Are you on the right trajectory for your health? I was not, until a couple of weeks ago. I was on my new found gluten-free, dairy-free enchilada trajectory. And it was a delicious one. But maybe we overdid it a bit.
Last week I posted the article Weight Up, Weight Down where I described my new plan that I call “Turn This Ship Around”. I am guessing that you might be wondering how this is going.
Results from Week 1
- I lost 1.2 pounds.
- My wrists, forearms, and lower rib area feel smaller. Those are the places I always seem to lose weight first.
- My upper arm muscles have more definition.
- I have a little more stamina.
- No more wakeful periods in the middle of the night.
- GERD (acid reflux) is mostly gone.
- My jeans fit a little looser.
Overall, I would rate the first week on a scale of 1 to 10 (I am a nurse after all!), and…drum roll please…a 6!
This week I am aiming for at least a 7. But I am committed to a Start*Build*Continue mentality.
More Components to My “Whoa, Whoa, Whoa – Turn This Ship Around” Plan
(Refer to last week’s article above for the initial components.)
- Avoid any food that you know or suspect you may be sensitive or allergic to. Big ones to consider are gluten, dairy, eggs, and corn.
- Use a Habit Tracker. It will help you to see at a glance why you may or may not be making progress. Sometimes we think we are more consistent than we are. Mine is built into my planner, the Wyze Planner. Or there are some printable ones on the internet. To use your Habit Tracker effectively, decide on 10 things you are going to implement in your life this month. Make it 10 things that will really move the ball down the field, as my husband would say. For instance, drinking enough water to keep your urine light. So, with this one, I don’t get to check it off for the day unless I drank enough to keep my urine light all day. Another example is protein and vegetable at each meal. If all 3 of my meals included some protein and some vegetables then I get to put down an X in that category.
- At the end of each week perform an analysis of your successes and improvements needed. For instance for successes, I filled in my Habit Tracker 100% of the days, 6 of 7 days I reached my pedometer goal, and 6 of 7 days I ate no sugar (I think it would have been 7 out of 7 if Easter hadn’t come around). As for improvements needed, I will share a few: I really need to work on reducing stress levels, eating less high lectin foods because they don’t agree with me at this point, and drink more water although I have made improvements with hydration.
More Tips for Success
(Refer to last week’s article above for the initial tips)
Don’t expect perfection, rather aim for progress. I love this saying, “If you have to have perfect or nothing, you get nothing every time”, Francis Schaeffer.
Recruit a buddy to do this with you and keep you accountable.
Commit to finishing strong. My goal is to try to lose 10 pounds in 5 weeks and get more fit. The latter is harder to quantify, yet not impossible. I may or may not reach the 10 pounds after 5 weeks; it is pretty ambitious for someone who does not lose weight easily. But I am committed to 5 weeks of good, strong effort. See my article, Finish Strong! A Powerful Motto.
In conclusion
Do you need to turn your ship around? There is never a perfect time. At least start with baby steps. And watch for next week’s article for more tips and motivation, and just to plain see how things are working out for me.
If you would like help creating a customized plan just for you, go here.
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