Here are a few facts. If you see me walking down the street, you won’t say, wow look how fat that guy is. I fit in my own airplane seat, even in coach, and I don’t have to shop for clothes at the big man’s store. Still, I don’t know what it is… a combination of being 41, making enough money to afford food, and who knows what else…. the truth is, I’ve gotten a little chunky. 🙂
I think our last cruise aboard Allure of the Seas finally helped me see the light. I actually worked at not gaining any weight and staying well hydrated. Nonetheless, I did put on 2 pounds. Big deal. What really did it for me was seeing several people who suffered from mobility issues. Lots of scooters. Now, don’t send me a bunch of hate mail. I know there’s any kind of illness in the world that could negatively impact the mobility of a person, but the truth of it is that most of the people I saw who were having challenges were overweight. A few were downright morbidly obese. I’d seen enough.
I am a Type 1, insulin-pumping, diabetic, and every extra pound I carry makes it just a tiny bit more difficult to manage my diabetes. I haven’t had any real issues or complications with diabetes and I aim to keep it that way. Not to mention, rest assured that it is a lifelong goal of mine to live longer than my father who unfortunately passed away at age 48 (I was 14). It’s time to not only tread water with good health, it’s time to get serious!
What have I done? You can bet that I have not downloaded any internet diets. What I have done is pay much closer attention to what I’m eating, and drinking. Portion control is key. And while I’m no boozer, most everyone knows I love a little red wine from time to time. I’m eating better. On the exercise front, I rejoined my local gym AND maintained my membership at the gym provided by my employer. I’ve made it a point to exercise at least 5 days a week. The results? The first week, nadda. No weight lost, no weight gained. However, over the last 2 weeks I’ve dropped a whopping 5 pounds. 🙂 Hey, it’s a start.
I’ve also been off the road during this time. Now, it’s time to get back at it, and I know traveling will be a special challenge. Eating at restaurants every night can be difficult, but I think I can do it right by focusing on the things I’ve been working on, portion control and exercise. It may be tough, but I don’t want to just not gain any weight this week, I’d really like to drop a pound or 2….even on the road. Can I do it? We’ll see. I’m sure I’m not the only business traveler who has a little weight to drop. Any tips and tricks to share for staying healthy and fit on the road?
You should shake up your workout routine. Why not try a Zumba class. You know a FABULOUS instructor!
MJ, I share your fondness for wine and ‘chunky’ would be an accurate description too. My rule with wine, especially on flights is I have to drink a big glass of water (pref sparkling) for every glass of wine. It limits the volume I can consume 🙂 if you get and good tips for traveling and exercising you could probably make a fortune!
I actually just lost >20lbs this summer and this is my advice:
Stay away from chain restaurants as much as possible as even food that you think might be good for you usually isn’t because of the massive amounts of crap they put in it. Stick to more local places where you know they prepared almost everything right in the back.
I followed the Weight Watchers diet (based in part because of the commercial where the guy talks about picking up a 50lb dumb bell and seeing how heavy it was) and it taught me to actually look at food in a new light. It taught me what is healthy and what isn’t even though I thought I already knew that for the most part.
I also thought that eating a breakfast bar in the morning was a great way to get going. It’s easy to pack in a suitcase and it really kept my mind off food for several hours even though it wasn’t very much.
Keep at it and good luck!