Have you ever heard of the Freshman 15? It refers to the 15 pounds of weight that your average Freshman gains their first year in college.
Well, I have experienced a similar phenomenon that I refer to as the Michigan 15, those 15 pounds that crept on after moving home to Michigan. It happened innocently enough...convenience meals during the chaos of the move, maybe a little stress eating, too. And then there was the local exploration...restaurants, microbreweries, ice cream stands and cafes. Finally, there was the joyful celebration with family, just noshing around the kitchen table. One bite at a time.
This photo had me thinking "Girl, you've got to lose the weight!" Mind you, I was wearing multiple layers to stay warm, but still...the weight had crept on everywhere.
I had tried a lot of nutritional tweaks and techie additions in the past, but none of that seemed to help. My Fitness Pal was fine for some things, but it made me feel guilty for every piece of fruit I ate ("You are over your sugar level!"), and it really didn't help me to figure out what to eat.
I decided to try Noom. Noom is being marketed as "Weight Watchers for millenials", and in some ways, it is. But what I like about the program is that it teaches you hard science behind weight loss and fitness, and it retrains your brain and thought process regarding food. You also have individual coaches and group coaches, along with a forum to help along the way.
Noom is an app that helps you to reach your personal goals. You do log in your foods and keep track of your allotted calorie budget for the day. But what I love is that you can see before hand if a food choice is a green food (eat lots), a yellow food (eat some), or a red food (eat limited). Nothing is off limits, and everything is in moderation.
I have really ramped up the fitness, too. While exercise really doesn't help you lose weight, it does help in so many ways to keep that metabolism engine revving.
My husband got me a Fitbit for my birthday this year, and I really do like it. I try to get my 10,000 steps in every day. Dog walking, shopping, house cleaning. And on my really active days, I'm actually closer to 15,000 steps. That's usually coming in over five miles. Not bad.
On bad weather days, I try to work out at home. I have a small station sharing space in my craft room where I can lift weights and get in a workout on my rebounder/mini trampoline. After tearing the miniscus in my left knee over the holidays last year, I have worked on strengthening that knee with low impact workouts. The trampoline has really helped! I listen to podcasts and it makes the time fly.
It has helped so much that I am now able to do some HIIT (high intensive interval training) on the treadmill at the gym. Three minutes of jogging, then five minutes of fast walking, repeated for a 30-40 minute workout.
So I'm sure, by now, you are dying to ask the question "So how much weight have you lost?"
Well, six weeks in and I'm down six pounds. It is coming off slooooowly. But that's okay. I feel great, my energy levels are great, and I know that everything I'm doing is for my overall health, not a number on the scale. My biggest motivation is simple: I just want my clothes to fit better. Silly, I know. But I'm already feeling a big difference.
My eating has not changed a lot, but I do find that it's easier to pass up the sweets and the mindless snacking. I try to fit fruits and vegetables in every meal. And lately, I'm becoming more conscious about adding lean protein and fiber.
Here's a typical meal. A delicious veggie wrap with a good combination of protein and fiber!
Veggie Wrap
1 T. olive oil
1 small zucchini, halved and sliced
1/2 small package of sliced mushrooms
1 c. frozen peppers and onion mix
pepper, salt,, fresh parsley
hummus
reduced fat feta cheese crumbles
Mission brand carb balance wrap
Saute the zucchini and mushrooms in olive oil, then add pepper and onion mix. Season with a little salt, pepper and fresh parsley.
Spread a tablespoon of hummus onto the center of a wrap. Top with veggies, then sprinkle on about a tablespoon of feta. Roll up and enjoy! You will probably have enough veggies to make two, or you can save those veggies for a yummy egg scrambler.
I heard a pastor on a podcast yesterday pose the 70/120 question. He said "We've come to expect an average lifetime to be somewhere around 70 or 80. But what happens if our lifetimes expand in the not-so-distant future, and we actually live to 120?"
That's a great question. How will that change our thoughts about retirement? How will it change our thoughts about mission and ministry? How will it change our thoughts about our health and this physical body that needs maintaining? My husband and I discuss this a lot. We want to keep our bones healthy and our joints healthy and our heart healthy. We want to keep our brains sharp. We want to avoid prescription medications. We want to eat good and wholesome foods while keeping our bodies active. And we want to continue to work in our vocations, serving our neighbors.
It's a lofty goal. And a much better goal than a number on the scale. But those numbers? Well, they are important, too. It's a start.
Blessings on your Monday, cafe friends!
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