I don't know how many of you guys are religious, but I am and I have recently been thinking about how this whole weight problem of mine falls into my life as a Christian.
With very few exceptions, all people who are overweight have gotten there by their own choices in life. An apple or a cookie, or two, three, or even four cookies. People do not become overweight by only eating what their body needs, they become overweight by eating an excess of calories in comparison to how many calories their body is using to function. It is quite simple, actually.
This style of eating, eating more than you need, is gluttony, pure and simple. As defined by dictionary.com, gluttony is excessive eating and drinking. It comes from the latin word gluttire, which means to gulp down or swallow. It defines exactly what each overweight person has done; gulped down food and drinks in excess.
You may be wondering how this relates to my life as a Christian, but that is also simple. I am living in sin because I am acting out one of the seven deadly sins, gluttony. I am also not honoring God with my body. He has given me this body that is capable of doing absolutely anything, but I have ruined it by overindulging in food.
The thing is, a large portion of Christians are living in sin with this same exact problem. If you walk into your local churches, you will probably find 63% of the congregation overweight, just like the rest of Americans. Even pastors, who are supposed to the leading examples of Christianity have bulging bellies and are overweight or obese. I feel like we are extremely quick to judge those who are alcoholics and accuse them of sin for being gluttonous, yet we, who become drunk off of food don't see ourselves in the same light. We talk about the sin of killing someone, but this sin of gluttony should be deemed even worse for we are simply killing ourselves.
Gluttony is a problem in many of our lives, whether or not you are religious. We wouldn't be this way right now if we hadn't eaten far too much food at some point in our lives. Luckily, we are able to change this. If you are religious, you're even able to change this with the help of God. I encourage you to pray about this. Pray for him to give you the strength to make the choices that are going to honor him and lead you away from the sin of gluttony.
I am definitely going to be praying for this area of my life. I know that God will provide me with the strength to overcome the temptation of sin, the temptation to be gluttonous. I know with having God as a part of my weight loss journey that the journey will be far more successful than it ever could have been on my own.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Day 5
I ended up not working out last night, but I got a whole bunch of much needed sleep instead. I slept from around 10pm until 7am. It was fantastic. But I am currently starving, so I had a banana while I wait for real breakfast with the kids at camp. I really hope that I can get a really good workout in this afternoon so that I can have a good weigh in tomorrow.
And I've decided my kinda sorta goal. It has a better ring to it. I would like to be 120 pound by my 20th birthday. I figured it up and I have to lose something like 1.5 pounds per week to get there. I think it's probably do-able.
noms:
breakfast: banana [100], 2 biscuits w/butter&jelly [400]
lunch: turkey sandwich [200], chips [200], watermelon [30], juice [120]
snack: camp trail mix [150]
dinner: pb&j sandwich [250]
dessert: frozen yogurt w/strawberries [160]
food calories: 1610/1400
exercise:
30 minutes elliptical [-250]
I'm about to go over my calories today, but it's not my fault too much. I ate for breakfast, lunch, and snack at camp so I had to eat everything on my plate which gave me the majority of the calories. I am going to skip dinner though because I am going to an all-natural frozen yogurt place with some counselors when they get off work. It'll be a good time for me and the most the yogurt will be is 300 calories, so I won't go over my allowance by much. If I burn a couple hundred at the gym today I think I'll still give myself the $20 for the day because I didn't completely snack mindlessly or anything.
Also, I got the job that I applied for!!! That means I'll be getting 10-12 hours a week during the school year plus the rest of the summer too. It's in a Doctoral Office, so I'll basically be logging stuff as people turn in their applications and such to enter the program. The lady told me that I can have the job from now until I graduate, summers included! The best part is that they are only open weekdays from 8-5 so it doesn't even interfere with me spending time with friends and doing clubs and other stuff at college. It is such a blessing because it is the absolute perfect job for me!
And I've decided my kinda sorta goal. It has a better ring to it. I would like to be 120 pound by my 20th birthday. I figured it up and I have to lose something like 1.5 pounds per week to get there. I think it's probably do-able.
noms:
breakfast: banana [100], 2 biscuits w/butter&jelly [400]
lunch: turkey sandwich [200], chips [200], watermelon [30], juice [120]
snack: camp trail mix [150]
dinner: pb&j sandwich [250]
dessert: frozen yogurt w/strawberries [160]
food calories: 1610/1400
exercise:
30 minutes elliptical [-250]
I'm about to go over my calories today, but it's not my fault too much. I ate for breakfast, lunch, and snack at camp so I had to eat everything on my plate which gave me the majority of the calories. I am going to skip dinner though because I am going to an all-natural frozen yogurt place with some counselors when they get off work. It'll be a good time for me and the most the yogurt will be is 300 calories, so I won't go over my allowance by much. If I burn a couple hundred at the gym today I think I'll still give myself the $20 for the day because I didn't completely snack mindlessly or anything.
Also, I got the job that I applied for!!! That means I'll be getting 10-12 hours a week during the school year plus the rest of the summer too. It's in a Doctoral Office, so I'll basically be logging stuff as people turn in their applications and such to enter the program. The lady told me that I can have the job from now until I graduate, summers included! The best part is that they are only open weekdays from 8-5 so it doesn't even interfere with me spending time with friends and doing clubs and other stuff at college. It is such a blessing because it is the absolute perfect job for me!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Day 4
I worked the overnight shift last night. It was from 8:30pm to 6am. I didn't quite make it to six am though, so around 4 I ended up laying across the hallway on the linoleum floor so that if a camper were to leave, they would have to step over me, which would wake me up. I have narcolepsy though, so I knew that I probably wouldn't make it through the entire night.
Now this puts me at a disadvantage for the day. I slept in my bed from 6am until 10:30, so now I don't have time to work out before my next shift at 12. I guess that I'm going to have to just work out after I get off at 8:30 tonight, so I know that I can at least do the 30 day shred. I'm supposed to be doing 30 minutes of cross-training today also, but I'm thinking that I can just count the 30 day shred as that. We'll see how I feel around then though, I'm thinking that I will be extremely tired.
noms:
breakfast: banana [100]
lunch: 2 wraps (turkey, lettuce, wheat tortilla) [300], carrots [35], fruit roll up [50], lemonade [50]
snack: mini ice cream bar [110]
dinner: hamburger [300], french fries [150], ketchup [15], cantaloupe [30]
dessert: banana [100]
calories: 1240/1400
exercise:
I've devised a new plan for myself. I really, really, really want to go shopping at the outlet malls before school starts, but I also don't want to do it if I'm just going to lose more weight. Which I'm definitely going to lose because I want to be down to at least 120 pounds. But, I'm going to allow myself to spend $10 on clothes for each day that I eat within my calorie allowance of 1400. That means between now and the day I would go to the outlet mall I could theoretically spend around $300 on new clothes for the school year.
I have a final weigh in goal of 120 pounds for when I leave for spring break. That means that I have 34 weeks until this date of Friday, March 11th to lose just about 40 pounds. That equals out to needing to lose 1.2 pounds a week. It sounds totally doable. I know I can do it. (If I could lose 2 pounds a week I would be at my goal by October!, but that's not going to happen, I'll be reasonable.)
Basically, I want to be 120 pounds sometime between October 1st and March 11th. That is a huge gap to work with. I can totally do it.
Now this puts me at a disadvantage for the day. I slept in my bed from 6am until 10:30, so now I don't have time to work out before my next shift at 12. I guess that I'm going to have to just work out after I get off at 8:30 tonight, so I know that I can at least do the 30 day shred. I'm supposed to be doing 30 minutes of cross-training today also, but I'm thinking that I can just count the 30 day shred as that. We'll see how I feel around then though, I'm thinking that I will be extremely tired.
noms:
breakfast: banana [100]
lunch: 2 wraps (turkey, lettuce, wheat tortilla) [300], carrots [35], fruit roll up [50], lemonade [50]
snack: mini ice cream bar [110]
dinner: hamburger [300], french fries [150], ketchup [15], cantaloupe [30]
dessert: banana [100]
calories: 1240/1400
exercise:
I've devised a new plan for myself. I really, really, really want to go shopping at the outlet malls before school starts, but I also don't want to do it if I'm just going to lose more weight. Which I'm definitely going to lose because I want to be down to at least 120 pounds. But, I'm going to allow myself to spend $10 on clothes for each day that I eat within my calorie allowance of 1400. That means between now and the day I would go to the outlet mall I could theoretically spend around $300 on new clothes for the school year.
I have a final weigh in goal of 120 pounds for when I leave for spring break. That means that I have 34 weeks until this date of Friday, March 11th to lose just about 40 pounds. That equals out to needing to lose 1.2 pounds a week. It sounds totally doable. I know I can do it. (If I could lose 2 pounds a week I would be at my goal by October!, but that's not going to happen, I'll be reasonable.)
Basically, I want to be 120 pounds sometime between October 1st and March 11th. That is a huge gap to work with. I can totally do it.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Day 3
I started my half marathon training today. It's only an eight week training though and I definitely have sixteen weeks until the half-marathon, so I think I'm going to follow this one for a while and then switch to a different one after I've gotten my ability up a bit. I'll probably do the first four weeks of this one and then switch to a 12 week program instead. At the 4 week mark I'm just running 4 miles, which is about the level that most other programs start at.
But with doing my training I am already starving. I'm thinking that something light for breakfast sounds delicious.
Noms:
Breakfast: strawberry yogurt, banana.
Lunch: Peanut Butter Capt'n Crunch
Dinner: Triple Decker PB&J, 10 Strawberries
Dessert: Ice Cream Waffle Cone
Exercise:
Walk 2, Run 1, Walk 2 [-476]
30 Day Shred (Day 3!) [-200]
But with doing my training I am already starving. I'm thinking that something light for breakfast sounds delicious.
Noms:
Breakfast: strawberry yogurt, banana.
Lunch: Peanut Butter Capt'n Crunch
Dinner: Triple Decker PB&J, 10 Strawberries
Dessert: Ice Cream Waffle Cone
Exercise:
Walk 2, Run 1, Walk 2 [-476]
30 Day Shred (Day 3!) [-200]
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Day 2-- Overeating.
Did you know that overeating causes the body to go into overdrive, making you spend a large amount of energy attempting to digest all of the food? As you are digesting the food your body just slows down and you lose all energy as your body goes crazy making insulin, leaving you lethargic. You tend to lay down and take a nap after this large meal. But, there is a bigger problem with overeating. Not only does it cause a problem right then and there for you, it also causes problems hours later because you eat more due to your tiredness, hoping that you will be able to gain some energy from the food. It's a vicious cycle and I know it's one that I have found myself getting stuck in time and time again, especially when I am extremely stressed out about something.
I've found that I can help avoid overeating when I plan out my meals, allowing for 3 meals and 3 snacks. This way I know that I get to eat every 2-3 hours, so I find it easier to stop because I know that I get to eat rather soon anyway.
I also try not to keep too much finger food around me. If I have a bag of chips, I'll sit there and snack on the chips. The same goes for cookies, cereal, and candy. I just cannot keep that stuff around me because I will sit there until I eat all of it, no matter how guilty I feel. Instead I try to keep food that I actually have to prepare or at least stuff like yogurt, which I don't crave to just sit and snack on in front of the television.
Eating slower also helps me to avoid overeating as much. I am the slowest eater out of anyone that I know. Some may say it's because I talk so much, but that's besides the point. The slower I eat the more satisfied I feel from the meal. When I don't eat slowly I end up eating an entire meal and then I still crave more because I feel like the food disappeared far too quickly. I try to set down my utensil between each bite so that I guarantee that I take a slower pace while eating.
Now that I have reviewed my techniques, I'm going to try to put them to use today to eat a healthy amount.
Breakfast: Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch
Lunch: Ham Sandwich, Watermelon, Grapes, Cheeto Puffs
Snack: Trail Mix from camp (oatmeal bites, pretzels, m&ms, and chocolate frosted mini wheats)
Dinner: 5 Chicken Nuggest, BBQ sauce, Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Exercise: 30 day shred.
I really need to invest in some weights. I would rather not simply because I know that I have weights at home, but it sucks to be doing the 30 day shred without them. I feel like I'm not even getting a workout. Tomorrow I am going to try to use resistance bands, but if that doesn't seem to work then I'm just going to go out and buy some 5 pound weights or something. I really want to get some results from the shred, but I won't get them unless I am really working my tail off.
I've found that I can help avoid overeating when I plan out my meals, allowing for 3 meals and 3 snacks. This way I know that I get to eat every 2-3 hours, so I find it easier to stop because I know that I get to eat rather soon anyway.
I also try not to keep too much finger food around me. If I have a bag of chips, I'll sit there and snack on the chips. The same goes for cookies, cereal, and candy. I just cannot keep that stuff around me because I will sit there until I eat all of it, no matter how guilty I feel. Instead I try to keep food that I actually have to prepare or at least stuff like yogurt, which I don't crave to just sit and snack on in front of the television.
Eating slower also helps me to avoid overeating as much. I am the slowest eater out of anyone that I know. Some may say it's because I talk so much, but that's besides the point. The slower I eat the more satisfied I feel from the meal. When I don't eat slowly I end up eating an entire meal and then I still crave more because I feel like the food disappeared far too quickly. I try to set down my utensil between each bite so that I guarantee that I take a slower pace while eating.
Now that I have reviewed my techniques, I'm going to try to put them to use today to eat a healthy amount.
Breakfast: Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch
Lunch: Ham Sandwich, Watermelon, Grapes, Cheeto Puffs
Snack: Trail Mix from camp (oatmeal bites, pretzels, m&ms, and chocolate frosted mini wheats)
Dinner: 5 Chicken Nuggest, BBQ sauce, Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Exercise: 30 day shred.
I really need to invest in some weights. I would rather not simply because I know that I have weights at home, but it sucks to be doing the 30 day shred without them. I feel like I'm not even getting a workout. Tomorrow I am going to try to use resistance bands, but if that doesn't seem to work then I'm just going to go out and buy some 5 pound weights or something. I really want to get some results from the shred, but I won't get them unless I am really working my tail off.
"Determination will get you through this." -- Day 1
Last night/today I had a bit of a problem with some oreo cookies. Normally, I would consider it a total failure of a day and just go on eating everything in site because "I already messed up anyway, I'll do better tomorrow".
But today, I didn't allow myself to have that defeated attitude. I decided to start doing Jillian's 30 day shred today. I sweated out at least 204 calories (according to my new heart rate monitor watch!!!) and I plan on going on this trail around 8 o'clock. It's 9.5 miles round trip (which I intend to run and walk so it doesn't take forever) and it's going to take me off of campus where I haven't ever been to some little lake thing. I think it should be nice. If it's completely wonderful then I plan on taking my new camera out there tomorrow morning to take some pictures. It would be awesome if I got up early enough to do it at sunrise, it would probably be beautiful.
All of this is just to remind you that even if part of the day doesn't go so swell, there is still time to fix it. Continuing to eat a ton of food throughout the day isn't going to bring you any closer to your goal, but realizing your mistake and attempting to stop the problem will help to get you closer to your goal. I think that the picture I posted above will be my new slogan. It's currently my background on my computer.
I didn't end up going as far as planned on the walk/run tonight because the trail was a mess after a certain point because of the storms last night, plus it was getting dark. I intend on going the whole 9.5 miles in the morning, hopefully running at least four of it. I plan on running the whole way there and then walking the whole way back so that I can take some photos because it's a really pretty trail. It takes me out to a pond thing, but I didn't make it there today. The goal tomorrow is to run all the way to the pond, which is the turn around point.
But, tonight I went: 5.4 miles.
I walked 2.6 of them and ran 2.8 of them. Yay! for being over 50% running.
According to my watch I burned 575 calories. :)
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
breakfast: Special K w/skim milk [200], banana [100]
lunch: potato chips [150], cauliflower [35], veggie dip [100]
snack: peanut butter granola bar [160]
dinner: spaghetti w/sauce [300], salad [70]
dessert: banana [100], jolly rancher [15]
total calories consumed: 1230/1400
exercise:
16 minute jog [-200]
total calories burned: 200
net calories for day: -520.
daily goal: write down every morsel that goes into my mouth. I need to get back into the habit of this for a little while so that I can once again get on track with my food. I know for myself, I don't lose weight if I'm not paying attention to my food, which is the reason that I have gained all this weight this year. I'm working on changing it though.
edit: I am super upset and disappointed in myself. I took my sociology test online and I second guessed myself on several questions, thus changing my answer to the wrong one instead of leaving it on the correct one. Due to this I ended up with an 80% on the exam. This means that in the entire rest of the class I can only miss 10 points. Yes, ten points. Each exam question is worth 2 points, so for the final exam I can only miss 5 questions or else I lose my A. I am not taking the most basic sociology course and getting a B in it. I will not kill my GPA over some stupid course, it's just not happening. Due to this I'm off to go and read the next chapter and take actual notes on it. I have to beast this next exam. I have to because I don't have a choice.
good thing about today: I am at -520 calories, which puts me on track for losing one pound a week. I just have to be sure to get around this much each day to ensure that I am losing weight. If I get around -500 each day I should lose more than one pound a week because I don't include all of the walking I do while I work at camp each day, plus all those flights of stairs. Haha. For once, I'm feeling confident about losing weight again. I can't wait to weigh in on friday morning and see what I did this week. :)
lunch: potato chips [150], cauliflower [35], veggie dip [100]
snack: peanut butter granola bar [160]
dinner: spaghetti w/sauce [300], salad [70]
dessert: banana [100], jolly rancher [15]
total calories consumed: 1230/1400
exercise:
16 minute jog [-200]
total calories burned: 200
net calories for day: -520.
daily goal: write down every morsel that goes into my mouth. I need to get back into the habit of this for a little while so that I can once again get on track with my food. I know for myself, I don't lose weight if I'm not paying attention to my food, which is the reason that I have gained all this weight this year. I'm working on changing it though.
edit: I am super upset and disappointed in myself. I took my sociology test online and I second guessed myself on several questions, thus changing my answer to the wrong one instead of leaving it on the correct one. Due to this I ended up with an 80% on the exam. This means that in the entire rest of the class I can only miss 10 points. Yes, ten points. Each exam question is worth 2 points, so for the final exam I can only miss 5 questions or else I lose my A. I am not taking the most basic sociology course and getting a B in it. I will not kill my GPA over some stupid course, it's just not happening. Due to this I'm off to go and read the next chapter and take actual notes on it. I have to beast this next exam. I have to because I don't have a choice.
good thing about today: I am at -520 calories, which puts me on track for losing one pound a week. I just have to be sure to get around this much each day to ensure that I am losing weight. If I get around -500 each day I should lose more than one pound a week because I don't include all of the walking I do while I work at camp each day, plus all those flights of stairs. Haha. For once, I'm feeling confident about losing weight again. I can't wait to weigh in on friday morning and see what I did this week. :)
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