Weight, body, diets - Oh My!
I hate being on my period. I feel so sick right now. Bleh.
But that isn't what I really wanted to write about.
I've been thinking a lot about body image and dieting and how to get rid of the rest of this "baby weight." And I reached the conclusion that I was thinking about it all wrong. I tried dieting. I tried learning to accept that this may be my new weight, which really amounted to ignoring the issue. Neither approach has worked for me. I have decided that I am tired of dieting. I am tired of obsessing about food, of thinking about foods as "good" or "bad" (and therefore of myself as good or bad depending on what I eat). So, I read this book called "The Rules of Normal Eating" by Karen Koenig. It was a little more self-helpy than I care for, though that was to be expected. I've always known that I am an emotional eater, but I have never really thought about it in terms of dealing with the emotions rather than restricting the food. I guess I would never have said that I eat to "avoid" feeling certain things. In any case, the book did open my eyes to what causes me to overeat, and reminded me of the need to re-connect with my body and listen to it. The "rules" themselves are pretty obvious - eat when you are hungry or have a craving; choose satisfying foods; stop eating when full or satisfied; and I can't remember the fourth one now. The main point is that you need to change the beliefs about food, body, and weight, and the behaviors. It is really about relating to food in a different way, developing a good body image no matter what size you are, and settling in to your natural weight, whatever that might be. I have to admit, I really feel like I need to lose weight to be healthier and feel better (I want my clothes to fit, damn it!), but I think this is the only approach that is going to work for me right now. So I am trying. And I am really trying to separate the process from weight loss. That is, I am trying not to judge progress based on pounds lost. I know this is going to be a slower process than a "diet," but I am hoping that the results will be so much more satisfying.
I think I have been doing well so far. One of my big problems is eating because I am restless. Being home with Lucien all day, sometimes walking into the kitchen to grab a handful of pretzels or whatever is a way to escape for a minute or give me something to do while Lucien plays. I need to find other ways to deal with that restlessness. I also eat when I am stressed - usually at night when I am trying to get work done. So, I am trying to be mindful of what and when I eat, and I really think it is already making a difference.
The other key for me is exercise. I miss the daily exercise regimen I had before I got pregnant with Lucien. It has been so hard for me to make the time to exercise. I talked to my sister recently, though (she's a personal trainer), and she reminded me that even five minutes of exercise several times a day is good. So, I need to let go of the idea that I have to block off 1/2 hour or more and change into my special exercise clothes in order for it to count. I am trying, when I get that restless feeling, to do sit ups or something. and when Lucien is hopping all over, I remind myself to hop with him. The other day I even just danced while he was napping, and it was so nice. I still miss that 30 minutes of hard core exercise, but I am happy to at least be doing something.
But that isn't what I really wanted to write about.
I've been thinking a lot about body image and dieting and how to get rid of the rest of this "baby weight." And I reached the conclusion that I was thinking about it all wrong. I tried dieting. I tried learning to accept that this may be my new weight, which really amounted to ignoring the issue. Neither approach has worked for me. I have decided that I am tired of dieting. I am tired of obsessing about food, of thinking about foods as "good" or "bad" (and therefore of myself as good or bad depending on what I eat). So, I read this book called "The Rules of Normal Eating" by Karen Koenig. It was a little more self-helpy than I care for, though that was to be expected. I've always known that I am an emotional eater, but I have never really thought about it in terms of dealing with the emotions rather than restricting the food. I guess I would never have said that I eat to "avoid" feeling certain things. In any case, the book did open my eyes to what causes me to overeat, and reminded me of the need to re-connect with my body and listen to it. The "rules" themselves are pretty obvious - eat when you are hungry or have a craving; choose satisfying foods; stop eating when full or satisfied; and I can't remember the fourth one now. The main point is that you need to change the beliefs about food, body, and weight, and the behaviors. It is really about relating to food in a different way, developing a good body image no matter what size you are, and settling in to your natural weight, whatever that might be. I have to admit, I really feel like I need to lose weight to be healthier and feel better (I want my clothes to fit, damn it!), but I think this is the only approach that is going to work for me right now. So I am trying. And I am really trying to separate the process from weight loss. That is, I am trying not to judge progress based on pounds lost. I know this is going to be a slower process than a "diet," but I am hoping that the results will be so much more satisfying.
I think I have been doing well so far. One of my big problems is eating because I am restless. Being home with Lucien all day, sometimes walking into the kitchen to grab a handful of pretzels or whatever is a way to escape for a minute or give me something to do while Lucien plays. I need to find other ways to deal with that restlessness. I also eat when I am stressed - usually at night when I am trying to get work done. So, I am trying to be mindful of what and when I eat, and I really think it is already making a difference.
The other key for me is exercise. I miss the daily exercise regimen I had before I got pregnant with Lucien. It has been so hard for me to make the time to exercise. I talked to my sister recently, though (she's a personal trainer), and she reminded me that even five minutes of exercise several times a day is good. So, I need to let go of the idea that I have to block off 1/2 hour or more and change into my special exercise clothes in order for it to count. I am trying, when I get that restless feeling, to do sit ups or something. and when Lucien is hopping all over, I remind myself to hop with him. The other day I even just danced while he was napping, and it was so nice. I still miss that 30 minutes of hard core exercise, but I am happy to at least be doing something.