BossSomm
New member
Hi there!
First time poster, looking for some accountability and community.
I’ve been pretty active for the past decade with cycling, running and hiking. I’ve never been particularly thin, but usually fit and strong. Then, after injuring my knees running long distances in 2015, I found the slide into weight gain coupled with increased stress and a more sedentary job more than I can fight with the occasional hike or bike ride. My husband and I both work fairly stressful jobs, and to unwind we enjoy going out to eat, and indulging in nice meals and wine. We cycle together on the weekends, but lately our mileage isn’t enough to balance the indulgences and both of us have gotten heavier. We know we need to lose weight, but are our own worst enemies. He lost weight a few years ago by keeping a diet log, whereas the only things that have worked for me have been starving myself in my twenties, occasional Atkins successes (seems to trigger binging after a while), and running marathons. I do happen to be pretty aware of nutrition and what it takes to lose weight, and I fully understand portion control and the calories in/calories out concept. I just haven’t been able to sustain any sort of diet for a while now, nor have my incremental changes really stuck and become long term healthy patterns. At this point I am at my heaviest and can actually see it in the mirror, which is when you know you’ve changed.
I have tried on and off to start running again, as it was the fittest I’ve ever been in my adult life, but end up throwing the rest of my lower body into imbalance and starting the cycling of injury and depression all over again. And I can’t devote enough time to cycling to make an impact. I do have a gym membership, and happen to enjoy the elliptical, but only go a few times a month if that. It seems to me that the simplest answer is staring me right in the face: I have to eat less.
A few changes I have been making:
1) Cutting out the breakfast sandwiches at starbucks in the morning. I love my morning coffee but that extra whoppping 500 calories is no joke. I get nauseous if I don’t eat sometimes, so I keep a handful of Trader Joes omega mix in my desk.
2) Cycling, long trail walk/jog or gym on both days off, no exceptions.
3) Take the stairs at work. Actually pretty easy change. I work in a place where food and beverage are everywhere, and between these temptations and jockeying a desk most of the week, every little bit helps.
4) No stopping on the way home. This has been an ugly secret this year - on more occasions that I like to admit, I have stopped on the way home because I’m stressed or hungry and have a very long drive and gotten a snack - before dinner. Probably related to depriving myself and the binge mentality.
5) Cooking meal kits has been helpful for both my husband and I, but my goal is to supplement a large portion of my half with steamed vegetables. Ideally I would just eat veggies and protein while he is enjoying his meal kit but I do want this to be sustainable so I have to find a way to make it work for both of us.
6) No eating after 8pm. I have been working on intermittent fasting, and the one method I have found the easiest has been not eating between 8pm and noon. This is hard if I get stuck late at work, but then again I really need to put my foot down about staying late anyway.
7) Splurge nights and eating out - this can’t happen every week like it has been. I cannot control myself around a cheese plate, seriously. Once a month, max. I feel bad because this is such a fun thing we do, but it’s so bad for our waistlines and pocketbooks.
8) Food journal and weigh-ins - lots of apps to help with this. Seems to work, I just have never kept it up for more than a few weeks.
9) Drinking more herbal tea to help with boredom and ritual. Been working so far.
10) Joining this website so I don’t feel alone.
That’s it for now. I’ll be checking these forums daily, and have eliminated some other social media to make room for healthier online behaviors. Thanks for any tips or commiseration. I have thick skin so don’t worry about offending me. Thanks for listening!
First time poster, looking for some accountability and community.
I’ve been pretty active for the past decade with cycling, running and hiking. I’ve never been particularly thin, but usually fit and strong. Then, after injuring my knees running long distances in 2015, I found the slide into weight gain coupled with increased stress and a more sedentary job more than I can fight with the occasional hike or bike ride. My husband and I both work fairly stressful jobs, and to unwind we enjoy going out to eat, and indulging in nice meals and wine. We cycle together on the weekends, but lately our mileage isn’t enough to balance the indulgences and both of us have gotten heavier. We know we need to lose weight, but are our own worst enemies. He lost weight a few years ago by keeping a diet log, whereas the only things that have worked for me have been starving myself in my twenties, occasional Atkins successes (seems to trigger binging after a while), and running marathons. I do happen to be pretty aware of nutrition and what it takes to lose weight, and I fully understand portion control and the calories in/calories out concept. I just haven’t been able to sustain any sort of diet for a while now, nor have my incremental changes really stuck and become long term healthy patterns. At this point I am at my heaviest and can actually see it in the mirror, which is when you know you’ve changed.
I have tried on and off to start running again, as it was the fittest I’ve ever been in my adult life, but end up throwing the rest of my lower body into imbalance and starting the cycling of injury and depression all over again. And I can’t devote enough time to cycling to make an impact. I do have a gym membership, and happen to enjoy the elliptical, but only go a few times a month if that. It seems to me that the simplest answer is staring me right in the face: I have to eat less.
A few changes I have been making:
1) Cutting out the breakfast sandwiches at starbucks in the morning. I love my morning coffee but that extra whoppping 500 calories is no joke. I get nauseous if I don’t eat sometimes, so I keep a handful of Trader Joes omega mix in my desk.
2) Cycling, long trail walk/jog or gym on both days off, no exceptions.
3) Take the stairs at work. Actually pretty easy change. I work in a place where food and beverage are everywhere, and between these temptations and jockeying a desk most of the week, every little bit helps.
4) No stopping on the way home. This has been an ugly secret this year - on more occasions that I like to admit, I have stopped on the way home because I’m stressed or hungry and have a very long drive and gotten a snack - before dinner. Probably related to depriving myself and the binge mentality.
5) Cooking meal kits has been helpful for both my husband and I, but my goal is to supplement a large portion of my half with steamed vegetables. Ideally I would just eat veggies and protein while he is enjoying his meal kit but I do want this to be sustainable so I have to find a way to make it work for both of us.
6) No eating after 8pm. I have been working on intermittent fasting, and the one method I have found the easiest has been not eating between 8pm and noon. This is hard if I get stuck late at work, but then again I really need to put my foot down about staying late anyway.
7) Splurge nights and eating out - this can’t happen every week like it has been. I cannot control myself around a cheese plate, seriously. Once a month, max. I feel bad because this is such a fun thing we do, but it’s so bad for our waistlines and pocketbooks.
8) Food journal and weigh-ins - lots of apps to help with this. Seems to work, I just have never kept it up for more than a few weeks.
9) Drinking more herbal tea to help with boredom and ritual. Been working so far.
10) Joining this website so I don’t feel alone.
That’s it for now. I’ll be checking these forums daily, and have eliminated some other social media to make room for healthier online behaviors. Thanks for any tips or commiseration. I have thick skin so don’t worry about offending me. Thanks for listening!
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