dieting mishaps :)

I said I'd be blogging about some mistakes I made, and I decided to start with dieting ...here goes (don't worry I am sticking to the major ones, so this will not be a 10,000 page post like it should be:).

Misconception one:  I deserve this food because I'm sad, angry, happy, depressed,etc. A celebration is going on and I get a treat.

I had myself to a point where I deserved a bad food no matter what my mood was.  A short period of time passed where my eating was out of control.  Food is not around for pleasure, it's around to nourish us and give us energy.  Once I started looking at food as an energy source rather than a source of pleasure, my eating pattern changed. 
In terms of the celebration though...there's always a celebration...it's always someone's birthday, or an occasion in someone's life: a new baby, a new job, a graduation, marriage, anniversary,etc.  If you ate for all of them......watch out scale.  Choose wisely during celebrations.

Misconception Two: Everything I eat must be absolutely delicious.
This was a huge problem for me. I never tried anything a second time that I didn't like the first time.  This goes back to my previous comment....food is energy.  I gave some foods I initially disliked a second shot and low and behold...they taste just fine.  Everything we eat isn't going to be delicious...that's ok.  When we're healthy, we are getting pleasure from life in other ways.

MIsconception Three: I'll eat horribly and work it off at the gym.
Impossible.  Working out extra after eating one piece of pizza ....good idea.  EAting a whole pie and thinking you're working it off...no way.  You still consumed all that salt and fat and besides...how long are you going to work out...two days?  I was guilty of this all the time. Make sure treats are treats and not an all out cheat.

Misconception Four: Losing weight is fast and easy.
Losing weight is not fast and easy lol.  It is hard work.  I had to take a hard look at how much I had to lose and realize the work involved.  I started off needing to lose 150 lbs. Would walking a mile be enough to get that off ...no.  I started with walking because I was too heavy to do anything else...but I realized I had to ramp up that exercise to change my weight.  I tell people that weight loss is a marathon , not a sprint.

Misconception five:  As you near your goal, you can slack off.
Let me tell you that these last pounds have been the hardest.  I am looking forward to the option of changing from 6 to 5 days of exercise when I hit goal, but they will be a hard 5 days.  The reality is if you were ever overweight, you probably need to work out 5-6 days a week for at least 45- 1 hour and eat healthy 95% of the time to prevent yourself from slipping into old habits...think of it this way...your doctor will love you.

So I'm hoping my mistakes help keep you from making the same ones:).

Today's workout: 7 mile jog, 1 mile walk, 30 min body combat
Today's diet:
2 eggs, half cup oats
Peach
green salad with balsamic vinegar
baked chicken wings with broccoli
(possibly another snack later.....planning meals early, busy day today:)