Off weeks

This week has been a bit busier than last week and consequently I was not able to get to the gym as many times as i would have liked. Since my weight loss goals have not changed, I have had to make some changes in other areas, as not to undo the work I have done thus far.

When it comes down to it, if you want to lose weight (or in my case, inches from my waist), there is only one way. There must be a calorie deficit. Meaning quite simply:

Calories burned must be > than calories consumed.

This can get tricky when you are unable to make it to the gym, but here are a few adjustments I made this week:

-Portion control:
This is big! Just because the food is in front of you, does NOT mean you have to eat it ALL. If you're eating out, before you start eating, divide your meal in half. Eat only half. If you're home, use the small salad size plates so you don't overfill it.

-Walk more:
I knew I was not going to make it to the gym the second half if the week, so I took long brisk walks on those off days. The weather has been freezing, but I knew it would be the only way to keep my calorie deficit going. Here are things I did: got off the bus a stop or two earlier and walked the extra blocks, quickened my pace when walking to the bus, took a short walk at lunch, walked each day while on vacation in Bend.

-Drink more water:
This one is easily the hardest for me to do consistently. Drinking water gives you the sensation of being full.

I guess I will know exactly how successful I was when I weight/measure on Monday. The fact is, getting to the gym 5x/week is difficult and I cannot have the mentality that I go to the gym so I can eat what I want. I have to take responsibility over what I consume- especially on weeks like this one.