Healthy Habits in 2011 - My Plan to Kick this Weight in 2011
Nothing like a new year to get things rolling along in the weight loss realm! I think I remember reading somewhere that losing weight and getting out of debt are the two most often made New Years Resolutions. I believe it. Because both being overweight and being in debt have a lot in common and both aren't any fun!
My plan in 2011 is to lose 15 lbs and several inches. (I haven't measured myself again so I will have the inches numbers for next week - gulp!).
Last year I managed not to gain any weight from beginning to the end of the year and my weight went down and then back up during the course of the year. My goal for this year is to have it go down and then stay down! :)
How?
That's always the trick question isn't it. I could focus entirely on what I eat or exercise like crazy or crash diet or something that would work temporarily and then be difficult to maintain in the long run. I won't do that.
Here are some things I learned in 2010 that will help me in 2011:
* I don't push myself hard enough when I work out. I tend to work out fairly hard but I don't push. Then my body doesn't burn as many calories as it could, my muscles don't gain strength and my body ends up at a weight plateau. I pushed yesterday and Monday and, boy, can I feel it today. That is a good thing! And I need to keep at it!
* I am not smart when I snack. I tend to eat whatever in whatever amount I feel like. I have a number of magazine pages from Health magazine that have snacks under 100 calories. The variety and types are amazing (did you know that 7 of those mini conversation hearts have about 70 calories for example?) and I can definitely put together some smarter snacks for myself. Pouring myself my giant coffee mug full of pretzels 3 times while reading a book is not a good idea either! No matter now low-cal pretzels are, I don't need that many.
* I don't believe in restricting myself from certain foods. I have always been taught that all things are fine in moderation. For example, one small cookie, piece of chocolate or other treat with my afternoon tea or coffee is fine. Eating several is not. And neither is doing that several times per day. I would also rather have a small amount of something really tasty than a lot of something I don't really care for. And it goes a long way to keeping me from feeling "deprived."
* I snack when I'm bored or stressed. I think it's a minor miracle that I didn't gain a ton of weight toward the end of the semester this year since I do eat when I'm stressed or bored. I discovered that keeping my hands busy is a great way to not eat - writing, typing, embroidery, sewing and a whole host of other things keep those hands occupied and I can't put food in my mouth when I'm busy.
* I don't like wearing a pedometer but I need to do it anyway. I'm dusting off my trusty pedometer and am challenging myself to top each week's previous step total by 500 steps. My goals is to walk 3,650,000 steps by the end of 2011 - or 10,000 steps per day each day for the year.
* It's easier for me to plan my meals and snacks and stick to that than to keep a food journal. There's something about planning ahead that does it for me. Keeping a food journal after the fact just makes me feel guilty. If I slip up with a food journal it just makes me want to give up. Having a plan and deviating from it slightly (eating something not on the list, for example) makes me just resolve to stick to the plan, and I typically do better at sticking to the plan for a few days. Slipping up with a food journal just makes me want to eat more junk for a while! So I'll plan the meals and snacks and stick with that.
* I love to Jazz! I love my Jazzercise classes and I don't mind doing it at home by myself with a DVD in the player if need be. I am so glad I have something that I truly enjoy and can stick with. This goes a LONG way to keeping me fit in 2011 and beyond.
Combining all these things, I am confident that I can kick this weight in 2011!
What is your plan to get healthier in 2011? I'd love to hear!
My plan in 2011 is to lose 15 lbs and several inches. (I haven't measured myself again so I will have the inches numbers for next week - gulp!).
Last year I managed not to gain any weight from beginning to the end of the year and my weight went down and then back up during the course of the year. My goal for this year is to have it go down and then stay down! :)
How?
That's always the trick question isn't it. I could focus entirely on what I eat or exercise like crazy or crash diet or something that would work temporarily and then be difficult to maintain in the long run. I won't do that.
Here are some things I learned in 2010 that will help me in 2011:
* I don't push myself hard enough when I work out. I tend to work out fairly hard but I don't push. Then my body doesn't burn as many calories as it could, my muscles don't gain strength and my body ends up at a weight plateau. I pushed yesterday and Monday and, boy, can I feel it today. That is a good thing! And I need to keep at it!
* I am not smart when I snack. I tend to eat whatever in whatever amount I feel like. I have a number of magazine pages from Health magazine that have snacks under 100 calories. The variety and types are amazing (did you know that 7 of those mini conversation hearts have about 70 calories for example?) and I can definitely put together some smarter snacks for myself. Pouring myself my giant coffee mug full of pretzels 3 times while reading a book is not a good idea either! No matter now low-cal pretzels are, I don't need that many.
* I don't believe in restricting myself from certain foods. I have always been taught that all things are fine in moderation. For example, one small cookie, piece of chocolate or other treat with my afternoon tea or coffee is fine. Eating several is not. And neither is doing that several times per day. I would also rather have a small amount of something really tasty than a lot of something I don't really care for. And it goes a long way to keeping me from feeling "deprived."
* I snack when I'm bored or stressed. I think it's a minor miracle that I didn't gain a ton of weight toward the end of the semester this year since I do eat when I'm stressed or bored. I discovered that keeping my hands busy is a great way to not eat - writing, typing, embroidery, sewing and a whole host of other things keep those hands occupied and I can't put food in my mouth when I'm busy.
* I don't like wearing a pedometer but I need to do it anyway. I'm dusting off my trusty pedometer and am challenging myself to top each week's previous step total by 500 steps. My goals is to walk 3,650,000 steps by the end of 2011 - or 10,000 steps per day each day for the year.
* It's easier for me to plan my meals and snacks and stick to that than to keep a food journal. There's something about planning ahead that does it for me. Keeping a food journal after the fact just makes me feel guilty. If I slip up with a food journal it just makes me want to give up. Having a plan and deviating from it slightly (eating something not on the list, for example) makes me just resolve to stick to the plan, and I typically do better at sticking to the plan for a few days. Slipping up with a food journal just makes me want to eat more junk for a while! So I'll plan the meals and snacks and stick with that.
* I love to Jazz! I love my Jazzercise classes and I don't mind doing it at home by myself with a DVD in the player if need be. I am so glad I have something that I truly enjoy and can stick with. This goes a LONG way to keeping me fit in 2011 and beyond.
Combining all these things, I am confident that I can kick this weight in 2011!
What is your plan to get healthier in 2011? I'd love to hear!
