The Hunger Game
Snickers, in their infinite wisdom, tells us that "When you're hungry, you're not you." Thankfully I don't turn into Marcia Brady or Danny Trejo but I think they really do have a point. When I'm hungry I'm not much fun to be around at all. I have no delusions that I'm not cut out for competitive reality TV competition if it requires that I operate while hungry. You keep me fed and I will work to the bone. You let me starve and don't expect a whole hell of a lot out of me. On a human level this makes complete evolutionary sense. On a weight loss level, it's kind of a problem.
Hunger is the number one reason that weight loss is hard. Hunger is a reminder that you want to eat and when you're trying to lose weight eating is the enemy. Ok that's a little dramatic and if we start throwing around analogies like that this could turn into a whole different kind of self helpy blog that I have no business writing... The point is that if you're "dieting" to lose weight, hunger is the steady, gnawing, reminder that you have to do something you're trying to do less. Not only that but hunger is extremely uncomfortable. The actual sensation is a lot like an itch and the effects of having a low blood sugar bring things down hill fast. Even if you're someone that can withstand the sensation of being hungry, the blood sugar effects are biological. When you're hungry you're not at the top of your game.
Many people equate dieting with hunger and that's why people hate diets. No one likes to be hungry but everyone wants a body marketed by the hungry. Hunger and will power are worthy opponents and when you're dieting you're always trying to have will power come out on top by giving up the things you love to eat that are currently making you fat. Who can reasonably really do that... and even if you can, who would want to? I am someone who loves and appreciates food and flavors and the art of preparing a dish. I love to see the creativity a chef can weave into the construction of a course and there is nothing more powerful than the experience of tasting something that completely blows your mind. I am an equal opportunity lover of food too... I don't look down on fried food like they are the carnies of the food chain nor do I concede that gourmet food is superior because it is prepared by someone who knows a particular technique. Good food is good food and the definition changes with the taste of every person.
I am nothing if not passionate about food. That's the real main reason for my Trouble with the Curvy. There is no doubt in my mind that if I cut sugar, white grains, and all processed foods out of my diet that I would weight far less than I do. The problem with that is that I like whoopie pies... and bread, rice, and Velveeta. There is no question that I would already be at my goal if all I consumed for sustenance was fruits, veggies, and unprocessed natural foods.
The Hunger game really is more about using the healthy foods like fruits and veggies to keep you from being hungry so you can always make good choices that mean you can afford to eat fries or whoopie pies or whatever made you fat and still stay healthy. I feel like over this journey this is not something I focused on. I purely focused on eating less bad things than I did before... I was only concerned about the quantity of calories, not really the quality of calories. This is because it requires more sacrifice. I have kept about 30-35 lbs of the 40lbs I lost between June 2013 and June 2014 for 9 months I haven't made any significant gains or losses but just stayed about the same. This is no small feat because keeping off the weight is harder than taking it off because your habits have to really change permanently for the weight to stay off.
I am ready to reach the rest of my goal and just work on keeping off the whole 65lbs I will have lost when this is finished. To do that I need to start sacrificing again. This time turning to more of those healthy options that have a lot of protein and things to keep me from getting hungry are going to be crucial in this. My work schedule is perfect for a two week test period. I don't have another weekend off until March 28th so there won't be a tempt to cheat on the weekends with too much alcohol and over do the snacking while movie watching. I also won't get to do the sliding workout that has become a Saturday staple and that will suck but by the end of the two weeks if I can have gotten down to 173lbs I will be within reach of the 60's. I need to see a 6 on that scale soon to keep my morale up. By then the snow should be making its way into the ground and walking with Brutus will be mere weeks away. If I can be down to 167 by the time I start walking with Brutus again I will be in good shape to have met my goal by the end of the summer because if I can get my hard food sacrifices built into my routines then adding a ton of exercise will hopefully boost the weight I'm able to lose.
To liven up the stakes a little further, I've decided to give myself an incentive of epic proportions. I really want to go to the Stephen Kellogg Family BBQ weekend in Northampton Mass in June and I need to buy tickets before April if we are going to do it. If I reach my goal of 173lbs ( measured by 3 or more 173lbs readings of the scale in a one week period) by March 27 we are going, if I don't we aren't. I think this is a perfect motivator for me.
Wish me luck...
<3 Katie
179lbs
PS in the mood to talk about the Hunger Games and the pros and cons of the movie over the books and vice versa so if anyone wants to geek out, let me know :)
Hunger is the number one reason that weight loss is hard. Hunger is a reminder that you want to eat and when you're trying to lose weight eating is the enemy. Ok that's a little dramatic and if we start throwing around analogies like that this could turn into a whole different kind of self helpy blog that I have no business writing... The point is that if you're "dieting" to lose weight, hunger is the steady, gnawing, reminder that you have to do something you're trying to do less. Not only that but hunger is extremely uncomfortable. The actual sensation is a lot like an itch and the effects of having a low blood sugar bring things down hill fast. Even if you're someone that can withstand the sensation of being hungry, the blood sugar effects are biological. When you're hungry you're not at the top of your game.
Many people equate dieting with hunger and that's why people hate diets. No one likes to be hungry but everyone wants a body marketed by the hungry. Hunger and will power are worthy opponents and when you're dieting you're always trying to have will power come out on top by giving up the things you love to eat that are currently making you fat. Who can reasonably really do that... and even if you can, who would want to? I am someone who loves and appreciates food and flavors and the art of preparing a dish. I love to see the creativity a chef can weave into the construction of a course and there is nothing more powerful than the experience of tasting something that completely blows your mind. I am an equal opportunity lover of food too... I don't look down on fried food like they are the carnies of the food chain nor do I concede that gourmet food is superior because it is prepared by someone who knows a particular technique. Good food is good food and the definition changes with the taste of every person.
I am nothing if not passionate about food. That's the real main reason for my Trouble with the Curvy. There is no doubt in my mind that if I cut sugar, white grains, and all processed foods out of my diet that I would weight far less than I do. The problem with that is that I like whoopie pies... and bread, rice, and Velveeta. There is no question that I would already be at my goal if all I consumed for sustenance was fruits, veggies, and unprocessed natural foods.
The Hunger game really is more about using the healthy foods like fruits and veggies to keep you from being hungry so you can always make good choices that mean you can afford to eat fries or whoopie pies or whatever made you fat and still stay healthy. I feel like over this journey this is not something I focused on. I purely focused on eating less bad things than I did before... I was only concerned about the quantity of calories, not really the quality of calories. This is because it requires more sacrifice. I have kept about 30-35 lbs of the 40lbs I lost between June 2013 and June 2014 for 9 months I haven't made any significant gains or losses but just stayed about the same. This is no small feat because keeping off the weight is harder than taking it off because your habits have to really change permanently for the weight to stay off.
I am ready to reach the rest of my goal and just work on keeping off the whole 65lbs I will have lost when this is finished. To do that I need to start sacrificing again. This time turning to more of those healthy options that have a lot of protein and things to keep me from getting hungry are going to be crucial in this. My work schedule is perfect for a two week test period. I don't have another weekend off until March 28th so there won't be a tempt to cheat on the weekends with too much alcohol and over do the snacking while movie watching. I also won't get to do the sliding workout that has become a Saturday staple and that will suck but by the end of the two weeks if I can have gotten down to 173lbs I will be within reach of the 60's. I need to see a 6 on that scale soon to keep my morale up. By then the snow should be making its way into the ground and walking with Brutus will be mere weeks away. If I can be down to 167 by the time I start walking with Brutus again I will be in good shape to have met my goal by the end of the summer because if I can get my hard food sacrifices built into my routines then adding a ton of exercise will hopefully boost the weight I'm able to lose.
To liven up the stakes a little further, I've decided to give myself an incentive of epic proportions. I really want to go to the Stephen Kellogg Family BBQ weekend in Northampton Mass in June and I need to buy tickets before April if we are going to do it. If I reach my goal of 173lbs ( measured by 3 or more 173lbs readings of the scale in a one week period) by March 27 we are going, if I don't we aren't. I think this is a perfect motivator for me.
Wish me luck...
<3 Katie
179lbs
PS in the mood to talk about the Hunger Games and the pros and cons of the movie over the books and vice versa so if anyone wants to geek out, let me know :)
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