October 02, 2019

'Tis the Season for Weight Loss


(The above picture is from 2017, in case you're wondering if I've lost 30 pounds in the last 3 days, hahaha)

I know that I am only on the third day of calorie counting (and running again), so it's way too soon to say that I'm going to stick with it to get these extra pounds off. However, I started thinking about what makes things different each time I attempt to lose weight.

Fall has always been the best time for me when it comes to sticking with an eating and exercise plan. Summer is the hardest.

Fall is coincidentally my favorite season. I love everything about it! The crisp air, the changing colors, wearing hoodies, having bonfires, cooking lots of soup... it's fantastic. So, I think that because it's my favorite season and I am so happy with all those things, I tend not to eat for emotional reasons. I'm typically a happier person in the fall.

Katie and Eli at bonfire


I think that the reason fall has so much to do with it is because it's the busiest time of year for me. The kids go back to school, so I'm getting them up and ready and driving them to and from. I coach cross country (in the past, we always started practices in mid-August, but this year, I started in mid-July, so it was a busy summer as well).

Cross country takes up way more time than it actually needs to--I just love doing it, especially all the nerdy stuff. I'm embarrassed to even say how many spreadsheets I have for this season! Hahaha.

After each practice and race, I enter a bajillion numbers into my spreadsheets (not just to keep track of results and all that, but also for the points system I have going this year--it has been so helpful in keeping the kids motivated).

Katie and Renee watching the start of cross country race

The season is over two weeks from today! That just seems so crazy how fast it went by.

Anyway, staying busy with cross country has definitely kept me busy and when I'm busy, I have less time to think about food and eat for reasons other than hunger.

I also tend to go through hypomanic episodes in the fall, and that helps with weight loss (when hypomanic, I never want "waste" the time to eat!) but hypomania has so many bad side effects as well. Not worth the weight loss. Since starting my bipolar meds in 2017, my mood has been pretty stable.

If you picture a roller coaster, while I'm on my meds the hills and valleys are very small; before my meds, a hypomanic episode was like the peak of a huge roller coaster and a depressive episode was at the very bottom. I still have ups and downs, but nothing like they were before.

With the cool, crisp air in the fall, I'm also much more likely to run. I love running in the late fall and early winter when it's cold enough to wear my "ninja clothes" as I like to call them (long sleeves and pants).

Katie wearing "ninja" running clothes

(Man, I wish I was back at that weight... I was 133-ish in this picture, I think. It was from late 2017.)

Right now, I'm too self-conscious to wear my ninja clothes (if I could even fit into them!). Maybe, if I stick with this weight loss attempt, I'll be able to wear them again in a few months. This one was from last fall:

post-run selfie

One thing that I need to plan for is when I'm NOT super busy. When cross country ends in two weeks, I'm going to have 3-4 evenings a week where I won't have practice or a meet, AND I won't be spending a few hours on the computer each week working on cross country stuff.

Last year, I was super busy remodeling the house. I would like to work on the outside of the house, but wintertime isn't exactly the best time to do that. The laundry room is our final room that needs to be remodeled, so perhaps I'll work on that. It's going to be tough, because we have the washer, dryer, and furnace in there, which are all too big to move around. And the room is fairly small.

Several of the kids on my cross country team have asked about continuing to run through the winter. I'd love to do something like that, but it takes up a lot of time, and I think I'd want to be paid for it. It's an option, at least.

And if you haven't noticed, I've been blogging more! My goal last month was to blog every day, and while I didn't do that, I did blog a heck of a lot more than if I hadn't set that goal. I am going to try again to do it this month.

I have a book of writing prompts (random questions) so if I can't think of anything to write about, I'll just choose a writing prompt. Blogging keeps me super busy and the time goes by way too fast when I'm doing it!

Well, Jerry and I are going on a date night tonight... to see Friends at the theater!! They are showing four episodes of Friends on the big screen, and you all know that we are pretty much the biggest Friends fans ever--so I'm very excited about going. We never go out on dates anymore! And what could be more "us" than going to see Friends? :)


3 comments:

  1. Katie- I totally feel your struggle....I gained 15-20 lbs with a pain medication for my fibromyalgia....I have been taken off of it, but the weight doesn't want to leave. Ugh. I agree with you, though....Fall is the best and hopefully we can both have a successful few months to get back on track.

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  2. I don't think any season is easy for me to lose weight, but maybe summer is the easiest. I'm able to walk outside and I'm more active. That sounds like fun to see Friends at the theater.

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  3. I agree, some seasons of our lives are so much easier for losing weight than others. Right now I'm on a schedule where I'm away from home & running from here to there almost every day of the week. It's been so much easier to keep my weight down and eat moderately. Versus the summer where it seemed like every evening was a "special event" with steak, ribs, or hamburgers on the menu.
    Well best wishes to a healthy fall for you!

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I used to publish ALL comments (even the mean ones) but I recently chose not to publish those. I always welcome constructive comments/criticism, but there is no need for unnecessary rudeness/hate. But please--I love reading what you have to say! (This comment form is super finicky, so I apologize if you're unable to comment)

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