Post Holidays Proclaimation

3monstmama

Okay, so enough with the goose and the gratins and the eggnog, the pate, the hot buttered ciders and the nibbles before every meal. Time to get back to real eatting.  My evil plot is to say here in a public forum what I plan to do about family meals and my own eatting to try to keep me on track. 

I've been on tamoxifen for 4-5 months and while I haven't gained a zillion pounds, I haven't lost any either.  When I started the tamoxifen, I was 25 pounds more than I had ever weighed in my life.  YIKES!  If I am honest, my weight has probably been creeping up since I turned 40.  I suspect some of it has to do with a dislike of throwing away food.  I caught myself eatting the very dreadful remains of cake Sunday night because I couldn't seem to throw it away --even into the compost bin---and didn't want anyone else eatting it because it didn't taste good.  Definitely a BAD BAD BAD attitude towards food. If I keep gaining at this rate, I will be a complete disaster in my old age, much like my mother who has had a life long weight problem and now has related healthy issues.  I don't want that.  When I am old, I want to take long kayaking trips and join the Peace Corp or qualify to travel to Mars. Whatever but NOT sit at home bemoaning my heart condition and blood pressure.

This year, I turn 50.  I will not, will not, will not bring these stupid extra pounds to my birthday party this fall.  I will NOT [are you listening? you icky pounds!]

Therefore without further reservation, I declare the following resolutions:

1.  I will not visit the receptionist's candy dish except on Fridays if I have been good that week or my boss is really making me crazy but then only once and not at all after Lent.

2.  When I go home at night I will not wait around for the bus that goes closer to the house--I will take the first bus that comes.  And when I get off the bus, I will get off at the farther stop and I will walk up the hill the long way and avoid all shortcuts.

3.  Rain, shine, snow, flood, I will race walk to the bus stop with my oldest every work morning even though that means I am getting up at o' dark hundred every single day.  When I get to work, I will not get a free shot of calorie rich hazelnut flavor in my coffee at Starbucks effectively eliminating whatever good was derived from my 15 minute race walk.

4.  I will cook two meatless meals each week.  I vote for meatless Mondays and meatless Thursdays.  Mondays will be rice and beans or lentils and Thursdays will be pea soup and pancakes.

5.  Meals will be served by 6pm. Preferably no noshing after 6:30pm but definitely past 7pm.  This includes popcorn which is not a health food when consumed in large volume.

6.  Meals---other than those taken in France or on the weekend---do not include wine.  Meals---other than those taken in France or on the weekend---do not include beer even if husband is very excited about his latest brewing exploits and dearly wants me to taste something right now.  He has made a case--It will still be there on the weekend.  And on the weekend, 2 glasses of beverage is enough and by glasses I mean the little wine glasses not the big ones. 

7.  I will not take seconds on anything but salad and by salad I am NOT talking about the composed salads with the ham, salami, chicken and cheese.  I mean GREEN Salad.

8.  I will learn my portion sizes.  I will learn to eat mindfully, ie paying attention to what I am eatting and how much.  I will not inhale my food and wonder where it went. I will finish reading the book "Mindful Eatting" by Jan Chozen Bays and I will download the exercises from the disk to my Itouch and I will listen to them.  I will leave the table slightly hungry, not in need of a nap or a feather.

9. Rain, snow, sleet, hail, at least 2 work days a week, I will go for an 45 minute to 1 hour long walk in lieu of lunch.  If the weather is really bad, I will go down in the elevator and walk back up the stairs, all 28 flights.  I will continue with yoga.  Depending on cost, I will consider adding a second yoga class.

10.  I will not beat myself up when I forget any or all of these resolutions.

Feel free to add your own resolutions to this thread or to come back and check on me. . . .

Good luck to us all!

hymil

11: I will limit my number of trips to France (despite the prospect of wine with every meal...)....  !!

Go girl, go! Maybe a little bit less harsh and more sustainable; if you do all 28 flights the stairwell you will be in the sick bay all afternoon, just do two flights each day until after easter.  

Re the hazelnut coffee. Get yourself a water-bottle, maybe reuse a 500ml fizzypop bottle and aim to drink all that fresh water everyday at work. Or at least equal volume of water before the syrup-coffee. 750 ml is even better. One girl at my work has a 2 litre bottle, and she has lost 5 stone in less than a year!! You could try adding your free syrup-shot to the bottle if you'd get away with it, after all it's so dilute.... only be sure to wash out the bottle thoroughly, or it will grow fluffy at the weekend, yeuk.

Portion control tip: Buy a middle-size plate for those evenings when you eat alone, and get rid of the bigger wine glasses (or put them at the back of the cupboard). The dustbin is your friend, the liquidizer his best mate, especially if you can make leftover soup - and then freeze it for next week's meatless day. Get lots of little freezer-boxes, 100-250-500ml sizes.

Meatless days option: instead of worrying what to make as main course, be wicked and just have pudding, - as much fruit salad as you can eat! Or dig out that brusselsprout, bacon & bean soup you made last week....

"This year, I turn 50.  I will not, will not, will not bring these stupid extra pounds to my birthday party this fall."  Congratulations! You are an inspiration. You can do this. Good luck, and let us know how it goes!

rosemary-b

You are my inspiration fot this New Year.

Meatless meals are really appealling.Maybe my family will let me get away with one a week.

3monstmama

okay so 24 hours in and I've done the very best at #10--not being too hard on myself when I blow off the rest.

Ahem,  SELF, I said wine could be drunk midweek while visiting France NOT eatting french food.  Made rabbit in white wine sauce for dinner last night and had 1 kir while cooking and 1 small glass of white wine while eatting.  But no seconds! though dinner wasn't served until about 7:15.  whoops.Monsters liked the rabbit though. . . not much in the way of leftovers.

No hazelnut shots in the coffee and no noshing either so far [oh and a proper serving of oatmeal for breakfast though one might ponder if it was consumed mindfully as I was on the phone with my MIL discussing issues of my SIL] but no walking either as I am working from home with my cold.

Am working on water consumption.  Read something yesterday about how going for a walk when you are craving something can shut down the cravings.  Good to know.

Lentils for lunch--the little french ones cooked with some herbs, no stock, just water and a bit of garlic and dressed with a dash of olive oil and red wine vinegar.   Yoga tonight......

hymil

How can you expect to be mindful at breakfast-time, my brain doesn't start the day till half an hour after the first food arrives.?? I think 6pm might be a bit ambitious for serving supper if you just got in from work. Great going!

Allow wine any day when in France, unless of course you live there....

3monstmama

Update:

As I said in another thread, I have seen myself in the mirror and it was not pretty.  Must say, sure does motivate me, especially for the no calories after 6pm. 

Yoga is great but there seems to be no change in my  body which is frustrating even though I know that these things take time.  These 25 pounds did not appear overnight and barring a complete starvation, they won't go off overnight either.  

DH bought a bathroom scale---everyone tried it but me--I was too scared at what it might tell me.  My 13 year old weighs what I weighed in high school.  sigh.