As I write about my hopes for a Spring Makeover, there is snow covering the ground, and the wind is howling. It is cold. I am tired of the cold, so I am turning my thoughts to the promise of Spring.
The hope of Spring is inspiring me to start a makeover program for myself. I have trouble staying on course for too long, so I am hoping for some noticeable improvements by March 17th. I will be 58 years old that day. Oh, where did all those years go?!?
My main concern at this point is the extra weight I packed on this winter thanks to inactivity and prednisone. Ah, prednisone. It gives us such welcome relief, but the bad things it can do to our bodies is so amazing, and...............depressing.
Who would have thought a little pill could actually redistribute one's weight and dump it on the midsection of our bodies? My midsection doesn't need any additional padding, but there it is, making it hard for me to buckle my jeans. I stare at it in disbelief!
I now have three sizes of jeans in my closet: 10, 12 & 14! Ugh. At the moment I am wearing the size 14 pants I just purchased because I was tired of trying to push my too ample belly into my size twelve pants.
We have all heard of the “muffin top”. I don't have a “muffin top”, I have a muffin that has run over and over and over. I have a “muffin hangover”, and it isn't the kind you get from having a good time with friends. It is a prednisone hangover, and I do not like it one bit!
Enough whining. Time for action. I have a problem with diets. I need a “diet” I can stick to...one that makes sense in the real world. Here is my plan: 1. Control portion size 2. Eat plenty of fresh fruit & fresh veggies every day 3. Do not obsess over calorie counts, but generally keep it between 1200 and 1400 calories a day 4. I resolve to eat lean meat and fish, and to stay away from red meat altogether 5. Do something that counts as exercise every day, even if it is just stretching exercises or walking up and down the stairs with a load of laundry. Now that is hard on the creaky knees and hips, but it is exercise, right...???
I used to go on 1000 calorie a day diets, and I ALWAYS ended up sick with a cold or a sinus infection. That plan just doesn't work for me. This current plan may take longer to give me the results I desire, but at least I shouldn't get sick.
I intend to stick to this plan until my birthday, when I will take stock and decide my course of action going forward. So far, so good. I am not having too much trouble following my new lifestyle change. I just have to learn to not grab whatever is available to eat when I don't feel well, and don't feel like cooking.
Preparing healthy food ahead of time and keeping it in the fridge helps a lot. In addition to that, I have fresh fruit EVERYWHERE. There are apples, grapes and oranges in my refrigerator, and apples in a bowl on my kitchen table. I have “healthy” water crackers and protein bars sitting on my “snack” counter in the kitchen.
