Irish Dance Diet - A Change of Scenery

The view from my cabin last week
photo by Christy Dorrity 

It's been a few weeks since I've posted and I think it's been good for me to think about other things besides my weight.  I find that sometimes, when I am obsessing about it, I start to sabatoge myself. 

Last week I went on a writing retreat for an entire week, by myself, in a little cabin on my parent's trout ranch and resort. My loving husband worked from home to be with the kids and let me do this wonderful thing.  I ended up writing over 25,000 words in my YA novel (about Irish dance, of course). 

You would think that sitting at a desk for 8 hours a day would kill my diet, but I actually lost 2 pounds during that week! Here's why:

1-I was distracted.

When I involve myself in things I enjoy, I don't even think about eating. 

2-Because I was excited about something, I didn't use food to fill the void of boredom or entertainment. 

I was on a sort of high from doing so much creative writing that I didn't even want to eat, let alone overeat. 

3-I wasn't in the kitchen as much. 

While I was gone I packed healthy foods to have on hand, sat down to meals at my mom's table (thanks mom), and allowed myself a small treat -the key being small. I'm trying to figure out ways to apply this to my every-day life. 

4-I made a decision not to eat while I was writing. 

Mindlessly munching on chocolate covered cinnamon bears while I'm reading or writing, or watching TV is the equivalent of smearing them onto my hips!  I don't even realize I'm eating and it's not a good idea. 

5-I was surrounded by inspiring scenery.

I felt relaxed and wanted to "drink in" all of the beauty around me. It gave me a positive boost and helped me keep perspective. 

What ways do a change of scenery help you in your goals, weight loss, or otherwise?

Weight lost= It's been a few weeks and I've lost about 3 pounds

Total weight loss= 6.5

Irish Dance Diet - Do you eat in the morning or at night?

Everyone is different, some people do really well on their diets in the morning, but inhale food when the sun goes down. Others wake up starving and need the bulk of their calories at breakfast in order to make it through the day. 

This week, I tried to limit my calorie intake early in the day because I am a night time nosher. It worked pretty good.  I made sure to eat protein for breakfast and lunch to tide me over and then I had a good sized dinner. I felt more satisfied and continued to lose weight.  

Here are some ideas for you to try to see what time of day you should save those calories for. 

1-If you are a night eater, try beginning your diet day at night.  So, start counting calories right before dinner, include any night time snacks, then continue your calorie count through breakfast and lunch.  If you are normally pretty satisfied with a small lunch, you may not be as disgruntled about having a small or high veggie content lunch. This way you won't feel like you are depriving yourself. 

2-If you need a healthy breakfast to get you through the day, try pairing a carbohydrate and a protein together, a bowl of fruit and an egg, for instance.  You will get more leverage out of the calories and stay full longer. 

3-Experiment with snacks at different times of the day.  I know some people who absolutely have to have a mid-morning snack, and some who cannot make it through the dinner rush if they don't have a little something before they begin preparations. 

Knowing how your body works will go a long way to helping you be successful in your weight loss journey. 

How do you keep tabs on your body's food rhythms?  Are you a night eater or a morning eater?

*Just a note, I am so missing my Irish dance class that is on vacation for the month of July.  Anyone else relate?

Week sixteen

Weight lost= -1.0

Total weight loss= 4.4 pounds
Slow and steady wins the race!

Irish Dance Diet - Go Go Go, get that dress!

Photo: KDF dresses

I saw the dress above on KDF's facebook page and I love it.  I showed it to my husband and after his eyes bugged out at the cost, he told me that if I reach my goals, he will buy my one. How is that for motivation?

I'm happy to say that I'm finally seeing some real progress here.  It is a bit embarrassing when I look at my stats and think that I've only lost 4 pounds in thirteen weeks, but I'm only human. I guess I could be four pounds heavier after thirteen weeks, so kuddos to me. :)

So what did I do differently this week? Aside from trying hard to reign in my eating (despite a wedding and a family reunion) I have increased my physical activity. No matter what new diet comes out and claims that you can diet without counting calories, it always comes back to calories in/calories out.  So I've been doing a workout on the elliptical machine in the mornings and then a dance workout at night.  It seems to be working as long as I can control what goes in my mouth.

Calories out - calories in= weight loss.  It's that simple.


Week Thirteen

Weight lost=1 pounds

Total weight loss= 4 pounds

Irish Dance Diet - 3 levels of Performance

I went to a the Utah State Feis this past weekend. Even though I placed pretty well, I danced quite possibly the worst I ever have in competition.  And truthfully, the only reason I placed well was because there were only up to 3 dancers in each competition.  The "stage" was in a remote classroom, where only a handful of people came to watch. Still, that shouldn't be an excuse.  I just didn't have my game on to the point that I was performing.

There are three levels of performance:

1-Memorization
At this stage you are worried that you might forget a step.  An observer may be able to see it in your expression as you mental calculate what comes next.

2-Self-consciousness You are worried about what you look like to others. Are my feet turned out? Does my dress flatter my figure? How do I look when I leap?

3-Performing Now you are ready. Your steps are a natural extension of your feet and you can turn inward and give the full expression of emotion and drama to your audience. This is the time to shine. Have you ever experienced the third level of performance? How did you get there?

Week Twelve

Weight lost=.8 pounds

Total weight loss= 3 pounds

Irish Dance Diet - Every Day is a Holiday

Every time I turn, around I am eating to celebrate.  Father's Day, birthdays, reunions, 4th of July, "it's a weekend" days, "I made it through the day" days. If I am to be successful at losing and maintaining that  weight loss, I must change my perspective. After all, there are other ways to celebrate!

Here are a few tips for curbing the urge to celebrate with food:

1-When eating out, ask yourself, is this a special occasion?  If it is, splurge a little and make up for it earlier in the day or the next day.  If not, eat similar to how you would at home.

2-Find non-food ways to celebrate.  Reward yourself with a bubble bath, a new book, some great smelling lotion, or a night out at the movies.

3-Bring a healthy contribution to an event. If you are attending a reunion or party where you don't have control over the meal, bring a healthy salad for your part of the meal.  At least you know one thing that you will be able to eat. And bring some healthy portable snacks with you.  If the food selection is too high in calories, you don't actually have to eat it.  You can survive a few hours without food and the snacks you bring will tide you over.

4-Have a water in hand. Drink plenty of water all day to fill you up and keep you satisfied.  If you have a glass of water in your hand at a party, you will be less likely to snack on high calorie hors d'oeuvres.

Last week my grandmother passed away and the week was filled with funeral activities and family.  I was unable to attend dance class and only practiced a few days.  This week I have only one dance class but I have a feis on Saturday.

I realized that part of the reason why I've been stalling in weight loss is because circumstances in my life have been changing my goals.  I need to make new goals to work toward.  My new weight loss goal: ten pounds by the first week in August. For me that is a pretty ambitious goal.  In order to do so I will need to eliminate snacks and make certain that I get at least one work out in everyday, sometimes working out more than just my Irish dance classes and practice.

And my reward?  Still want to get that solo dress.

Week Eleven

Weight lost=.3 pounds

Total weight loss= 2.6 pounds

Irish Dance Diet - Don't want to? Do it anyway.

So I have a confession to make.  I didn't blog last week on purpose.  And it's because I haven't been doing very well on the weight loss end of this Irish dance diet (see stats below).

Oh, I've been going to classes and I've been practicing. But my eating has been slipping and I've been letting other circumstances get in the way of my goals.

I even considered giving up and not continuing my Irish dance diet journey. But I realize that I am better than that. And not only do I need to lose weight in order to be a better dancer, but if I don't loose the weight, I may end up with an injury that prevents me from dancing in the future.

I am feeling a bit unmotivated and I am hoping that by saying so it won't drag you down in your efforts to accomplish the goals you have set for yourself.  In fact, I am hoping that by seeing that I am human, and I struggle in my long term goals, that you will see that you are not the only one who is doing something hard, and sometimes falling short.

Even though I don't really like doing some of what needs to be done to get to my goal, I am going to do it anyway.  It may hurt, and it may be hard, but I CAN DO HARD THINGS!

And you can too.


Week Ten

Weight lost=let's just say we are starting over. :)

Total weight loss= 2.3 pounds

Irish dance diet - Summer is the best time for a healthy lifestyle change

Summer fruits
Photo: Flickr/Mrs. Magic

If you are paying attention to my Irish dance diet, you may have noticed how slooowly the weight is coming off.  Mostly it's because I am distracted by the many irons I have in the fire. But I figure a small weight loss is better than none. Seriously, I could be 4 pounds heavier than I was when I started and I'm not!

To me, summer is the perfect time to be on a diet.  The air is warm and the breeze smells like new life.

I think that it is easier to exercise in the summer because the weather is nice and I am more likely to get outside and be active.  The sun sets later and there are more hours in the day.  It is easier to drag my sorry behind out of bed in the morning if it is light outside. Swimming, hiking, biking, walking, running, dancing, whatever you love, get out and do it!

I love fruit, especially berries!  Summer fruit is such a luxury and feels like a treat to the dieting me.  Strawberries, blueberries, apricots, peaches, apples and cherries!  Is your mouth watering yet?  I do much better on my healthy eating lifestyle if I feel satisfied, and fruit helps me fill that void.

How does summertime motivate you to take better care of yourself?

Week Eight

Weight lost=.7 pounds

Total weight loss= 4.1 pounds

Irish dance diet - Step up the exercise

I used to be really motivated to lose weight and the last few years I haven't been able to muster up that enthusiasm.  I think that as my family has grown and I spend much of my time planning, cooking, storing food and the junk food makes its way into my house (how does it do that?) that I have a harder time resisting food.

Soo, I am going to up the exercise to combat the apparent lack of willpower I have to stay away from food.  I will still strive to eat healthy, don't get me wrong.  Here's my plan of attack:

1- Decide where you can fit in more exercise

I love to read, so at night I am going to spend the first half an hour of my reading time on the elliptical machine.  I won't even notice that I'm working out! I will continue to practice my Irish dancing every week day and attend my classes.  The weather is getting warmer and that means bonus walks in the evening with my husband.

2- Weigh each "extra" bite and decide if it's worth taking away from the excellent work outs I am doing.  Is a handful of Swedish fish really worth cancelling out the calories burned on the elliptical tonight (sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't)?

What kinds of exercise do you like to do, in addition to Irish Dancing?


Week Seven

Weight lost=.6 pounds

Total weight loss=3.4 pounds

Irish dance diet - What's your currency? Motivate yourself!

Irish dance solo dress
available on www.dance-again.com

I'm hitting a wall in my weight loss and it's a mental one. I can come up with excuses--being out of town, birthday parties, visiting relatives.  But in reality that is just life.  And if I want to loss weight permanently, I need some motivation!

For motivation, I've decided that because my end reward for losing 30 pounds will be an Irish dance solo dress, I will give myself $20 each time I lose one pound.  That way, I can chart my progress, reward myself along the way, and have the cash ready when I reach my ultimate goal.

So how do you motivate yourself?

1- Decide what your currency is.

What do you like for a reward?  It probably shouldn't be food related if you are trying to lose weight. If you continue to strive for your goal, reward yourself with a new book, a night out at the movies, or even simply a bubble bath.  I'm going to give myself a crisp $20 bill each time I lose a pound.

2- Create a visual reminder.

Write up what you want to accomplish or create a collage of photos that remind you of your goal.  Then put it somewhere where you will see it every day.  I am going to post a photo of a solo dress on my bathroom mirror.

3- Use the currency as an anchor.

Every time that you are tempted to slip, consciously think of the motivator.

4- Don't forget to reward yourself when you have reached your goal.

I can't wait to wear that solo dress!

Week Six

Weight lost=.3 pounds

Total weight loss=2.8 pounds

Irish dance diet - Eating healthy on the run

Staying healthy on a business trip
(and winning second place in a writing contest)
Photo: Christy Dorrity 

It's week five of the Irish dance diet and I'm steadily plodding along.

My husband and I went out of town to a conference over the weekend and it wasn't easy to eat healthy and stay focused.  I was dreading the scale when I got home, but pleased to see that I had more than maintained--I had actually lost weight.

Tips for Eating Healthy on The Run:

1-Bring your own snacks.

When you know that you won't be able to control what is offered for meals while you are away, pack some healthy alternatives.  That way, you can eat less of the calorie high dinners and go back to your room and have a healthy snack if you are still hungry.

2-Don't forget to exercise.

It may be different than what you do on a daily basis.  You can park your car and walk, take the stairs in the hotel, and take in the sights of a new city on an early morning run. Take advantage of the pool or exercise room in your hotel.

3-Mentally track what you eat.

Even if you don't have time to keep track of your eating, keep a mental tally of the high calorie foods.  If you've had a bit much, take it easy the next day.

4-Don't step on the scale just yet.

When you get home, don't step on the scale right away.  Chances are you will be up quite a bit from traveling, retaining water and extra food in your system.  Get right back on your diet and wait a day or two before you step on the scale.  You may find that you didn't gain any weight at all.

Week Five

Weight lost=1.4 pounds

Total weight loss=3.9 pounds

Irish dance diet - Working will win

Gone feising with friends at SLC feis, Utah

Working Will Win When Wishy Washy Wishing Won't

I injured myself last Monday in class while practicing for a feis. I've been working very hard to strengthen my body and learn my new dances and with a strained calf muscle I couldn't even go up on my toe.  To add insult to injury, I gained weight last week and was trying not to feel overwhelmed with the fact that I now had to lose a few extra pounds.

When set  backs happen, I struggle with wondering why am I pushing myself so hard and spending so much time working toward a goal that many people view me as too old for. I begin wondering if those naysayers are right.

I decided that I would be as positive as possible. I let my leg rest and I practiced my dances in my head. I stretched each day and continued to prepare for the feis. I ate healthy and walked for exercise.

It worked!

By Thursday I was able to dance full out, after a full warm up. I attended the feis (for the first time since I put my back out last summer) and had a great time visiting with some of my feis friends. And the icing on the cake? I lost the weight I gained plus a bit more.

In reflection I realize that if I had given up to the voices that tell me that I am too old, or I am injured, or I can't lose the weight, I would be right where I started on Monday evening. I now have momentum and confidence that my goals are attainable.

Don't give up your goals. Push forward with faith and perseverance. If your goals are realistic for you, keep at them and don't give up!

Week Four

Weight lost=1.9 pounds

Total weight loss=3 pounds

What do you do when obstacles are placed in your way? How have you overcome setbacks?

Irish dance diet - Don't get down when the scale goes up

With the type of lifestyle change that I am pursuing, there are bound to be ups and downs on the scale.  Life is not perfect--it is full of holidays, vacations, desserts and days when you just can't exercise. When the scale goes up, don't despair. Get right back in the saddle and hang on for dear life!

This week I went on vacation.  I did really well with my calorie intake for the first few days and so-so on the last few. I practiced my dances for at least an hour every day and stretched my muscles.

Today I was excited to get back to dance and my son and I rushed to our class as soon as we got home from our vacation. I injured my calf muscle in the first 15 minutes of class, possibly making it so that I can't feis this weekend. Grrr.

It would be easy to give up and say, "that lifestyle change was a good idea, but it's too hard". But I'm not going to. Sure, the scale says I'm up, but I'm not going to let it get me down. I plan to eat healthy, small portions this week and take off the bit of vacation weight I stole. In the meantime, I'm going to follow my own advice for recovering from an injury, re-posted here from an earlier post of mine.

1. Follow all of your doctors instructions. Use all prescribed medications and support products that will help speed recovery. Don't begin dancing until your doctor gives you the go ahead--even if you feel fine. 

2. Use the down time for strength training and mental conditioning.  Stretch uninjured muscles, take a walk (doctor permitting) and research new techniques. Put on some of your favorite practice music and visualize yourself dancing a perfect step. Keep your body and mind sharp and you won't even miss a beat. 

3. Take it slow. When you go back to dance class, listen to your body. If your injury starts to feel painful or strained, lower your intensity level or sit it out and observe the lesson.

If you follow your doctors instructions, use the down time for conditioning, and take it easy coming back to dance, you will be back on your feet in no time.

Week Three

Weight gained=1.6 pound
Total weight loss=1 pounds

What are your experiences with injuries as a dancer?  How do you cope when you hit a rough spot in your lifestyle change? Did it take you long to get back in the jig of things or did you have setbacks?

Irish dance diet

Irish dance diet day one

Week One-Day One

155 pounds

I'm starting something new today.  The Irish dance diet.

Yes, you heard me right.  I'm going to use Irish dance to lose my extra weight and get back into shape.

After having five babies, I've gone back to my Irish dance class. It's a bit harder to get off the floor now than it used to be and I have goals I want to accomplish in dance!

Then, last summer I slipped a disc in my back which put me out of commission for a few months.  I gained a good ten pounds from the lack of exercise. When I went back to class again I ended up with severe sciatic nerve pain that put me right down on bed rest.

It's a vicious cycle that begins with weight gain, spirals to a lack of exercise and keeps going.

So I've decided that if I'm going to accomplish not only my dance goals, but other goals in my life, I need to go for it.

Here's the plan:

Irish dance class twice a week, and dance practice at home at least three more times a week, coupled with a healthy diet that will help me get to my goals.

What are my goals?


Lose 30 pounds by September 1st
Condition myself and improve my stamina and technique in Irish dance
Drop down to the &overs and get a solo dress for competition

Why am I doing this?


I either need to bite the bullet, lose the weight and become a real dancer, or resign myself to dancing at less than my capabilities.

Wish me luck!