Ok so this past week has been all about developing the plan. I want to lose weight, and get healthier, great. How am I going to do that? It is difficult to say exactly how many times I have faced this same question, and if I am being honest, how many times I have tired and experienced a less than optimal result. What am I going to be doing this time that will be permanent (i.e. a lifestyle) and successful?

The past year has been extremely educational. I have learned a good bit about how my body responds to things, as well as how my brain responds to things. I am going to use this information to help myself get it right this time. All of the attempts I have made in the past to live a healthier life have merely been educational moments that I can use at this point in my life.

Factors involved in me living a healthier life:

  1. Water – I cannot stress enough how drinking the right amount of water impacts me for the better. A lot of articles, professionals, etc. say that one of the great reasons to drink water is to help you feel full. Screw that! For me it is vital for basic functioning. I have to get roughly a gallon (125 oz) of water each day in order to maintain a balance with the extra water I lose thanks to my colectomy.
  2. Food – second most important contributor is my diet – not as in ‘I’m going on a diet’ but as in the food I consume. My body needs 5-7 small meals a day. When I go for long periods of time without food, my system gets rough. Bile acid is no joke guys. While white starches are the easiest thing for my body to process, the nutritional value is basically nothing. This part is hard. My body HATES vegetables. I mean for real. They are something I have to consume, however, and I have a few tricks to make it work. Proteins are reasonable on my body, especially ones low in fat.
  3. Exercise – 80% of weight loss is in the food choices one makes. BUT, exercise is not only  a great addition to help weight loss, it is also vital for mental health, keeping focus, getting stronger, helping my body process food, and from what I hear, a routine with established exercise helps maintaining weight loss once you lose weight.
  4. Mental health – This is, honestly, the biggest factor in my journey to getting healthier. I have a condition called Depression. It’s not something I talk about much, mainly because I am still trying to understand it and I also don’t want it to be a crutch. It is incredibly impactful in so many areas of my life. It can determine how much I can do, how easily I am swayed, my ability to get myself to do things. In any challenge set before me, from running a marathon to changing careers, 90% of it has always been a mental game. I know my body can handle whatever I throw at it (for the most part), but it is my brain that must fight the hardest.

The overall plan is to:

  1. Drink 125oz of water every day
  • I love the Smart Water water bottles, the big ones. I need to drink 4 of those each day. It makes it helpful, especially on days I work. I need to drink 1 before work, 2 at work, and 1 when I get home.
  1. Eat 5-7 small meals/snacks each day, every few hours.
  • Catherine (my nutritionist at LifeStyle Medical Center) gave me a food plan that works pretty well and is something I can modify for my specific needs (i.e. white starches instead of ones with high fiber since that presents a problem for my small intestine). It is fairly similar to a food plan my family is familiar with – Body for Life. The basic concepts for this food plan is low fat proteins, fruits and veggies, and as-complex-as-I-can-handle carbs, all eaten in small portions throughout the day.
  1. Exercise 4-6 times per week
  • I have lots of options for exercise. I work at the barn every Friday, and I typically have horseback riding lessons on Thursdays. Those are both definitely exercise! I joined a local Planet Fitness to help out on other days, as well as YouTube yoga, my recumbent exercise bike, and outdoor activities like hiking, walking, or tennis with friends.
  • My barn chores = upper body + cardio, and my lesson = lower body + cardio. In addition to that I need to get in at least 1 full body workout and 1-2 days of cardio each week. A quick yoga session (love Sara Beth yoga on YouTube) a few times a week will help improve flexibility and also reduce stress. By the way, doing all of this activity is something I plan to build up to, not start all at once!
  1. Mental Health
  • There are quite a few things I can do to help my mental game. Yoga and meditation are two options I want to use regularly, daily if possible. Playing on the piano, and coloring in my adult coloring books are some non-food/fitness activities that help. I plan to see my therapist regularly as well.
  1. Breaks
  • Breaks are going to be an important part of keeping up with all of this. I get worn down faster than I used to. I am hoping that I will be able to build up my endurance some, but I also respect that in order to make continuous progress I need to give my mind and body a break every now and then. Right now, I am planning on having a day off each week where I don’t try to accomplish any goals, I can eat some not-great-for-me food, and I get to either do something low-key but fun exercise or a break entirely. This is the Body for Life way, and I know from history it can be successful for me.

 

I know this has been a long blog but I wanted to get my plan out there, really state what I am going to be doing, makes it more real 🙂