Wednesday 12 May 2010

Apart from the Paul McKenna tape that I'm using to help me sort out my thinking and behaviour around my "food, exercise, body, health issues," I'm also doing a wonderful cognitive therapy program called The Beck Diet Solution. I plan to review both these programs later in the year, but I just wanted to mention right now a great little exercise that I'm doing today which I absolutely love.

Over the past few week I've been working on my Hunger Scale. Which is something I really didn't know about until McKenna and Beck. To get more details on the Hunger Scale download this great pdf from MIT Medical: medweb.mit.edu/pdf/hunger_scale.pdf Anyway, I've been working on eating at 4 and stopping at 6 as opposed to my usual of eating at 1 and stopping at 8 or 9. Now I have an idea of what portions sizes put me at a 6, I'm working on strengthening my ability to stop at 6 when I'm in eating environments that I can't control, i.e. when I eat away from home. To do this I write down what I'm going to eat for the day and at each meal I put twice as much food on my plate as well as add a few other foods that are not on my plan but are tempting. Then with all these choices on my plate I have to select and eat only the food and quantities I've predetermined I'll be eating and leave the others.

The point of the exercise is to build up my "resistance muscle" as Beck calls it = my ability to resist eating foods just because they are offered to me, just because they are on my plate, just because they're available, just because they're free, just because .... I'm to repeat this exercise as often as I need to until I can say no consistently to treating myself like a human garbage. So far so good.

In other news, the resistance belt on my elliptical machine came off last week. :( My husband put it back on and tightened the thingies that hold it in place, but it came off again when I increased the resistance from level 1 to level 3 :( He's going to try fixing it again but is quite busy at the moment and just doesn't have the time.

In the absence of my elliptical I decided to get creative with my morning exercise and use the steps that lead to my kitchen for my work out. I figured, I'd just step up and down one step for 1/2 hour and swing my arms while holding some light weights. OMG!!! Killer workout!!! BUT left me with a pulled calf muscle :( So I've had to reduced my exercise routine to daily walks until the pain in my calf subsides, which it is just beginning to do.

Good thing though that I'd bought a new pair of running shoes last week before my calf injury. My current pair is about 8 years old and as I have osteoarthritis in my knees, I really wanted shoes designed for high impact will lots of cushioning to protect my knees as much as I can when I'm power walking. Who knew that buying running shoes was such a science? I went to this great little store in Camden Town and they did all sorts of tests on me including putting me on a treadmill and videoing my feet. I was in there for quite a while, but the end result is that I got a pair of great shoes (above) that make me feel like I'm floating on air.

Oh almost forgot. Lost 900grams/2lbs this week, so I'm now 81.2kgs/ 179lbs. Yay!!!

10 comments:

  1. Hooray! Congrats on the loss. So sorry about the pulled muscle.

    I bet you feel like you're walking on air. Great job.

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  2. We ARE having some parallel issues! My calves are a bit sore from compensating for the tendons, but that's starting to ease up a bit. I'm gently stretching and putting a warming rub on them to keep them from tightening up too much. Usually before bed as the rub has an incredible smell! Can't walk around all day smelling like THAT.

    I need to come back and click on your link to find out more about the hunger scale, because right now, I need to go pick up my son!

    Good work on the loss!

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  3. You can do it!!! Hello Nona! Been away on a bit of a vaca from blogging, but back with a fury!! Thanks for visiting, you are so sweet!!

    That's it girl - go hard or go home, lol!! I have developed Plantars in my left foot, but really don't those pulled muscles and exercise "scars" rock! I got a shoe and everything to make it official!

    Keep it up skinny girl!

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  4. Wow! I wish there was a shoe store here that did all that. I go to the shoe store and am surrounded by so many choices and I am always at a loss.

    Thanks for the info about the hunger scale. I am intrigued and am going to read up on it right now... bye.

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  5. CONGRATS. Good for you. Keep it up!!!

    Very interesting idea (the Hunger scale). I'm going to check it out. Eating smaller, more frequent meals has helped me be in better tune with my body, and to eat less when I do eat. Lately the times where I've eaten more than I should have I do not feel well. I'm glad, though 'cause that's part of my issue basket.

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  6. I need to check out that hunger stuff. I am struggling with eating when I am not hungry at all. Sigh.

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  7. I just don't know if I could resist extra food on my plate if it was just sitting there looking all dejected!! I would find that very, very difficult! Great pair of shoes!

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  8. I love how you have your goals and rewards on your blog. What a great idea! I am going to get more coffee and spend more time on your blog!

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  9. I'm a picker so would have a hard time not eating the extra food on the plate.
    Well done on the weight loss so far.

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  10. What a great show store. I wish something like that was close to me.

    Congratulations on getting back with your elliptical and then finding an alternative when that didn't work and then finding another alternative when you strained your calf muscle.

    Getting rid of the weight is your pay-off. I notice you've gotten rid of a third of the weight you want to drop. Excellent.

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