I’ve been thinking a lot this week about being stuck in a rut. As I said a few weeks ago, I’m just bouncing between the same five pounds and it’s driving me nuts. I always say that you can’t put too much stock into the scale but I’m human too and it still bothers me sometimes.
I think what I need is a reminder of how to do this. (“This” being lose weight, diet, work out, make myself feel good, do my homework, go to class… oh man this is more desperate than I even thought). This stage of winter quarter is just so BLAH and I want to go back to last week with the beautiful weather and keep some of those good vibes for the next three weeks. But since I can’t do that, I’m going to write myself a little reminder here. Remember learning addition and subtraction in elementary school? (I do, because it was the last time math made sense to me. Once we hit multiplication I already knew I was going to be a words girl and a not a numbers girl.)
Well, now we’re going back to square one.
slightly ↓ calories in + slightly ↑ calories out = weight loss
do your homework + sweat for half an hour = sleep well at night
go to class – play solitaire on your phone the whole time = learn stuff
you + a (possibly reluctant at first) friend + the gym = gym date
little, unaccounted-for candy treat + a good eating day ≠ a disaster
fruit + veggies + whole grains + protein + dairy = a colorful plate = a balanced meal
I may write those on post-its and stick them to my desk. Yeah, I do stuff like that. Judge away. But truly, if we can remember to follow these simple equations, we’ll see results, even if they’re slow. More importantly, we’ll know that we’re going in the right direction.
Feel-Good Tip of the Week
This is hard because, like I said, I’ve been kind of down on myself this week. I think sometimes you need to have your moment, own it, and move on from it. So though it seems counter-productive, my advice this week is to let yourself feel what you feel. If you’re just not loving everything one day, go ahead and wallow, for a few minutes (and no longer). Don’t try to pick yourself up by squashing every negative feeling you have. Instead, go full stop for a little while, but make sure you set a timer on it. Keep a mental list of positive thoughts (anything, from the ridiculous: “I looked really, really good in the jeans I wore yesterday” to the sublime: “My legs work and carry me where I need to go”) to draw on when your moment’s over and you need to re-enter the world at large.
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