Learning Discipline to Reduce Belly Fat

After a sleepless night filled with tossing and turning, partly worried about why my college aged daughter wasn't home from the movies and trying to will myself to get off the couch and and into my own bed, a familiar thought formed in my mind: I'm tired of this damn fat stomach. Like I said, the thought isn't one that I haven't had before. I don't think a year--a day, actually--has passed over the last 20 years that I haven't had that thought. But what's different is that now I have 20 years worth of information stored in my head along with a made-up mind that surgery is not an option. Only consistent exercising--not just cardio-- and cleaner eating is going to do for me.

When I finally got of the bed I had a determined mind to start make morning with healthy breakfast--egg white and spinach omelet.

"Why can't you do this everyday?" I asked myself. "Why is disciplining my eating so hard?"

I'm not alone in this struggle. Later that day, I Googled, "how to get discipline with healthy eating." I sure did. And I was glad I did. One of the first articles that came up was a runner struggling with the same thing as me. Check out the problem followed by the responses that I found the most useful or motivating.

Problem: I've been running 9 months. I'm 50 years old, 6'0",  205 lbs, same as when I started running. Currently running 30+ mpw in a spring marathon training group.

I'm stunned at the discipline I've been able to bring to my running, as I've never been very consistent at anything. I wake up 5AM, 5 days a week, and do whatever is on my schedule for running that day. I always finish every run, every time. I never miss a day, never slack off. I'm really, really serious about finishing a marathon and feel like I bring a determined resolve to the training.

So why can't I eat right? It makes no sense. I literally can't control myself with regard to what I eat. In fact, the more I run, the worse I eat. It's like my one weakness over which I have no control.

 If this sounds familiar and you overcame it, what did you do? It's really starting to bother me that I wake up every day, do my run like I'm suppose to, tell myself "eat right today, eat right today, eat right today ...", and by 11:45AM I'm down at the BBQ joint rationalizing that I deserve some ribs and sausage and that I should just enjoy life. Like an alcoholic, but with food.

  

Response #1 It sounds like the reason you are able to maintain discipline with your running is because you have a plan and a schedule - you know exactly what you are supposed to do each day and you do it.  Are you planning what you will eat each day, or are you just leaving it to chance? Telling yourself to "eat right" is too vague - you need to plan ahead, decide in advance what you will eat, and have it prepared and ready to eat before you get too hungry.   Oh, and there's no reason you can't have ribs & sausage every now and then.

      

Response #2 What worked for me was setting out a day to cook food for the week--meaning, I try to prepare a few dishes of lean meats, hard boil eggs, buy cottage cheese, cook some vegetables, chop up raw vegetables for salad, and put it all into containers to grab-n-go during the week. The easier the access, the more likely you will choose to eat the healthy food.

Response #3 Studies of folks who have lost a significant amount of weight and kept it off over the course of many years show that they tend to eat a lot of the same things- similar breakfast, lunches, and dinners. As a previous poster said, having a schedule (i.e. breakfast is toast with PB and eggs or oatmeal and ..., lunch is sandwich, nuts and fruit, or soup and ...) might be helpful. Replacing your "go-to" meal of take-out with a different set of options (just like you have different running workouts you choose from) is a way to give you some control over what you're eating. Hope this makes sense

Well first of all, attitude means everything.

Response #4 Stop saying "I cannot control it". Yes you can. To say you cannot is a lie. Do you not control your own actions? You have control over your body and what you chose to eat or not eat. So if you are asking for advice based on what each of us personally does, I don't ever make excuses and say I can't do something when I very well can. I say "I don't want to".

Response #5 It isn't about having motivation, or reward, or the desire or enjoyment of doing it. You just DO IT, no excuses. You want to eat right, then do it. Don't complain, just do. I believe that your lifestyle is largely about habit. Just focus on making a new habit. Again doesn't have to be fun nor do you have to have motivation, you just do it.

Want to read the entire thread, click here. 

Today's Exercise Motivation

Today I'm showing solidarity for Domestic Violence Awareness Day with a group of employees at my place of work. We're wearing purple. The choices in my closet were limited to a purple sweater that has a bothersome hole in the shoulder that I conveniently forget about after I take it off and a purple wrap dress. From my outfit selections the past couple of days consisting of dresses, I decided to keep with the trend.

Unfortunately, the timing couldn't be worse. Not only am I bloated, I've been indulging in cookies, cupcakes, and pizza over the last few weeks. Of course not everyday. But enough. Too bad I hadn't planned on wearing this dress two weeks ago. Maybe I'd have done things differently.

I'm as disgusted by that attitude as I am about how my belly is bulging in this dress. And I'm sad about it too. After 17 years of unsuccessfully trying to get a flat stomach I've come to realize that, while I want it, I don't want it bad enough to make the necessary sacrifices. Life is too short and unpredictable to spend so much time worrying about everything that I put into month. Coffee vs Tea. I prefer coffee with light cream and sugar substitute. Pizza. I no longer eat it 1-2 times per week and indulge maybe twice a month. Sweets. Okay. They're a BIG problem for me, I'll admit. Still there has been great improvement . It's been years since I took down an entire pack of break and bake cookies while the kids were away. Now I might have a naughty treat too many days in a row before I finally pump the breaks.

I prefer to spend more time doing the things I enjoy like reading, writing, blogging, spending time with family. Exercising belongs on that list too, believe it or not. I'm just not trying to get my Jillian Michaels or Tae Bo on. Until today, that is.

Today I'm motivated to intensify my exercise regimen, if not just for today. If nothing else it'll make me feel better. You know it's been reported that no matter ones size, exercise makes you feel better & sexier. I could use a little bit of both.

What motivates you to kick start your fitness regimen?

Confession of the Day: Questionable Motivation

"Mommy, I haven't seen you work out this hard in a long time." My daughter commented while we were exercising in our apartment's fitness center yesterday. And, yes, I was working out harder than I had in previous exercise sessions. Ironically, she had no idea that she was behind the intensity--her and her dad.

Yes. Her dad, of all people. Apparently, the Sunday before when he attended church he made a comment about me being a "big girl"! Had my loose lip daughter not felt the need to share this unflatterring information with me I would have been none the wiser, but that isn't the case. She let it out and I had a reaction that even I hadn't anticipated.

Embarrassment. For lack of a better word, that's the closest sentiment that describes how I felt. My ex-husband and I have a history. A big part of that history is him always finding me attractive. Don't get me wrong. This isn't about me wanting my ex to keep having the hots for me, but the last thing I want for him to be doing is looking at me, like "Uggh. She's letting herself go." I wouldn't want any of my ex's to view me like that. Just so happens that he's the ex I'm going to encounter on a regular basis because of our children.

So, yes. I was getting my physical fitness on BIG time to turn this situation around. PRONTO!

A Surprising Good Conversation: Health & Fitness Advice

Motivation and encouragement can come in the strangest of forms. On a recent unplanned--right now all of mine are unplanned since I have no real schedule--gym session I experienced such. After a mild argument with with my significant other I needed some time away from him, the kids, the house. Most importantly, I needed to exercise because I was seriously lacking and feeling every bit of it! It was about eight o'clock in the evening, which was pretty late for me but what the heck--it's summer time. The days are longer and if I'd stayed home I wasn't going to do anything but lay across my bed for about two to three hours watching T.V. before going to bed. I need to stop placing limitations on when I can and cannot go to the gym. In my current condition, I need to be at somebody's gym whenever I can get there!

Anyway, I arrived at the gym all pumped up to power walk away the frustrations of life with my favorite workout music playing through my iPod. I ended up choosing a treadmill  next to one that was occupied by an Indian gentleman who didn't, I couldn't help noticing, have any music player with him. Why does this matter? Because when I listen to my music during my powerwalks, I'm prone to sing along with my music and I'm somewhat inhibited when the people next to me don't have their own music to listen to. It's not my intent to aggravate folks during their workout. Before I could put my earbuds in my ear, the gentleman commented on my armband that held my iPod.

"You know, those really aren't good for you to wear while you're working out."

Oh boy,  I thought. Not only was this guy a "talker", he clearly was a "smartypants" talker." I just had no idea how much Mr. Smartypants Talker had to say! From the armband comment he went on to give his seemingly educated--or highly researched based--opinion on a variety of aspects regarding the tricks of the health & fitness industry to keep us unhealthy and unfit! Of everything he had to say, my most important takeways were:

 

1. "Swipe your gym card as much as you can," he said. Set a high gym goal, like -7 days a week--so you'll fall comfortably around 3-4 days.

 

2. "Throw all your Splenda out." Of course, I've heard the naysaying about Splenda and other sugar substitutes but within the context of his conversation, I made a absolute decision to stop using Splenda for good!

 

3. "Eat chicken, beef, & pork only 3 times or less per week." Again, nothing new but he just made it sound like the most senseable thing to do.

In the five years that I've had a gym membership, I've always avoided personal interactions, preferring to use the time for a little quiet time. However, after this experience I'll be a little open to random conversations with the "talkers".  Like my new Indian friend, they may actually have something worthwhile and life changing to say.