A few days have gone by. So far so good :) No, not really. Again my worst enemy is boredom, but I will get to that later.
Last Wednesday I was faced with an interesting predicament. When I got home, I discovered that dinner was not ready, so I had to either cook or order takeout. Logic and common sense dictated that I cook dinner. I did my best to cook something healthy, but with limited ingredients it was a tough choice. I ended up making pasta with tomato sauce, I used all the vegetables I could find on hand. I know pasta is not a good food choice when I am trying to loose weight, but we have established that I am lazy so I had to make the best with whatever I had handy. Anyway, after chopping, dicing and cooking, I ended up having dinner around 19:30. By the time I was done with the dishes, I was too tired (and probably too bloated from the carbohydrates) to exercise. I know, just another excuse from a lazy person. Moreover I must live with the facts that I am lazy, I don't enjoy exercising, and it'll take me a couple of months of regular training to get to point where my body does not ache from the physical activities. If I don't put this into perspective I will definitely fall off the figurative weight-loss wagon, as I have done numerous times before. Therefore I need to leverage my strengths while addressing my weakness in order to achieve my goal. As a result I started to analyze the situation further and I wondered if I was really better off cooking diner and not exercising. The other alternative would have been ordering takeout. My biggest issue with ordering food is the lack of healthy choices. Sure I could order chilis "Guiltless" plates - but the chicken is over cooked, the vegetables are under cooked , and the beans come from a can. Pls explain to me, how can this be healthy. My second option would be foul and ta3meia. I think this is a great choice for a quick dinner! But I would probably prefer to pick it up on my way home than order it by phone, to guarantee that the food remains warm and yummy. As I ventured further into the various alternatives, I came to the conclusion that I would have probably been better off eating a simple hamburger happy meal while keeping my exercise schedule.
Now I am not arguing that happy meals are healthier than home made pasta (they are probably both as bad) - but I think my weight gain is due in large part to my sedentary lifestyle (largely attributed to my office job). I need to move more. I need to get off my ass, and shake the fat off ! As a conclusion, whenever I have to choose between exercising and food, I will get up and move! On the bright side, if I order a happy meal, I will get a toy to reward my efforts :)
Being idle is my worst enemy. When I am idle, I get depressed and physically ill. Therefore I like to keep myself occupied. However I have been suffering from a 4 month idle patch and it is starting to take its toll on me. I am feeling the effects creeping up. They have manifested themselves in my recent weight gain. I have gained 2 kilos, with my weight reaching 75 kgs :(
Last December I suffered a minor back injury. During my physical therapy, the doctor told me I have to loose weight. His exact words were, "I will tell you now that you have to loose weight. I don't need to know how much you weigh. I can tell by just looking at you, that you MUST loose weight." I admit those were some harsh words, and it hurt hearing that my lower back muscles are so out of shape that they literally can't hold up my body anymore.
Now all of this grim news should have wiped me in a frenzy to get my butt moving and loosing those kilos, but there was a catch. Due to the back injury I could not exercise, not even take long walks. I was advised by my crude doctor to take up swimming, which is a novel and interesting sport in itself. The only problem was I don't know how to swim. So my mission was to find an establishment that taught overweight grownups how to swim. I also needed to buy a bathing suit - but I will leave that little adventure for another post. I was adamant and resolute. I will abide by the doctor's orders to loose weight the improve my lower back muscles ! However these plans never materialized into actions, for a number of reasons I will not divulged into now. Yet here I am, 8 months later, with an extra 2 kgs to get rid off.
Talking about weight issues and body image seems like such a cliche. We have all gone through them. Some buckle down, do the work that needs to be done and collect the rewards. Others bitch and moan about how hard it is to actually loose weight. I perceive myself as belonging to neither group. I have become complacent with my weight gain. I embrace it as a fact of life. I am getting old, chances are I am going to get wrinkles and I am going to get fat. I see it as an opportunity to buy new clothes and indulge in delicious deserts. But the truth of the matter is over the past 10 years I have gain 15 kgs, and I will be better off without them. The ironic thing is I know exactly why I emotionally eat at times, why I have gained weight, and why I haven't lost any. I guess the bottom line is, I am too lazy to do anything about it.
The biggest part of my problem is not having any support system. My mom's idea of eating healthy, is eating at home. On the surface that is a nice idea, but when the homemade menu consist of rice, pasta, bread, lasagna covered with all sorts of cheese, bashamel covered vegetables, scorched slabs of meat, and burnt chicken, you realize that eating at home is not going to cut it. I know that I can always cook for myself and not eat what my mom is serving. But that is easier said than done, especially when you have such a weak disposition to food as I do. But again these are just further excuses. Yes, I would be better off if I had a more supportive family at home, but tough luck cause it ain't gonna happen. The truth is I am getting old, but I am also starting to feel old because of the way I eat and my lack of exercise. So, I can bitch and moan , or I can do something about it. And I have chosen the later.
Some of you might be wondering why I have decided to blog about this. First of all, it will give me a constructive daily activity to do and take me further away from the idle abyss of boredom. Secondly, it'll act as kind of a pledge to myself and you all are witness. Maybe it will keep me on track. Last but not least, I was hoping that you can be my support group. Whenever I am discouraged and distraught with thoughts of abandoning my quest, I might find new friends who will help me along the way.
