Recently I've been trying to get into shape. I mean I have like SIX WEDDINGS coming up this year. I do not want to be a big 'ole blimp for any of these! haha
I know a lot of people who participate in some kind of "diet" or "plan" or whatever. There are all kinds of ads out there for Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, NutriSystem...then there's the ads for the power shakes, the 90-day shakes, the pre-packaged meals. Add in the plethora diet pills...And have you ever noticed just how many books are out there teaching us how to be healthy or how many cookbooks are now health-oriented. Oh and all those workout/boot camp/dance your butt off DVDS out there!! ..UGH there's just so many things dedicated to getting thin QUICK. I wish I could buy into it. But I spent so many years studying Recreation. I worked in gyms for most of my adult life. I lived with my good friend who majored in Fitness studies and ran the fitness/exercise programs at the gym. I just CANNOT make myself forget everything I learned and become "one of those people." I don't think completely foregoing carbs is healthy. I don't want to become obsessive about counting calories. I definitely couldn't handle someone handing me a prepackaged meal for the rest of my days!! Sometimes I think I could, even wish I could, because that would make things easier, but man would it get old! lol
So,
knowing that this is the year of "special events," I decided I would try
to eat healthier, exercise more (okay: AT ALL! lol), and just take
better care of myself. I basically stopped drinking sodas--I've had
maybe 5 in the last 4 weeks or so, which is amazing for me because I
could drink like a 2 litre a day! I've realized I actually PREFER
getting a large unsweet tea with a lot of ice and adding just one
sweetner packet. It's refreshing, I don't feel bloated afterwards, and
it's somewhat healthy. I hear it has a whole bunch of something or other
that's "good for you." Last time I gave up pop, I was able to lose like
5 pounds. It looked promising.
I
just started working longer hours at the dental office, so I haven't
been able to really get into my work out phase. I mean, I work from 9am
to 8pm four days a week; then I'm at the other office by 8am on Friday
and Saturday for a couple of hours. I'm drained at the end of the day,
and there's almost no way for me to get up any earlier, so you know I haven't been exercising.
After
a few weeks of this I'm exhausted. The extra money would be nice, but I
don't think I can keep up this pace. Oh and I haven't lost even one
pound!! So frustrating!! And it's this vicious cycle too. I mean, I started with this mindset because I wasn't 100% happy with how I looked. Then I get stressed because of work and not losing any weight. And when I'm stressed I don't tend to eat the best. Oh and I hold onto weight more when I'm stressed. So here I am, stressed because I want to lose weight, and I can't lose weight because I'm stressed!!
My question now, I guess, is this: How can I make these life changes in my diet (knowing I still have an unknown amount of time where I have to wear braces) and exercise, work enough to pay my bills, and still be able to go out and enjoy life with my friends? How can I balance all these with the stress of not being where I want to be physically, the stress of my job, the stress of family and friends--because, let's face it, no one stresses you out more than those you care about!--and the stress of being stressed?!?!?
Answers? Anyone? This is not a rhetorical question here: I need help!! :)
