Need more consistency

I am still struggling with consistency in getting back to the groove that I had before the injury. At that time it was simply a way of life and everything was going good. I was consistently losing weight even though it was slow because I was close to where I needed to be.

Through the lack of running and other exercise during the time I was healing I progressively lost focus on how I was eating. I never lost focus of the bigger goal, but I lost focus on the day to day goals. I am totally convinced more now than ever before that good eating habits and exercise go hand in hand. I am sure I have said this before, but I will say it again. I instinctively want to eat better, and it is easier to eat better when I am physically active.

All that being said, it has been quite difficult for me to get back at being consistent. My life is a bit more hectic and my stress levels are a lot higher at work and at home then they were the first time I took on this endeavor. I am starting to run quite a bit more, but am still nervous about too much weight lifting because the collar bone is not yet 100% healed.

I have been eating better, but have had more occasions where I simply blow it. I am still trying to figure out if these times that I blow it are more because I am not back in the groove or because of stress.

Are you a stress eater? I haven't previously considered myself a stress eater.... but I am starting to wonder.......

Tim Wilson - blog.2big.org - subscribe - follow

Not been eating great

Over the past couple weeks I have noticed a trend that I am not so happy with. I have not been eating really bad, but have not been watching my portions as well as I should. Don't get me wrong, I am not going terribly overboard, but just have lost the reins a bit and need to reel them back in.

What has caused this you ask?

I am not sure all that has caused it, but I can probably think of a couple things.

1. I am down, and discouraged because I still cannot run. Basically, I am having a pity party.... wanna join me? :)
2. I am going through a lot of changes in life, trying to figure out where I am going, what I need to be doing. Some may call it mid-life crisis, me - I call it changes.
3. Stress has been getting the best of me lately.
4. I have a daughter that just started high school this week, so I am feeling old which equals depression. :) I am very happy for her though :)
   

What am I gonna do about it?

1. Not sure yet, still working on that part. (suggestions accepted)
   

Thanks for reading and keeping the encouragement coming.

Tim Wilson - blog.2big.org

Weightloss - Stress - Sleep

So many times you hear how stress and sleep can really cause problems with weightloss. I found this to be especially true over the past 18 months along my journey. I would find that when I would have higher levels of stress I would tend to have trouble sleeping. Both the stress and lack of good sleep would mysteriously cause the weightloss to slow or completely stop.

What are some ways that you deal with stress or trouble sleeping? I find reading will always put me to sleep, however that is not always a good sleep. Soothing music can also help, but there are always distractions and it is hard to find good soothing music. What about stress, how do you deal with stress? I find that avoidance of stress is always the best way to deal with stress, but that is not always the way I handle it. I get myself into situations that cause undo stress all too often.

I find that if I am going to use music to sooth the stress or help me fall into a better sleep, I need that music to be mindless and not distracting. So much of the music out there can be distracting, which ends up doing just the opposite of what you are trying to set out to do.

Amazingly enough, I came across this software called Pzizz, www.pzizz.com that is designed to help you relax, take naps to re-energize yourself, and to get a better nights sleep. The software has a speaking voice that walks you through some relaxing techniques. I personally don't care for this part of the software as it is more distracting to me, but I know this works for some people. The thing I like about the software is that I can turn this portion way down, or completely off if it is distracting at all. As I first started to play around with the software it almost put me to sleep while I was still trying to work, my wife was sitting beside me as well working on the computer and it was making her eyes heavy as well. I guess it works!

Here is a good video about it:



Have you thought about your weightloss and how it is being affected by stress you are not dealing with? How is your lack of sleep or lack of good sleep affecting your weightloss? Soothing music or the software above is just one option in dealing with these issues. If soothing music is not your thing, I suggest that you do something to deal with the sleeplessness or stress, as it is affecting your weightloss in ways that you may not even be aware of.

Tim Wilson blog.2big.org

Stress Weight Gain

I know you have heard about stress causing weight gain. I for one can personally attest to this and am living proof. Over the past couple weeks I have been under a lot of stress with work, and working a lot of hours. I know many of you may think I am a baby by saying this, but I have gained almost 1 lb over the past two weeks. Let me put this into perspective. I use www.physicsdiet.com to track my average weight, and I am saying that my average weight has gone up by almost 1 lb over the past couple weeks. This is opposed to losing about 1 lb a week lately. During the bulk of my weight loss I was losing between 2 - 3 lbs a week, but this has slowed quite a bit as I have gotten closer to my goal weight, as would be expected.

I came across this article at www.about.com when trying to find some information about stress and weight gain. This is what they say:

Chronic stress and cortisol can contribute to weight gain in the following ways:

Metabolism -- Do you feel like you're prone to putting on more weight when you're stressed, even if you're eating the same amount of food as you always have? Too much cortisol can slow your metabolism, causing more weight gain than you would normally experience. This also makes dieting more difficult.

Cravings -- OK, you're stressed. Do you reach for a nice salad or a pint of Ben & Jerry's? I'll bet on the latter. People experiencing chronic stress tend to crave more fatty, salty and sugary foods. This includes sweets, processed food and other things that aren’t as good for you. These foods are typically less healthy and lead to increased weight gain.

Blood Sugar -- Prolonged stress can alter your blood sugar levels, causing mood swings, fatigue, and conditions like hyperglycemia. Too much stress has even been linked to metabolic syndrome, a cluster of health concerns that can lead to greater health problems, like heart attacks and diabetes.

Fat Storage -- Excessive stress even affects where we tend to store fat. Higher levels of stress are linked to greater levels of abdominal fat. Unfortunately, abdominal fat is not only aesthetically undesirable, it’s linked with greater health risks than fat stored in other areas of the body.

Stress and weight gain are connected in other ways:

Emotional Eating -- Increased levels of cortisol can not only make you crave unhealthy food, but excess nervous energy can often cause you to eat more than you normally would. How many times have you found yourself scouring the kitchen for a snack, or absently munching on junk food when you’re stressed, but not really hungry? More on what causes emotional eating.

Fast Food -- Experts believe that one of the big reasons we’re seeing more obesity in our society these days is that people are too stressed and busy to make healthy dinners at home, often opting to get fast food a the nearest drive-thru instead.

Too Busy to Exercise -- With all the demands on your schedule, exercise may be one of the last things on your to-do list. If so, you’re not alone. Americans live a more sedentary lifestyle than we have in past generations, yet our minds seem to be racing from everything we have to do. Unfortunately, from sitting in traffic, clocking hours at our desks, and plopping in front of the TV in exhaustion at the end of the day, exercise often goes by the wayside.

I find myself doing some of these items, but not all of them by any stretch. I really don't think that any of the second set of things apply to me, but I haven't been running or working out as much this past week because of things I have discussed previously on my other blog in my post about A Lack Of Energy. You will see a lot in the comments on that post.

I am not too upset about this, because I know the stress will subside shortly, although it can be a bit of a let down. I am just hoping to see the trend turn a little bit over the next week.

Lack of Energy

This is cross posted at my other blog blog.262quest.com

No, I am not making the statement because I am confused why, I am making the statement just because I am tired. I have a terrible lack of energy.

This morning I was at the gym and just couldn't seem to get much done. I started to lift my normal routine and just couldn't seem to get through it. I finally gave up and went and walked on the treadmill to try to awaken my body. I went back to the weights and after just one more set gave up and came home.

This week my runs have also been tiresome with lack of energy as well. I originally figured that I was seeing the results of pushing my body so hard in my half marathon this past week, but figured that would be subsiding by now.

Like I said, it is no surprise that I have no energy. I have been getting up and 4:05 AM each morning, running or working out, going to work and working 9 and 10 hour days, coming home, taking care of some household business (running the kids here or there) and then working 2 - 4 more hours before going to bed between 10:30 and 11:00. All to do it all over the next day.

Now, many of you might laugh at me and say "You call that work?" I am an Application Developer so yes, work for me is sitting in front of the computer all day. Not much of a physical activity, but unless you have worked in front of the computer all day, you would never understand how physically draining it is. I am sure the mental part of it is what drains you physically, but it is tiring none the less.

I have a hugh project that is coming due, that I have a lot of work left on. I had a mini due date this past Tuesday, then another bigger due date today. I have one of the main due dates on Monday which is going to be tough, and then it is roll out of the application from there. All while continuing to work on back end stuff. To say the least I am stressed.

To add to all this, I think my body is reacting from a weight loss standpoint. I have not seen any weight loss over the past couple weeks while I have been going through all this. I am not eating as good as I could be, but I am not eating bad enough that I shouldn't be losing weight either. I think it is my body just telling me that I am not getting enough rest. I wish I could respond to it and give it the rest it needs, but it will have to wait till after these deadlines.