So my 12 day pledge is over. I imagined when I started this I would feel a sense of relief today, but I actually feel quite the opposite.
For the first time in a long time I feel excited about getting my life back on the healthy track. I feel invigorated, and just plain good! I feel proud of myself and actually feel like I can do this! YAY!
Blogging my food everyday really helped and is something I'm going to try to keep up for as long as I can, so get ready for more ugly cereal pictures! My plan is to continue to abide by the pledge, but be a bit more lenient on one meal during the week. Exploring restaurants and trying new food is still a big part of who I am and something I want to continue to be part of my lifestyle. I still want to go out to eat but really need to prioritize when it's worth splurging a bit. I'm going to try to follow this 2 out of 4 rule. When I go out to eat I can pick 2 splurges -- either bread, appetizer, side (french fries) or drinks. If I want fries and cocktails, I'll skip the bread and appetizers. It's a pretty realistic way to make sure I'm not going completely out of control when I eat out.
As for exercise, my goal was to work out 5 times and I missed it by 1. Exercising more regularly definitely needs to be a priority. Even a 30 minute walk will help me feel energized.
A nice surprise from the pledge is that I lost 5.5 pounds! I wasn't planning on this but weighed myself on day 1 and today just to see. I was pleasantly surprised and am thrilled that I did this without measuring, counting or obsessing over anything. I just tried to pick the right quality food and eat normal human amounts of it. Go me.
I can't believe I've gone 12 days without drinking diet coke. It honestly wasn't that bad except when other people were drinking around me. I've never smoked a cigarette but I feel like someone trying to quit smoking! When I was out to eat at Border Cafe my mouth was watering to take a sip of my friend's diet coke, but I knew that one sip would lead to a downward spiral. I know diet coke is not good for my brain or body and there's no reason to drink it -- it doesn't fill me up and costs money (unlike tap water)!
So here's my plan: I'm turning the 12 day pledge into the 30 day pledge (18 extra days). I think that taking this in small increments will help me from becoming overwhelmed, plus will give me lots of opportunities to reflect and change up as needed.
I'm going to follow the general rules from the pledge outlined here, but am going to allow for once-a-week splurges (this does not mean an all day free for all).
Goals for the 18 day pledge:
- Blog my food every day
- Continue to eat most meals at home
- Exercise 7+ times
That's it folks, will be back later for a Day 13 update!
Great!!!!!! And I will be reading your blogs EVERY DAY so know that!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I think its so strange how you are addicted to diet coke! I almost never drink it despite the fact that we had it for dinner every night for like 15 years.