Setbacks and Small Victories

The past few weeks have been an exercise in resilience for our family. Last week brought a number of personal trials, including losing a friend to cancer, personal medical issues, and a new second shift schedule. Gone are the family dinners, the structure, and a lot of the sanity. I'd love to tell you that we're all sailing through these trials like Odysseus, strong and virile, thanks to our clean living and heroic characters. I'd like to tell you that, but I can't.

Nope, we're human. Life happens, and everyone deals with it, but last week just seemed to "gang up" on us, well, me, in particular. Pete made the switch to working evenings, and I was completely prepared. I had a detailed schedule in place so we could make the most of the change. In fact, we were looking forward to it. I'd have more time to write, and he'd see more of the kids and me during the day. He'd really get to bed no later than usual, so all in all, it was going to be a good change. Monday went well. It was the last such day; every other day all week something, or several things, just plain went wrong. Now, as I said, life happens. Everyone has a week like this once in a while. You deal with it and move forward. Last week I lost my schedule and good intentions by Tuesday night and never quite got back on my feet. The whole week was a wreck.

I'm not making excuses or looking for sympathy. I just want to point out that it was "one of those weeks", since it happens to us all sometimes. What's more important is what I learned from it, and what I'm doing about it now. First, I learned that when I'm stressed I eat carbs. Hmm... sound familiar? I knew I did it before last week, but wow, I never realized how MUCH I eat when I'm stressed. My personal weakness is pasta with butter (yes, real, 100 calories per Tb butter), salt, and Parmesan cheese. Not just a little mound on the side of the plate, either. I'm talking: take out the bowl you use to bring potato salad to the church supper and fill it - that's my "serving" when I'm stressed. Not surprisingly, I'm dragging, since I've gained weight and water and haven't had any vitamins or nutrients all week. Worse, I've dragged my family down with me. Pete's been living on peanut butter, I think, and the kids haven't done much better. My son's first tooth fell out today, and a little voice in the back of my head thought, "scurvy?".

One week of lousy food probably didn't hurt anyone, much, but it's certainly not a path I want to follow for long. On the other hand, I still haven't figured out how to make balanced meals for everyone with the irregular schedule we have. I'm working on that. In the meantime, I'm making some small changes. Pasta isn't going anywhere, as long as I'm here, but I switched to high-protein pasta, added some veggies, got rid of the butter, and switched to Himalayan salt. None of these are huge changes, but consider them transitional, and certainly better than what I was doing. I also stocked up on the vitamins, minerals, and supplements I've been missing. Some of my medications also deplete my stores of these essentials, so now that I'm off the meds I'm restocking my vitamins and minerals. Check with your doctor is you suspect you may be living with deficiencies like mine. The supplements are temporary until I can balance my diet appropriately, since healthy food is the best way to keep your body balanced. Finally, I'm working on getting the kids, and myself, on a healthy sleep schedule. With Pete gone in the evenings it's been hard to get the little guys down at a reasonable hour, but I've got to make the effort. I realized I need to get them down early enough for me to enjoy some quiet time before I can relax and fall asleep. Instead, I've been struggling to get them to bed, then staying up another 2 or 3 hours wide awake. No wonder I can't get up as early as I'd like! Well, I'm working on that too.

This week is for transitional changes and reflecting on how to do things better. Life can't be all about acting, or reacting, but needs to be a balance between the two so we can learn from our mistakes and do things better the next time around. Hopefully I won't have another week like last week anytime soon, but I will have a better week, now, this week, thanks to the things I've learned.

Setbacks - Don't Let 'Em Getcha!

In any quest for a healthy lifestyle and a good physical fitness regimen, one must always consider the probability of setbacks. I say probability because setbacks will certainly occur in the course of normal life, and we all must have a plan in mind to deal with them.

First, let’s define our terms…a setback (as opposed to a backslide, which we will cover in a future post) is any external event or situation which interrupts your diet, physical training, or both. A setback is normally unintentional and can be unplanned. For the most part, a setback is beyond your personal control, with management of it your only realistic option.

A setback can be caused by something unpleasant, like an injury; or by something fun, like a family vacation. You might get tagged for a business trip unexpectedly, or a short-notice deployment (if military). Perhaps your work schedule changes and you get the night shift. I’ve had all of these things and more happen to me. The big difference is whether or not the setback is unplanned or planned/expected.

If a potential setback is planned, i.e., known and expected to occur, there is much that can be done to mitigate the effects. Let’s use the family vacation as an example…a trip, with the kids and spouse, for a few days or weeks to a location with uncertain exercise or nutrition options.

First and foremost, remember to enjoy yourself. You’re going on vacation, after all, so have fun, enjoy the family time, and don’t let the setback steal one second from your rest and relaxation by causing worry or guilt. Second, relieve some of that worry and guilt by working it off in the weeks leading up to the trip. I often redouble my efforts and tighten the diet in the weeks prior to a vacation or trip so I can be at a peak of fitness when I go. That makes for an easier recovery after the trip (as well as a physique that’s easy on the eyes at the beach!). Third, keep your eyes open during the trip. Look for good, low-carb healthy foods to eat amongst the vacation fare. Be sure to use the stairs instead of the elevator at the hotel. Walk or bike to close attractions, and use the pool to stretch and swim in addition to soaking and cooling. If the hotel has an exercise room, use it; but for the love of Mike, don’t do so if it means sacrificing valuable family time or relaxation. Vacations are for the mind and spirit, after all, and there is nothing wrong with putting those ahead of the physical for a while.

In the case of extended (military) or business trips, look for ways to incorporate a regular workout and diet into your new circumstances, but remember that it might take a few weeks to get a handle on your schedule. The trick here is to never forget that the setback is temporary only, and that you will resume your fitness lifestyle as soon as possible.

On the less-pleasant side of things, setbacks can also be unplanned, unexpected, and be of unknown duration. The most common cause of this sort of setback is an injury or illness of some sort. These setbacks are particularly destructive both mentally and physically. However, a bit of optimism and a whole lot of pure guts goes a long way to help out here.

Fix in your mind that your injury/illness is only a temporary thing…you will heal, and you will recover, so long as you’re still breathing, and even if not, you might figure out a way. Stay hopeful and forward-looking, and begin planning your comeback as soon as the picture becomes clear enough to do so.

Be sure to listen and pay attention to your healthcare providers or therapists. Ignoring them will almost certainly lead to further injury and an extended “downtime”. They are the professionals; trust them to know what’s best. If a particular diet is recommended, eat it. If a certain exercise or activity is recommended or banned, do it. Sure, ask questions and get clarification on all points. Ask for all options and get second opinions. Then, follow the pros’ advice. You must get well first and foremost; getting back to fitness will come later.

Now, as soon as it’s allowed or practicable, get back on the low-carb, low-fat diet at least. Even if we cannot yet engage in heavy PT, we can still eat right. Be sure to limit the calories to allow for the lower burn rate while you are recovering.

Once cleared by your health-care providers to return to the gym, be sure to remember that your body is no longer used to this activity, and will require a “build-up” period before you’re back to that 20-minute 5k and 300lb bench-press. Get ready to feel the “burn” all over again!

The big thing to keep in mind for all possible setbacks is the fact that they are ALL, without exception, temporary. The only way a setback can become a permanent thing is if you allow it to. Sure, you might have to use your imagination and some improvisation along the way. Yes, you might, due to injury, have to find entirely new ways to exercise and eat. It’s all part of the goal of not letting your setbacks control your lifestyle. Remember, it’s YOU that is in control. And it’s YOU that has the ability to keep those setbacks from becoming permanent, either in mind or body.

In the Company of Friends

We spent the Fourth of July weekend vacationing with dear friends and family, playing in the sun, catching up, laughing and enjoying each others' company. We also spent it pigging out and drinking adult beverages. Oops. Sure, our friends are on the same diet page that we are, and we talked about our low cost low carb lives, sharing recipes, products, experiences. Ultimately, though, we knew from the get-go that the new diet would have to start on Tuesday, after everyone went home and life went back to normal. The food, the festivities, and the friends were just too good to pass up.

I say "new" diet, but it really isn't. It's simply a re-commitment to adhere to the low cost low carb lifestyle that has been so good to us. Well, mostly to Pete. It would work for me, if I were anywhere near as dedicated as he is. The simple fact is that he applied himself, and I didn't. I've never had any of the health problems he had, so I had no motivation to diet. I do now! After 4 days in a bikini, painfully aware of my exposed "Buddha Belly" while hearing one person after another compliment my husband on his flat abs, I'm motivated. I don't want to be "The Old Lady"!

Of course, it helps to know my friend is applying herself to a low carb life too. She has knee injuries, so exercise is a challenge for her. I have an autoimmune condition, so I have dietary restrictions. Neither issue is insurmountable. We'll adapt, improvise, and overcome. Maybe that's the next evolution of low cost low carb for us. For my husband, it was iron will that made his diet such a success. Frankly, few people have that kind of will power. I'm more flexible and forgiving of myself and my life (ok, weaker), and I'll have have to accommodate my dietary limitations and picky tastes. This may be the second time going low cost low carb for our family, but it won't be a repeat. Top all this off with the ever-declining economy, and the low cost part of the diet becomes even more important than ever before.

July 2nd was the half-way point in the year. Instead of making New Year's Resolutions to look good for swimsuit season, I'm making Independence Day Resolutions to look great for the holidays. My first step is to share this with you. My second is to write down everything that I eat- more on that later. It won't be pretty, but it's a start. Care to join me?

Need Motivation? How's this...?

How's this for motivation to get your weight under control? Check out this map from the Center for Disease Control. It shows the fattening of America state by state from 1985 to 2007. Maybe all those aerobics in the 80s really did help. Maybe partying like it was 1999 didn't. Only you know what you were or weren't doing during those years, but WE, America as a country, are in trouble now. In one state, 44% of the children are obese. Not "baby" fat, not cute and chubby, obese. If that doesn't change, this kids can look forward to a life of health problems, medical bills, and missed opportunities. This warning isn't just for the kids, either. The statistics on adult obesity are even worse.

This weekend we celebrate America. Many of us remember 1976, and still find it hard to believe such an amazing country could be barely over 200 years old. We didn't go from being a colony to being the U.S.A. without some serious motivation, determination, and hard work. It's in us, no matter when your family first arrived. My husband and I are each only 2nd generation Americans, but that drive to succeed came with our ancestors who chose to make their way here from the Old Country. You have that drive too. Instead of waiting until New Year's Day, let's grab our bootstraps and decide to take on America's weight problem right now, as we celebrate America's greatness.

Got plans for the 4th of July? Great! Make them active plans. Swim, boat, fish, hike, sightsee, or play - do whatever you like! Write down how much time you and your family spend outdoors every day for a week. The average American spends less than 5% of his life outside. Let's fix that! Just an hour a day and a few extra hours on the weekend can double that, and time in the fresh air is usually active time.
Got plans to cookout for the 4th of July? Fantastic! No where else on Earth is cooking out or BBQ as universally practiced and loved as here in America. Be sure to balance the burgers with lots of healthy, low carb sides. Check out the great recipes (and personal triumphs) in one of my favorite blogs, Swallowed By a Fat Girl, for inspiration. Of course, feel free to serve some of the recipes you've seen here, too!
Got plans to party for the 4th of July? Remember, alcohol is sugar as far as low carb diets are concerned, so drink in moderation (for a number of good reasons) and keep munching healthy snacks with your cool refreshing beverages. Don't forget to drink plenty of pure, old-fashioned water, too, especially while your outside playing in the sun.

Happy 4th of July, Everyone! Happy Birthday, America!