It's not a diet...

RuefulRabbit

... it's about lifestyle changes.

My most recent physical shows elevated blood pressure and blood sugar. And I've gained weight. In an effort to reverse these trends, I am here. From what I have read, I can no longer look at temporary measures.

I am sedentary by nature and employment. I like junk food. I am a comfort-eater. I don't like the idea of exercise at all. I know that these things are going to have to change if I'm going to get anywhere. I also know that trying to change everything at once is not likely to work for me. I need to take small steps and form one new habit at a time.

So today when I got to work, I parked halfway across the parking lot instead of right next to the door.

SunflowerCat74

You're off to a good start. Park as far away from every place you go. Walk to the mailbox. Take the stairs. Stand while you fold laundry. Every little step counts. You might want to try a step counter. I found my fitbit to be extremely motivating and rarely find myself plunked on the sofa anymore. (Barring the occasional hangover recovery day).
I too love junk food and just stopped buying it. No Doritos in the house means I'm not mindlessly eating the whole bag while watching tv. I also pack a bag of healthy snacks/lunch every morning and take it with me everywhere. That way when I'm hungry I'm not tempted to eat something unhealthy because I'm famished. I also prelog my snacks/meals so I know exactly how many calories I have left in the day.
Little changes add up to a lot in the long run. You can do this! You can add me if you like.

RuefulRabbit

I have a pedometer somewhere. I should find it.

Junk food is hard to give up because of the convenience. It's so much easier to stop at Wendys on the way home, instead of taking the time to cook. I try to bring my lunch most days (this is a recent habit-change and not completely ingrained yet) because our in-house cafeteria is getting progressively worse. Their food is high-carb, high sodium, and huge portions. It's also $7.50 / day, which definitely adds up over time.

Today's lunch is leftovers and yogurt.

SunflowerCat74

You might have luck doing some batch cooking on the weekends. There are lots of ideas online when you're ready to try it out.
I also use the crap out of my programmable crockpot. I started doing crockpot freezer dump meals with recipes my family likes. I spend an hour or two doing prep, them throw in a freezer bag, then I can just take it out the day before and dump it all in the crockpot before I leave the house in the morning. We currently have our house on the market and it's a god send. I'm not constantly cleaning my kitchen and dinner is a snap!

Mmmm...Wendys! My boys asked to go there for lunch today. I had better get to the gym to earn my spicy chicken sandwich.

Tried30UserNames

RuefulRabbit wrote: »

I am sedentary by nature and employment. I like junk food. I am a comfort-eater. I don't like the idea of exercise at all.

I think you just described the majority of people, or at least the majority of the people I know, including me.

For junk food, find a way to make junk food healthier. There are a lot of copycat recipes that healthify junky food. And the same holds true for comfort food. Often with a few changes, you can still eat a version of your favorites.

Instead of focusing on exercise, why not think about activity. Turn on some music and dance joyfully. Walk around the nearest park to look at the beautiful Spring flowers in bloom.

noclady1995

That's a wise strategy. Personally, I tend to get overwhelmed when I change everything all at once. I know when I first started back in Feb., I would take my 4 year old to bed upstairs to his bedroom and I'd be winded....and I don't even have a lot to lose (started at 20 lbs). But I could tell that my sedentary lifestyle had taken its toll on my fitness. But fast forward 3 months later, and I could probably climb up 2-3 more flights of stairs.

RuefulRabbit

I have a two-pronged plan in mind. First prong is to try to walk a little each day, and a little longer each week. Second prong is to cut back on portion sizes. And the over-all plan is to track progress and modify if things don't work.

mindaro

Really what helps me is podcasts. If you have an MP3 and something like Itunes you can really lose yourself hearing about something you enjoy and feel like the walk isn't taking away from your relaxing time.

sevenactual

RuefulRabbit wrote: »

I have a two-pronged plan in mind. First prong is to try to walk a little each day, and a little longer each week. Second prong is to cut back on portion sizes. And the over-all plan is to track progress and modify if things don't work.

RuefulRabbit,

You are doing right things. And you are so correct.....this is not a diet....this is a lifestyle. When I realized that fact, things began changing for me. I was able to stop eating 1.5 cups of Bryer's ice cream every night before I went to bed. I was able to stop drinking 300 calories or more each evening in alcohol. I stopped eating a jar of peanut butter every three days.

The change in my thinking was not overnight. It took a few weeks. One small seemingly insignificant change at a time - but those small changes added up. But to know that this was not a diet but a new way of living had a positive impact on my weight lose and overall health.

Sounds like you and I are on the same path. Welcome. Keep communicating. We are all in this together and not alone.

Jeff

sevenactual

mindaro wrote: »

Really what helps me is podcasts. If you have an MP3 and something like Itunes you can really lose yourself hearing about something you enjoy and feel like the walk isn't taking away from your relaxing time.

True dat!

RuefulRabbit

I just spent the last 20 minutes of my lunch hour walking around the parking lot. I walked very slow, but I did it.