I hit another milestone number on the scale today.
Today I weigh the same as I did when I got married. Just shy of seventeen years later. I am sure my weight went straight up just after the wedding, and I haven’t seen this number since.
Is my body the same? No. Pregnancy and many other things have happened since then, not to mention just a lot of time being very overweight which leaves its mark. But I’m working on shaping this body into the best it can be right now.
This was also the weight I randomly put into myfitnesspal when I started tracking last year. I had to choose something, and 185 seemed good enough. I don’t really know if I ever thought I would get there. Goals are not my strong point.
This week I’ll think about a new number and other goals. I’ll try to be more mindful about it. But in the mean time…a quick reflection on one thing I have noticed lately.
As I’ve gotten further into tracking, my eating has gotten simpler and simpler. My shopping list has gotten shorter and shorter.
Basically, most weeks look like this:
-Chicken (lots – ground / boneless skinless breast / tenderloins / rotisserie)
-Lean ground beef
-Vegetables for roasting (butternut squash, brussels sprouts, broccoli, onion, etc.)
-Yogurt – low to no fat, high protein
-Creamer
-Lowfat Cheese
-Sparkling water
-Then, if I need to replenish: extra thin corn tortillas, garlic & seasoning, carbs like PopCorners or Captain Crunch (yes, you read that right!), Fairlife milk, protein shakes Yasso bars, etc. These are more accessories than essentials.
Sunday morning meal prep starts with roasting a huge pan of vegetables (see above). I make my Mike Nuggets for my whole week’s lunches. Then I make one or two other varieties of chicken – crock pot fajitas, Mason’s Naked Tenders (great for the girl who chronically overcooks chicken), etc. I also cook some ground beef to season as needed.
Most dinners during the week are just measuring and assembling these building blocks. Veggies, meat, maybe some cheese if it works with my numbers (although my numbers are pretty much the same each day when I get to dinner, unless I am super hungry in the afternoon and have half an ace bar.) Nothing too fancy. If I go out I have Chick-fil-a or Zoe’s Kitchen or an omelet with veggies and wheat toast, butter on the side. End of story, most of the time.
Is it simple? Yes.
Is it easy? No.
Simple and easy are very different things, I’m realizing. I used to think they were synonymous.
Simple is keeping the moving parts minimal. Staying in a routine. Welcoming boredom, even. Leaving little room to think about it. Deciding to stick with the plan.
Easy is more about effort and choice, I think. I still pack my same breakfasts and lunches every. single. day. Simple. But, it would be easy to hit the drive-thru on the way to work. It would be easy to indulge in the staggering amount of food – mostly fat and carbs – I am offered working at my school in a given week, and have to resist. (Someday I will blog about that.) It would be easy to take it slow on Sunday mornings instead of cranking up the oven and meal-prepping like mad. It would be easy to drive-thru (again) in one of the hundred restaurants I pass when I am hungry on my way home. It would be easy to grab a beer when I am stressed or frustrated or anxious. It would be easy to sleep in or skip the gym when I have it scheduled but I’m tired.
All these things are easy but, ultimately, they make life more complicated. They distract me from my goals.
Will doing what’s simple most of the time ever come easy? I have to think so. I am getting closer to seeing food as fuel and not entertainment or comfort. The gym is hard for me to resist unless I simply cannot make it. Still, I am not always successful at resisting what is easy. Sometimes I give in and just do what’s right in front of me, even if it goes against what I am trying to accomplish in the long run. But I am working on it. Until then, I’ll simply choose the harder path as often as I can. And set a new goal to shoot for, so I can earn my confetti again.
2 Chicks and a blog 