About Fogdog's Weight Loss

Don't Focus on the Goal...

If you've followed this blog you know that I've struggled for many years with improving my health. I've finally reached a point where I've managed to maintain a small amount of success. Now it's time to take the next step, but I believe it requires a new way of thinking.

Instead of trying to get healthy, why not shift focus toward learning how to build healthy habits instead. Follow me as I try to teach myself how to Engineer healthy habits that will allow me to take my health to the next level. Let's see where this experiment goes!

Thursday, October 16, 2014

A Little Bit of Randomness

Most of the time I write with a specific purpose in mind, usually about some inspiration I got from someone else’s blog, but tonight I just kind of feel like being a “dear diary” kind of writer and just write a little about my week.  No related picture, no plan, just whatever comes out...

This week has been very much like the last few weeks; not stellar, but not really bad either.  I’m starting to feel like I’ve settled into this rut and I’m trying to decide if it’s a good rut or a bad one.  On the one hand I’m still losing weight every week, but on the other hand I know that I’m capable of doing more.  Do I push myself and risk overdoing it and burning out or do I stay the course and not worry about the minor infractions?

I’m still not exercising regularly.  On a scale of 1-10 for physical activity (10 being hummingbird on crack and 1 being tree sloth), I was probably about a 2 before I started this transformation.  Seven weeks later and I would probably give myself a 3 only because I’m actually spending a little time playing with the kids and doing some yard work on the weekends.  In the first few weeks I put forth some effort to work out when I had time, but as the pounds kept coming off without exercising, it became easier to just let it go.  I know eventually I will not be able to keep on losing weight without adding more physical activity, the time will come soon.  More importantly though, I want to NOT just let it go.  I want to WANT to feel like exercising, or being more active, or anything for that matter.  I’m tired of coming home tired every night; I want to come home and still want to do something.

I can’t complain much about my eating and water consumption.  Occasionally I have a small snack in the evening, but not overdoing it like last week.  The water consumption has become almost automatic; I leave work with an empty (or almost empty) gallon jug every day.  People have stopped asking me to lunch; that’s good, but it can also be bad as I feel a little isolated at lunchtime now.  I was thinking I might choose to go out lunch one of these days; maybe next week.  You know, do it on my own terms and plan it ahead so I’m ready.  My eating has almost become automatic as well.  Week to week there’s not a lot of variety.  Don’t get me wrong it’s all good tasting stuff, but there’s only so much you can do when boneless chicken breast is the cornerstone of your diet.  Mrs. Fogdog does a good job with different spices and vegetables to keep it interesting and we mix in some other meats here and there, but it can be hard to continue to come up with different snacks every single day.

Emotionally, I’m not sure where I’m at right now.  I’m having some happy days and some where I’m in a bad mood.  For the last week I’ve started pulling my CPAP off in the middle of the night unconsciously; though I don’t feel overly tired, this may be the cause of some of my moodiness.  I seem to get mad a whole lot easier than before, but then again, my job is as stressful as it ever has been and I have a very low tolerance for people who aren’t capable of making things better so instead they put up roadblocks so others won’t make them look bad.  You all know what I’m talking about, every place has them, but where I work seems to be especially full of these type of people.  It can be quite a mental drain dealing with the roadblocks.

I just went back and read this post and it does seem to have a bit of dreary or depressed tone.  I didn’t intend it that way it just kind of came out that way.  I really don’t have much to be depressed about; I’ve already lost over 30 pounds and for the first time in a long time I feel like my life is heading in the right direction, I guess I’m just a little tired right now. 

On a final note, I think this week on the scale may be my last of weekly weigh-ins.  Instead, I think I’m going to try to ignore it for a while.  I’ve talked before about my obsession with the scale and how it affects my mood when I get on it.  I’ve posted articles before about how we are not defined by a number, and I truly believe that, but still find myself not following my own advice.  This might be one of my hardest challenges, but truthfully, when I get on the scale I already know how I did during the week.  The number just confirms what I knew most of the time.  The rest of the time it just shows a number that doesn’t make sense and usually puts doubt in me when it’s not deserved.  I’m still mulling it over and I’ll share my decision on Saturday when I post my week #8 weigh-in.

-Stay Strong! 

3 comments:

  1. My opinion, which is not an expert opinion: Although many experts say don't way often, I have found that for myself and the member of my TOPS group, when we don't know where we are weight wise, we tend to drift.......and usually end up gaining. You know you better than anyone, so do what is right for you. I'm just saying this is how I've seen it.

    On the exercise: I know what you mean. One thing that has helped me want to is when I'm in a challenge to do x amount of exercise for x amount of days (for example, a friend challenged me to walk a mile ever day in October and send picture proof)....and it gets me into the habit even when I didn't want to.... then I find myself randomly wanting to and I'm like "who is this person?" LOL However, having said that, I still have days where I don't want to.

    You have had great weight loss. Keep doing what you have been doing and be true to yourself and the rest of you excess poundage will surely follow.

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    1. TTL, thanks for the comment! You are absolutely right that people need to do what's right for them. For me, the scale seems to be an emotional rollercoaster and I end up obsessing over what it says.

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  2. I have a big problem with my mood and the scale too. It's a bad thing to be that connected, but at the same time the checking in does help keep a person on track. I try to check in once a week, but I admit that even that is hard right now and messes with me. In the end though, you choose what works best for you, and part of that will probably be experimenting with things! :)

    Don't worry about being down about some things and saying so. That's life too. Anyone who expects happy perfection all the time has more issues than you do! LOL

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