It’ll be just like starting over – starting over

John Lennon Starting over

After a year of stress and eating my way through it, once again I stand on the scale and am not happy with the number on it.  It’s time to start over.  Once more, into the healthy eating and exercise fray, my friends.  Once more!

Starting Over, Step One

In my usual fashion, I begin by scouring the net, looking at diet plans, reading advice, checking out possible magazines that could provide inspiration.

Why?

All of this is to keep my motivation up.  As I mentioned in my previous post of 2 (!) years ago, there ain’t nothin’ that any of these web sites or magazines can really tell me about getting healthy and losing weight that I don’t already know.

So why do I go through this exercise every time I decide to get my posterior moving?

Is it to find inspiration to do it again?  Secretly I’m hoping that some magical formula has been developed that will help me lose weight by next week.  And we know that’s going to happen, right?

Being single makes it easier, right?

Now that I’m mostly on my own, my habits have become a bit sloppy.  Since I don’t really have to worry about getting dinner on the table in a timely fashion, it’s easy to waste time on the computer instead.  Then suddenly it’s 7:30 p.m. and you realize that food is required.  At that point, dinner is whatever is quick and easy and defrosted.  Not necessarily conducive to healthy eating and portion control.

While I have said that I know how to get healthy, it does help to have someone else do the thinking for you sometimes.

Help Required

For instance, one magazine has meal plans and shopping lists – for one – for 2 weeks of positive eating habits.  Honestly, I’m so past the point of counting points or calories and marking them in a book and having to present it to get stamped, etc.  I simply don’t want to have to work that hard anymore.

And it really isn’t that hard.  It’s about portion size for me, not always calories.  So lists and pre-determined menu plans can be very helpful when I just don’t have the creativity to come up with it myself.  It’s very convenient to have someone else combine them for you in interesting and, hopefully, tasteful ways.  After all I do know what portion sizes are and roughly how many calories are in each.  Not to mention I might not waste so many glorious vegetables!

Someone to Watch over Me

In a way, part of me wants someone else to do the work for me.  At this point in my life, I’ve been taking care of

everyone else’s needs for so long, I guess I feel like someone outta take care of me.

Unfortunately it’s hard to make that happen when you’re on your own.  No one is whipping up steamed veg and protein for you on nights when you have to whip out to night school.  No one is buying the groceries or chopping the vegetables so it’s easy to make lunches.  It’s just you.

I used to spend a lot of time preparing food, stocking the fridge and freezer when the wasband was still around.  I’d spend time planning meal, then a day or two cooking and freezing food we could just pull out and enjoy.  Certainly wasband never helped but I could at least count on him to put the food in a pot and heat it.

8 Letter  Dirty Word – Exercise

While food may be a difficulty being solo, exercise should be easier to get to.  After all, there isn’t anyone waiting for dinner at home.

Yet it seems harder to get to the gym than cooking decent food.

Pooooor Me

One of the pitfalls of being alone is that you can start feeling sorry for yourself very easily.  Again, it’s easy to waste hours at the computer.  Mind you, winter on the damp coast is pretty depressing.  But, as my friend reminded me, there have been monumental changes in my life in less than 12 months so I need to “cut myself some slack.”  True enough but it’s been a good year without me darkening the gym door. That’s a long time and a lot of excuses.

Once Again, with Feeling!

On the weekend, after my morning croissant, I began seriously thinking of how I could get myself going again.   A quick check of the weather forecast showed sunny skies for the next week.  That settled it.  I’d walk from the train home, a good ½ hour walk, starting Monday.

AND I’m pleased to say that I did it!

So slowly but surely I’m getting back on the path.  No doubt there will be side trips into the pub along the way.  But my running shoes are by the door and the weather is getting better which makes it easier to get outside.

Now it’s baby steps, one foot in front of the other, until I learn to run again.