Weight Loss Steps

*trigger warning: this post is about healthy weight loss, but some people are triggered by any talk of weight loss so protect yourselves and fly away if you need to, see you next post*

I've been posting every day for a little while now but what I'm not sure is clear is that I haven't actually been working actively on weight loss - I try to eat at normal times, posting has been helping me not binge and not snack too much, but I'm not actually eating that healthfully and I'm not really trying to lose weight.

It's not that I don't want to - I have a wardrobe full of clothes that don't fit and summer's basically here and I want to feel comfortable again.

I should be clear: I am currently normal weight and for the amount of weight I want to lose I will also still be normal weight, it's just a matter of comfort.

So today I'm 129.6 (58.8 kg). I'm 5'4". This is the highest I've been in 5 years.

Goal weight: I don't actually care what the number is. I know in the past with the way I utilized both diet and exercise I liked the proportion of my body at 115-118 pounds, but if I do a lot more strength and put on more muscle this time that's fine, the number could stay the same, I just want to be able to wear my favorite jeans - then I'll know I'm back to feeling like me.

That said, I'm going to use the phrase "lose weight" to mean "get smaller" whether the number changes or not.

So what's the best way for me to lose weight?

1. Accountability is huge: I'm so grateful every time one of your comments comes to my inbox. I often don't get a chance to reply - frequently I'm looking from work - but it makes my day. 

I think I'm going to keep posting every day because I know it helps me stay on track and I like the way it gives me a minute to reflect on my day.

2. Planning. It's much easier for me to make a healthy choice when there are leftovers in the fridge I can take to work or healthy food available to grab. So even if it's the night before and not a week in advance, I'd like to try a little harder to plan for health. This is includes both meal planning and grocery shopping.

3. Hydration. I've already been tracking my daily hydration in my posts and I've really noticed a difference on days I drink more water. Since I started trying to drink more way back in march I also feel like my tolerance for dehydration has gone way down - I crave more water - so that's good. On a weight loss plan I'm going to increase my goal back up to 64 oz. a day.

4. Exercise. Exercise makes a huge difference in how I feel about my body, but in the past year I'd say the biggest change in my lifestyle compared to the previous 4 years is that I don't exercise regularly. It's down to time - I work about 70 hrs a week and my work days often start at 6:30 AM. It's not really an adequate excuse though. It's not like I work every second. There's no reason I shouldn't have time - but I do have to work to make it. I've always preferred to start my day with exercise, it wakes me up and the endorphins carry through the day. It doesn't have to be morning though. Even if I worked out after work, I just think it's important to put it back in my life. I have a gym membership that husband's been heckling me about - probably because I'm not sure I've been even once in 2014. I've never been much of a gym girl but since we moved here I had to try to come up with a new plan for a couple reasons. One is that it's really hot outside not that long after the sun comes up. We're in the desert at a mile above sea level. Also it's not very safe here compared to where we used to live in California, so running while it's dark isn't really an option like it used to be. Bottom line: I want to do some activity every day, at least 10 mins, and something strenuous at least 3x per week. And if I have to wake up at 4 or go to the gym after work then fine, I want to at least try to establish a new routine.

5. What I'm eating. This sort of goes with planning but I guess I could plan things that aren't the healthiest or best for me so I want to make this a separate category. Like I mentioned, I want to try eating 801010 raw, but I won't try to start that until my juicer arrives which could be a while. Realistically I know I won't be able to go fully raw right away, and I probably will end up ultimately doing raw til 4 or just back to high produce vegan, but I do want to give it a fair chance if I can. I think even if I don't make the transition to raw, I want to replace some unhealthy things with more fruits and vegetables.

Ok that was a little bit stream of consciousness. Let me simplify it.

Summary of Plans

1. Daily posts

2. Meal planning

3. 64+ oz. water

4. Exercise 10 min/day, strenuous 3x/wk

5. Healthy foods, high raw.

Okay that was waaaay longer than I was planning. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you later for my daily post.

Xoxo little birds