New Lifestyle
 

Hello, ladies! I haven't been around much since the beginning of July, and it's because I've been going through some major changes. I changed careers, moved almost 1,000 miles, and went from living on my own to living with 3 other people. Wow.

I tried to stay focused on my healthy lifestyle while going through all of this. I joined a gym as soon as I got to my new home, and I've been there almost every day. I made healthy food choices, but didn't track my calories and also indulged a time or two. Since July 6, I've gained 0.5 lbs. Not terrible, but not the direction I want the scale to be going!

So I'm back and ready to set that scale in the right direction! I lost 30+ lbs since mid-March, and I'm currently at 128.5. I would really like to be around 120ish.

I can already tell that my biggest challenge now is going to be living with other people. When I lived alone, I controlled every food item that came into the house. Now, I still buy my normal foods, but when everyone else is eating ice cream for a snack, Greek yogurt doesn't look quite as appetizing!

To stay on track, I know I'm going to have to let myself indulge a little bit every once in a while, as long as I record what I eat and make sure I go to the gym to make up for it. I'm going to have to give up perfection, which is a hard thing for me to do. But it's all about a healthy lifestyle, which can't be "all or nothing." I need to live in shades of grey!

I'm also going to try to make some yummy but healthy meals and snacks to encourage my housemates to eat better, too. It may not work, but I can always try, right?

Any other suggestions for eating well when the other people you're living with aren't doing the same?

Another challenge...I'm going on vacation this week (Wednesday through Saturday). I won't have internet access, won't have my normal foods, will be eating out often, and won't be near a gym. Have any of you been successful in similar situations? How did you do it?

Have a wonderful week, ladies! Keep up the good work!!!

I am the only one at my house trying to lose weight. I have enlisted my sons as my trainers/eating coaches. When I try to eat unhealthy, they are glad to remind me that I am trying to lose weight and suggest healthier choices. It helps when you have support. When on vacation, I still write down what I eat. You may not know the calories, but you can see what you are eating and kind of not over indulge. I also take my walking shoes and walk around the halls for laps and climb up and down the stairs. Believe me, the stairs are just as much workout as an eliptical. Have fun on vacation and hope this helps.

It's not easy being the only healthy minded person in a household. But you can do it! I mostly just try ignore what I see around me or I imagine the damage they are doing to themselves. I think "in 5-10 years he's gonna have a beer belly and really regret these choices, whereas I'm not because in 5-10 years I'm going to have been my goal weight and looking great"

The last time I went somewhere without internet access, I made sure to write down everything I ate at the time and then recorded it when I got home. Yes, I definitely went over my calories (I knew I was at the time), but at least I was still accountable by entering every bite of food into fitday.
I would try to make the healthiest choices possible, and figure out approximately what the calories might be. You can pretty much figure out that if you eat chicken, salad, fruits, etc, that you're within calories. Or, if you're eating pizza, chips, ice cream (my favorite list of foods!), you'll most likely be over calories.
Don't worry about it too much. Be conscious of what you're consuming, but don't let it ruin your fun either. Enter everything when you get home, and you'll probably be surprised with how well you did.

I made myself a little calorie book, just using excel on our home computer. I toss it in my purse whenever we are going to be away from home. It's super helpful. I usually try to stick with choices similar to those I would make at home, like fresh vs. processed foods. I try and be religious about my water intake. I also wear a pedometer. Sometimes when you're on vacation, you walk a ton, other times you don't, so you need to get a workout in some other way. We usually try and stay somewhere that has a pool and a workout room. But often the "workout" room is sort of lousy, so I hit the pool instead.

Thanks for all the tips on eating while away from home and living with others who aren't necessarily eating healthy!

I'll definitely take something to write down what I eat while on vacation. After all, people had food journals and counted calories before FitDay, so why should I use that as an excuse? Writing down what I eat with paper and pencil and at least estimating my calorie intake (should be easy after all these months on FitDay) is better than not recording what I eat at all. Thanks for reminding me of that!

I'll also make sure to get extra exercise...my vacation is on a lake, so there will be plenty of opportunities for swimming, kayaking, water skiing, etc. I'm also going to take my running shoes. As long as the weather cooperates, I should be in good shape (no pun intended). I'll start doing my anti-rain dance now. =)