Month Five: What I Ate Wednesdays (WIAW)

In January I began a plan to lose ten pounds in five months and feel healthier. Each month I have tackled a new diet/eating challenge. February's challenge was sober living. March's challenge was following a plant-strong, or Nutritarian eating plan (I also gave up caffeine and sugar). April's challenge was practicing yoga on a regular basis. 

I am thrilled to announce that I have met my ten pound weight loss goal! Here are the exciting stats:

End of Month Four:

weight 144.4

body mass index 23.3

*waist 29.5

hips 40
*The smallest part of my waist. I have learned, however, that circumference around one's navel is a better indicator of health. I began taking this measurement two months ago and have lost 1 inch. 

As Compared to Day One:

weight 155.6

body mass index 25 (overweight = 25+)

waist 33.5

hips 43.5

Wrap-up of Month Four: 

So that's the good news. The bad news is that the month kinda stalled in terms of inspiration. Just as predicted, it was really hard to hit the yoga mat three times a week. My excuses, on the other hand, came pretty easy: 1) Spring is here and I must mow the lawn, 2) I have a stomach bug and need to rest, and 3) there are new episodes of Real Housewives of Orange County on my DVR! Oh, the irony.

Sexy yoga lady. Motivating and distracting.

Still, I did 100% more yoga than last month, so I'll count it as a success. Our cable provider has free thirty-minute exercise videos, and I was never in want of a certain kind of instructor. Here's a smattering of my options: the grey-haired hippie dude swooping his yogi arms in front of the crashing ocean (my favorite), the buff athlete holding crow pose for-ev-er while I sat on my butt and held the remote in awe, the smiley-faced middle-aged woman chanting om with the harmonium in deference to our various chakras, and the sexy young Indian woman tossing her long hair back as she dove for her toes, candles flittering in the background (pictured above, obviously). No matter the ambiance, I never regret yoga time and after each session, I was more calm, focused, thankful and vibrant. It's amazing what thirty minutes and a mat can do! I hope to continue my nap-time yoga sessions, but with a more attainable goal like once a week.

Chanting with the harmonium = straight-up hippie time in my living room.

Since this month's goal was not food-related, I unfortunately found myself slipping under the lack of structure... a bagel treat turned into three bagels (and butter), one chocolate became eight, and cheddar cheese returned to its old position as #1 afternoon snack. Ugh. Feeling frantic as I sat in the post-sugar sweats, I staged my own intervention and signed up for Happy Herbivore's meal plans. Yep, the hippie Food Sheriff is coming to town, providing me with a weekly shopping list and recipes for plant-based, sugar-free, oil-free meals (if you think I'm being hard on myself, know that I lost 4 pounds this month, then gained 2 back). It's the discipline I think I need, and I'll let you know how it goes in subsequent blog posts.

I also read two books from my emotional eating resource list: The Beck Diet Solution and The End of Overeating. The latter, it turns out, I had already read, so that tells you how memorable it was! (to be fair, it was forgettable only because the information wasn't new to me). The Beck Diet Solution is a forty day program of small, daily changes that train you to "think like a thin person." The steps are simple and can be applied to any type of diet. Here are some of the steps that spoke the loudest to me:

1. Keep an index card with you at all times that lists the reasons you are dieting. For example, my card reads: to have more energy for Nug, to learn healthy cooking for my family, to regain confidence etc. Refer to it often. 
2. Eat sitting down. Oh, so taking bites between stroller pushes is no good?! 
3. Give yourself credit. You're not a failure for having a piece of cake, you're a success for not eating the whole thing! Refer to yourself in the positive and positivity will follow you.
4. Practice hunger tolerance for a day by not eating between breakfast and dinner. Darn it, this challenges the belief that I will starve to death after four hours without food! Conversely, practice moderated eating for a day by overloading your plate but just eating a regular portion.
5. Create time for your diet: plan what you will eat a day before and do not stray. Monitor your eating plan through a food journal.

Plan for Month Five: What I Ate Wednesdays

For my last month, I'll be putting Beck's advice to work. Specifically, I'll be planning and journaling my meals, and using this blog to keep me honest. Public accountability has helped me through many a sabotaging moment in the last four months, and now is my last chance to use the fear of group shame to keep me in order! Every Wednesday in May (and more frequently if I need it), I will post photos of what I ate the day before. This idea comes from a blog I've found to be highly inspirational on my journey, Carrie On Vegan. So you can look forward to seeing me, and my food, on a more regular basis in May. Yum. :-)

She is my greatest motivation (Nug snacking on mango)