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Introduction Text Strength is the capacity to break a chocolate bar into four pieces with your bare hands - and then eat just one of the pieces. - Judith Viorst _______________________________________ Update - 2/22/2010 While the scale might not me much different than it was a couple years ago, I've mentally evolved. I read my original Sparkpage Profile and realize how much I've learned! It's time for an update! For starters, "controlling my sweet tooth" is a terrible phrase. It personifies my cravings like some wild animal. The only way to really lose weight for good is to achieve INNER ALIGNMENT, as my favorite podcaster Renee Stephens would put it. When I get into a mood where I start feeling forced to act a certain way, it feels like a kid being scolded by a parent... and for me, that only results in retaliation (i.e. binging). Now, I'm asking myself - What do I need to really be happy? Sometimes, that's just some time to relax. Sometimes, it's a few hundred calories over my range. Sometimes, it's hot chocolate or cookies or pizza or cheese. There are no more forbidden foods! I'm the adult here, and my feelings and my body are all part of me. I deserve kindness - especially from myself! Second most important thing I've learned -- The numbers don't lie, but it's not JUST about the numbers. This may seem obvious, but there are three classic types of situations where I've thrown this rule out the window: 1. Avoiding or ignoring the scale when I don't like what it says 2. Allowing a good blip on the scale to condone bad behavior 3. Pretending that the calories I've logged are more important than the calories I've eaten I've had a love/hate relationship with the scale. The truth is that I'm an engineer, and I like numbers. I also am stubborn and like things to go my way. Anyway, there's a great online book called The Hacker's Diet (google it) and a website, PhysicsDiet-DOT-com, that analyzes daily weight trends. Amazingly, it shows me how my Calories In / Calories Out equation balances in the long term. When I've used it, my weight goes down while my emotions are flat. When I don't, both my weight and emotions are like a wooden roller coaster - up, down, and really bumpy. The other point I have to repeat to myself -- Just because it's my log does not make it the truth. If I eat a cookie that seems big, but a cookie in Spark's nutrition database says only 82 calories... They're not the same cookie!! This seems totally obvious, but it's easy to delude myself. Remember that old trick about sopping the grease off your pizza to save calories? I found myself not doing it, because logging pizza didn't say I had to. Well, I put that grease in my mouth, whether Spark knows about it or not. And then, last but not least... the most important and yet difficult -- Progress, not Perfection. They say that weight loss is most challenging for people who are used to conquering things. Well, I'm not sure I'm bold enough to say that about myself, but I certainly LIKE conquering things. However, to conquer this one, I'd really only be conquering myself, in which case I'd be conquerED. Whoa, that's enough to make my head spin! Anyway, Renee Stephens (again!) helps when she says it's all about decreasing the DIF - Duration, Intensity, and Frequency - of overeating. I will make mistakes. I will probably make a lot of mistakes. But if I get back on track sooner, or don't mess up as badly, or don't do it as often, I'll continuously improve. Eyes on the prize, Loren! I want to feel good in my skin, have a light and flexible body, and run a Boston Qualifier. But I'll remind myself that I'm OK right now, and things could always be worse! _________________________________________ My name is Loren. I'm 26 and have had a few extra pounds around the stomach and thighs since high school. You could say I'm pear-shaped. I'm looking to lose a few pounds and feel better about my appearance! I've been a runner for more than ten years, but I've used the running as an excuse to eat excessively. I've been trying to lose weight for more than 5 years with no sucess. Now, I'm ready to try to control my portion sizes and my sweet tooth... hopefully!

Lose some of my excess body fat and fit into all of my clothes without cutting off circulation. I'm not set on the goal weight, but I'd like to be between 15 and 18% body fat.

Running 6 times per week, strength training three times per week... and staying under my calorie intake goals!





Add a Link My name is Loren, spelled like that :) from Ohio
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