Nov 4, 2010 Lorelei Sieja
Lorelei Sieja - photo by author
Find Your Motivation for Changing Your Diet
So far, so good... But I'm a "pro" at going on and off diets. I start out day one with lots of motivation, desire, and good intentions. Day two I'm feeling a little tired, from the cut in calories and exercise. Day three is usually very hard, and by day four I'm craving chocolate! Yep, my typical attempts at dieting last about four days. Just once I was able to stay on a diet for six months and I dropped two dress sizes in time for my sister-in-law's wedding. This time is going to be different, though. It's day four, and I'm still motivated... I hope it lasts!
This diet is better than most, because I'm eating a lot of vegetables and fruits, very little meat, very little milk (wish I could drop it completely, but I'm addicted), and I'm sharing my experience online. I don't want to fail in public. If any of my readers need motivation, I invite you to post in the comments section that you're in with me for the long haul. A year of lifestyle changes, not a quick fad diet.
I'm not feeling tired. I'm not sure why. Is it because I'm getting enough nutrition even in my limited caloric intake? Another possibility is that I've been trying to get to bed at a reasonable hour. Which brings me to today's theme. Rest! A secret, stick-to-your-diet-and-feel-great ingredient for better health!
Many Adults Do Not Get Enough Sleep
Adults need between 7.5 and 9 hours of sleep per night, but many people try to function on less. We may feel that there is just too much to do, and that skimping on sleep will give us the time we need to get it done. Actually, the opposite is true. If we get enough sleep, we are more alert and energetic all day long. Our brains are sharper, our reflexes faster.
Sleep deprivation can cause all sorts of health issues - weight gain being one of them. So anyone who wishes to lose weight must first correct their sleep issues. According to Smith and Segal's research on sleep deprivation, You can know you are not getting enough sleep if you ever do any of the following:
- need an alarm clock to wake up
- get sleepy while driving or in boring meetings
- feel lethargic after eating
- doze off in the evening while watching tv or reading a book
- sleep in on weekends
- rely on the snooze alarm
- need a nap in the afternoon
- feel sluggish, especially in the afternoon
- find it difficult to get out of bed in the morning
I've been terrible with my sleep schedule. I want private time for writing. I'm a freelance writer, working for this website and others, manage my own blog, and edit fiction for a publisher. My kids are grown, and I crave time to myself. However, circumstances have placed me as the main caregiver for my three-year-old granddaughter. So I spend all day with her (take naps with her) and then I'm up late at night working on the computer - and enjoying it! I'm not sleepy at bedtime, because I want to be awake!
I'm famous for sleeping in on weekends. I'm afraid my in-laws must think I'm terribly lazy, as I've always slept late at their house. They don't know that I'm just so sleep deprived, that I "owe" my sleep bank so much that I can probably never pay it all back. Definitely not in a single weekend. My sleep deprivation has taken a toll on my health, however. Besides my constant weight gain, I'm being treated for depression, hypothyroidism, and elevated cholesterol. I'm rather clumsy, I lose my balance and fall a lot. Even my hand injury, resulting in surgery, could be related to sleep deprivation.
I have to be up at 6:00am. That means I should be asleep (not going to bed!) by 10:00 pm. Therefore, bedtime is going to be 9:30. I currently live in the eastern time zone, when some good television programs start at ten pm. I'm going to have to get in the habit of recording them to watch the next day at a better time, or stop watching them. The past several nights I've been getting enough sleep, and I'm sure that it a major reason why this diet is off to a good start.
Today's Menu Plan:
- Oatmeal Melange (recipe) and decaf coffee
- 2 dates, 6 almonds
- Raw Veggie Casserole leftovers (recipe)
- 1/4 cup trail mix (nuts, raisins, whole grain cereal, chocolate chips)
- lean steak, small salad, baked sweet potatoes, wine
Yesterday's menus were interesting. I loved the dinner salad "casserole". It was really good, but with plenty of left-overs, so that's why I'm having it today at lunch. Yesterday's lunch, the lemony mint energy soup, was rather gross. Maybe it would be better if I had a vita-mix blender, but with my little $40 job, the energy soup was chewy. There were bits of mint leaves floating in it, that were bitter and stuck to my teeth. I only made half a recipe, and I ate half. The rest fed the garbage disposal.
My spouse has been very helpful on my diet. He's eating all this raw food stuff without complaint. So I'm rewarding him tonight with a meat dinner. I've also dropped several pounds (196 this morning, nine pounds since Day One!) so I hope I can have this small indulgence without gaining back a pound or two. The key is moderation. I won't cook us honking humongous steaks! We'll have a 6 oz steak, which is still more than we're supposed to need. I should eat 3 oz, and my husband 5 oz, but a three-ounce chunk of meat is so small, it looks like "why bother".
Finally, I didn't drink anywhere near enough water. I'll keep working on that today.
Exercise Plan:
Rain kept me from biking yesterday, but I did take my huskies for a brisk walk. Tonight I hope to go to the gym and work on their nautilus weight-training machine. I will also walk the dogs again.
Best wishes for you on your new diet!
Sources:
Smith, Melinda M.A. and Robert Segal M.A., "How Much Sleep Do You Need", Helpguide.org.July 2010. Accessed November 4, 2010.
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