I was one lucky duck this morning.
I went out into my kitchen, thinking I’d have apple slices dipped in my favorite peanut butter (Peanut Butter CO. Cinnamon Raisin Swirl)… But someone had left a peanut butter jar on the counter for recycling.
Total SCORE. And it was the “family size” jar. AND ONE!
I had to make some oats in a jar. Into the jar went:
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1 TBSP chia seeds
- 1 tsp stevia
- 2 drops vanilla
- a heaping handful raspberries
- a small drizzle of honey.
The big jars get my fingers extra messy. :mrgreen:
This breakfast was around 300 calories.
Getting back on the train.
It always seems to me, that getting back on the healthy eating/living train is the hardest. Getting on it in the first place is a little challenging, but it’s nothing compared to getting off for a vacation or something and trying to get back on after.
I’ve really struggled with this the last few weeks. I just felt a lot of frustration and confusion. I’m still eating really well, I’m back to getting my fitness in every day, I have my healthy guidelines to keep me on track but it’s the little things. It’s all the little pretzel snacks I would have skipped on before, and the extra bites of sugar. Before vacay I was very strict about this stuff and only had it occasionally. I’ve become a little more lax about it now.
On the weight loss: I’ve jumped up a few pounds. I’m back up around 162. Which is okay. I’m taking this whole weight loss part of the journey slow. I’ve still lost a legitimate 13 pounds. That’s like an entire cat! Slow weight loss is true weight loss. Yes, I still want to be down around 155, maybe 150 if it’s how life plays out. But I don’t have to get there tomorrow.
I was feeling so upset about the little gain and my more lax attitude. In the past I’ve gotten paranoid about gaining everything back. But then I realized, I really liked myself when I was heavier too. I’m the exact same person at 180 pounds as I am at 150. So there shouldn’t be any fear or worry. This was sort of a break through for me and I realized that it’s okay to maintain here at 162 for a while. I don’t have to be 155 by a certain date. I’d just like it to happen… sometime… in the future.
I’ve talked about it before, but this time I really want my new healthy living habits, including the weight loss, to be long term. The main goal is to be able to do all these healthy things in the real day-to-day. That way they’ll be habits that last forever.
Slow and steady (usually) wins the race :)
Tell me about you!!! I want to know…
What did you have for breakfast this morning?
Would you rather have a blueberry or a raspberry?
Have you ever had a hard time getting back on a train?
Do you ever get the chocolate sprinkles?
I never get the chocolate ones… why would I want brown sprinkles when I could have rainbow?!
{ 29 comments… read them below or add one }
So true! I think you are finding your groove and in that comes those treats that sometimes our bodies need. I know I go through phases where I am super strict and other times I let it go. Patience is key, which I know I lack. to me, it seems like you are busting out a lot of healthy habits that many people even struggle to do. That is inspiring. hang in there!
Yeah I’m realizing that. In the past when I’ve gotten healthy or lost weight I go through a really strict phase then I revert back. That’s why it never lasts. This time I’m doing it right by fluctuating a little because that’s life but keeping up my healthy habits. Thanks girl! You always have great advice.
An entire cat!! I love that! Go Maren!! So true about slow loss. I would ALWAYS choose rainbow sprinkles.
It is! 13 pounds is basically a cat, fur included.
slow and steady definitely wins the race…dont waste time with any negative thoughts, i love that you are having a healthy attitude and mindset about yourself…some days are going to be better then others but as long as over time you are generally being healthy, you will be ok. There are some weeks that I weigh heavier then others and then i just reel myself in a little better..nothing ever drastic. you are going to be fine!
I had blueberry cho with my homemade granola for bfast :) I love chocolate sprinkles, but only on vanilla softserve! :)
Thanks Theresa. That’s what I’m realizing. In the normal day-to-day we eat different things in different combos so of course our bodies fluctuate around. It just makes sense. Yogurt and granola was popular this morning.
Ugh, falling off the healthy train is the worst! I’m SO much better when I first start out, when everything is new and I can feel myself getting healthier each day but once I reach the middle stage when everything slows down a little I sometimes find it hard to get motivated. But I think your mindset it awesome. Most people think they will like themselves more once they lose the flab but it just ain’t so!
For breakfast this morning I had banana vanilla yogurt with granola. My go-to work week breakfast!
Right?! The beginning is so much easier. Oh I miss yogurt and granola. That’s an awesome breakfast.
I do some sort of eggs almost every morning…I feel cheated if I don’t. Love them!
Oh, me too! Love eggs. I miss them on the mornings I make oatmeal.
poo always raspberries for me, and I LOVE rainbow sprinkles! the more the merrier :) awesome job with the weight loss- fluctuating is always annoying but you are right- slow weight loss means it will stay off!
ugh. my super smarty computer changes ooo to poo. that should not be POO at the beginning hahaha..ugh
HAHA. I loved it because I totally laughed out loud at my desk.
LOVE this post Maren! This is something that I struggle with too. Coming back from vacations are pretty tough! When I came home recently I thought that I would just jump right back in, but it was harder than I thougth. A month to develope a habit, and a few days to destroy it!
You are doing a great job and reading your posts the last few weeks has really inspired me to be aware of what I eat more. I even used olive oil to cook my egg in this morning!! (I normally just use canola oil spray).
For breakfast I had: 1 egg/egg white scramble with spinach, 1 multi-grain english muffin with organic blueberry (made with real fruit!) jam, and two slices of canadian bacon. Yum!!
Right?! It’s so hard. I think it’s because before we get off there’s no comparison going on. Once we try to get back on we have the before to compare too. YAY, I’m so glad you tried the eggs. Did you like it? I love the extra flavor they get from the evoo.
I like your way of thinking, about taking it slow and not having to get there too quickly. I’m slowly becoming of that mindset, but it’s still a pain in my ED head. Your comment about losing a whole cat made me laugh.
Currently, raspberries win :)
You’ll get it. It took me a long time after going through a lot of healing “stuff” to get here.
From now on, I’m totally going to compare my weight loss to different kinds of animals. Like, “Oh, hey… this week I lost a hamster!” Or, “Wow, last month I lost a whole rabbit!”
But also, I really loved this post :) I love how honest you are about everything. I love that you recognize that no matter what weight people are at, they’re still the same person. That’s such an awesome statement :) We could probably all use a reminder of that sometimes.
You should! It’s the new weight loss thing to do. It makes it sound like a whole lot more too. Saying “I lost 2 pounds” doesn’t sound as great as “I lost a whole chihuahua.
LOVE this post!!! I think you are doing things in the smartest way possible! You need to make lifestyle changes that you can stick with and if that means a handful of pretzels now and then awesome! I love what a positive attitude you have towards yourself too! Keep on rocking girl! You’re doing awesome! I’ve totally struggled with falling off track before and getting back on. I agree with you though, I don’t think the hardest part is that initial start…it’s the in betweens that creep up over time!
Thanks Danielle! You rock. You always make me feel great.
I just stumbled onto your blog and LOVE it! I’ve been making more of an effort to do the whole healthy/clean eating thing the last few months. I usually do really well at home, but going out of town and out of my own kitchen usually kills it… Anyways, I’ve been having the same thoughts on getting back on track etc. lately, so it was kinda nice to see someone else was having the same thoughts! :o) Keep up the good work!
Anyways, as an oatmeal girl, I’m going to go make some oats in a jar per your suggestion (I just found a mostly empty [Costco sized!] almond butter jar. Oh, and rainbow sprinkles are the best. :o)
Hey Krista! Yeah I was surprised so many people said they have a hard time getting back on too. I thought it was just me, I’m not the most disciplined person out there, that’s for sure.
I like oatmeal and in the big costco jars, I swear it tastes better.
I love your perspective on your weight loss, Maren.
PLEASEE don’t get sucked into the whole “fear of gaining it all back” phase– that’s exactly what happened to me and I ended up losing TOO much weight because of it. Granted, I feel like you’re a lot more realistic and grounded about your weight loss journey than I was haha. I never knew when to stop!!
Thanks Brittany. I really like my approach this time too. It all feels so much more doable. It’s definitely hard though. I have to keep kicking all sorts of negative frustrated thoughts out of my head.
Right there with you girlfriend! I could write a novel about this! Especially since the whole weight thing is SO not working right now…and the end of school is tough, with treats all around and celebrations galore! But I’ve come to a similar realization as you – we are super awesome, no matter what that number says! Keep on it…and btw, if I looked as fab as you do, I wouldn’t want to lose a single pound…just sayin’!
Aww girl! You’re too sweet. Thanks. Yeah. I’m not too upset about it. It’s just all the old diet mentality thinking making it’s way into my thoughts. I’d be seriously happy if I was just right here for the rest of my life.
I have been having THE hardest time lately with eating more so than working out. But I have gained 20 pounds when I was trying to lose. It’s sooo frustrated! You’re so amazing, though!!
I hear you. I gained a lot of weight in the last few years. I know this sounds so… lame but when I quit trying to lose and just started working out every day, I started to lose weight. I know it can be the worst and most frustrating thing to hear, but it’s true.