Habits in Creative Chaos

[Mist Cloudhunter]

 

Hi, everyone, I'm new and here for my first challenge.

 

A little about me: I'm a stay-at-home mom and an author. I'm married with two children, and I pay my bills writing urban fantasy novels. I'm a Marvel and DC fan. Also Doctor Who, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate, Harry Potter, Supernatural, World of Warcraft... pretty much all the sci-fi and fantasy, in all forms. I'm not entirely inactive (kids, y'all, and the need to chase them), but my eating habits are awful and I weigh 203lbs. I'm 32 years old, and I'm worrying my weight will cause health problems down the line.

 

My challenges: My kids are four and two. My spouse is genetically gifted with a great metabolism. As a consequence, we have a lot of food around that's fine for them and not great for me. My four-year-old attends pre-school (3 days a week) this fall and both kids intermittently have other activities (mainly swim classes, which I also participate in). My spouse works from home some days, across town on others, and is sometimes out of town for days. This results in a jumbled schedule that makes routines hard to keep. Without routines, we have few habits. 

 

I need habits.  Healthy ones. My spouse is out of town this week, and in the absence of his added non-routine, I'm hoping to root my habits deep enough that they survive his return on Friday.

 

After trying and failing several times to get a handle on my eating, I've decided to go nuclear on the two meals a day that I struggle with most: I'm going to do calorie-controlled shakes for breakfast and lunch. Dinner-to-bedtime is the only routine we have been able to keep consistent, and it's the time of day I am least likely to overeat.

So, out of Hazard's "read first" thread, here are my big goals: I want to lose 40lbs and up my daily writing goal to 3k words a day.

 

Here are my smart goals:

 

1) I will wake up every day and make my breakfast and lunch shakes first thing. That way they're ready to go and easily accessible before the day spirals into "grab and go" snacks.

 

2) I will establish clean up times during the day: before every meal and before we leave the house. We've fallen into a bad pattern of "leave it until tonight" that results in hours of cleanup after the kids go to bed.  Those are my work hours (when I write). No words on the page means no novels, and no novels means no paycheck. Until the writing starts paying for a maid I need to do it myself.

 

3) I will be accountable by checking in here.

 

And that's it. If I can do four weeks sticking to these rules, I'll be in a good place to start building on my habits.  It's nice to meet you all, and I look forward to seeing you around. :)

 

[MizMarvel]

Oh man, do I hear you about needing habits!  I am such a creature of consistency and if I don't put the effort into having a solid routine I am screwed.  (I haven't been putting the effort in lately, and oh man am I screwed right now.)

 

You've got some great goals there, nice and achievable.  Can't wait to follow along!

[Jupiter]

Yay, more writers! I love reading UF, what are your books about? 

 

Those are great goals! Good luck and it's nice to meet you.  

[redgrill18]

Yes on the habits!  My maternity leave just devolved into a giant mess of chaos on the habits front as I spent the day trying to deal with one need of the baby after another.   

Love your goals! Especially tackling the 'hard' meals, that's one of my strategies too.  We ended up just doing Blue Apron for dinners b/c we have to use them up and it keeps us from devolving into takeout every night b/c we're incapable of throwing together a healthy dinner on the fly at the end of a long day.

 

[Mist Cloudhunter]

Thanks for the welcome, everyone!  Jupiter, lol, I suspected I would find some other writers here. It can be very sedentary work. I've got a treadmill desk that I should use more than I do. I write series and I've got somewhere around 25 books published. I write everything from telepaths and Morgan le Fay to classic witches/werewolves/vampires/demons, usually with a mystery element. 

 

Checking in here, and things are going okay--not great.  We were out of the house today and I forgot to take my shake for lunch. So, I guess I'm subbing dinner instead.  Onward to tomorrow.

[Mist Cloudhunter]

Daily check in (for Wednesday): I had everything cleaned up in time for writing last night, and then my free hours were consumed by water in the basement. We apparently have a leaky window. I spent my evening moving things around to prevent damage *grumble, grumble*. I did get my notes and outline together for my current project, and my goal is to do all of my project review today so I'm ready to start writing tonight.

 

I also hit a hurdle this morning because I forgot to start the dishwasher last night. As a result, I didn't have the stuff I use to make my daily shakes. I put together a calorie controlled substitute instead of the shake, started the wash, and I'm hoping to be back on track by lunch. 

 

CHeck in for Thursday: I was pretty sure internet gremlins ate my post for yesterday, and then found it saved here (witchcraft?). Today I got back on track and nailed every single goal. My husband gets back tomorrow, so wish me luck! I'm settling in to write this evening. I have a hard deadline with my editor and half a novel to finish before the 31st.

[Jupiter]

On 8/14/2018 at 2:17 PM, Mist Cloudhunter said:

Thanks for the welcome, everyone!  Jupiter, lol, I suspected I would find some other writers here. It can be very sedentary work. I've got a treadmill desk that I should use more than I do. I write series and I've got somewhere around 25 books published. I write everything from telepaths and Morgan le Fay to classic witches/werewolves/vampires/demons, usually with a mystery element. 

 

Checking in here, and things are going okay--not great.  We were out of the house today and I forgot to take my shake for lunch. So, I guess I'm subbing dinner instead.  Onward to tomorrow.

 

Wow, 25 books, that's neat! They sound really cool.

 

 

[Jupiter]

4 minutes ago, Mist Cloudhunter said:

CHeck in for Thursday: I was pretty sure internet gremlins ate my post for yesterday, and then found it saved here (witchcraft?). Today I got back on track and nailed every single goal. My husband gets back tomorrow, so wish me luck! I'm settling in to write this evening. I have a hard deadline with my editor and half a novel to finish before the 31st.

 

Very nice! Good luck.  

[Mist Cloudhunter]

Today went great on the cleaning front, and okay on the diet front. I had to pick up my husband from the airport with my kids in tow (it's an hour away in normal traffic--we did it in rush hour), and he was starving so we got fast food for dinner.  I have one scheduled fast food meal a week because it's too easy to overeat, which I did. I'll plan better tomorrow.

[RES]

Life happens, nice job rolling with it!

25 books? I need names...and links if possible!    I love to read

[redgrill18]

On 8/17/2018 at 11:43 PM, Mist Cloudhunter said:

I had to pick up my husband from the airport with my kids in tow (it's an hour away in normal traffic--we did it in rush hour), and he was starving so we got fast food for dinner.

I have this problem with my hubby and airport pickup too (although my airport trip is WAY shorter) b/c he's terrible about feeding himself on the go.  His pickup is usually around 11-1130pm so I either order a healthier takeout and eat mine earlier (usually sushi) or make a healthy dinner and bring his portion with a fork for him to shovel down when he arrives. 

[Soular]

On 8/17/2018 at 11:43 PM, Mist Cloudhunter said:

Today went great on the cleaning front, and okay on the diet front.

Heyo, joined the thread to say congrats on the progress! 

On 8/17/2018 at 11:43 PM, Mist Cloudhunter said:

I have one scheduled fast food meal a week because it's too easy to overeat, which I did. I'll plan better tomorrow.

It's a smart move to give yourself a day of leeway when it comes to dieting (or any habit). In the long run, your results are what you do consistently, and 1 day a week of loosening up the diet helps the mind relax a bit, too!

What are you planning in terms of diet, if I might ask? I'm trying for a meal prep solution to keep things convenient. 

[Mist Cloudhunter]

I'm here, I'm sorry--"creative chaos" and lacking a schedule, as the post implies, haha.  Keeping the house clean is going great, and I'm still sticking to my goals of making and consuming shakes for breakfast and lunch, but I'm having a more difficult time with snacking. I need strategies for managing my diet distruptive SO who spontaneously wants to go somewhere or stay out longer than planned, thus resulting in eating fast food. Anyone?

 

On 8/19/2018 at 3:44 PM, RES said:

Life happens, nice job rolling with it!

25 books? I need names...and links if possible!    I love to read

Thank you! I'll send you a private message (as soon as I figure out how to do that).

 

On 8/20/2018 at 7:38 AM, redgrill18 said:

I have this problem with my hubby and airport pickup too (although my airport trip is WAY shorter) b/c he's terrible about feeding himself on the go.  His pickup is usually around 11-1130pm so I either order a healthier takeout and eat mine earlier (usually sushi) or make a healthy dinner and bring his portion with a fork for him to shovel down when he arrives. 

Thanks for the idea! I'm going to try that. I have to pick him up again later this week. 

 

On 8/21/2018 at 12:56 PM, Soular said:

Heyo, joined the thread to say congrats on the progress! 

It's a smart move to give yourself a day of leeway when it comes to dieting (or any habit). In the long run, your results are what you do consistently, and 1 day a week of loosening up the diet helps the mind relax a bit, too!

What are you planning in terms of diet, if I might ask? I'm trying for a meal prep solution to keep things convenient. 

 

Exactly. I find it a lot easier saying "no" to fast food when I know I can have it again on "the day". In terms of diet I'm doing calorie controlled shakes for breakfast and lunch. It's not one particular recipe, but I stick to 180-220 calories per shake with high protein and/or fiber as the goal to control appetite. I'm not currently putting any restrictions on dinner, but I do avoid refined carbs because I crash afterward. I have about 45 dinners that I have auto-scheduled on my calendar, so I wake up every morning already knowing what I need to defrost, prep, or chuck in the instant pot for that night. Having them all on my calendar allows me to keep a tighter rein on my food budget: there's less impulse buying, because everything we're going to need for the week is already listed out. It also allows me to schedule the less healthy meals less often. I set up things like grilled chicken as a recurring event every week vs. fried chicken recurring once a month.

[Jupiter]

Keep a cooler in your car with healthy snacks? 

 

Oh I didn't know we could do private messages! Could you send me one too? I'd love to check out your books.

[redgrill18]

So as far as snacking, my nutritionist wanted every meal for me to have at least 300 calories (I'm 5'2'' and about 160 lbs for reference) or I'd end up binge eating and it definitely helped a lot when I started making a point of 300+ for breakfast instead of just grabbing a yogurt or something.  She wasn't a huge fan of snacking; she'd rather I eat three great macro'd meals that fully satisfy me and then let my stomach fully empty instead of throwing food on top of partially digested food all the time.  If you're having cravings maybe up the smoothies by adding some fat to help and up the calorie count a little and see if it helps?  I do still snack in the afternoon usually to avoid bad decisions on my drive home.  Ideally I'd do a veggies w/ PB or a dip, or some cheese and veggies but often this time of year I just grab a peach b/c they're SO GOOD.  If I make it home and am starving before dinner I have a glass of whole milk.

[juliebarkley]

Hey, just checking in. Is your house still keeping together? Are you resisting the siren song of fast food?

[Mist Cloudhunter]

I'm still here, everyone, I've been under voluntary internet restriction because I'm trying to hit a hard deadline to get a manuscript to my editor. I did something I never do, and I tell everyone else not to do it, but I did it anyway because the series had a popular response and I was being dumb... I promised the next book would be done by Halloween. I need to get it to my editor by the 15th, or preferably the 11th. So I shut off my distractions (i.e. the internet) to facilitate more butt-in-chair and hands-on-keyboard action.

 

I am resisting the siren song, juliebarkley, thanks for asking!  I upped my calories for my morning shake, and that's helping some. I'm eating more salad--like, *a lot* more salad. I've found that consuming more caffeine has helped significantly with the cravings, but it also wreaks havoc on my sleep schedule.  (My husband is sitting next to me on the couch eating Ruffles and gummi bears, bless his supportive heart...)

 

Anyway, I will be around. Moreso after I finish this manuscript.

[RES]

On 9/8/2018 at 7:31 PM, Mist Cloudhunter said:

I promised the next book would be done by Halloween

This is also my birthday...I would like to request a link to this series  I'll send you a PM, all you have to do is reply!  

[Mist Cloudhunter]

It's been a long while, but I'm back. Here's what happened:

 

I was a long-term member of another forum, and that forum basically imploded. I lost my usual haunt and friends (writing is lonely work--no watercooler). I stopped writing. I crocheted four blankets and a slew of hats and scarves shaped like dragons and other woodland creatures because my fingers get constipated without a keyboard. 

 

I broke all of my old habits. I made new ones. It took me two months to realize I was at least mildly depressed and mourning the loss of my online community.

 

I'm ready to res, and this time with a few new data points. When I stopped writing, I realized that writing had become my excuse for everything. I didn't exercise because Writing. I snacked at the computer because Writing. I didn't have time to clean because Writing. Can't go out today, Writing. After all, writing pays my bills, so it was an easy excuse. But when I stopped, I immediately and consistently more than doubled my daily steps on fitbit. The house got cleaner, and things that had been sitting on my to do list for months got done. I stopped snacking.

 

And, as I previously mentioned, I still managed to do a buttload of crocheting. I think I got more done while slacking off than I ever did while working my hardest. That tells me that while writing was always my excuse, it was never my problem. 

 

Now I'm feeling it's time to put the crochet down (at least part-time--turns out that busy hands = less snacking), pick my writing back up, and try again. I'll post my revised goals at the start of the next 4 week challenge.

 

 

 

 

[Jupiter]

15 hours ago, Mist Cloudhunter said:

Now I'm feeling it's time to put the crochet down (at least part-time--turns out that busy hands = less snacking), pick my writing back up, and try again. I'll post my revised goals at the start of the next 4 week challenge.

 

[RES]

On 11/17/2018 at 11:36 PM, Mist Cloudhunter said:

I immediately and consistently more than doubled my daily steps on fitbit. The house got cleaner, and things that had been sitting on my to do list for months got done. I stopped snacking.

Not a bad problem to have  I may need to reevaluate my excuses 

[Mist Cloudhunter]

I'm back to try again.  My thread under the current challenge is here: https://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/112251-lets-try-this-dance-again/&tab=comments#comment-2442506