Saturday, January 22, 2011

Jan 22, 2011 - 237 - back up

Yesterday I went all kinds of off-plan, doughnuts forever, footlong steak-and-cheese from Subway with 2 cookies for lunch, and then for dinner went to a Mexican restaurant and got - well, Mexican food. A huge plate, which to my credit, I only ate half of, and also had 2 margaritas.

The reason for this is pretty easy to identify. I was unprepared and caught off-guard by my unexpected work schedule for the day. At the end of the day, feeling stressed, I wanted a margarita and comfort food. I already felt like the day was a diet washout, and yes, I know the illogic in that thinking.

So this morning I'm 237 instead of the 233 I was.

I figure that most of that excess will come off soon, but I do want to be able to go more than a week without having a fall off. It is going to be harder to stick to my plan today when I remember being off it yesterday. The Cadbury creme eggs I have hoarded in a sugar bowl for the day I allow myself to have some - need to still be there by the end of the day!!!

I did feel better when it was all done. I felt fiiiiiiine.

But it explains things like why it's ok for me to go off-plan when I've made prior arrangements, and not when external circumstances throw me off. If I have it in mind that I will eat the cheese-and-tomato sandwich for lunch today, but my tomato is moldy, then I run the risk of losing my footing. Especially now in the beginning when I'm trying to relearn how much is the right amount of the which kinds of food to eat. It explains why I'm hesitant to go to lunch or dinner with you without already knowing what's on the menu and what I shall eat that will fit into my plan. It explains why the diet has to come first so often, which is not always desirable for life.

As I was doing my yoga this morning (I was able to do more this morning, and made it 40 minutes through before they lost me) I was realizing again what a great workout it is and how much I enjoy increasing my body function through those poses. I felt a moment's guilt about not doing a 700-calorie workout and having to lose more weight and get down to 180, and then realized that, even now as I struggle against the boundary of 240 pounds on the home scale, I've still already won because I'm no longer 285 pounds. I can afford to do the fine-tuning workout I want because, while I'd like to lose more weight, I am right now what I'd call on the high end of still being a slenderer me. I am still pushing the envelope (where did that expression come from? what does it mean?) in yoga and the BFL interval cardio, and feeling myself out in the Pilates and strength training. So it's good for now.

When I do advance to another exercise plan, probably in mid-Feb, I am sure the yoga will play a much larger role, and in spring more hiking and walking and maybe running. My heel does still act up, but I am sure it's getting better as I become more active again.

I also remembered Callanetics. I have the Callanetics video from the 80s, that I tried to do once, but it was (a) very difficult and (b) not what I was looking for at the time (I was looking for more of a calorie-burn, high-energy cardio thing probably) so I quickly abandoned it. I might just pull it out again, because it might be perfect for helping me to find those other muscle fibers I'm looking for, for improved toning, movement, and muscle motivation.