Week Two: Dieting and into the rhythm of exercise

I’m into week two of changing my eating habits. I weighed in on the 7^th, and had lost 6lbs. This isn’t uncommon. The stress of the holidays not only can cause weight gain, but cause water retention. Stress, eating out, eating foods you normally don’t eat, eating a lot of sugary foods, drinking more alcohol than normal, and family. Yes, having the stress of family around and off your normal routine can cause water retention. All of this can cause weight gain and a lot of water retention, especially the alcohol.

Last week I gave up alcohol. I did fall off the wagon. We bought a new car, and it was an emotional situation, because I traded in my mother’s little car that I had been driving since she passed from this life, 6yrs ago. I still miss her terribly. She was such a rock in my life. To let go of her car was necessary and extremely hard. I love my new car, but came home and had a glass of wine and cried. I immediately regretted it. I gained 30lbs since her death, and know it was a sorry excuse to take a drink, which with dieting is always the excuse to go off the path you chosen to take, some sort of stress or bad day. It didn’t affect my weight loss, I’m fairly certain, but it did affect my mental attitude.75% of your diet is mental.

I’m now into my workout routine. I started something new, working out with hubs at night. He needs it. I’ve developed a routine for him, he’ll do. It’s a combination of light weights, and walking. For myself, I’m running again. I run more this time of year than summer. I love my bike and am on that all summer. The weather keeps me on the treadmill or running close to home. I decided to do a marathon this year or maybe two. Last August I tore a tendon in my ankle. It was extremely painful, and left me barely able to walk. I could ride my bike after a week, but running and walking was definitely out. It wasn’t until January that I felt I was healed enough to run, without doing further damage. I’m no spring chicken so I really can’t afford to hurt myself like that again. It took six months for me to be able to run. I was pleased. I ran 3mls, with a middle walk of 5mins. Riding my bike really helped my endurance more than I imagined. So if you don’t like to run, or treadmill, try a bike.

This week I eliminated red meat and pork. Now I’m eating fish and chicken, which I love, but I’m eating it only 4 days a week to start. As I move on into my diet, I’ll probably will become more vegan. It’s difficult, to just jump into something so restricting and find success. Pick a diet that you can live with. Vegan takes a lot of research and planning. Whatever you’re doing keep with it.

Check in next week. Hopefully, I’ve lost more weight.