Sept. 9, 2009 Diet Blog

Today I began the day trying the 'fruit on an empty stomach' tip that I was given the other day. The rolling 'beads' behind my ears just isn't for me. I had a cup of grapes and my usual cup of coffee. I was running a little behind so I hurried. I did go to the mirror and told the disheveled woman, with crazy bed hair and sleepy eyes that she was awesome and continued on my way quickly. I snuck the compliment in so fast that maybe she didn't notice, but I believe that the girl in the mirror was actually convinced because I felt that good all day. I'm not sure why.
For lunch I had left over roasted chicken thighs and green beans. For both snacks I had 6 of the Quaker rice cakes that are about the size of a silver dollar coin. For dinner I had a Smart Ones Mac n Cheese and a plumb. I drank all of my water too. I felt very satisfied and very content with myself for feeling that way, if that makes any sense.
In case you were wondering about my fast food eating friend and her hot dogs, she chose hot dogs in beans. No bun. It came with a little piece of garlic bread which she only tasted. I was proud of her. She did bring up a very good point though. She discovered that a certain time of the day was harder for her to stick to her diet plans than the rest of the day. This has happened to me as well. I thought that mentioning it might trigger something in you too. My hardest time of the day seems to be right after work before I've put dinner on the stove to prepare.
We have to formulate a tactic to get past that hard time. For me the 3pm snack curbed it. I also busy myself with something else. Face book was an amazing deterrent for me. I love seeing how the day of my friends went and my computer is literally two feet from my burners. This may require some thought on your part. Anyone with ideas please post them in the comments section. The help would be wonderful.
Now that we're kind of on a roll I think the topic of exercise should arise. For me, I go to college at night and in order to get my degree I must take a gym class. I took body conditioning and it starts tonight. I will tell you all about it tomorrow. My BFF swears by swimming. She says nothing beats it for keeping her in shape. Since the cold weather is drifting in here where we live I think that she will have to join a spa or some kind of program to do that, but if you can and that's what you want to do I say go for it!
In line with our "free-Free-Free" thinking though, I can suggest walking or jogging if you are so inclined. If you have an old exercise tape or DVD lying around- get it out and give it a go. If you have a tread mill, or a work out machine of some kind that is collecting dust in your basement, turn it back on. Put it right in front of your sofa if you have to just to get the idea that you must use the darn thing!
In reference to that I tell myself that a dollar comes off of the cost of the item with every use. The item must pay for itself. (Yes- I watch my pennies. I'm sure you've gathered that by now. If I pay for something I use it. Waste not want not as the saying goes.) In my case the item in question is a wii. The exercise program game on the wii is a lot of fun. I especially enjoyed the dance section in the past. But that's me. What do you feel that you can handle? You are the only one who can decide that. Maybe if you do a variety of these things and whatever else you can think of it won't be so boring, which was my biggest issue with it. Post in comments and let me know! I'd love to hear. We're in this together now.
I loved karate and did it for many years- 18 to be exact. I black belted in 2 styles and taught it to children for many years. For me it is free to go back if I so choose. I may be at a level where I can do that after this semester in the body conditioning but I don't know for sure.
My point is for you to think about moving your body more than you are moving it now. Walk a few extra car lengths in the parking lot at the mall or grocery store if that's all you are able to do for now. Anything you do is okay as long as it's something. It'll help with more than just the dieting. Your health will benefit in so many areas because of it. You can add to it as you get further into your efforts and closer to your goal.
In one of the diet meetings I attended years ago one of the instructors told the crowd that she had felt that she couldn't move until she had lost twenty pounds. I remember sighing in relief. Exercise wasn't really my thing. I didn't want to do it and I thought she was giving us permission to wait until we'd dropped 20 pounds. She then proceeded to show us her sagging skin and said that she felt that it was because she hadn't exercised properly during her weight loss effort. She'd done very little she admitted. The weight came off but her muscle tone was very poor and her skin had not shrunk the correct way it would have if she had moved her body the entire time. Needless to say, I think I'd like to have as little of THAT look as possible. I'm sure the body conditioning class will be hard for me but I'm forced to do it anyway so I will. I won't be happy with less than an 'A' so I will comply to every rule and do every thing that I am told to in the class. I think I want to give myself an 'A' in this effort to better myself too. I fully intend on doing that.
Also, I wanted to mention vitamins. I think everyone should take them. I especially think that any dieter should. Of course the opinion of your physician or pharmacist will help you choose whats best for you. I'm still under a doctor's care and she gave me a prescription for what she felt my needs were after the many rigorous tests regarding my surgery. It's a good idea to keep your health first and foremost in your thoughts when dieting. One step at a time, one day at a time. Ask your doctor if you should take vitamins. Go with what they tell you because they know you and I do not.
I'll sign off on that note reminding you again that you look the best you can for today. Don't let your perception of your body get in the way of you having a good time. Keep it up! You're doing great and you're awesome too! ;-)