Developing Good Habits

Well, I figure it's about time to update again, and I have plenty to talk about regarding my weight loss and fitness goals.

First, and most importantly, Weight Watchers didn't work for me. However, I can't say I'm surprised by that. Because I spent my days counting points (and cheating points), all I thought about was food, which (go figure) wasn't very effective in controlling my emotional attachment to food. So...I got to thinking last weekend. I thought about how when I was at my heaviest weight (163 pounds during my junior year of college), I managed to take it down by 10 pounds that summer. I remembered what I did during that summer to lose the weight, and I discovered that it was all about developing good habits. (Coincidentally, I'm reading a book right now called "Rediscover Catholicism," and in it, the author discusses good spiritual habits). Okay, back to weight loss. I realized that I had excellent habits that summer, so starting this past Monday, I went back to some of them. Here they are:

Eat a bowl of cereal with milk or yogurt for breakfast EVERY DAY. (Okay, this gets really, really, old but it works because it creates a natural rhythm for your body).
Eat a banana between breakfast and lunch. (Bananas are yummy, so I usually eat one every day. But it also keeps your metabolism up so your body doesn't go into starvation mode and start storing more fat. That's bad.)
Have soup and crackers, or a sandwich, with a piece of fruit and a vegetable for lunch. (Just keep eating those fruits and veggies, and look! by lunch you're already up to 3 servings a day!)
Have something sweet (or salty), but small, for an afternoon snack. It curbs the urge to eat a larger sweet or salty snack later.
Eat a lean cuisine, soup, or a salad for dinner. If you have soup, eat another serving of vegetables. (Self-explanatory - eat something healthy with more veggies to finish out your servings of fruits and veggies for the day).
Drink lots of water and less soda. (This is a big one because of the real sugar (or fake sugar in diet soda) and the caffeine. Caffeine increases your appetite. Water helps naturally flush out the toxins in your body.
Walk 30 minutes during lunch at work every day. (It helps you maintain a steady weight).
Exercise for at least 30 minutes after work. (This is where you should actually lose weight).
Get enough sleep! (Duh - if you're tired you will be munching all day to keep your energy up, and you'll munch on processed sugar and processed carbs, which are always bad ideas).

That's it. That's all I did to lose those 10 pounds that summer. Aside from the 30 minutes of walking at work each day (this week was super wonky in terms of my schedule), I have started all those habits once again! And so far, it's been effective! Huzzah!

I should mention that I did have one major success in the month of March. I set a goal to bike/run/walk 40 miles, and I did it! This month's goal: 60 miles. Because of my crazy busy week this week, I have 0 miles so far, but this weekend and next week should serve me well.

Alright folks, enjoy your Easter, and look forward to another post next month filled with success stories!