My theory with weight loss or weight control is FORGET THE SCALE. I'll write a piece on body types but it's actually true that there are different body types out there especially for women! So forget your scale...if you must...keep it under the sink and just pull it out once or twice a month. Other than that simply look at yourself in the mirror. This may have more of a positive effect as well. It will allow you to be in tune with your body. Make notes of what certain types of foods do to your body...if your anything like me...my midsection bloats if I even look at a french fry or other salty carbohydrate packed foods. It's fine to indulge every now and then. Some body types are more muscle bound, especially for the active types that lift weights frequently or participate in frequent resistance training. Other people tend to have larger amounts of fat on their bodies...it may be hard for them to maintain muscle or build it...so a couple pounds of weight gain may be normal when adopting a new fitness routine...BUT as long as your happy with the results in the mirror and to some extent your pant size then mission accomplished.
Live your life by the 80/20 rule. Diet is 80% of looking good...it matters how you eat MOST of the time. The other 20% have a little treat. In my college years I sought counsel from a dietitian and she told me that if I thought I really wanted something to think about it for 20 or 30 minutes and if the desire to consume the particular food was still in my mind by the time the minutes had elapsed then I could indulge. Don't discount the fact that sometimes our body's crave things for specific needs, but don't let that little closet eater in your brain get the best of you. It's ok to be a little hungry sometimes...eat to live and don't live to eat. Make small changes each day...instead of reaching for that Snickers in the vending machine while your on your break, put an apple in your purse...soon you won't be wanting those Snickers anymore.
Also I challenge you to adopt the Euro way of daily life...take a short stroll around the block before and after you eat your meals...try with dinner to start...the small amounts of exercise will increase your metabolism and as you down your meal and those calories will continue to burn!
Love it Abbey! I am going to an exercise physiologist at Duke's Center for Living on Friday. We are talking nutrition at that meeting. Later we will tweak my workouts. We are going to try and figure out why I don't lose weight considering I have control of what I eat most of the time and exercise faithfully. I am excited. I love your blog!
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