After reading a SparkPeople article on motivation and reflecting on where I am with this weight loss journey, I feel that it's time to take a deeper look at what has me leaning back towards the dark side of eating. So I thought it might be a good idea to ask myself some questions for clarity.
1. Why do I want to lose weight?
There's something fun and exciting about sweets and fast food. For sweets, I think it comes from the times in childhood when my dad would buy candy and give it to me when he came home from work. I'd eat the candy and he'd twirl me around in the air. I remember feeling good. With fast food, again a childhood moment is that sometimes (when we had the money) my mom would buy McDonald's or Long John Silvers when we'd go to the city to see my grandmother. We didn't have those types of places where we lived so it was a thrill.
Reflecting on these memories helps me to see that in my childhood I felt bored on most occasions, and when I did get excited food was often involved. Even now when my husband and I go to certain restaurants, I get excited. In addition, I do find that I have the same kind of excitement when planning and traveling for a trip. It's the same concept as with food - in my childhood we didn't go anywhere that often, so when we did (whether to my grandmother's, to see my aunt, an amusement park, or historical site) I felt excited. Even now that I'm grown, I'll get excited about traveling. Another thing that excites me is going to the movies (moreso the drive in now than the theatre). I really like movies and tv because its entertaining, shows other possibilities on how people live. In essence, shows a lot of new things.
3. What can help me stay motivated and on track?
Overall, I believe that the excitement from food, traveling, and movies/tv come from a break in what is boredom from routine. I think what will help me stay on track is if I don't feel like I'm depriving myself from things I enjoy. For food, I should follow the things I listed in the last update, but in addition plan to go to a place I really like once a week. To keep from adding a lot of calories, I can add more exercise. I seem to do well with watching Hulu on my phone while being on the treadmill.
Now as far as for the Tuesday and Thursday days exercises, I need to think of something that can make it more exciting. Bowling is an option and the cheapest days to go are Mondays or Fridays. So for the weeks where the monotony needs to be broken we can exercise via bowling on Monday or Friday. Another option is to change up the strength training routine and maybe do one of the SparkPeople Jump start cardio on Tuesday and the SparkPeople chair cardio on Thursdays. Do one of the other fitness video exercises for cardio on Tuesday and choose a different one for Thursdays. I think the key will be to change it up each month to keep boredom from setting in.
So overall, I've been maintaining the weight loss that I've already achieved, but I need to lose more. Looking at some of the patterns learned from the past and my current motivations towards weight loss will be very helpful in my being more successful. In addition, I have set a goal for myself to lose at least 10 pounds for the month of March. Onward and upward!!! :-)
1. Why do I want to lose weight?
- Improve chances of getting pregnant and have a healthy pregnancy
- I want to look good for my class reunion
- Fit some of the clothes that are in my closet that I bought, but haven't been able to get in or haven't had on since my last weight loss
- Be able to look good in shirts and pants without my stomach hanging over
- Look good and get complements on how fit and young I look (I'm nearing the big 4-0)
- Be able to shop for clothes without feeling like I always have to go to the plus size section
- Look better with fad hairstyles because there is less weight in my face
There's something fun and exciting about sweets and fast food. For sweets, I think it comes from the times in childhood when my dad would buy candy and give it to me when he came home from work. I'd eat the candy and he'd twirl me around in the air. I remember feeling good. With fast food, again a childhood moment is that sometimes (when we had the money) my mom would buy McDonald's or Long John Silvers when we'd go to the city to see my grandmother. We didn't have those types of places where we lived so it was a thrill.
Reflecting on these memories helps me to see that in my childhood I felt bored on most occasions, and when I did get excited food was often involved. Even now when my husband and I go to certain restaurants, I get excited. In addition, I do find that I have the same kind of excitement when planning and traveling for a trip. It's the same concept as with food - in my childhood we didn't go anywhere that often, so when we did (whether to my grandmother's, to see my aunt, an amusement park, or historical site) I felt excited. Even now that I'm grown, I'll get excited about traveling. Another thing that excites me is going to the movies (moreso the drive in now than the theatre). I really like movies and tv because its entertaining, shows other possibilities on how people live. In essence, shows a lot of new things.
3. What can help me stay motivated and on track?
Overall, I believe that the excitement from food, traveling, and movies/tv come from a break in what is boredom from routine. I think what will help me stay on track is if I don't feel like I'm depriving myself from things I enjoy. For food, I should follow the things I listed in the last update, but in addition plan to go to a place I really like once a week. To keep from adding a lot of calories, I can add more exercise. I seem to do well with watching Hulu on my phone while being on the treadmill.
Now as far as for the Tuesday and Thursday days exercises, I need to think of something that can make it more exciting. Bowling is an option and the cheapest days to go are Mondays or Fridays. So for the weeks where the monotony needs to be broken we can exercise via bowling on Monday or Friday. Another option is to change up the strength training routine and maybe do one of the SparkPeople Jump start cardio on Tuesday and the SparkPeople chair cardio on Thursdays. Do one of the other fitness video exercises for cardio on Tuesday and choose a different one for Thursdays. I think the key will be to change it up each month to keep boredom from setting in.
So overall, I've been maintaining the weight loss that I've already achieved, but I need to lose more. Looking at some of the patterns learned from the past and my current motivations towards weight loss will be very helpful in my being more successful. In addition, I have set a goal for myself to lose at least 10 pounds for the month of March. Onward and upward!!! :-)
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