Thoughts from the weekend

TiffsMethod

Here are some thoughts I had this morning related to things from this weekend that may be helpful to other people:

1. One day (or even a few) will not destroy your progress. I personally don’t adhere to the idea of “cheat days”; I prefer to try and stay consistent and work in the things I like that are less nutrient dense throughout the week. But even if you do have a day or few that are over your calorie goal, this does not need to totally derail you. Get pack to your plan as soon as you can, and you’ll see progress over time.
2. The scale is only one metric by which to judge your progress. I weight every day. I know that doesn’t work for everyone, but I feel it helps keep me on track. On Saturday, I was down significantly, close to my goal for the week. After a sodium filled dinner Saturday night, I was up significantly, closer to where I was 2 weeks ago. This morning, after a dinner with less sodium, I’m back under Saturday’s weight. The scale will fluctuate from day to day. If you follow your plan consistently, you’ll see progress over time.
3. Other metrics can be just as important. Two of my goals on my health journey are increased strength and flexibility. This weekend I was able to stretch deeper than a few days before, and turn up the resistance on my bike, even on hills. I have a plan to reach those goals, and I know I’m making progress!
4. Meal prep/planning is important, but you should find the level you’re comfortable with. Some people cook and portion out all their meals for a week on Sunday or their day of choice. For me, it means doing lots of batch cooking and planning dinners, not pre-portioning. For example, this weekend I mixed up banana pancake batter for the week, made applesauce to add to said pancakes (so autumnal!), cooked chicken for salads, roasted cabbage and parsnips, and planned our proteins for the week. (We have an inventory list of what’s in our freezer, organized by animal and date, so it’s easy to do first in, first out, make sure we get variety, and note what day we’re going to eat something.)
5. Finally, something I’m proud of myself for this weekend: not eating something I didn’t like just so it wouldn’t be wasted. On Sundays after church we have coffee and treats. I took a chocolate croissant...and it sucked. The pastry wasn’t flakey or crisp, and the chocolate was too soft and almost flavorless. After the first bite, I took one more to see of it got better...it did not! So instead of feeling obligated to eat it, I tossed it! I like chocolate croissants, but I’m very picky about how I like them. If I don’t like something, I don’t have to eat it. (I recognize this is a position of privilege.)

Goals for this week:
-stretch every day
-track all my food
-decrease alcohol consumption vs last week and increase water
-be mindful of the “enjoyment factor” of food

Have a great week!
-Tiffany