't vegetarians, but my wife and I both exercise and eat healthy. If the junk isn't in the house, we don't eat it!

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    1. I agree - it will be easier to do it together, almost impossible if he's not supportive.

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  2. I need to lose a lot more than 25 pounds but I really just haven't had the will to exercise and stop eating bad food. Maybe when winter is over, though this winter hasn't even been that cold around here yet. Anyway, exercising would be easier if I didn't have stupid hammertoes that make it hard to walk or run very far.

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    1. It's really hard to do cardio without being able to walk. Very frustrating. Everyone tells me to swim, but I hate swimming and can't cope with the idea of putting on a swimsuit.

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  3. My husband started a vegan diet about three weeks ago (won't eat anything that had a mother) and he's lost more than fifteen pounds. I'm on it half-way with him and I've lost a few. After you get over the initial shock of no more sugar and salt, your body actually starts to feel lighter and healthier. Do it. You won't regret it. And there are so many good recipes now for vegetarian dishes.

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    1. I like cooking vegetarian - it's not as messy. I actually think going vegan would be better for me since I have a mild milk allergy, but I don't know how I would get the calcium except supplements (I'm super lazy about supplements). My husband has bought me half a dozen awesome veg cookbooks, but seems resistant to eating it.

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  4. Yay. I spoke to my husband about it in the affirmative like a good Jedi: "You will love dinner. You love vegetables. Exercise will make us happy." He went for it, not because he's weak-minded, but because I told him I was using Jedi mind tricks, which he digs.

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  5. Darlin' you know me - I'll tell you to do yoga! Actually I do think that yoga, though it is not sweaty, is great for losing and maintaining weight. I think it's because it helps bring focus and teaches us to slow down. Often we eat too much because we eat too fast! Anyway, I wish you much luck - sometimes all it takes is really being ready!

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    1. Stretching is great, but I have a problem with any pose that makes me put my weight on my right foot. My little guy and I did "The Twist" during the commercials in the middle of Dora the Explorer yesterday. :) Sadly, I'm out of shape enough that I can feel it now.

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  6. I wish you well with it Tonja. I started online Weight Watchers last Wednesday. I'm eating lots of fruits and vegetables on this plan. I'll keep my finger crossed for both of us!

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  7. Good luck with telling your husband. I can't even imagine telling mine. Occasionally I'll sneak him a vegetarian dinner without saying anything, but he always notices ;)

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    1. I told him like a Jedi and then told him I was being a Jedi, so he went for it (he's a nerd).

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  8. You can do it! I had to start a similar diet of fun...but minus high acid foods. Talk about no taste. But man, I feel so much better physically.

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    1. I have a lot of restrictions too - and lots of vegetables I can't eat. And no seeds. Thanks for the encouragement.

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  9. I guess its easier to eat veg food if its part of your lifestyle from childhood and if you can tolerate spicy food. Its easier for us in India as our foods tend to be spicy not hot (most people don't get the difference), you can make a lot of Italian and Mexican food in veg style and your taste buds won't protest...don't skip milk intake or try yogurt. Whoever said veg is the way to slim down must be joking...I have been one all my life(a community based not religious thing) and excess weight has always been my problem.

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    1. I think everyone's body is different. I went on this diet a few years ago, and it worked really well for me, both in losing weight and lowering my cholesterol, but I replaced white rice with brown rice and stopped eating noodles. And I exercised 20-30 minutes almost every day.

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