I do actually eat pretty darn healthy and avoid red meat (may be once or twice a year I will splurge and have an In-N-Out burger) and greasy foods. I also strive for balance in meals I prepare, use fresh produce and eat plenty of fish. But, I am on some kind of fat road and not at all happy with my weight right now, nor my lifestyle, so today I have decided to blog about my decision and the necessary steps to get on a realistic track to improve my health and shed this excess fat. And it is fat.
Being over weight is not healthy at any age, especially at my age. (Just turned 48). I constantly fear heart disease or stroke. Plus, I do not fit into most of my clothes anymore. Not a good self-image booster. I read a quote this week that said, “real men love curvy women.” Nice, but not foundation material for me. I know my efforts will have to be baby steps because if I just go all ninja with this diet regime, I will never continue. I am aware of what I need to do, but I have continually failed. Accountability with others and/or coaching is looking really good to me right now. I need help! Hence, I am blogging it, putting it on paper.
I think my age also plays a huge factor in the whys and where I am actually retaining my extra weight. The last couple of years I have put on an extra 25 pounds and it is not moving. (But, it moves if you poke it!) I know that I do not get enough exercise and have increased my wine consumption. I also have begun the joy of menopause. From all I have researched, exercise plays the most important role in losing and maintaining weight levels. This is where I struggle, finding that extra slot of time each day for exercise. I must raise my metabolism. But, did I say how much I love wine? This will be the hardest to taper. At least red wine is full of antioxidants, so I credit this to hardly ever being sick.
Thus, two things I am implementing effective today is the addition of green tea to my diet (at least 3 cups per day) and walking every morning or evening. I do love to walk and always feel so good when I regularly exercise. I need to tweak my schedule to make this possible each and every day. Work and school keep my daily calendar strapped, and I certainly cannot give up on my sleep, in fact, I need more sleep than I already get. I will also pay attention to drink more water, especially before meals, and reduce my portion sizes, particularly at dinner.
Wish me luck!
~Wendy
Health Benefits of Green Tea
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/health-benefits-of-green-tea
I hate exercise for its own sake, personally. A few months ago, I decided to start going on a half hour morning walk as a means of getting exercise. I wake up a half hour earlier, which isn't so bad and walk the hills where I live, which means 15 minutes of going uphill, 15 minutes down.
ReplyDeleteI also cut my beer intake from 2 half liter bottles per day down to 1 half liter bottle every other day, so 25% as much as before, a 75% drop. It means in a month, instead of having 60 beers, I have 15. I'm not counting the rare nights out with the boys.
I notice losing a little weight, but I don't suddenly feel better or anything. I didn't feel bad before anyway, so it's no big surprise. Anyway, at our age, yes, we have to force ourselves to get SOME exercise every day. For me, I found a vigorous walk is the only way I can do this as I enjoy it. Working out? I hate it, so it just won't stay a part of my life even when I try it, and I have. I hate it with a passion.
Anyway, maybe try a morning walk. It's nice. Hard to get up early, but if you force yourself, it's nice when it's quiet out.
I hate exercising too, Matt, but afterwards I always feel so good and glad I did it. The main problem for me is time. I don't have any extra. Then when I do have a little extra time it is made up of things that need to be done or what I rather be doing, like reading or watching Breaking Bad with Lee! :) So the exercise really becomes more of a chore than it should be. I do love to walk. Alone or with Buddy. Otherwise I sit in this chair and it is not unusual for my days to be 12 hour days between work and school. But...I get up and move every 30 minutes. I am cutting the wine a bit and drinking more tea and hopeful. :)
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