What I have determined is that I need to plan things out. I need to have a schedule to get all the things done (all the things being: a full time job, starting a chocolate company on the side, studying for and taking more of my architectural exams, and having a personal life which includes taking my puppy to the park). I've been working on a schedule to follow filling in the following template to make sure that I get done the things that need getting done everyday for both personal and business goals. This is all outside of my full-time day job.
I've also been reading a lot of Tim Ferriss 4 Hour Body and 4 Hour Chef. I have much to learn and much to do. I also want to get in better shape. I've been saying that a long time but it seems in the last year I have put on even more weight than I was unhappy with before. I want to make a change. This means changing my eating habits. I've decided to try the Slow Carb diet. In part because it offers a cheat day. Part of it is eating the same thing over and over and I think that's good because while I love to cook and bake... it also ends up taking a lot of time and causing me to think more about things that aren't really decisions I want to use my willpower and energy to decide.
Willpower is a limited resource and the number of decisions we make in a day, and the ability to say no to junk food, are related. I've decided that I need to focus my mental energy on: studying, getting exercise and developing my chocolate company. The way I plan to do this is by having a "capsule wardrobe" (similar to Barak Obama, Steve Jobs and others), eating Slow Carb which means the same meals repeat so you don't have to think about what you are eating, and scheduling my free time when I'm not at work. I have a list of weekly goals, which I then put into a calendar:
- Gym 3 times for 30 minutes
- Walk/jog 3 times for 30-60 minutes
- Study for 5 hours
- etc.
I am also trying to prepare for what I will do when challenges arise. For example, it's always been hard for me to say no to free food (free calories! that's saving me money, right? wrong!).
Dilemma: Free food at work
Premeditated solution: Keep backup lunches in the freezer at work in case I don't have time to get lunch, I forget my lunch or I'm really hungry and would therefore be likely to eat something that's free just because I'm hungry.
Dilemma: Invited to go out on a night that is not Saturday (cheat night)
Premeditated solution: Suggest Mexican food because that's the most slow-carb friendly option. Have a glass of red wine if I want to drink.
Dilemma: Have to work late or work over lunch on gym days
Premeditated solution: My gym is 24 hours! Go home if I need to and then go back to the gym, if feeling exhausted, at least bring tablet to study while on the elliptical. The hardest part about working out at the gym is actually getting there. once there it's easy to do something.
Dilemma: Making chocolates during the week and there will be all these scraps and bits I'll want to eat and taste and argue that they are going to waste.
Premeditated solution: If I really want to eat them, I can put them in tupperware and save them until the weekend. Or, as my sister-in-law suggested: ice cream toppings! Which I could sell for super cheap, grab/scrap bags of chocolatey marshmallow trimmings. I realized the other weekend when making a whole bunch that I do not have to eat the trimmings, and my waistline will be better if I don't!
Dilemma: Invited for dinner at family or friend's houses, especially when I'm trying to focus on this being a goal for myself. I'm trying (and being somewhat successful) to not talk too much about this diet plan. Granted I haven't started yet, but plan to very soon... I just want to make stuff to be prepared so that I'm not running around needing food.)
Premeditated solution: I can ask what they are planning to make and see if they are willing to make a change to the menu. Or I can bring one of my frozen bags of chili or lentil soup I plan to make and fill up my freezer with for easy meal planning). Or if it's stressing me out and I don't have time for it, decline the offer. I need to take care of myself and it's ok to say no. If I really want to hang out with people, I can also invite them over for dinner I make, or suggest Saturday which is my cheat day.
Dilemma: Too hungry to wait for food
Premeditated solution: Set up a food budget ($400 for the month) for lunches and dinners, transferable for the month between meals. Make large batches of slow carb chili and lentils and freeze in portion controlled sizes with my new vacuum sealer so I have meals ready to go (both at home and at work). Remember that any money left at the end of the month goes into the Hawaii fund! So how tired are you at the end of the day you can't throw something together FOR THE SAKE OF GOING TO HAWAII!?! I should probably make a sign or something for the kitchen... or every room in the house. "Do you want to buy that or do you want to go to Hawaii!?"
Dilemma: Want to go out because I've been eating in for what feels like forever
Premeditated solution: Affordable solutions to wanting to go out:
- Go to game night at Borderlands or invite friends over to play a game (or ask them to host if I want to get out of the house)
- Walk puppy to f/Stop for a glass of wine
- Go to Coin Jam and play some arcade games with spare change, or Wunderland for 5cents
- Go for a walk at the waterfront, cross the fridge with the puppy
- Sit on the roof next to Orupa but on the building side with food from the grocery store deli or TJs
- See movies on Tuesdays at Cinebarre (eat at home first) or Northern Lights.
- Go to the library or Book Bin - leave credit/debit cards at home!
Dilemma: Feeling frustrated that I'm not seeing results or that I want to give up
Premeditated solution: Look at inspiring stories, thing positive thoughts about how I can get there but not without hard work, dedication and support. Call Laura for support.
I'm anticipating success with this plan. I have a friend (who has about half as much weight to lose) who lives at a distance and wants to do Slow Carb together from a distance. I have a local friend who is interested in being active, a coworker who is happy to work out together when we can get there at the same time, and I have a puppy who would love nothing more than to explore the world! We are starting obedience classes in 2 weeks so hopefully we can get him to be better on a leash :) I really feel like I can do it this time. I've reached the highest weight I've ever been (hovering around 185). My goal is 145-150, which is lower than I've been since high school. But I think I can do it. I need to stand my ground, follow my schedule, turn to friends who I know will be there for me, and focus on all the other things in my life besides food! I have books to read, clothes to sew, a business to develop, chocolate flavors to create (and test only on Saturdays! That's part of the scheduling thing, that I will develop and make things throughout the week so they will be done on Saturday in time for me to test on my cheat day! BRILLIANCE! I want to take a trip, I haven't taken a long trip to somewhere new since 2005. That was way too long ago! I'm going to save up this money, by eating simply and focusing on the things I can do that are cost effective (and maybe even things that will make more money like selling chocolates). I'm going to get creative about entertaining myself and make sure that I'm showing the puppy the world too. That's one of the reasons I wanted a dog and I need to stop letting my industrial neighborhood stop me from taking him around. I could even pop him in the car and go walk in a new neighborhood.
Ok, I think I'm done pep-talking myself for tonight, and I've been coughing the whole way through. It's only 11:30 but I think I'm going to get in bed and ring in the new year with a movie and hope these gosh darn cough pills I took start working!
