WEEK SEVEN...

Nutritional Homework

This week we focused on “meal and snack planning”, which is key to feeling confident with food choices and not letting lack of planning and preparation allow you to cave and run through fast food last minute.  “Winging it” will set you up for bad choices and eventual frustration with weight loss goals.  We discussed options for Nikki for lunch such as a sandwich, wrap or salad for lunch, and trying a few new recipes for dinner using the “Cooking with Cara Recipes” (see “Cooking with Cara” blog entries further down for more information).  Nikki will also try to incorporate more vegetables into her diet for lunch and dinner and will focus on packing her lunch and snacks in her cooler when on the go so that she will feel less tempted to choose an unhealthy and convenient snack.

As added optional homework, Nikki has agreed to view “Supersize Me”, which is a documentary which highlights the dangers of eating out routinely.  Eating out often has become a way of life and we often forget the price we are paying for convenience.

Exercise Homework

This week Nikki expressed her challenges with the “dreaded treadmill” – I am confident that she is not alone.  This was the perfect opportunity to reassess her cardiovascular levels and tackle her concerns head on!  Because Nikki has built up her time to 45 minutes on the treadmill (which was getting very boring), I progressed her to the next level to manually add hills (which increased intensity) and decrease her total time to 30 minute sessions.  She will perform this method of hills in 2 minute intervals – which should continue to be challenging, but a little more time efficient.  We also re-evaluated her levels with the bike and EFX increasing her leg pace and levels of resistance. 

Nikki will continue to perform her strength training routine from last week until we meet next week to update.

 

 

Nikki’s Comments:

I’m taking this Lifestyle Change seriously and am surprising myself with my level of commitment. I have not missed a workout yet. My schedule is hectic, juggling the demands of a family of 6, but I have made going to the Y a priority and that feels great! I’m also noticing how my mindset is changing about so many things – things I’ve always believed about myself, how I view food, healthy/unhealthy influences and settings, etc. I remain hopeful that even though it’s going to take me a long time to do this, I will stay the course because it’s worth it. However, I am not met with such optimism from everyone in my life. Some have been pretty vocal about their skepticism. Others have tried to offer unsolicited advice about diet products or strategies that might compliment or work better than ‘plain old’ diet and exercise. This week I actually had someone suggest to me that at my weight, it’d be better to have Bariatric Surgery. She had success with that option and thinks I’ll eventually get discouraged by the level of effort it takes with slow results on this path.

This has been a lifelong struggle and admittedly I’ve (half-heartedly) tried countless programs to get healthy. But something feels different within me. I am convinced that this is the right method for me – and the right timing. I finally feel ready. Frankly, it’s agitating that it took me this long to take it seriously. My goal is to continue losing 1-2 pounds per week which will surely add up! And be sustainable in the long run. I just keep telling myself to follow those wise words from Finding Nemo…JUST KEEP SWIMMING!