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    CRAFTYSARAH   23,921
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Why is this so hard?

Monday, July 18, 2011


In August of 2010, I celebrated losing my 30th pound. In August of 2011, I will be lucky to get back to the point of being down 30 lbs.

I have somehow landed back at the plateau of 234 lbs.

Admittedly, my diet isn't perfect. I still struggle with emotional eating and feel like I "deserve" ice cream more than is actually healthy for me. I'm frequently pressed for time, so my noble calorie tracking efforts during the day are often sabotaged by whatever I can think of for dinner that is quick.

I'm trying to change things up with my meals while still getting enough protein and fiber to keep me full.

I've gone six months without a Diet Coke, but I'm starting to think the afternoon energy crash isn't worth the effort to eliminate the chemicals from my diet.

But for all of my diet shortcomings, I feel like I exercise enough to at least sustain my progress - yet here I am regaining the weight.

I walk my dog 30-60 minutes per day, every day. I know that we stop to sniff things and this doesn't really count as "working out" but my baseline activity level includes walking 4+ hours per week.

I've been taking a strength training class once a week at the Y, and I think I am getting stronger.

And then there's my "real" cardio. I run or swim 45-60 minutes per day 3 (sometimes 4) days per week. It isn't as often as I would like, but it is something.

I'm going to try and recommit to this plan. I want to increase the running and swimming to 5 or 6 days per week. I want to take more 60 minute walks with my dog and fewer 30 minute ones.

But that has simply got to work, because I don't know where I am going to find more than 2 hours per day for exercise. I just don't have it to give.
  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

DR1939 7/18/2011 11:16AM

    I find that the only way I can manage my nutrition is to plan meals ahead of time. Like you, if I don't have them planned and the ingredients available, I just make do with something that doesn't always fit my meal plan. Preplanning is a pain at first because you have to figure out several days in advance. But once you have a set of go-to menus then it is easy just to plug them into the tracker. You can always adjust a menu, so if you don't have broccoli you can substitute asparagus or if you really don't want to cook something so elaborate you can whip up a quick frittata. I also include some planned meals out. Applebee's has several 550 options that are quite good and plenty of food. Ruby Tuesday's has a number of options that can be fitted into your meal plan. You can check these out on their nutrition website. Perkins' 2-egg omelette on the Senior Menu along with brown toast is 580 with cheese, spinach, and mushrooms. Even if you're not a senior they will serve you a 2-egg instead of 3-egg omelette, just don't get potatoes.

I usually eat the same thing for breakfast but if you like variety just develop 3 or 4 breakfast menus and rotate them. Same thing for lunch although I vary these a little more and make them more seasonable. For dinner I try to have fish several times a week rotating recipes that we like, red meat once or maybe twice a week (fillet mignon which is affordable if you eat 3-4 oz not 10, lamb chops, pork chops), and a casserole that will work for several meals. I fill in the rest with chicken recipes, again rotating recipes that we like. Often I will just put the main dish in the menu planner and buy the ingredients for those then buy whatever veggies and fruits appeal to me when I shop.

We always have dessert but it almost always is fruit- and milk-based (baked apple with fat-free 1/2 & 1/2, yogurt jello (SP recipe) with fruit, instant pudding with fruit) or ice cream.

If you are crashing midafternoon, plan a snack. I like a piece of fruit (kiwi, peach), but it can be anything that appeals to you and is within your calorie-range. I try to stay at 150 or so for a snack, but occasionally will go higher or lower depending on my other meals.

Hope this helps. It really is easy to do once you get organized. In the process you learn what satisfies you and what doesn't so that you don't end up mid-day or mid-evening starving and feeling deprived.

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