The importance of NSV

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

If you haven't figured it out yet, NSV stand for non-scale victories.

According to the scale, I haven't lost much weight in the last couple of months. While not exactly a plateau, it's close.

Yet I must be doing something right, because my jeans are definitely fitting better. Way better. Some of them were a little bit tight when I bought them a couple of months ago, to the point of creating a slight muffin top.

Now they're all either comfortable on beginning to get loose. Maybe I'm putting on more muscle, which would account for a non-moving scale and better fitting jeans. I hope so, anyway.

I tried on my favorite belt -- the one I bemoaned wouldn't fit much longer months & months ago. I figured the jeans I am wearing today happen to have a lower waist, and since the belt is sitting more on my hips, maybe it would still fit. No go. I have another belt that I like that I was able to wear -- but it's on the last notch, although this belt could potentially have another notch put in it.

As I was going to -- and from -- food shopping, there was a commercial on for Simply Weight Loss. The woman talked about how she'd lost 30 lbs and gone from a size 16 to a size 10. I've lost 20 -23, depending on the week, and I've gone from a size 16 to a size 8. So I guess not all pounds lost are created equal -- or maybe it has to do with how short I am. I'll be proud that I've lost less pounds but more pant sizes, though, thank you very much.

Not quite sure what got into me today, either -- I wore my curvy boot cut jeans, I put on a nice belt, I put on earrings, and a bracelet! And it's amazing how much more confident you feel when you dress nicely. I mean, I'm still in jeans and a tshirt,but they're nice jeans and a nice tshirt and I just feel good about myself -- and I think that shows.

I also thought about what I brought home from the grocery store. Very little processed food. A couple of Kashi bars; a loaf of Women's Bread; some tortillas. Then the closest I got to processed foods were silken tofu. The rest was yogurt, veggies, & fruit. And yes, I did buy sushi. Since I don't eat out very often since I hate to eat out by myself, that's my treat every week -- Whole Foods makes awesome sushi.

As our move grows closer, my pantry and my freezer and even my refrigerator are getting barer. Hardly bare yet, and in fact, I've got to work on that more. It's getting closer all the time, and there still seems to be a ton of food in the house -- yet I can't seem to stop myself from making myself fresh food. I'm just too used to it now, I suppose, and I know that the minute I start buying prepared foods my weight goes up or stays the same. And I'll be okay with stays the same as we get closer to the move, but I've still got about 6 weeks. Although we're supposed to close next Tuesday.

So a lot of rambling thoughts, but really, pay attention to those non-scale victories.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

JLITT62 3/5/2009 7:49AM

Here's the really odd thing: as I said, I haven't lost that much weight, and I measured myself this morning -- I only do waist & hips -- and that really hasn't changed, either. I can't really figure it out, but there's a huge change in how my jeans fit. So much so that I'm going to try on the next size down. I know they'll be too tight, but I also know that I know where to get them cheaper here, so I'll probably buy some before I leave whether they're too tight now or not. Report Inappropriate Comment

STARTSPARKING 3/5/2009 6:32AM

All pounds lost are definitely NOT equal. Congratulations on your NSV! I'm so glad that you are feeling more confident and paying more attention to yourself. Lately, I've been slacking off in that area, and it's something I need to work on. I guess regaining some weight in the past few months really made me not care so much about how I dress. Thanks for the reminder that this can be a vicious cycle. Report Inappropriate Comment

MOMMA_GRIZZ 3/4/2009 10:22PM

You are doing fantastic! Those NSV's are important, or more important than what the scale reports. Good for you! 6 weeks, that's coming up quick...you must be extremely excited! I'm very happy for you. Yeah! Report Inappropriate Comment

LFLFLPLP 3/4/2009 1:23PM

A 16 to an 8!!! That's impressive and definitely something to be proud of. I remember the days when I didn't even have a scale. I only based it on how I looked in the mirror. So why is it now that I feel I have to see that number move on the scale to have a sense of accomplishment? Congratulations to you on your wonderful progress! Report Inappropriate Comment

Getting back on track

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

Not with my eating or my exercising, but with my cleaning! Although maybe in a small way with my eating, too.

Cleaning is a challenge for me. I enjoy a clean home, but I hate the work it takes to get there. There are just so many other things I'd rather be doing, plus you just have to do the same things all over again the next day or next week.

Still, at the beginning of the year, I set a goal for myself to wipe down my kitchen 3 times a week and my bathrooms 2 times a week (sorry if you're grossed out -- I know the normal person wipes down their kitchen after using it, but hey, I've never poisoned anyone . . . yet). And I've been on a streak . . . until last week. So tired. TOM plus being woken up in the middle of the night one night. The kitchen got done only twice last week.

But I started out this week with a wipe-down just like I should. It's okay to take a break once in a while from anything -- as long as you get right back on the horse.

I'm also doing well with more savory breakfasts. I did have to throw Simba off my lap because he just couldn't stay away from my frittata, but I've been able to eat my oatmeal with him there; he's interested, but he really wanted that frittata. Plus I think I've come up with a solution for my protein with my oatmeal: nuts. I don't put them in my oatmeal -- I'm weird, and I really enjoy plain oatmeal. But I just eat a few nuts on the side.

These breakfast are working well for me because they're lower in points (aka calories), but still filling -- and as I go down, I need to find a way to eat less. Once I'm out of the 140s, I sacrifice one more point from my daily tally -- and that's the bottom, no matter how much weight I lose after that.

My inbox is at it again. The perfect quote for today's blog came today:

"Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything except what you're going to do now and do it."
– William C. Durant

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

OLIVIA1111 3/7/2009 8:10AM

I recently noticed a correlation between my house and how I behave with food. When my house/car is cluttered with mess I tend to sway towards eating more unhealthy. I am not saying my house is spotless (with 4 cats, 1 dog and a teenager) it is virtually impossible to keep it clean all the time. I now set aside Friday nights (if we dont have plans) and clean up and vacuum, this frees the rest of my weekend up. I also have incorporated doing a quick cleanup Wednesday night (mid-week). If my house isnt cluttered, neither is my mind... Report Inappropriate Comment

MOMMA_GRIZZ 3/3/2009 8:09PM

I love that quote - thanks for sharing. Housework - argh - we all have different priorities, and that's ok. I have two older sisters - one, you could eat off her floor (always could), the other is the exact opposite. Me, I'm in the middle. I like a tidy house but my house always looks 'lived in' - it's never as clean as anyone else's I know. (it's not really messy but then we are own worst critics, eh). It's funny, because all three of us sisters know exactly where everything is - no matter how disorganized and messy it looks to others. Housework is like shovelling snow in a snowstorm....... So I 'putz' at it. I make to do lists too and if I get it all done, I get it done - although I do like to claim victory over the mountain of laundry that appears on the weekends (lol). Might as well have fun with it, eh? Have a great evening JLITT62! Kudos to you for getting back on track. Report Inappropriate Comment

STARTSPARKING 3/3/2009 12:01PM

Oh, I'm the such a terrible housekeeper. That's one of the things I need to work on also. Your breakfasts sound so delicious. No wonder Simba can't stay away. I'm glad you thought of nuts as a healthy way to add protein to your breakfast. As for your quote, it's one of my favorites. In fact, it is my SP signature. What is the website that you subscribe to for these wonderful daily quotes? I love quotes... such wonderful food for thought. Report Inappropriate Comment

Losing weight is like walking the dogs

Monday, March 02, 2009

Some days all the stars align and you just have the perfect walk. There's little traffic on the way down to the hike & bike trail and you just breeze on through. The temperature is perfect. The dogs are into it, and you're not dragging them with you; plus, they don't stop quite so often and you're able to go at a faster pace. Today was like that. We had a wonderful, "long" (about 4 miles) walk today.

I must remember to bring my camera with me the next time, although I'm already so loaded down with poop bags, dog treats, a human treat, water for the dogs, keys, cell phone . . . it feels like it takes a village to walk a dog!

Other days you get stuck in traffic on the way to the trail. The dogs are dragging, for whatever reason. Or they want to stop every 5 minutes. A dog decides it just must poop after you've thrown out a poop bag. You're tired, and you just want to finish the darn walk already.

Losing weight is full of days like that, too: days when you just don't care if what you're eating is good for you or not; you can't summon up the energy to make dinner, much less exercise. On other days, you make yourself a nutritious breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You eat all your fruits and veggies and get in your milk, too. You take the dogs for a brisk 4 mile walk.

The trick, I guess, is to recognize that it's not about perfection. If it's a lifestyle -- and it really has to be -- you have to accept that some days will be great, some days will be lousy, but most days will be just okay.

BTW, the human treat I brought with me was a Kashi Crunchy Bar. That was the first time I've had one, and I really liked it. A whole lot of sugar -- more, I think, than a Luna bar -- but more fiber & protein, as well, and it doesn't taste as sweet as a Luna bar. I think they can both have their place, but I really liked it and I wasn't sure that I would. Now that I know I like them, I'll have to try different flavors. And maybe turn my husband on to them.

This quote, which landed in my inbox today, just seemed perfect:

"Life is not the way it's supposed to be. It's the way it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference."
– Virginia Satir

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

STARTSPARKING 3/3/2009 5:48AM

We can't control the circumstances, but we can control our attitude. Thanks for sharing that great quote. I'm glad you had a great walk with the dogs. What a wonderful start of a new week! Report Inappropriate Comment

JUDITH1654 3/2/2009 9:27PM

Hmm, interesting. I guess I don't take my dogs on a long enough walk cause all I take with me are my house keys - cell phone goes in my pocket. The male does his bit to mark a bush now and then but I refuse to pick up any leavings, which is good for the yard anyway. On the other hand, I don't have little kids playing in my yard so I don't really think about it. It's not a law here yet...I don't think...LOL. They've just never had the need. (Make mental note - not walking dogs for long enough period of time. Make corrections.) Report Inappropriate Comment

KEAKMAN 3/2/2009 8:05PM

You are so right - this is a lifestyle (or as I like to think of it, a journey to fitness). We all had/have/will have bumps along the way, but those perfect days, like yours today, are wonderful. I'm glad you noticed it and even more glad that you shared it with us. Thanks for the smile! Kate PS - would your dogs wear those saddlebag things to carry their own water/treats/whatever? Are they big enough to do so? My friend has two big ol' dogs who carry their own stuff when they go hiking. Just a thought.... Report Inappropriate Comment

MOMMA_GRIZZ 3/2/2009 8:03PM

Glad you had a great walk. I really like that quote - thank you for sharing. Report Inappropriate Comment

SMART Goals

Sunday, March 01, 2009

Have you heard about SMART goals? They're:

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Timely

It's certainly timely to be considering them, considering it's the start of a new month. But what I really want to talk about is measurable goals: because they work!

For instance, saying you want to lose weight isn't a SMART goal, since it's not specific. How much weight do you want to lose?

Except I'm not even talking about losing weight. I'm talking about the measurable portion of the equation. I talked about using the stopwatch function of my HRM to measure how much jogging I do when I do my jog/walks. I used that to push myself harder on my next walk -- and jogged for 14 minutes out of a 40 minute walk -- almost 1/3 of the walk!

I'm not sure the dogs were really pleased, but it was a cool day & windy as well, and those are the days they seem to truly enjoy running. I started off the interval portion of my walk with a 3 minute jog. I know I could have done more, but since the dogs hadn't done their business yet, I did want to give them the chance.

Knowing what portion of my walk I was actually jogging allowed me to push myself harder and expand on it.

I don't consider most weight goals all that SMART, really, because so much of it is out of our control; even if we do everything perfectly, there are still plateaus and weight gains -- it's just a fact of life when it comes to losing weight. So what will you do when you set a weight loss goal and you hit a plateau?

It's not that I don't have weight loss goals; of course I do, and I do try my hardest to meet them. I realize, though, that there are too many elements out of my control to beat myself up if I come up short on my weight loss goals. But how long I exercise? How frequently? I have complete control over that, most of the time.

I'm a competitive person, but a lousy athlete, so it's good to compete against myself.

What are some of your SMART goals?

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

STARTSPARKING 3/3/2009 5:45AM

I just joined an old SP friend's challenge because I desperately needed SMART goals. I know sometimes it's not a good idea to set a specific time frame for weight loss because we should do it slowly and safely. It's just that I needed SOMETHING to get out of the rut and pattern of sabotaging myself. My current challenge is to lose one pound per week for four months. I can't actually CONTROL how much weight my body will shed, but I know I CAN help the process by using the challenge to curb my junk food cravings. Thanks for another great post. Report Inappropriate Comment

TAFODIL24 3/1/2009 1:38PM

Great post! I just wrote about goal setting on one of my school projects and I used the S.M.A.R.T. goal setting as my basis. How funny that you brought it up, too. Thanks for sharing! Hugs~Taffi Report Inappropriate Comment

MOMMA_GRIZZ 3/1/2009 11:09AM

Smart goals are the way to go - in all walks of life. I set annual, monthly and weekly goals along with daily commitments that help me achieve them. I won't bore you with them, but I agree with you, setting them really helps on this journey. It's like mapping it out. Report Inappropriate Comment

Think healthy and beautiful will follow

Saturday, February 28, 2009

There's a booked called "The Truth About Beauty" by Kat James, which has been out for several years. I've eyed it for quite some time, even reading some of it at the bookstore. I finally bought it at a used bookstore.

I'm sure I've read this part before, and I've actually already come to the same conclusion myself: if you are in it to look great, you're probably going to struggle. Because when you're tired, hungry, and ready to eat your weight in chocolate, you're probably not going to care that it won't help you look great.

If you're in it to be healthy, you're going to find motivation easier to come by. Are there times I just want to forget about tracking my food? You bet. Are there weeks I'd like to have a cupcake every night, maybe even twice a day? Absolutely.

People comment on my blog and say how disciplined I am. I suppose in some ways I am, but it's not because I'm not following rigid rules (altho my husband might tell you otherwise, since I'm always asking him to make decision about going out to eat so I can plan for it); it's because eating healthy makes me feel better. That's the bottom line.

There are times I don't eat healthy, too. When I get back to it, and I always do, I always feel so much better when I'm truly nourishing my body, with good food, with plenty of exercise, with tending to my spiritual side.

Because it's about how I feel, rather than how I look, I no longer starve myself before weighing in. Oh, I play some little games still -- I always wear the same pair of jeans. I take my pedometer off (altho I forgot to yesterday). I might eat a little bit less before weigh in, but not so much that I'm going to suck down a whole package of rice cakes afterwards (not that I eat rice cakes anymore, but I used to).

And though I still thoroughly appreciate a decadent dessert, and even though just a few bites won't satisfy me (but half usually does), I find that as I get smaller and eat less sweets, I crave less sweets, too. I don't get as many cravings before my period, either, although I do get really, really hungry.

And just because I'm in it to be healthy doesn't mean I don't appreciate the beautiful side effects, both inside and out. Beaty should be appreciated. There's nothing wrong in admiring yourself, as long as it doesn't start interfering in your life.

Because I'm in it to be healthy the scale doesn't hold nearly as much power over me as it once did. Most of the time I feel secure in the knowledge that as long as I keep up with my healthy habits, a weight gain is just part of the process. Yes, naturally, I'd like my weight loss line to just keep moving downwards; I'm human; but I'm okay with the fact that it sometimes goes down, sometimes goes up, and sometimes flatlines. Somehow, I just know -- I believe right down to my bones -- that no matter how long it takes, I will get to my goal weight.

And speaking of goal weights, I think I may be adjusting mine upward. I was thinking about maybe 125 -- about in the middle of my range. It actually seems a lot of weight for a 5'1" woman, but I know for sure my old goal weight (years and years ago) of 115 was too low for me. 125 seemed reasonable. But the more I read about hormones, perimenopause, and menopause, the more I'm beginning to think that 130 might be more reasonable. Everything I read points out that just carrying a few extra pounds -- but not too many! -- helps with the "change".

I also think that 130 is a weight I can maintain without making myself crazy. Of course, I'm still secretly hoping I'll get to 130 and somehow be able to get to 125 easily and maintain that, but I know I can be happy at 130, and I don't think I've ever maintained in the 120s. I'm still far enough away that I don't really need to worry much about it yet.

Just for one day, I challenge you to think about what you need to do to be healthy.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

MTER67 2/28/2009 7:24PM

I really believe the one (healthy) does not preclude the other (beauty.) If you aren't happy with the appearance of your body (or the person who lives inside it), you may be more likely to "punish" it with poor food choices. I can't think of any other reason someone would eat chips or fatty food to the point where they feel sick. If you accept the skin you are in and admire all the positive things about your body--it's strength, ability to adapt, etc., then you are bound to treat it better; ie, feed it better. Then, I am convinced that that positive feeling works from the inside out and influences the "beauty" that other people see. I don't know, maybe I am delusional, but I am convinced that the goal of being healthy automatically has the benefit of making you more beautiful. Good health radiates--and you are on the right track. Comment edited on: 2/28/2009 7:26:21 PM Report Inappropriate Comment

MOMMA_GRIZZ 2/28/2009 11:13AM

What a great blog! Thanks for the reminder that this journey is about health and feeling good. Report Inappropriate Comment

CARILOUIE 2/28/2009 8:11AM

Thank you for the motivation. I loved reading the part about the scale... last week was the first weigh-in since I started Spark (1/1/09) that I gained a little bit. But oddly enough, I wasn't too upset about it. Reading your blog today made me realize that as long as I keep doing what I'm doing, I'm going to be healthier no matter what the scale says. Thank you!!! Report Inappropriate Comment

JUDITH1654 2/28/2009 8:02AM

Good for you! You are on the right track and a great inspiration for us all! Report Inappropriate Comment