Determined To Succeed

It’s Saturday. Welcome to the weekend. As I sit here trying to think up stuff to write about I find myself looking out of the stop sign-sized window next to my desk and daydreaming. It’s so easy to get all distracted by the sights of the coming summer – the birds and the bees and the flowers and the trees. Hurmph. Sigh. I really shouldn’t be daydreaming, though. I need to get my ass moving today because, even though it is the weekend, I have lots to do. First and foremost, I need to get back to my routine and get back on track.

It’s good to be back into what would be my normal weight loss routine both in terms of eating and (what will be) exercise. Yesterday, I ate a good amount of protein and veggies. I had sausage, egg and cheese for breakfast (minus the English muffin that came with), for lunch I had a Lean Cuisine and for dinner I had grilled chicken and veggies. Very healthy, indeed (at least healthier than what I had been eating).

Now, to keep that rediscovered momentum going I have to get moving to the gym and begin my exercise routine again. Am I looking forward to it? Yes and no. No, because who does after being away from it for a while? The conference in Atlanta took the energy out of me and I am just now getting it back and part of me would much rather expend it looking out of my stop sign and watching birds. Yes, because my body does miss exercise, and I know once I get to the gym and sweat a bit and get the blood moving it will feel awesome.

Many people get off track for a while. For some it can mean you stop losing weight due to a plateau or a holiday, or because you are on holiday (or like me at a conference) and either voluntarily or involuntarily take a break from your routine. No matter the reason, getting off track is very easy to do and can snowball before you realize what is happening. One bad meal can easily turn into a bad day, a bad day can turn into a bad few days or a week, and a bad week can turn into a bad month of poor eating choices before you know it. And while it may not be easy, getting back up sooner versus later is the best thing to do. With that in mind, here is a refresher checklist of things to remember as you (and I) get back on track:

• If you keep a food or weight loss journal reread it to remind yourself of your goals and weight loss progress in the past. What were you doing that worked? How did it feel?
• Set new weight loss goals. Like me, having gained back a few pounds means having to re-lose those pounds and that means resetting my goals of losing a pound a week. So devise a new plan with a new goal in mind and write it down.
• Choose how you will reward yourself and how often. For me, yes, it is having an ice-cold Coke every now and then. So track your progress, give yourself a small reward for every five pounds lost and a bigger reward for reaching each 10 or 20 pound goal.
• (Here’s one I need to keep in mind for today) Don’t expect to be able to do the same amount of exercise you ended with before. Start off light and work to rebuild your program gradually to avoid injuries.
• Resistance and weight training is a big help when getting back on track because of weight training burns fat. Also, muscles you developed earlier will get toned faster because the muscles remember the repeated movements and respond well to it.
• Get back on track with the foods that worked with your body losing weight. For example, for me that was having grilled chicken and veggies. That kind of protein worked great and helped me drop that pound a week. So make sure you re-incorporate your “good” foods  and remove your bad ones.
• Remember your water! Water helps flush your system and keeps you hydrated. You should also drink a glass of water 10 or so minutes before a meal to feel fuller.
• In addition to going to the gym and engaging in an exercise routine, try to find ways to work in exercise throughout the day to fire up your metabolism and burn more fat. If you’re going to lunch, walk to get your food if you can or do a walking cycle around the office, parking lot or around the block.

See, that’s not so bad, is it? Nah. It motivates me, that fer sure (like totally). Oh, and that reminds me. I think I will work out to good 80s music today during my workout. How fun is that? Especially when one of my favorite 80s songs to listen to is a one hit wonder from the group Breakfast Club called…wait for it…”Right on Track.” Check it out and I’ll talk to you guys tomorrow.