I am a Southern lady… therefore, I will not reveal my weight. But, I will say that I have lost 3 pounds since the start of this experiment. I have worked out 10 of the past 14 days– averaging an hour and fifteen minutes per session– and cut out liquid calories (except for the 1/2 cup of milk I use for my coffee and the glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice I have for brunch every Sunday). Three pounds isn’t dramatic, but it is something, and I’m not going to negate it!
I haven’t changed my eating habits as drastically as I would have liked, but that is one of the goals for this next two week stint. Plus, drastic is not what this is all about. I like to think of it as ramping up– not going into something drastically– establishing patterns first and not changing all the things at once. I have found in the past that the more dramatic the change, the more powerful my urge to rail against it. So, I’m going to go a little slower. That is why this is the ’88- Day Challenge’… not the ‘lose 20 pounds in a month’ challenge.
There were two things, however, that really surprised me during the first two weeks of this project. The first was that my impulse of wanting something I can’t have doesn’t just apply to food. One of my worst food habits is obsessing about something that I have denied myself. Ridiculous, right? If I tell myself that I’m not going to eat any cookies then all I want is ALL OF THE COOKIES. I’m not quite sure how to break this habit. But, I did find it funny that when we ran out of filtered water (we buy ours in jugs) a day before our trip to the grocery store, filtered water was the only thing I wanted. Nay, craved. We had tap water and ice… but I physically craved filtered water. My brain ruminated over and over on how much I wanted it and it was the only thing that would do…which is how Josh and I found ourselves at the local grocery chain at 11 at night. Which got me thinking… how do I modify/change this behavior/thought pattern? I have never truly been deprived of anything… so, why this impulse? This is not a rhetorical question… if you know, tell me!
The second thing that surprised me was how much I enjoy podcasts. I know, welcome to 2005, Leigh. My new running mix is killer, but I wanted to keep it fresh. I love book tapes, but they are so expensive… so, I finally looked into podcasts. I am kind of embarrassed because some of my really good friends have podcasts… so, for me, this revelation is kind of shameful. But, I’ll tell you what– listening to Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! is something I look forward to every time I put on my sneakers. As much as I love NPR, I am never in the regular habit of tuning in for shows. If I’m in the car and something interesting is on, then I listen to it. So, when I saw iTunes had 11 back episodes of my favorite quiz show, I was really excited. I have had less success with This American Life and have found that my pace/energy actually lags when listening to the thinky standard. Great for car driving… pretty terrible for neighborhood walks. So, just as I farmed out for psychiatric advice above, I’m going to crowd source once again– what are YOUR favorite podcasts?
So, here are my goals for this next two-week interval: add more weight training to the workouts and start working on food. I have a fridge full of healthy veggies and some great recipes from Pinterest to try. I have my overall goal, but breaking it up into two week intervals is kind of great– allowing me to adjust and modify if I need it. For my awesome compatriots– how goes it on your end?? Imma catch up with you each personally today… but, here’s to another two weeks! Let’s see what we can DO! And, if you STILL need inspiration, just crank this tune and you’ll be on your way! Despite the fake British accent, it gets me moving every.time.
[spotify track=”spotify:track:2vTPWWm2Lgc6kI6a3Z3uXY”]
I have the same problem! Wanting anything food or otherwise that I deprive myself of! its ridiculous! Podcasts are awesome! My favorite is Tii which stands for Today in iPhone bc I am an apple fanboi and gadget nerd! It is crazy what I learn from that show and how people all over the globe listen to it and call in.
uggh. funny story, Laura… I totally responded to your thoughtful comment two weeks ago. I went back through to make sure I had the name right to look for the Tii podcast and noticed that my reply hadn’t posted. UGGH! The original comment was something to the effect of “I am so glad that I am not alone in the mental games that I play with myself when I deprive myself.” And also something along the lines of, “Imma totally grab a few episodes of Tii as I, too, am a gadget nerd.” Thanks again for reading and sorry about the snafu!