Monday, December 5, 2011

How my non-tracking is going...

It's going really well so far!  There have been some bumps along the way, but I have basically been not tracking my food or exercise since December 1st, in an attempt to finally completely finish my EDNOS recovery and move on to a life that is not so food focused.

One thing that I've learned I'm pretty good at:  waiting until I'm actually hungry to eat.  I rule at that.  Sometimes it 6 or more hours between eating, because I'm really not hungry that often some days.

Here's another reason that it may take me so long to get hungry- I'm pretty bad at stopping eating when no longer hungry.  That part is still tough for me!  I think that part may be tough on the weekends for a while.  It's probably mostly difficult because I still eat while doing other things, mainly watch TV.  That is a habit too ingrained in me to give up.  Therefore, my meals tend to be so large that I don't need to snack between them, because they keep me full for hours.

I'm still eating mostly healthy foods when I do eat, and of course everything is vegan.  :-)  The only difference is that I'm no longer measuring portions (except with my EVOO, I still use a teaspoon out of habit) and that I'm no longer tracking it.  So at the end of the day, I have no clue how many calories or PointsPlus I have consumed. 

And I'm not going to lie, that is kind of scary to me.  It would probably be less scary if I actually could master the "stop eating when no longer hungry" concept.  So that is my goal right now, is to really hone in on that skill this week.

The other good news is exercise:  It's my goal to no longer exercise just to burn calories and lose weight, but to actually exercise because I want to exercise.  And to do exercises that I enjoy, with no pressure of a time goal or calorie goal to reach.

On Saturday, the weather here (Memphis, TN) was amazing.  Stacey and I decided to walk a lot.  We walked to my mom's house, which according to mapmyrun.com is 1.74 miles there and back.  Then we walked to a local holiday parade, which is another 1.7 miles.  So, without really thinking about it, Stacey and I walked more than 3 miles on Saturday.  This was fun, it felt great, and totally counts as exercise. 

Yesterday, I really felt like getting some exercise in, but to make it fun I used my mini-trampoline.  I did ten minutes on it, then ten on the bike, then ten on the stepper.  Then I did another ten on the trampoline and three on the bike before I realized that I wasn't having fun anymore and was in in just for the calorie-burn and for the "exercise for one full hour" goal.  So I got off.  43 minutes, undetermined amount of calories burned, but a lot of fun had. 

I did not get on the scale this weekend.  I will probably step on the scale this upcoming Saturday, and do my measurements, and see how this is going.  But I look thin and I feel healthy, so that's all that I'm really concerned about.  Oh yeah, and I'm happy.  :-)

6 comments:

Megan said...

I'm so proud of you! And I have a terrible time stopping when I'm not hungry. Especially being pregnant, I'm hungry almost constantly, but my stomach isn't as big anymore, so I can't eat portions like I used to. And food is so tasty! It's definitely a hard concept to master!

Amanda said...

Congrats! I'm so happy this seems to be working for you. I give you so much credit for not tracking and going off of what your body is telling you.

Saturday I went to an indoor trampoline place and jumped for an hour off/on. I didn't track it but I know I had to burn something. And the best part was that it was fun.


You're doing a great job!

Leah: Not Otherwise Specified said...

Megan- Thanks for the pride! :-) Food IS tasty. I'm working on it, though. Baby steps.

Amanda- Thanks! That trampoline place sounds awesome.

Unknown said...

i think finding exercise you enjoy doing is definitely key -- right now i am REALLY enjoying my weight/strength training & that love keeps me motivated & going.

sounds like you are on the right path -- getting your head into the place it needs to be is what it's really all about!

keep rockin' it sweetie!

Jennifer said...

I am so proud of you! I want to get to that point where I am really good at listening to my hunger signals! I have the same problem--I can wait till I'm hungry, but then I forget to pay attention to when I'm not hungry anymore!

I'm also adjusting my view of exercise. It SHOULD be fun! :)

Vanessa @ Gourmet Runner said...

This post sounds so healthy, so balanced and so positive. I love how things are going for you now!!!
:)