Friday, September 2, 2011

What do I really want?

Last night I remembered a scene from Australian Biggest Loser from a few years ago. The contestant, Munnalita (?), mainly wanted to lose weight so that she could have a baby as she hadn't been able to get pregnant. About half-way through the series she gave into a Temptation and ate two Mars Bars (chocolate). Her trainer, Michelle, went ballistic. She said something like, "Is a Mars Bar more important to you than having a baby? Because that is the decision you just made."

Munnalita was furious and upset that Michelle would say something like that. But after a rant and a cry and a long walk she came to accept the validity of the accusation.

Every day we make lots of little choices about our health that add up. Will I exercise or sit in front of the TV? Will I eat three chocolate biscuits or an apple? What is really important to me.

It is important to me that I lose weight and get healthy, and I am prepared to do quite a bit to achieve that. But if I had the choice of giving up ALL junk food: chocolate, chips, biscuits, fried chicken etc to be thin I would stay chubby. I am prepared to moderate my intake of food and exercise a lot to be thinner and healthier. Maybe I will never be truly slim. I can live with fit and curvy.

I am doing well with the exercise, about 5 days a week, but I only have one more week devoted to this. It will get harder when I am busy with work as well. But I just have to prioritise it in my life.

Food is more difficult. I have been reading the archives of DietGirl and, where I am up to, she has started setting herself mini goals each week. I think this is a good idea. My plans tend to be more far-reaching. There is so much I want to achieve, so many areas of my life to improve. But I can't do it all at once.

1. This week, I will drink at least six glasses a day. I am always struggling with this. The idea that we need 2 litres a day has pretty much been debunked, but we need more liquid than I consume to be healthy. I usually have one cup of tea per day, the rest very weak lemon cordial. When I say very weak I mean it, most people wouldn't even taste the cordial. Maybe a tablespoon? I can't believe the instructions on the label that suggest the glass should be about 1/5 cordial. Yuck. Disgusting. Anyway, so I'm going for six glasses.

2. No eating after dinner. Every time I eat late at night (often) I feel bloated and horrible afterwards, so this isn't just a weight-loss thing. I always have a pretty big dinner, and I can have a yogurt of a piece of chocolate or something afterwards if I want, but then I will stop. The only exception will be Thursday night supper when we have people over.

I think two goals is enough. I will continue at least five days per week exercise, but I am not loading myself up with too many other goals or I will just set myself up for failure. Future goals will include tracking my food and cutting down on junk food, but for this week I am drinking more and no eating after dinner.

And, to get back to the start of this post, I will be more mindful overall. I will look at what I am about to do/eat/not do and remind myself -- is this as important to me as losing weight?

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