Friday, March 14, 2008

What's eating Jen these days?

Right now I'm doing something that I haven't done since high school. Yes, I'm dieting. Ugh.

In the last couple years I have made changes to my eating habits because I wanted to try to eat healthier. Losing weight was never the goal. Now it is because I really want to lose this baby weight. And by "this baby weight" I mean "this weight I'm still carrying around from when I was pregnant with Elle."

I promised myself that I would not get pregnant again until I was at my goal weight. 22 pounds down, 26 to go. I think I can do it but it's not going to be easy. I have massive food issues that I wrestle with on a daily basis. (Or even an hourly basis.) I can't eat like a reasonable person so I have to set strict rules for myself. Nearly every morning since A was born I have started my day off the same way. It goes like this:

- Put 2 tablespoons of ground flax seed into a bowl.
- Put 3 heaping spoonfuls of Thick and Rough Cut oats into the bowl.
- Put a packet of microwavable oatmeal into the bowl.
- Add 1 cup and one splash of water to the bowl.
- Nuke the mixture for 1 minute and 30 seconds.
- While it's cooking get a glass of milk and a banana.
- Take out the oatmeal, add a splash of milk and a sprinkle of brown sugar.
- Eat the breakfast while fighting off a demanding toddler who thinks that every banana she sees is her banana.

If I don't follow that routine exactly then I run the risk of eating poorly the whole day. I find that if I don't get the day off to a good start then it's too easy for me to think things like "Well, I already blew today by not eating my oatmeal. I might as well eat half a chocolate cake now!"

I wish I knew how to find some kind of happy medium. I wish I could make good choices about food without having to impose a strict regiment on myself. How do people do that?

5 comments:

Bananas said...

oh wow I hear ya. I am doing the SAME thing. Not fun. not fun AT ALL! but worth it... at least that's what I'm hoping!

Anonymous said...

Count me in, I really REALLY want to lose 30 lbs this year, so I'm writing down every calorie that goes into my mouth and working out with my little dvds. Good luck!

Unknown said...

I actually don't think most people can stay disciplined about anything without a defined regimen. Food isn't my personal issue, but plenty of other things are; I have a lot of self-control, but I know where it's lacking, and so I humor myself with strictness where I need it. Nothing wrong with that. The problem is when you're not honest enough to know when you need that extra push to do the right thing for yourself.

So -- good for you that you know, and that you're doing the right thing.

Table4Five said...

The problem with going ON a diet is that it implies that you will eventually go OFF the diet! I've been struggling with my weight for years, and I'm reaching a point where I'm ready to do just about anything.

I've been checking out The G.I.Diet by Rick Gallop, and also the F-Factor Diet by Tanya Zuckerbrot. It seems like if you eat a lot of high fiber food, you can still have treats once in a while.

Anonymous said...

This blog is quite easy on the eye while informative at the same time. Glad to hear about your attempts to lose weight. Well, we do have to start from somewhere. I've heard lots of weight loss and body shaping routines like TNT and of course South Beach. But whatever slimming program you are attempting, remember not to go on a fasting mode. Likewise, foods like flax seed can help a lot with weight loss and even with body shaping. It is enriched with dietary fibers and Omega 3 fatty acids that helps regulate appetites and metabolism to help you shape up and tone down body fat.