For any of you that know me well, you know that I have been battling with my weight for years now. Growing up and through college and my early working life, I didn’t really give the matter too much thought. Luckily, I was surrounded by friends and family who didn’t shame me for my weight, and I pretty much just did what I wanted around eating. In my late 20s, though, I would go for my annual checkup and find that my blood pressure and cholesterol levels were getting worse, not to mention I felt more tired all of the time. Once I started seeing myself at risk for health problems (and I was old enough to start seeing that my mortality was indeed a thing) I took action. I have pretty much been exercising and dieting ever since. Several times and in several ways I have lost around 85 pounds, but have gained some or most of it back. My latest round of weight gain was due to my pregnancy, so I honestly don’t regret that, but there is still quite a bit of that weight that I would be fine with eliminating.
The good news for me is through all of this I have finally started to get real about what diet and exercise should be. I have done the heavy exercising thing. I have done the very few calories thing. I have spent time avoiding my favorite foods and absolutely hating how deprived I felt. Another element after having a baby is that I simply don’t have the time to go all out on something either. So, what am I doing now?
In general, I am looking at my “diet” as simply what I eat – no starvation or deprivation. I have learned about some great things out there and I have tried to apply them. Some common themes are to eat real food and think about how added sugar can be an issue. Now, I do try to avoid some things most of the time – bread, some dairy, soy, and some other things, but I do have something I crave every once in awhile. For example, last night I had some ice cream, and it was delicious! I am also trying to at least get 30 minutes of exercise or movement into my day at least 5 days a week. It is nothing extreme, but there are definitely some benefits to making it happen.
How about you? Do you even think about what you eat and if you exercise? If not, is it something worth considering? If you do think about it, do you think what you are doing is realistic and something you can do in the long run? My hope is that you can find a healthy way to eat and move in ways that are realistic and beneficial.