Sassy Sexy Shapely

“No question about it, tomorrow is back on track.  But it does bother me that I’ve had this attitude lately. UGH! Do we EVER conquer this problem?!“

I have felt like that SO many times!  It was unbelievably refreshing to read this on Tatum’s Mom’s blog.  i am grateful to bloggers who share their ups and downs.  It means a lot to know I’m not struggling in isolation.  But the question remains: do we ever get over it, past it, through with it?  Or, do we continue to battle against being a fat person for all eternity?

I’m still in that phase where I’m 3 pounds above my goal, and it’s frustrating.  What’s weird is that, inevitably when this happens, someone runs into me and asks if I’ve lost weight, complimenting me on how I look.  It happened just this morning.  As I exited the stairwell, I ran into someone from another office that hadn’t seen me in several weeks.  He said, “Have you lost weight.  You look great!”  Naturally, it was a morale booster.  It also reminded me that exercise can make you look smaller while adding a bit of weight to your body.

I’ve recently increased the weights I use during my strength routine.  Plus, I’ve tried some new workouts: Muay Thai and Cardio X.  I’ve even installed a pull-up bar, doing daily pull-ups, albeit only one at a time.  It could be that these changes are keeping the scale up while whittling my middle.

Thank goodness for blogs and people who share compliments when they have ‘em.  It provides much needed perspective.

Turns out, reading a fitness magazine while exercising can demotivate, rather than inspire, according to a new study authored by Ann Wertz Garvin, a health and physical education professor at the University of Wisconsin in Whitewater. 

“The results suggest that negative effects of reading ultra-fit magazines may cancel out the mood-boosting effects of exercise, says Garvin. Exactly why is unclear, though she speculates that women may become depressed because they feel they’ll never look as good as the magazine models or that the women already look fit but have low self-esteem and seeing the images doesn’t help.”

I can relate to these results although I don’t read while I’m exercising.  (The workouts I do now don’t allow for reading, but even when I went to the gym, I listened to music or watched TV instead of reading.)  I suscribe to several fitness magazines, including Oxygen, which was used in the study, and I can confirm that thumbing through them is sometimes depressing.

The mags periodically bum me out because they set standards that seem impossible to achieve, at least for me.  I occasionally come away from reading them with the feeling that I’m not working hard enough.  Unfortunately, that feeling doesn’t inspire me to work harder; it just makes it harder for me to keep working out.

Thankfully, this isn’t a huge issue for me.  I’ve been extremely consistent with my exercise since I started my lifestyle change nearly six years ago, and I suspect I always will be.  The mags are more disheartening from a body image standpoint than anything else.  Of course, that’s an issue I have struggled with for a long time, so I certainly don’t fault the publications for it.  I have learned, though, to stop reading them during times when I’m feeling particularly negative about my appearance.  No need to add fuel to the fire during a difficult spell.  The mags will always be there when I am feeling more optimistic and can really benefit from the great ideas and advice they offer.

I’ve known for a long time that I eat when I’m sad.  Of course, I eat when I’m anxious, when I’m happy, when I’m bored… pretty much whenever.  For me, the urge to eat is a constant, but it gets stronger depending on my mood.  And, I’m not alone.

According to a study reported on Yahoo!’s Shine website, moviegoers who were sad while watching a dramatic movie ate more popcorn than those who didn’t respond as negatively to the film.  

“Moods have a powerful influence on our eating habits; they can cause us to seek out specific foods, and unconsciously eat more, and we’re more likely to eat comfort foods when happy than sad or depressed. It’s important to be aware your eating IS affected by your mood, so if you’re trying to lose that last 5 lbs, go to a happy movie — you’ll eat less popcorn!”

So if you want to drop a few pounds, try to stay in that “happy place” as much as possible.  J

This weekend was difficult, so difficult I didn’t know what to write.  My weight has been hovering between three and five pounds up, and this weekend, it really got me down… really, really down… hide-my-head-in-the-sand-forever down.  I was uninspired, couldn’t come up with a “bright” side, couldn’t find or think of anything positive to post.  Since many of my friends read this blog, I am hesitant to post anything too negative.  So, I didn’t post.

Interestingly enough, it was Barnes & Noble that helped me raise my head to the sunshine again.  My BF and I made a visit on a balmy evening, and there on a table near the front was “The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted: And Other Small Acts of Liberation” by Elizabeth Berg.  The title chapter is first, and it’s great.  The main character decides she’s going to eat whatever she wants for a day, and she takes us on that journey.  After breakfast at a donut shop, lunch of a juicy burger, salty fries and a creamy shake at another cafe, and dessert at yet another eatery, she says:

“By now I was feeling the shame but also defiance.  Like here, I’m carrying the banner for all of you who cut off a little piece wanting a big one, who spend a good third of your waking hours feeling bad about your desires…”

“A good third of your waking hours feeling bad about your desires…” So, so, so true!  I am fighting what I want A-L-L D-A-Y L-O-N-G.  It is exhausting!  Reining those urges and impulses takes a tremendously tiring effort.  And, it’s so frequently disappointing.  If I could lay back at the end of the day and enjoy 30 minutes of genuine self-congratulation and satisfaction, it might be worth it.  Instead, I lament the tiny failures, the lapses in control.

There’s more to this gem of an essay, and nearly all of it suits me to a tee.  I highly recommend picking it up.  I am looking forward to the “other small acts liberation” in upcoming chapters.  It’s nice to have a “safe” outlet for those undesirable desires of mine… nice to be able to read about people who are not staying in their boxes, doing the right thing.  I don’t want to throw my lifestyle change out the window (usually), but I would like to be a bit freer.  Maybe this inspirational book will help.  Actually, it already has.

I’m not the only one who loves peanut butter.  In fact, I think doxiegirl1 likes it more than I do!  It’s good to know I’m not alone in my pb obsession.  The difference, though, is that I don’t normally keep it in the house.  Historically, those jars of nutty goodness have not been safe anywhere near me and a spoon.  After my PB&J party this weekend, I have extra jars of Creamy and Crunchy in the pantry.  I’ve been pleasantly surprised that I haven’t gone crazy and eaten them all up.

I typically think of myself as not having the remotest discipline when it comes to tasty treats.  But, there have been a few occasions like this where I’ve been tested, and I’ve passed with flying colors.  For example, when I bought the M&Ms for my art project.  Yup… I had 45 packages of M&Ms in the house and managed to eat only about half a package.  They were here overnight, too!  There was plenty of opportunity to go crazy; yet, I didn’t.  The peanut butter is another example.  A stock of ZBars is yet another example. 

I tend to focus, as most of us do, on the negatives, on what needs to be improved.  There’s always something I could do better, more completely and correctly.  But, every now and then, I need to remember that I make good choices on a regular basis.  I couldn’t have dropped 117 pounds without doing a few things right.  It’s important to continue to grow and become the best I can be, but it’s important to reflect on where I’ve come from and celebrate the accomplishments.

Note to self: take some time to appreciate and then get back to the job at hand.

 Today is my birthday.  As many of us do when a birthday arrives, I’ve been thinking about where I am in my life, at this age.  Excitingly enough, my life is the best it’s ever been.

• I’m the smallest/lightest I’ve ever been as an adult, wearing a size 4/6.
• I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in, getting in four to six days of cardio and two sessions of weight training consistently every week.

Even though it makes sense to list these things first because of the blog’s subject, it still seems like I’m giving them too much importance.  But, the fact is, they are important.  For me, losing weight and exercising has not been about vanity, although appearance has played a role.  These accomplishments are the result of me taking charge of my health and wellbeing… watching the physical deterioration of people I loved and deciding to do everything I could to keep that from happening to me.  They represent years - literally, years - of persistence and commitment through really tough personal challenges.  They represent starting over again, time and after time, because I was unwilling to give up in spite of how hard it was… and how hard it continues to be.  This says a lot about how I feel about myself and my ability to stick to it, whatever “it’ may be. 

• I have wonderful boyfriend to share my life with.

Wow!  This truly is incredible.  As my marriage went south, I began to doubt that a quality relationship was in the cards for me.  The divorce and subsequent dating misadventures reinforced the doubt.  And, yet, here I am, a year and a half into an amazing experience that’s blossoming into a genuine partnership.  We had some ups and downs at the beginning, but we overcame those to start again with an appreciation for what we both bring to the table.  We continue to get better as we go along.  It’s beyond cool.

• I have a terrific job that is intense, exhausting and exhilarating all at the same time.

My new gig has taken me in an unexpected direction and is a daily learning experience.  Plus, I am finally back to the salary level I was before I relocated here, actually a little bit more.  Not to mention the excellent retirement benefits.  Woohoo!

• I remain blessed with a fabulous family and fantastic friends.
• I am the proud of owner of The Best Cat on the Planet.
• I live in a spacious condo which I’ve been able to fill with my own original artwork. Even better, it’s on the second floor, so I get at least an additional set of stairs in every day! 

Happy Birthday to me, and a giant “thank you” for all the blessings I enjoy every day!

The often overwhelming desire to eat has long been explained as an evolutionary quirk dating back to when food was scarce.  Why do we tend to crave potato chips rather than carrots?

“…because fatty, salty and sweet foods tended to be life-sustaining, scientists theorize that favoring them proved an evolutionary advantage.”

Ah!  Well, that makes sense.  But we can do about it??  Here are some techniques I’ve pulled from an interesting article on MSNBC.

• STASH - Stock up on low-cal, low-fat versions of what you crave most.
• SCHEDULE - Make an appointment with yourself to enjoy a small amount of your favorite item.
• STALL - Most cravings dissipate after 20 minutes, so waiting it out may help.  Chew a piece of gum and then occupy your mind with some other activity.
• SNIFF - Studies have shown that the scent of peppermint can cut cravings.  Pop a mint or slather yourself with a minty-smelling lotion.
• SHIFT - Rather than focusing on eliminating a food entirely, think instead of cutting down your portions.
• SEE - Looking at a new image can derail your urge for cookies and cake.  Distract yourself with pictures online or thumbing through a coffee table book.
• SURRENDER - Apparently, it’s okay to give in once in a while!  The key is making sure that you’re satisfying your craving with high quality stuff so you really enjoy it.
• STILL - Quiet your inner struggle with food, and the cravings may disappear on their own.

Research keeps confirming that writing stuff down helps enormously in weight loss success.  Logging your consumption in a food journal keeps you informed and makes you accountable.  It can also provide valuable information about how what you eat affects you and what drives you to eat (if you note your emotions, the time of day or other circumstances).  It sure works for me!  I’d be lost wtihout my food journal.

Another things that works for me is writing my exercise on my wall calendar.  Like FitSugar says, crossing off days will “…give you a quick general overview of how often you’ve been working out that month so far, plus it’ll serve as a visual reminder of how long it’s been since you last worked out.”  FitSugar suggests drawing different shapes on the calendar to indicate what type of exercise you’ve done and rewarding yourself every time you reach 20 days of working out.

I don’t use “X”s or shapes.  I actually write down what I’ve done, such as “Gazelle 60 minutes” or “Stairs 15″ or “Yoga Weights”.  I don’t reward myself after a certain number of days either, but that’s probably just because I’ve been doing it for so long.  Building in periodic rewards is an excellent way for newbie exercisers to keep themselves motivated, though.

As we move into the summer party season, we’re all more mindful of how much food we’re eating.  Shape.com has compiled a nifty list of 15 easy ways to cut 100 or more calories from our diets.  The tips were pretty standard, stuff I’ve seen before, but a couple of them were new to me.

One, in particular, will definitely come in handy this season and beyond.  It’s an easy way to pare down your portions without really feeing it.

“Leave behind three or four bites of your meal.  Research shows that people usually polish off everything they’re served, even if they’re not hungry.”

What a great idea!  Especially when you consider that, by the time you get to the last few bites of something, it usually doesn’t taste as it did in the beginning anyway.  Why waste calories on something you’re not enjoying that much anymore?

The other tip I liked was replacing croutons on your salad with celery pieces.  Leaving off the croutons is not new; I do that all the time.  But, I never thought of replacing that crunch with celery.  It might my salads more satisfying.

Enjoy your BBQs and get-togethers!

In my recent post, Monkeying Around, I shared a study on the bingeing habits of stressed out, lower-status monkeys. The study also caught the eye – and keyboard - of Shine.com’s Healthy Living blogger, Weetabix.

Because the stressed, subordinate monkeys were the only ones to overeat the sugary and fatty banana chips, Weetabix asks:

“Is that why being rich and being thin seem to go hand in hand? Is this the underlying physiological mechanism that explains the link between socio-economic status and higher BMIs?”

These are interesting points to consider, but I don’t think so. The rich have greater access to services which help them get and stay thin. Plus, there’s more pressure on them to stay slender because being slim and “attractive” is part of their jobs. So, they make sure they stay that way. Their stress response reveals itself differently, through drug addiction, excessive shopping, and more.

Studies like these and the conversations that result from them are fascinating to me. It’s always fun to engage in a hearty intellectual debate. But, again, the bottom line is that the “why” doesn’t really matter; what matters is that there are potentially some physiological challenges we’re up against when we diet. If we know that from the outset, we can better combat those tendencies so we’re more likely to achieve our goals.