Getting my (fat) butt into gear

[iesika]

After a recent dip into a mood slump that I was terrified was going to turn into another depressive episode (and in true depressive fashion I had convinced myself *was* another major depressive episode) I made up my mind that I needed to get healthier.

A few days ago, I spent too much money on things like *gasp* a scale and *gasp* a food scale, and a few cooking gadgets to make cooking more easy/pleasant/fun (grating carrots and zucchini is more fun when you have a BRAND NEW GRATER, etc, and now OMG I HAVE A MANDOLIN SO EXCITED). I weighed myself for the first time in like a year and set myself some realistic long and short term goals and started keeping track of everything I ate in private journal posts (private because while I'll probably post a few recipes as I go, I doubt anyone *really* wants to hear how many dates went into my salad).

I'd like to say I'm focused more on health and mood improvement than weight, but the first thing I've got to do to improve my health and mood *is* lose some of this weight.

Other than an upset stomach this morning (whether from the diet change or the fact I had milk yesterday I'm not sure) and a distressing tendency to stare over my laptop at the kitchen, come about ten o'clock at night, everything is going very well so far.

Four pounds down, yo. *airpunch* This is rather unscientific, considering it's been only a few days, but whatever, I'm taking what I can get.

Comments

[caerfree.livejournal.com]

Good for you. Just take small steps and get yourself healthy. Sounds like you're on a good path. Wish I could get my butt going on the diet part. LOL

[iesika.livejournal.com]

I'm trying to do it in a sustainable manner, reducing portion size and focusing more on ratios of things than what I can and can't eat (so many veggies for a carb, etc) and drinking lots of water and tea when I get the snacking urges but know I shouldn't actually be hungry.

Considering you probably weigh about as much as the weight I need to lose, I think I'm going to give that last part a big fat :P, though.

[caerfree.livejournal.com]

LOL. Whatever dude. We all have our own challenges and you're doing it the smart way. You should be changing your lifestyle, not going on a diet. I think you'll be successful. You already are doing the vegetarian thing. It's rather hard to give up carbs sometimes though. Almonds are a great food to snack on. Celery too.

*smooch*

[iesika.livejournal.com]

I'm such a weird vegetarian, though. I hate celery, and I really don't like most fruit... I'd rather have lima beans than strawberries.

I've also committed to walking four days a week by taking over morning duties for my roomies' dogs. I hate exercise - I'm one of the 10% or so who just don't get an endorphin boost from it - but that's something I can't skip out on, because the dogs won't let me. And anyway, they would pee on the floor.

I was mostly teasing with the :P, but you definitely get more physical activity than anyone I know, between the martial arts and the outdoor activities. My roomie does Tai Chi classes every two weeks, and I think after I lose enough to be more comfortable doing physical activity in front of other people, I might join her. If I had the room I'd buy an exercise bike...

I weigh so much more right now than I did when I saw you last. Probably about 80 pounds more.

[caerfree.livejournal.com]

Wow. YOu are weird. That's gotta make it hard. There's almost no veggie I don't like. I do admit that I'm good on the physical activity. My biggest issue is eating. This thyroid medication I'm taking is NOT helping. It makes my appetite out of control. Tai Chi is awesome. You should definitely do it.

Do you have a regular bike? That is always a good idea.

I've gained quite a lot too. I'm still fit as a fiddle, but a rather jiggly fiddle. gotta lose weight by June, so I had better lay off the carbs and fast.

Good luck. Find an exercise that you can tolerate. Maybe get some home workout videos. *hugs*

[iesika.livejournal.com]

I do have a bike, which is hanging upside down from the ceiling of my parents' storage room. Unfortunately, when it's not raining here, it's about a hundred degrees.

I like most vegetables, and love quite a few of them, but the ones that turn me off are the ones that tend to be in *everything*. Bell pepper, celery... Cilantro makes me physically ill, too.

[caerfree.livejournal.com]

I love Cilantro, but I have found that people who don't like it, don't like it because for them the taste is overpowering. I think it's actually a genetic/tastebud sensitivity thing. My friend is like that.

Salad and protein is always good. At least then you can pick the ingredients. I absolutely love to snack on yellow and red peppers.

Okay yeah the weather here is quite nice for bikers. Probably why we have the best bike trails in the country. ^__^

Home videos are great though. I really like the Jillian Michaels video. There are all sorts of things you can do at home if you can just set up a routine

[iesika.livejournal.com]

It is a genetic thing, but it's more than just sensitivity - there are bitter alkaloids in cilantro that some people can taste and some people can't. I'm in the 25% who can. It doesn't just taste *strong* to me - it tastes like *poison*. And to me, bell pepper smell and taste like the odor a person has when they are very sick. I used to leave the house when mom was cooking them.

I'm not much for salad, either. I don't dislike it, per se, but it's not something I enjoy eating. I've never thought "wow, what a delicious salad!" I'm also not huge on soup. If I eat soup, it's almost always the pureed kind, with no chunks of anything in it.

See where the problems come in? Again, it isn't that I don't like vegetables, because I do. I just don't like a lot of the most common ones, and I don't care for some of the most common or easiest preparations. Luckily, I like cooking, so...

Pasta salad (mostly vegetables, some whole wheat pasta, already made up) and roasted radishes for supper tonight, I think, unless I get really caught up in writing and end up not taking the time to roast and just eat something else instead.

[greyandgold.livejournal.com]

I had never heard of that before! I always wondered why I couldn't stand cilantro, its more than a "I don't like it" thing - for me it seems like someone is trying to put hemlock in my food.

[iesika.livejournal.com]

*exactly*

Ugh.

I can't be in the kitchen if someone is cutting it. I used to flee up the stairs when my dad would make pico de gallo.