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Goals for the Rest of 2011
 Posted by Trish Milburn Nov 15 2011, 12:01 am in eating healthy, Emotional Eating, exercise, guest blogger, Holidays, weight loss 
By Nancy Northcott Just about a year and a half ago, the Healthy Writer team invited me to guest blog about my plans for getting back into shape. I was going to go back to the gym, cut back on unhealthy foods, and stay focused. I really was. Only I didn’t. Instead, I gained weight. And I truly have no excuse. I let life get in the way of going back to the gym. I made it for a week, which usually means I’m back on track, but then I pushed it down the priority list. Before I knew it, another week went by, and then another, and then I was back in the gym avoidance rut. I knew what eating so much candy over the holidays last year was going to do, but I ate it anyway. I’m a stress eater, and the holidays are stressful for a lot of reasons many of you can probably identify with–too much to do, too little time, other projects not going well, family issues, etc. Michelle had a great post about controlling these factors the other day. So here I am, going into another holiday season weighing not only more than I’d like to but far more. Nothing fits, including workout clothes, and shopping for things that would is irritating. It may even be irritating enough to make me do what I’ve known for months I should do, buy new (larger) workout clothes, not only pay attention to intake but control it–and, oh, yeah, use the workout clothes. Some people swear by Jazzercise or Zumba or other programs. I always preferred cardio kickboxing, but shoulder issues are pretty much ruling that out. What they don’t rule out, no matter how much I pretend they do, is other exercise. Like fast walking. Like jumping rope. Now, I’m a serious klutz. And my core muscles are not in great shape. Neither is my aerobic conditioning. None of this bodes well for the jumping rope thing. Right now, the jump rope and I are eying each other askance. We used to be buddies, kinda sorta, at least able to work in sync with each other, but hard-won those days are in the distant past. I don’t have rubber mats for jumping rope on, so I’m hoping the ground outside will do. I’m not going to jump on a hard surface because my knees won’t take it. There’s also the klutz thing. I’ve never fallen jumping rope–or attempting to jump it, to be more accurate–but there’s always a first time. We do have a membership where there’s not only a gym but a pool. Although buying a bathing suit was excruciating (and the bottoms don’t fit despite the phone rep’s earnest efforts), I do like to swim. I don’t care for the whole bit with driving over there, changing, showering, getting out of the pool, showering, changing, and then driving home. The actual swimming, however, is kind of relaxing. So here I am again with great intentions. The trick, of course, is putting those intentions into action. With the holidays roaring toward us, that’s a bigger challenge than usual. So I’ve set myself a modest set of goals that should be attainable by December 31: 1. Get into some sort of routine that involves aerobic exercise three times a week, either here or at the gym, for at least half an hour per session. 2. Cut desserts to once a week and limit snacks to fruit and/or nonfat yogurt. 3. Lose 3 pounds. Yep, a mere, modest three. I’d really prefer five, but I feel safer going for just half a pound a week between year’s end. If I get more, it’ll be happy dance time. When working as a weight loss consultant, I noticed that many people shoot for a pound a week but very few people can sustain that rate of loss. Most people who want to end up disappointed and frustrated, moods that can trigger stress eating. So I’m going to shoot for a more modest level. 4. Avoid beating myself up if I eat something I shouldn’t. I’m going to try to cut myself a break. Slipping once isn’t such a total bomb as to warrant throwing my hands up in the air and declaring the week a total bust. No matter how tempting that is. One of the big problems around the holidays is dealing with food pushers, the “oh, it’s great, you have to have some” or “but it’s my specialty, and you aren’t having any (or more than that little smidge)” people. One trick is always to serve yourself, not let one of these people control the serving spoon and thus the portion size. The other is just to be firm and tell people you’re trying to watch your weight, and you need them to help you do that by resisting that lovely treat. Politely but firmly. That isn’t always easy to do, but it’s sometimes necessary. At the same time, having a small taste of a favorite food or dessert can sometimes be a great payoff for resisting the bigger portions. So those are my goals. What are yours? Are you trying to maintain your weight or would you like to take off a bit? Have you ever slipped up on good intentions? If so, how did you get back on track? If not, how do you keep from straying?
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Nancy, I think you’ve set some good, realistic goals for the holidays. I think sometimes we approach the holiday season, see that we haven’t accomplished what we wanted, then put a lot of stress on ourselves in an already stressful season by making unrealistic goals. It’s better to make smaller, more realistic ones that will make us feel good when we accomplish them and launch us into a new year feeling positive about what we can accomplish with even bigger goals.
Good point, Trish. I think my goal for the holidays will be NOT to gain weight. Never mind the loss thing. If I can stay the same, I’ll be happy.
Thanks, Trish. I tend to set big goals in general, and that sometimes works, but I’m wary of over-reaching and the resulting disappointment this time of year.
Great post, Nancy. It’s always useful to see others struggling to meet their goals and being human!
I think you’ve chosen sensible goals and wish you every luck with them!
I too have had other things which have got in the way of my attempts to lose weight/inches. Back problems have been the worst as they stopped my exercise program – it was only running a few miles 3x a week, but it was better than nothing!
Now, I’m working on getting my step count up. My handy dandy pedometer has been a huge help – monitoring my steps makes me focus on them more and makes me take those extra brisk walks to ensure I hit my target steps. I find this useful too as I can fit in a brisk walk when I can’t fit in a trip to the gym, and I don’t need special kit!
I’m also going to be more vigilant about watching portion sizes. I think that is probably my biggest area where I can cut out unnecessary calories, as I don’t eat desserts or many sweet things. Tied into that will be ensuring that I cut the portion size of carbs and replace them with veg.
Thanks, Anna. I have to say running a few miles sounds pretty impressive to me. I’m sorry back problems are interfering.
I agree, portion size is key. I’ve also found having salad dressing, dipping sauce, etc., on the side helps. Touching a forkful to the sauce, so there’s only a dab if sauce on the food but that dab is the first taste I get, cuts down a lot on how much of that I use.
That’s what I do with my salad dressing now, Nancy. I’ve cut a lot of calories over the past few months that way.
The portion size control is a great thing. In our family we have what we call the Mark Spicer Diet LOL. My SIL lost a tremendous amount of weight simply by eating something small every hour or two. My daughter Megan took up the idea and she’s gotten her already-lovely figure down to 138 pounds (she’s 5’11) and looks very svelte!
Jo, when I did a 12-week conditioning program through the gym, I ate six times a day. That was mostly veggies and protein, very few carbs, and refined sugar only once a week. Of course, I also worked out 6 days a week.
Even then, the weight loss started very slowly, less than a pound a week. Only when I’d built enough muscle mass to speed up my metabolism did it accelerate. I ended up losing, during and after the program, 35 pounds. Which I do so deeply wish I’d been better about keeping off. I was in better shape then than at any other time in my life.
Great topic, Nancy! I used to think I had a very sedentary job (high school teacher), but by comparison teaching is a virtual marathon to being a writer. Seriously. When I taught, I was always moving around in the classroom, rarely seated, or fast-walking down the halls to get a minor chore done before the next bell rang.
Now I sit. And write. And eat. So, yeah, the eating’s not necessary and you’d think what with both hands been seriously involved in the writing process, there’d be no appendages to handle those forever-beckoning treats. Not so, sadly.
Since I won my Golden Heart six years ago, my weight has burgeoned. This is my irrefutable evidence that writing leads to weight gain LOL.
Jo, thanks! When I was teaching, I walked a lot on campus and was on my feet, moving around the classroom, for much of the class period. I did way more walking than I do now. I know exactly what you mean.
I also find I snack less when the writing is going well. I’m then too absorbed to think about eating. I alsi eat when I’m bored, not only when I’m stressed.
Oh yeah, baby.
I’ve gained more since I started writing than I did with both my pregnancies. Of course, I’ve birthed more books, too LOL, but still…
That’s alsO, not alsI. *sigh*
Hi Nancy! Hi Healthy Writers (hmm, not a club I’m a member of sadly!). Nancy, I’m giggling at the skipping rope and you giving each other baleful looks in a Mexican standoff. I’m hearing a distant echo of Morricone music! Good luck with your task. I find it’s really tough to be good when I’m out and about. I’m not really a snacker when I’m at home on my own but when other people are there I eat and even worse, I drink. Love to have a few drinks with friends and man, does alcohol stack on the condition (as my mother referred to weight – always gives me a giggle, makes me sound like a nice big happy cow). It’s so hard at this time of year too because you, well, I, do tend to be out more than usual. Something about the end of the year makes people want to get in touch, doesn’t it?
Anna, I’m with you on the difficulty of maintaining a program while eating out. It’s very difficult. Drinking red wine and nursing it along can help, as can eating an apple or some other fruit before going out. For me, at least, if I can have some of what everyone is enjoying, I do better than If I try for total abstinence.
GREAT goals, Nancy
Its so easy to gain the weight and so freaking hard to lose it. After so many different attempts, I’m finally losing (albeit slowly *g*). I’m keeping my calorie intake around 900-1000 a day and filling up on veggies, salad and fruit, with protein with each meal. I’ve cut way back on simple carbs and sweets, and am using my measuring cups religiously. That, and regular cardio, seem to finally have broken through the wall.
But keeping that up during the holidays (and deadline hell) is going to be a major challenge. I figure if I can stick to my regime 90% of the time, I’m fine. The 10% will come in on Thanksgiving day (I’ll send all tempting leftovers home with others, or put them in containers with the meat so I won’t touch them) and for Christmas (same plan).
Tawny, thanks! Sounds like you have an excellent plan. Congrats on losing some weight.
For me, exercise is critical. Without it, I won’t lose much weight at all. You regular cardio is very smart.
Nancy, I think you’re very smart to set modest goals. Yes, the losing takes FOREVER and the gaining is almost instantaneous, but we can only do so much. Small steps are much better, I think.
I was on a great new routine a few months ago: walking 3 – 5 days a week and eating right. When I had lost about 7 pounds and was starting to feel more in shape about 3 months ago…I went bowling. Well, you know the story of my bowling injury so I won’t bore you with details. Suffice to say, I am STILL trying to get well enough to resume daily walking. Twenty minutes of walking would be Heaven right now!
The pounds are creeping back on and there is nothing I can do about it. Eating less only stems the flood of pounds. Exercise is the only way I can lose!
Best of luck with your holiday goals. I hope to be confident enough to set some soon!
Caren, thanks. Congrats on those seven pounds! I hate that you’ve had this setback, but I know you’ll come through it,
Good luck!
Thanks to everyone at Healthy Writer for hosting me today. It was a blast!