Keep on Running

You know that feeling you get when you’ve exhausted all of your options in trying to reach a goal and you just have to tread water for awhile?

 

Like this.

 

Well, I’m kind of there with my weight right now. I hate to even think about it because I know being healthy is a lot more important than being a certain size. That being said, I’ve gained some weight since being diagnosed with hypothyroidism and starting on Synthroid. This apparently happens to some people—while the drug is supposed to help the thyroid and metabolism get in order, until you’re on the right dosage, some weight gain can happen.

Grr.

I’ve talked to my doctor, she told me it’ll be fine, that I’m super healthy otherwise, and that I have to remember that not only is my thyroid out of order, but my pituitary gland is too. My whole endocrine system sucks. A sucky endocrine system is not ideal for a girl who already has to struggle with weight.

When I saw my doctor the other day I told her that while my diet is not 100% perfect all the time, I know for sure that it’s good enough that I shouldn’t be gaining weight at the pace it’s been coming on, especially with the amount of working out I do. At any rate, I’ve basically been told there’s not much I can do but continue what I’m doing and wait for the medicine to do its thing. And so that’s what I’ll do.

It makes me think of that old Spencer David Group song.

The only difference is I’ll keep on spinning and Body Pumping. Running hurts my knees.

Working It Out: Just Do It/Feel The Burn!

You want to know something about working out?  A lot of work has to go into it.

Aaaaaaaaaand...one.

There are times when I’m in the middle of a spinning class or Power yoga or Cardio Strength and I just think to myself, “God.”

“This.”‘

“Is.”

“So.”

“Hard.”

And it really is.  It can be so, so hard.  But it can be so good, too.

I don’t really think about how good exercise is when I’m doing it.  I’m usually too busy trying to talk myself into pushing it just a little bit longer or trying not to throw up. It’s often just something that I have to do, the same way I have to brush my teeth and wash my face.  I just have to do it and get it done.  I don’t often think about the benefits of teeth-brushing or face-washing; I do those things because I know they’re good for my health, my teeth, my skin, and my general well-being, and because I was taught to do them every day, but I don’t think about them until I’m getting my annual check-up at the dentist or buying new face wash.  I just do them.

I’ve kind of gotten to a point where I just do exercise.  I’m mostly on autopilot.  I do it well.  I put a lot of time, energy, and effort into doing it, but in the end, I just do it.  I don’t think about it while I’m doing it.

However, I’ve found that I think about it when I’m not doing it.  When I’m standing in line at the grocery store and I flex my calves to get a stretch, I think about it.  When I lug a 25 pound box of cat litter from the car into my house and my arms feel strong and powerful, instead of like limp noodles, I think about it.  When I crouch down to pick up something I dropped and I come back up quickly without a tremble in my legs, I think about it.  I’ve come to really appreciate my own strength and the different ways the effects of exercise show on my body when I’m just doing every day normal things. I find myself savoring those moments when I notice and I’ve tried to start reminding myself about how good those moments feel when I’m huffing and puffing my way through an exercise class, trying to just get through it.

It’s kind of amazing when I stop and think about it.

I feel the burn and it feels really good.

How’d Ya Do It?: Revealing My Weight Loss Secret

When you lose a significant amount of weight, people always want to know how you did it?  How’d ya do it?  How’d ya do it?  HOW’D YA DO IT?  They’re always sorely disappointed when I tell them I did it with diet and exercise.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I’m in the business of dream-crushing.

Diet and exercise? Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck.

Diet and exercise is the simple answer to the question, but truthfully, there’s a lot more to it than that.  Because I spend so much time talking about and thinking about my body, how I use it, and what goes into it, a lot of this stuff seems pretty standard to me, but the diet industry is a big screwed up enterprise and people get all kinds of information from all kinds of sources and more often than not, it all ends in disaster. Low fat.  Low carb.  Liquids only.  Slim Fast.  The Hollywood Diet.  Atkins.  South Beach. The Cookie Diet.

Seriously, have you fallen for The Cookie Diet?  C’mon.  Does the phrase “Satan in a Sunday hat” mean anything to you?

Personally, I’ve never had much success with commercial diets. I’ve tried a few and I’ve been disappointed by every single one.  That’s not to say that they’re all bad.  Weight Watchers and South Beach both have some good principles and I know people who have had success on those diets; they’re just not for me.  I tend to do best when I listen to my body and stay honest with myself. Over the years I’ve learned what really works for me.  Now when I say “diet,” I literally refer to the way I eat, not what I do to lose weight.  That being said, over time I’ve developed a few go-to methods for losing weight healthily and keeping it off, but one is really key to any and all of the weight loss success I’ve had in my life.

I write that shit down.

This is such a standard suggestion, but it is key for me.  I keep a daily journal of what I eat.  If I eat a perfect 1,400 calories all from natural whole foods, I write it down.  If I have a handful of carrots in the middle of the afternoon, I write it down.  If I eat a cupcake, I write it down.  If I drink 10 margaritas, I write it down.

Hey, it’s been known to happen.

It’s certainly not the most glamorous suggestion or one that hasn’t been suggested before.  Logging what you eat is a big one for nutritionists and dietitians, it’s all over the health magazines, and it’s always suggested by the different (reputable) commercial diets.   There’s a reason for this.

It works.

Some people keep food journals, some have Excel spreadsheets, some write on the backs of receipts they find at the bottoms of their purses.  I use an online food and calorie tracker.  There are hundreds of them out there.  I’ve spoken to a lot of people about food tracking.  Some say they just can’t do it.  I’ve had several people tell me they really could not possibly keep up with writing in a notebook or logging into a website and plugging in their food intake every day.  That’s their own business.  I’ve talked to others who say they get too obsessive with it.  I can see that.  It can become the kind of thing that preoccupies you, especially when you first start doing it.  I don’t have those problems though.  This is a method that really works for me.

I think this all comes back to self-discipline, or a lack thereof. I tend to think that if you can discipline yourself enough to jot a few notes in a notebook or log a few meals on a website everyday, you can discipline yourself enough to make conscious choices about what you eat and how much of it you eat.

I don’t think anyone safely loses weight without a little bit of self-discipline.  To me, journaling is an easy and safe way to keep myself in check so that I don’t have to fret over a calculator during every single meal.

And that’s how I did it.