Nothing is more demotivating to me than cold weather. No
wonder it’s so hard to lose weight during the holidays… my body wants to stay
all fat so I can be nice and warm! Especially
now that I’ve lost about 30lbs, I am cold all day, every day. #skinnygirlproblems.
These are my current struggles due to cold, wintery weather:
- I don’t want water... AT ALL. Nothing to make me colder is welcome!
- I don’t want to leave my bed/couch/car/apartment... whatever it be. I don’t want to leave! I have to force myself to work, which is hard enough on its own, and when it comes to making myself go to the gym? Ugh! Why would I do that when I can be at peace all bundled with my puppies at home? (cuz you want to be a fit, productive, non-pathetic human being.. duh..)
- Only hot foods allowed. This means NO salads, NO raw nothin’! So much for healthy veggie snacks... I want soups, potatoes and comfort foods.
- On the weekends, drinking tends to help keep the cold away… and I’m not talking about water!
For the first time since I started living low glycemic, I
have hit an area in my life where I am struggling. Not only did I just move to
a new city, start a new job, and leave my support system over in Austin, it all
just happens to be right smack dab in the middle of the holiday season, and
paired with my least favorite weather. Talk about a hurdle!
As much as I am mentally struggling, I must admit, it really
hasn’t been that bad. Thankfully, I have put all my new practices into habit
for several months now, and I am still maintaining a very good lifestyle. It is
true that I haven’t been perfect- but then again, nobody is perfect 24/7. Aside from the cold weather, I am adjusting to
a new “office lifestyle.” While I was used to being in the restaurants all day
at Schlotzsky’s, I had learned how to overcome those temptations. Here in the
office, there is a new set of temptations. Delicious, daily lunches with co-workers,
candy bowls at every admin’s desk, nibbles available at every conference
meeting, and the worst? Boredom. Because
I am beginning this new position, there isn’t a set “program” or pattern for me
to start into. My trainer doesn’t even come back until next week, so there has
been a lot of sitting around and reading books and information on
petrochemicals. Understand my pain?
I think previously, it’s been easy to resist all the snacks
and goodies because I was busy and on the go. The past 3 weeks, the boredom is
creeping in and it’s making a terrible chocolate monster out of me! How do
people go around without snatching little chocolates off the admin’s desks
every time you pass by!? How cruel is that… couldn’t they put up a little bowl
of carrots or something? This is an obstacle I need to overcome. I know that
soon I will be extremely busy and thankfully, done with the days with my nose
stuck in “Petrochemicals in Nontechnical
Language” but gosh I am struggling!
I do know that I will pull through this. I am a full on
exercise addict now, so I know that habit is around for the long haul. I have
picked up hot yoga, and have started doubling up on my work outs. Hot yoga in
the morning, training at night. Not only that, but I walk EVERYWHERE. I am in a
place where everything is within walking distance, so I am staying much more
active on a daily basis. The best part is knowing that once I cleanse my
systems of sugars again, I will no longer have those cravings and it will be
much easier to resist the demon office candies.
That’s the great part of having gone through Jeremy’s nutrition class-
instead of falling into a lusty black hole of chocolates, pumpkin pies and
sugar cookies, I can pick up on my struggle and know exactly what I need to do
to fix it. And I know I can do it!
As far as my cold weather struggles, I need some help from
my fellow low GI teammates! Tips? Suggestions? What’s working for you? I am
cold and missing my world of delicious coffee and pumpkin spice lattes! Let me
know what has helped you all in this season.
My vision for this holiday season:
Steamed veggies, baked apples, and hot teas are all the
comfort foods I need this season. My
zucchini noodles make for great holiday meals, and a perfect substitute for
pasta. Rather than bonding with my family by gorging on gluttonous pies and
stuffing, we participate in active bonding activities instead. Going for walks
around the lake, family gym sessions, and maybe even some good old holiday
shopping. (at least shopping is active!) Just because it’s Thanksgiving doesn’t
mean I don’t need to work out; if anything, it’s a time to be thankful for my
body and good health, and show my body that I have respect for myself and
consideration for the things I put in my mouth. I use holiday seasons as a time
to be grateful for my family, my body, my health, my friends, etc; not as an
excuse to gorge myself on unhealthy things that make me very unthankful
for the holiday season and the decisions that I made during it. I live a
healthy life, full of wisdom and good decisions- even if I do sneak the
occasional dark chocolate every once in a while!