Earning My Calories

Over the weekend, Jeff and I broke down and bought a tablet. We had been discussing an iPad for over a year and finally the time seemed right (well maybe not right, but not wrong either). Right would have involved us not spending a couple grand on a new air conditioner. But the point is that we bought one. And so far I've been enjoying it for one aspect more than any other. The moment we brought the iPad home, I installed My FitnessPal on it.

About seven years ago, I managed to lose 60 pounds by tracking what I ate and walking more. I had used a printed food journal at the time and loved it. Now, in the age of digital, I'm using an electronic food tracker and am hopefully that I can repeat my results from the past. I have about 60 pounds to lose.

So far the program has helped me make some smarter decisions. Of course I've only been using it for  a couple days now. But I'm optimistic. I went for a long walk yesterday so I could eat a good dinner and still be under calories. Today I spent 5 hours shifting books at the library. The program tells me that I burned a ton of calories enough for a great dinner and plenty left over. It even allowed me a glass of wine. So if I use the iPad for nothing else, at least it might help me lose a bit of weight. And that would be worth it.

Montages

I've decided that my life would be so much better with montages. I got the idea from watching Kung Fu Panda of all things but I've noticed montages in tons of movies. And that gave me an idea. What if life was a little more like the movies? Want to lose weight, cue the exercise montage. Want to learn a skill, cue the practice montage. Want to get a promotion, cue the rise to power montage. Montages would solve all sorts of pesky issues where you have to practice and learn daily for long periods of time. Instead we could just cue up the music and it would be done in less than five minutes.

I'm only partially joking. I've been trying to lose weight for a while but the slowness of it drives me crazy. I'm not particularly good at being patient when I don't see any shred of improvement. So it's tempting to think that I could cue up my movie montage for exercise (set to Move Along by the All-American Rejects) and find myself slim and trim in only a couple minutes. Like Rocky in...well any of the Rocky movies.

I would probably do the same thing with writing. Cue up the writing music (something like This Is the Day by The The) and have that novel written by the time the song is done. Of course I'd do the same thing for painting and learning to cook and...everything. I'd be brilliant in only minutes a day. My life would be so much better with montages. Sigh, if only they were an option.

Excel for Self Improvement

If you haven't already guessed I'm a huge Excel fan. I spend more time on Excel than almost any other program on my computer. Since my current job deals exclusively with data I'm constantly working in one spreadsheet or another. When I first started I hated the program. It was boring and confusing to use. But that's just because I didn't know what I was doing.

Everything changed for me when I started using spreadsheets for personal things. Jeff has regularly used them to do our taxes but I always figured that as just more boring number crunching. Then one afternoon right before one of our trips I worked out a trip countdown spreadsheet. Using autofills and formulas I created a rather useful countdown that I could actually watch our progress on. I was instantly hooked. Here was a fun use for what seemed like a boring program. Excel allowed me to create countdowns, databases, and most importantly, goal trackers.

I've always been a bit of a list maker. I create lists of books I've read, places I've been, quotes I like, and goals I want to achieve. One of the hard things about setting goals for me is not having any way of tracking them. If I set the goal that I want to write more I have no way to measure that. After a couple days of concentrated effort I fall off the wagon without ever really noticing. I just wake up one morning and don't think about it. The same with my ideas for weight loss. I find that I do better if I break my big goal into smaller goals. The goal then stays in the front of my mind. That's where Excel comes in.

I've created spreadsheets for my weight loss plan. I track the pounds that I've lost on one sheet and my daily calorie intake on another. Using basic formulas I can simply plug in the number of calories I've eaten and the computer will list how many I have left for the day. I can also track my exercise for the day and match that against my weekly goals. Even if I fall short for a couple days I'm still keeping the goal at the front of my mind. I'm still working towards it.

I do the same with writing, setting workable goals for each day and then goals for the long term. My plan was to be writing 1000 words a day, not a ton but enough that it's a bit of a time commitment. I'd been failing to make that mark (not counting blog writing) and have been giving up entirely. I used to figure that if I wasn't reaching my big goal, it was never going to happen. Now I break that goal up. I'm starting with 200 words a day, an easy goal to achieve. Every month I move that up by 50. If I go over, no big deal, but at least I should be writing that many words. I keep increasing until I reach 1000. But those little goals are the secret.

I've finally realized that consistency is more important than talent. Consistency is more important than willpower. Consistency (creating a habit) is the only way I know to achieve my goals. And Excel helps me break them down. Helps make me accountable. Even if it's only to myself. I know it seems strange (and reading back through this makes me feel a bit like the crazy list-lady) but so far it's been working for me. On my writing desk I have a great quote from children's writer Kate DiCamillo, "I decided a long time ago that I didn't have to be talented. I just had to be persistent, and that that was something that I could control...". Every time I mark a box complete, or stay under my calories for the day, I think about persistence. And how Excel hopefully helps me to achieve it. Hey, whatever works.

Battle of the Bulge

Every couple of years it seems, I decide to do something about my weight. I've been heavy for a good chunk of my life and weight has always been a struggle for me. What can I say, I like food. Actually that's not right, I love food. And I tend to overeat if given the chance. For most of high school and college I didn't worry about it. My weight was still at an acceptable level. But the freshman 15 quickly became the college 30 and by the time I was married I was well over 60 over what is considered normal. I had bypassed overweight and headed for obese.

About six years ago I started on one of the easiest and most effective weight loss programs I've ever done. I managed to lose 60 pounds without really even breaking much of a sweat. It was incredible. No I didn't do any of those questionable pill programs or lose weight while you sleep gimmicks. I did something far simpler. I counted calories. I bought a 90 day food journal from Half Price Books on a whim and managed to lose 20 pounds in those first 90 days. I bought three more journals and lost a total of 60 pounds over the course of a year. I felt amazing. I was working out more but the big thing is that I was paying attention to the calories I was eating. When I reached something of a goal weight I figured that I didn't need the food journals anymore. I focused on exercise, often doing two workouts a day, and stopped writing things down.

Since then I have managed to gain back 50 of those pounds. Apparently just working out wasn't enough when I was eating way more calories than I needed. Then after a while I lost my motivation on working out. I sank back into my old habits and started racking up the pounds. Over the last couple years I've tried to restart different diet programs. I've focused on volumetrics, I've tried to eat mostly fruits and vegetables and so far I haven't been able to stick with the programs enough to lose any significant weight.

If this break has taught me nothing, it is that I am not as strong as I would like to be. I remember the struggle of trying to build arm muscles to lift myself. That could have been helped if I was weight training and didn't weigh as much. Now that I'm back to walking, my poor knees are not happy and keep reminding me that I'm carrying a bit too much weight for their tastes. So this week I've decided that the yo-yo has hit bottom again. I'm starting back on my weight loss program. I've bought another food journal and will start it today. It will be worth the cost of buying four of them a year if I'm able to lose weight and keep it off.

I'm writing this for you to read as a motivation to myself to stay with it. I always do a bit better at sticking with something when there is outside pressure on me. This probably wasn't the best week to start since I'll be out of town this weekend. But even if I go over my calorie limit (1800 calories a day) as long as I write everything down I'll consider it a win. And I have to simply accept the fact that I'll continue to write things down for the rest of my life. Weight has always been a struggle for me. But a food journal evens the odds considerably in my favor. Here's hoping.

A Cure for All My Ailments

What if I would tell you that I have found the one thing that will help me lose weight, improve my mood, keep my anxiety at bay, increase my energy, and lengthen my life expectancy. It's pretty simple. In fact, I learned about it at the ripe old age of 1 year old. It's walking. The first and only thing that I have ever found that takes care of almost all my issues. You would think with all those benefits it would be something that I would be dedicating tons of time to. Yet for some reason I find it tough to get out the door.

Jeff and I went walking this afternoon. We wanted to try out a path that has been built near the house and I loved just getting out into the trees and putting one foot in front of the other. In fact, I'm always happy when I'm walking. I don't remember the last time I took a walk and didn't enjoy myself. Even though I don't really like to walk along busy streets I won't turn it down. My favorite walks though are when I leave the trails. Strap on my hiking boots and step off the beaten path. This picture is from a hike Jeff and I took along the creek near our house. We found all sorts of interesting plant life, spotted a couple of deer, and found our way a couple miles from the house, just following a creek. It was one of my favorite walks.

But I still find it tough to motivate myself. I look out the door and think that it's just too much work to put on my shoes. Or find a coat. And the couch just seems comfier. So I put off going. And then feel lazy and even worse. A simple walk everyday would be all I need to improve my life. Now I just need to get moving. My plan (kind of like a resolution) would be to take a walk every other day weather depending. I'm not about to become one of those crazy people you see walking in torrential rains or in a blizzard. But on nice days there is no reason I shouldn't get out and walk when I can. When I lost all that weight four years ago I did it simply through walking more and writing down what I eat. And getting out simply makes my anxiety go away. With those bonuses alone, I need to make an effort to get out there and walk. Here's hoping I can keep the pace up.

Not Sitting Down for It

It has been over five days since I got any good World of Warcraft playing in. Yes, for those interested, I'm going through withdrawl. I had family in all weekend which means I didn't get home until after midnight. Normally if that's the case I can only sneak in two hours before my body decides to shut down. I'm a morning person by nature so by 11:30 I'm normally ready to crash. Pushing myself until 2 or 3 involved lots of caffeine and then some seriously jittery hands.

On Monday I got in an hour of fishing (I'm still at level 150) and some cooking material gathering (I'm not even to 150 on my cooking). But as I was finishing gathering crocolisks (yeah pretty pathetic huh?) a good friend that I hadn't talked to in a while called. I knew that if I continued to play and tried to talk I'd get no where. So I logged off and then talked for over two hours. At 10:30 on a work night I'm not logging back on. Last night was knitting and we ended up hanging out talking until at least 9:45. So tonight I plan to get some play time in. I haven't done dailies in a couple days and if I ever want to hit exalted with Oracles and Ebon Blade I'm going to have to start working on those.

But now I have an issue. In October Jeff's brother is getting married. In Jamaica!!! As told Jeff, of course we have to go. It's family. Can you tell I'm a little excited for this? Then again who wouldn't be excited about this?

And I've decided that it's time to get serious about my weight (again!). I'm not going down there with where I'm at currently. (I've lost and then regained a total of 110 pounds in the last four years. 60 on the loss, 50 on the gain.) So here's where it gets tough. One of my favorite activities (WoW) is sedentary. Add to that the fact that I sit all day at the office. And of course I have the terrible habit of eating in front of the computer.

So I'm writing this down so that all of you are witnesses. No eating in front of the computer. If I want to eat I have to stop playing. That should be a good incentive for me. And then my next thing will be buying a balance ball for home. I know they seem silly but if I can work my stomach muscles (even a little) while playing, it's worth it. Who knows it may even improve my posture. Mixing a bit of exercise with my playtime...sounds like a plan to me.

Resolving to be less Resolute

Every year at this time I sit down and write out my resolutions. And sadly they are always the same resolutions: lose weight, get more organized, write more...etc. Since I use the same ones every year you can safely assume that I only follow them for about three weeks until I slip up, decided that it isn't going to work, and return to my normal habits. Every year is the same.

This year though I have decided not to be so general. Lose weight is an incredibly general idea. It normally means dieting for me, which I hate. So this year I actually have a plan of attack. I won't say that I want to lose weight. Instead I'll say that I plan to write down what I eat each day. Starting today. Five years ago I decided that I was going to lose weight and I bought a food journal. I wrote down everything I ate, walked more, and managed to lose 60 pounds. I maintained the exercise but stopped writing things down about three years ago. And slowly gained back 50 of those pounds. So I know that a food journal works. I'll just go back to that. Not with the idea that I will lose weight but with the idea that I will make food journaling a habit. If I lose weight, great. If not I have developed a habit that will improve my overall heath.

I keep a paper journal just because I find it more convenient, but for anyone who would prefer an electronic version I recommend SparkPeople. This site is free and allows you to track both food and exercise. Plus you just have to let them know what you eat and they keep track of the calories for you.

As for getting organized, I am also creating a plan. Rather then the vague statement "I'll get organized" my plan is to focus on each room of the house. My first will be my library. That is the one that needs the most work. I'll be starting tonight with three boxes: one to keep, one to give away, and one to toss. And if I keep doing that each day, I should be leaner in two weeks or so. Then I just have to focus on making organization a habit. Putting things in their place rather than just leave them on the counter to do later. We'll see how it goes. But I'm focused on daily improvement, not just some general ideas of what to improve.

New Toy!

I'm pleased to announce a new addition to our household. A Wii Fit!! After many, many months of searching Jeff and I finally stumbled on one in Target this morning. It just seemed too good to be true. We had both decided that we would splurge on the DVD edition of Star Wars (the originals, of course). When we walked into the video game aisle and saw it. Star Wars went back to the shelf immediately. I stood guard while Jeff went to find a salesclerk. And I was not about to let anyone else pick it up. I Saw It First! Luckily no one challenged me. I'm pretty sure I would have brought out the claws. 

So we got our new baby home and hooked it up. Now I wasn't sure what to expect. I'd heard from friends who had one but never been able to try or even seen the games. I was shocked. By the end of the strength training session I was sweating. By the end of the aerobic section, I was panting. And by the end of my entire 30 minute time playing, my legs were jelly. I'm so out of shape.

And the Wii was sure to remind me how out of shape I am. The game takes your weight, calculates your BMI, and then reminds you (sometimes gently, sometimes not) that you are doing things wrong. My balance was so off that my trainer continually asked me if I was putting my other foot down (I was) and then remind me that balance is one of the most important things for people as they age. Was the thing calling me old? Turns out it was. My physical age turned out to be a decade older than my actual age. Ouch! 

So I have big plans. I'm going to try to get up early every morning to workout with the thing. 30 minutes a day should be perfect. It's cheap (now that I own it), at home (perfect for the cold Iowa winters), and actually fun. I don't even mind the running portion. We'll see how well I do. Right now my intentions are the best. 

One big fat weekend

So last night I did what most people consider the most embarrassing thing they can do. I split my pants. Yeah a huge rip that simply can't be fixed. Thank god I was at home when I did so. This morning I realized that I no longer have any jeans that fit me. (cry) So this morning, after a small but tasty breakfast, I went out, with my wonderful husband, to go shopping for jeans. 

Now next to swimsuits, there is nothing I dread shopping for more than jeans. Nothing ever fits right and it's hard finding a color and style that I enjoy. I used to like the stretch jeans. They offered a bit of nylon? elastic? woven into the fabric to make them more  form fitting and more...well...fitting. I won't buy those again. This is the third pair I've split of stretch jeans. Any non-stretch ones just wear out the knees. You think I would have learned by now. 

Well sad to say I've gained some weight (cough, cough) in the last three years. It was scary. I had to go to sizes that I don't even like to consider. I had to shop in sections I hoped to never walk into again. And I wondered what had gotten me to this point. Nearly daily trips to the vending machines? Quiet nights in front of the TV? My general lack of discipline when it comes to sweets? Any and all of the above seems to be the answer. 

So I dragged out my old notebooks, selected one, and am keeping a food journal again. It is the only thing that has ever worked for me. We'll see how it goes. But if I go up one more jeans size, I'm pretty sure I'm going to throw a tantrum that would make any two year old proud.