Water, Water, More Water.

Really? Did I hear that right? Surely not. I don't think I could ever drink that much water. Those were my initial thoughts. However, recently I decided to give it a try and see if it makes a difference.

You see a couple of years ago a nutritionist told me that every day I should drink one ounce of water for every two pounds of my body weight. Ok. At my current weight that's a lot of water.

About a week ago I finally got a container large enough to hold my daily allowance of water. Ok. It's lass than a gallon, but still an incredible amount of water to drink every day. My goal it to drink the entire bottle of water every day, and I get pretty close.

Pros: being fully hydrated makes me feel better. I like taking a drink of water first thing in the morning, because it helps to wake me up. My digestive system is operating more smoothly and regularly.

Cons: I make frequent trips to the bathroom. Frequent. At this point drinking this much water has not aided in any weight loss. However, I remain hopeful.

Because of the 'pros' and in spite of the 'cons', I will continue to drink, drink, and drink more water. I'll keep you posted.

When Losing Weight Every Bite Matters

When I'm not losing weight, I'm gaining weight. That has been my history.  I'm either all in, or I'm completely out. No middle ground. No moderation.

When I am not working to control my weight, I tend to let myself believe that some bites are not important. The bites I take to 'test' the flavor of whatever I'm cooking don't matter. The bites I take as I'm clearing leftovers from the table don't matter. The bites I take just even out the cutting on the cake or pie to make it look nice don't matter. Just another illusion in the state of denial.

The truth is that all those bites I mentioned above contain calories and therefore, matter. Period. I know this. Yes, I do.  However, making myself not take those bites is very difficult, probably one of the hardest habits for me to establish and the easiest to break.

Another important truth is that refraining from taking those bites is a measure and indicator of the level of my commitment to my weight loss goal. How am I doing right now? Well, I'm not there yet, but every day is better than the day before.

Perhaps I need to focus on progress, not perfection.

If You Say No, Are You Also Saying Yes?

Is it possible to say yes and no at the same time? To the same question?

 I was thinking a couple of days ago about the times when I want to eat something that I don't need. An extra handful of chips. A snack when I'm not hungry. A large serving of beef brisket when a moderate serving will do. I generally think of these moments as a time when I need to say, "No". "No, I will not eat. No. No. No.  Every time I say no to eating extra calories, the more strength I have to say no the next time I am tempted. Essentially every no makes the next no easier.

However, it also orrurred to me that every time I say no to extra unneeded food, I am at the same time saying yes to better health for me! Yes! Yes! Yes! I'm saying yes to avoiding the complications of diabetes. I'm saying yes to having a lower blood pressure. I'm saying yes to perhaps avoiding another knee surgery.

Yes and no. At the same time!

Success at the Restaurant!

My definition of success when I'm eating out? Being able to stop eating before my meal is gone.

My husband and I ate out today. We went to a cafeteria where I was a wide variety of food. Though the food I selected were not the best choices for weight loss, I could have certainly done much worse.

The first things we did was ask for carry outs.  Wise decision. Because the carry out was already on our table, I was able to eat what I thought was wise and put the rest in the carry out. Now I have food for lunch tomorrow!

BTW. I was down 3 pounds at my last TOPS weigh in. Woooohooo!

I Can't Out Exercise a Bad Diet

I first heard that statement on an episode of Biggest Loser. It immediately sank deeply into my heart and mind. Yes, I can exercise. Yes, I can diet, but unless I'm doing the diet well, the exercise willl be of little to no benefit.

Soooooo spending an hour on the elliptical then eating a large meal, will not result in weight loss. Well, ok. So be it. I'll just spend the hour on the elliptical and then come home and eat a SMALL meal!

Ok. Here I am. Sitting on the couch eating popcorn. Low fat popcorn, but that's not important. Not really. What is important is the reason why I'm eating. I'm eating to settle down my emotions. Without giving too many details, I found myself feeling very stressed. Once the source of stress was gone, I could not relax until I got something to eat. Grrrrrr.

Yep. I still have eating issues, and as long as I do, I will have weight issues. I know what the solution is. I must find a replacement activity to do to relieve stress that does not involve food. Hmmmmm. What to do?

The Secret to Real Weight Loss Is ..........

The secret is that there are no weight loss secrets. There are no shortcuts. There are no quick and easy weight loss diets that will give real and permanent weight loss.

Real and permanent weight loss comes when we eat fewer calories than our bodies use. Period. End of story.

This is actually a very positive concept.  Once we accept this fact as true, then we can cut out the weight loss clutter and just focus on what really works.  We can then set our minds on eating the right  kinds of calories in the right amounts. We can begin to use more calories by exercising and being active.

Permanent weight loss is attained by being consistent in doing what is best for our bodies day after day.

Dealing With Setbacks and Disappointments

Oh yea, that happens. Weight loss is not always linear. Sometimes you get on the scales and you're sure that the scales must be broken, or need a new battery or something. Today was one of those days.  I went to my TOPS meeting and weighed in at two pounds higher! Not fair! I was completely caught off guard. 

Well, what's important here is not the fact that I gained weight. What's important is my reaction and what I do next. Initially I was shocked, but quickly that reaction morphed into resolve. Resolve that will translate into a stronger commitment. 

Additionally, an evaluation is in order. What do I need to be doing better? What do I need to not be doing at all? Hmmm. More thoughts on these questions tomorrow.