Dealing with Set Backs

How you handle setbacks is at least as important as how you handle success, maybe even more important when it comes to weight loss and fitness. I am not talking to you super humans with 1% body fat who easily resist those fattening food the rest of us would kill to have at some point (You people can go find another blog to read). For the rest of you I hope I can provide some encouragement.
Any successful person will tell you that what you learn in dealing with setbacks is often invaluable in helping you achieve success. After all failure only results when you don’t recognize or implement lessons learn from unsuccessful attempts. So embrace failures as carriers of knowledge, because now that you know what doesn’t work, you are that much closer to the true answer to your dilemma.
How does this apply to your weight loss or fitness problem? Well first understand that setbacks are normal and normal people do extraordinary things every day. You only need to stay close to your support system whatever that may be. Take the contestants on the T.V. show The Biggest Loser. The show pits average people who are exceptionally over weight against each other. And they all achieve remarkable weight loss not because they are capable of doing something that you can’t. It’s because they are given top notch trainers, live in a training facility, given meals and diet advice, exercise for hours every day and have a financial incentive to achieve. These people are not just close to their support system, they are immersed in it. You can’t duplicate what they have so you are probably are not going to achieve their level of success. But you can have success never the less. Recognize your success factors which you learn in some cases through setbacks. What might these success factors be? Well it might be your favorite gym, or a certain workout buddy or even a particular diet. It may even be all of the above. The point is setbacks can help you to recognize your keys to success. Your keys to success will help you set up the support system that will help you reach your final goal.

Cravings

Well I have lost 27 pounds and thats what I had planned. But now I need to maintain and that is difficult for me during the winter months. I cannot stand working out in cold weather and so I have to rely on an indoor work out routine. I had planned on having my gym membership by now but I have not done that as of yet. And to make things even worst I have injured my leg doing exercises that I am not accustomed to. So I am focusing on maintaining my diet as my leg gets better.

Along these lines I was having a discussion with a friend of mine about dieting. As we talked I realize that we were having many of the same issues with dieting. We came to the conclusion that hunger was not the main problem with dieting. Cravings were giving both of us major problems. It was cravings that was causing the most of the set backs in our weight loss efforts. I think I will look more into this craving problem. I don’t think that I am the only one with major issues with craving. What do you crave; share them with me in the comments section.

Target Heart Rate

Well, I have been absent for some time dealing with a family medical emergency. But anyone striving toward a goal of any kind will encounter obstacles. Life does not stop happening because you have aspirations. You have to push through the obstacles if you want to achieve anything worth wild. So here I am back and ready to share with you once again my journey.

One thing I have learned is your exercise routine should not start out at a level that you cannot maintain. In the past I have started out fast and hard trying to burn as many calories as possible. I ended up being too sore and too tired to continue working out. I learned to start out slow and increase my intensity as my conditioning improved. You can you can do the same by determining what is low intensity and what is high intensity for you by knowing your target heart rate. The following article you will find very helpful in the area.

http://exercise.about.com/od/cardioworkouts/ss/findtargetheart.htm.

As for me, I have nearly reached my weight loss goal. My plan is to lose another 5lbs then I want to focus on muscle tone and endurance. During these winter months I will need the use of a gym at least until the weather is warm enough for me to return to my outdoor fitness trail so next time I hope to include my experiences in the gym.

Getting Back on Track

Ok, I am still struggling but I am holding my own in the war on weight. The stress I spoke of in my last entry is still a clear and present danger. Those of you who are trying to lose weight know what stress in your life can do to your weight loss program. Well I am fighting back so I’ve brought in the support troops, otherwise referred to as my wife. Earlier in my journal I mentioned starting or becoming a part of a weight loss group as a support mechanism. It helps when you can share with people who share similar stories and shore you up when you need it. In my case my wife is my support and including her in my program has yielded immediate results. She has motivated me to get up and exercise in the morning which is not me at all. I am an evening person. In any case she got me out to the Al Buehler fitness trail at Duke University . Now I have been there before but it is far from my favorite place to work out. It is a difficult work out that takes you through the woods, across streams, up and down hills in a torturous 3 mile trek. At least its torturous for me, a 51 year old baby boomer who hates running. But you should never under estimate the desire for an individual to look good in front of people whom they have a close relationship, especially someone of the opposite sex. At least that’s true for the male of the species. Well after that work out I felt great and I feel like I am back on track. And my wife is helping to make sure that I stay on track.

Next week I will start sharing with you some details of what my work outs are like. I’ll try to give you some idea of what each week is like for me.

Stress

This week has been chock-full of stressful events, even more than in the past couple of weeks. I haven’t lost any weight but I have managed not to gain any either. The stress related to several family crisis, getting my house ready to sell and traveling between Maryland and North Carolina on a weekly basis is making it difficult for me focus on sticking with the program. My weight loss plan does works for me when I stay true to it, but sticking with the plan is proving difficult. Even so I am determined to try to lose 10 more pounds before the end of the year. So far the benefits of my efforts have been a fitness level that has greatly improved.

Still I’ve got to better manage the stress that is resulting in the anxiety that I feel these days. I am finding out that maintaining a healthy lifestyle also means managing stress. People respond to stress in different ways. That response just like stress itself can be defined as either positive or negative. When it comes to stress it is not the situation but our reaction to it that causes anxiety. But stress well managed can be beneficial by strengthening you for future encounters. Here are a few tips I found to managing stress while on a diet that I plan to put into practice.

• Make a list of stressors in your life: these can be people or events.
• List your typical response: the food your reach for, in a response to stress.
• List alternate responses, other than food, to the stressors, for example:

1. Call a relative or friend
2. Take a nap
3. Take a hot shower
4. Go for a walk

Use the list whenever tempted to overeat.

Tough Going

It’s a conspiracy! I am finding that trying to lose weight this time of year is really tough. Everything seems to be working against me. First because of daylight savings time by the time I get home it’s dark. The shorter days mean even less daylight to exercise outside, and since I don’t currently have a gym membership it’s a struggle to exercise regularly. Then comes Thanksgiving! Food is everywhere and everyone is eating. It’s not hunger that’s giving me trouble---it’s the cravings for those foods that I love like sweet potato pie, stuffing and all those other deliciously fattening foods. These are just some of the problems I am facing. You probably have your own. They maybe like mine or totally different. The thing is we all run into situations that challenge us when we attempting something difficult. Just don’t give up.

Solution: We all face challenges and we all fall short at some point. Just remember, you haven’t failed until you give up. If you fall off your diet just start again. It is just that simple. Find a solution that works for you. How do you do that? Well you don’t have to be alone. You can start or join a support group. Getting together in a group you can help each other. If you're like me and the weather is keeping you indoors and you don’t have a gym membership, find some exercises you can do in the privacy of your own home. If food is your problem then take care about the food you have at home. Food that is close to you will eventually end up inside of you.

Check out my website (http://www.healthylivingboomerstyle.com) for lots of good information and resources to help you with exercise and nutrition. You can even get the herbal supplements there that I use in my diet. These are just a few of my ideas. You may have some of your own. But remember don’t be afraid to reach out to others for help.

Holiday Set Backs

Holidays are not easy. Well I made it through Thanksgiving with out gaining a single pound ….. Almost! I know you’re thinking what does that mean. Well I made it through Thanksgiving dinner but after Thanksgiving the leftovers got me. So I ended up gaining 2 pounds. That’s not so bad, after all I could still be pigging out and on my way to looking like Jabba the Hut. For most of us, set backs are a part of dieting. Set backs are not a big deal. What is important is that you don’t allow your set backs to keep you from getting right back on your diet. You also need to understand what caused it so you can try to avoid them in the future. Holidays centered on eating are going to be a problem. Don’t make yourself miserable. If necessary enjoy your holiday and be prepared to deal with the consequences afterwards. In other words get back on your diet!

Will power is not always enough. For me it is a combination of a moment of weakness with easily accessible food. No matter how strong your will is, one day it is going to fade and all that easy to get, delicious, fattening food will be right there for you. I try to be prepared for those weak moments in advance. I am careful about keeping junk food at home and having too much idle time. This way I limit the damage done when my will power fails.

Routine is your friend and idle time is you enemy. What does that mean? I found that when I had nothing to do, eating became my partner. This is not a problem Monday through Friday because my job helped to fill my time and establish a schedule. The weekends are another matter. I work at establishing a regular agenda but I have difficulty filling my day on weekends so they are still a problem for me. Whenever I am doing nothing I can hear the food calling me to the kitchen (How it got my name I don’t know). So I have accepted that establishing regular activities for my weekends that fill my idle time and keep me out of the kitchen and away from food will be a constant struggle. I plan each weekend knowing this. Bottom line, I have to try to stay busy.

What causes your set backs. How do you deal with them? Maybe you can help someone else.