Commence Projects Flat Tummy and Healthy Family
Plan I -> Project Family Health
My parents have never been the most health-conscious people out there, both in how to appropriately prepare food and in how to treat their bodies well. My mother especially, for those of you who have never me her, is fad-driven, overeats, and does not really care if she's eating Real Food or Plastic Food. My father, since he almost killed himself with his bad eating habits, has improved greatly, but my mother continues to attempt to kill herself with her eating habits.
She is only about 5'2", but she has to weigh about 250 lbs. She has smaller bones than I do, and eats more than my father (who is 6'2"). Because of this, her ankles are swollen so much that she can barely walk for more than a block without exhausting herself. She occasionally needs to sit in a wheelchair, depending on the terrain, and she is 57 years old.
Mum has tried almost every fad diet out there, plus Weight Watchers multiple times (like right now) and she never sticks with anything. She also has a major bread addiction, loves ice cream, and eats pre and post-meal snacks around every meal. Of course, she snacks between meals as well.
After a lot of discussion and thought, my father and I think that if she were to try to lose weight *with* someone she might stick with it. Certainly for all of the normal reasons, but she is also the most competitive person I know (outside of her sister, my aunt Rosemary). SO, if my father and I try to "lose weight" she'll be much more motivated to sick with it.
This is where Livestrong.com comes into play. I've been using it for the past several days, scoping it out, and I think it might be exactly what mum needs. I spoke to my father this evening, showed him the website, and he's on board. He and I will be using the MyPlate application to track what we eat, and try to get mum to do it (it shouldn't be too hard). If mum sees the both of us working to "lose weight" (her fixation) she'll want to compete... and not be left with any excuses, because whenever she feels defensive about her weight (always) she accuses dad of (1) being FAT too (2) eating too much (3) being part of her weight problem by encouraging her to eat too much. My father is slightly overweight, and actively discourages her from eating too much, but in the end if he truly watches himself it will be the better for him.
My end of it goes into Plan II, detailed below. I'll be posting on Facebook (I won't spam LJ) regarding my eating, exercise, etc. because mum reads FB constantly and it will give her a sense of what I'm doing (that she'll hopefully try to want to do as well, within her ability). I'll also be posting (only) Plan II (Flat Tummy) on FB, so that she can read it. Hopefully this will help, because I don't know what else to do. If she continues like this I could see her dying in the next five years.
Plan II -> Project Flat Tummy
I've been working on my bad health habits since August, mainly by cutting down on the amounts of food I eat per meal. As most people close to me know, I LOVE food and LOVE to stuff my face. Being a student means I have a pretty sedentary lifestyle, so I decided when I moved out here to not let returning to school cause me to gain weight, thus the change. I've dropped back down from a pants size 4-6 to a size 2-4, and have decided that eating less food, though good, is not enough.
I want a flat tummy. Partly for aesthetic reasons, and partly because I honestly can't stop thinking about Grandpa Hirsch and his innumerable bypasses. I don't want to die like that, and having an apple-shape means I'm predisposed to it, simple because of where I carry my fat. I have repeatedly failed in my attempts to stick to my exercising guns and lose the stomach flab. I always lose focus, or it becomes too hot, or I get stressed. All of these things are always going to happen, and I have decided I really need to get over it. Every year that passes will make it harder for me to lose the weight. I want a flat tummy: I need to work for it.
So, to that effect I've started using the MyPlate function on LiveStrong.com (thanks to Magda and Tri!). I'm not changing *what* I eat, I'm just monitoring the amounts and freshly appreciating how bad that bacon-and-egg pie was for me (and how tasty!)... and compensating in my other meals that day. Based on the cool doohicky on the site, my current maximum calorie intake is 1500 calories a day, but my goal is 1300 calories. I was actually averaging 1300-1400 calories/day anyway (based on my averages before I found the goal application), so the extra 200 calories is sort of like a daily Christmas present! (Read as -> CHOCOLATE TIME!)
I have also, since using this website, been drinking my daily recommended amount of water (the empty water-glass looks sad, somehow). And, today I decided that I needed to get back on the exercise-wagon.
For me, that means DDR and swimming. Yes, it's dorky, but there's nothing better than Dance Dance Revolution that to work up a *fun* sweat. And, if it's not fun then I stop doing it. This has been repeatedly proven. I've decided to do 30 minutes a day minimum, 1 hour/day goal, and no maximum (within reason and allowing time for schoolwork/Linguistics). For those who play DDR, I have specific game and song goals (I must get back to proficiency at Heavy/Expert Mode! Burning Heat on Heavy is calling me!) that I've set myself to to keep myself on-track. Sundays I will take a break and go swimming with Frankie in the glorious pool here at school. The only times I will let myself not exercise will be during finals.
By this time next year I am *promising* myself that I will have a flat stomach. I don't have a goal weight because ever since I rowed crew in high school I've carried enough muscle-mass that I don't know what weight I should aim for. So, I'm not going to aim for a weight, and will instead aim for a nice, toned look (but no six-pack. I don't want one of those).
That said, I will not stop cooking, baking, and enjoying the food I love. I plan to bake lemon-drop cookies this weekend and will definitely eat some. However, I will partake within reason... and savor them all the more.