Top Five Weight Loss Tips
I was on the teachers.net bulletin board and someone asked me for my top five weight loss tips, so I thought I would put them into my blog!
So here we go!
- Get your head in the right place and make sure you're losing weight for the right reasons. If you are in the process of hating yourself, doing it for a high school reunion, to attract or keep the opposite sex, you're not in the right place. A year before I started weight loss I realized that I was expecting other people to accept me the way that I was, but *I* didn't accept myself the way that I was. So I spent about a year learning to love myself the way I was...fat and all. Once I got there, understanding that my weight did not add nor take away from my value, I realized that I was not showing myself the love and respect I should be by treating my body like a human garbage can.
So I honestly feel you have to feel good about yourself where you are BUT have a desire to make changes to improve your health and live a long, healthy life. I was worried about things like adult onset diabetes, health disease, etc. I also had always wanted to see myself as an "active person." Now don't get me wrong, I don't have a lazy bone in my body. But I was not physically active. I wanted to change that.
- It must be a lifestyle change. Diets fail. Lifestyle changes do not. Even though I met my weight loss goal in early December I am still eating the same way I was, still journaling every day, still working out every day. If you find you can't handle it after a few days you need to find something else. That's why WW worked for me. I can modify it to work for me...eat more points on the weekend, bank points during the week, etc.
- Move your body! Yeah, I wasn't too keen on exercise when I first started...trust me. But after some motivation from one of my students, I decided to start enjoying exercise. Now if I don't exercise during the day I feel like a major part of my day is missing. Muscle burns calories faster than fat, and the more you move the better it is for your body, your health, and your mental health.
- Celebrate your accomplishments, even if all it is losing one single pound, or journaling for a week and not going off program. Build in treats (non-food) for yourself along the way. Find something or some way to reward yourself that helps you stay on program. I got a Zoppini Italian Charm Bracelet and bought myself a new charm for every ten pounds I lost. I wear it every day and it reminds me how far I've come. Each charm also represents something in my life that I enjoy.
- Build a new relationship with food. Food is not love, comfort, warmth, or security. It is simply fuel. Learn to enjoy food without making it the centerpiece of anything. That's hard at holidays, but just imagine if for some reason next Thanksgiving there was no meal. Would you still enjoy the family, friends, and fun? Of course you would! That's why you're really there! When you learn to treat food like it isn't the centerpiece of life, but a side dish.
Those are my top five suggestions!
Back to Work
I'm going back to work on Monday! I'm looking forward to seeing my kids. I've really missed them. I'm not kidding, I have.
I am also looking forward to getting back into my routine. I find that staying on program is so much easier when I'm in a routine. I have the way I like to do things when it comes to everyting, including eating, and having someone else here kind of makes me self concious. Will my mom think I'm strange because I'm eating Lucky Charms out of a 1 cup measuring cup? Will she find my constant journal checking annoying?
I am also hoping that I'll regain some of my energy next week. I know it sounds strange to think going back to work will give me more energy, but I think it will. Right now I'm doing mainly what I should be doing, laying around, watching TV, surfing the Internet, and letting my body heal. But I think next week being up on my feet and interacting with my kids will invigorate me!
I'll also be back at the gym full time. I haven't gone the last few days. Both days I've just been too tired. I did do some shopping trips both days, though, so I counted those. Now I know that sounds weenie...I mean how many APs can you earn walking around Walmart. But I tell myself, "Self, you had surgery about a week and a half ago. At this point, just about any activity counts." Today after walking around Walmart for half an hour I went home and crashed in the chair for almost an hour. So it counted!
Yes it did!
If I say it counted, it counted so nyeah!
Yesterday Kris (cow-orker) brought me a card signed by my staff and another by my kids. Here are a few of the notes my kids sent me. They are so cute. My kids, by the way, are high school age...mostly juniors and seniors, and almost all boys.
- Don't Die. Get Well Soon.-Mark
- Mrs. K, you know what to do! Get better! -Morgen
- I'll get the guy who knifed you! -Jon
- Come back soon so we can have fun in class again. It's boring without you!-Calvin
- K-Diddy: You really need to come back, this sub is...well, we really want you instead. That that big ol hole is getting better. Make this person go home. Don't die. -Alan
- Get better K-dawg! -Ryan
- Hurry up! You're not here and it's getting to the point where mutiny is expected! -Scott
- Mrs. K Tom played games the whole time, but I did my work. -Colin
- Hi Mrs. K. Get better soon and Colin is lying. -Tom
- You need to hurry back its not the same w/o you! Hope everything goes good. Tell Roy hey. -Matt
My kids are great!
