Weight Loss Unexpected

Archive for December, 2009

Is it Christmas Eve already?? You know what that means. One week until the throngs of fat and not-so-fat people jump on the bandwagon, join gyms, buy diet cookies, start their Day 1, and work really hard at losing weight (for about a week). I love the feeling of renewal and the big leap in the general public’s interest in fitness, but I wish it would last past January. It will for me… how about you?

Looking back I remember how weight loss has been a part of my New Years Resolution all the way back to 1987, when I wrote in my diary that I wanted to lose something like 10 pounds (which, at the time, seemed an impossibly huge number!) I was only 18 and I weighed all of 140-143 pounds at 5′7. I got together with my best friend (who weighed about 5 pounds more than I did) and we started restricting our eating and trying to be randomly more active, in a disjointed way that only 18-year-olds can master. In 1988, I had the same resolution on my list. I still weighed the same, as my “dieting” efforts had failed. I was pretty active, walking to classes on a college campus all day, walking to and from the grocery store, running around with my friends all weekend without a car. After I resolved to lose weight, I found myself going to the college campus track to walk/jog (I think I went 2 or 3 times), the college gym to bike (once or twice), and the weight machines (once or twice… I felt ridiculous, since I was clueless about how to use them!) Finally life got busy and I gave up on dieting again. And you know why? It DID NOT AFFECT ME to weigh 140ish pounds! I fit in stylish clothes, I looked GOOD, I was able to walk long distances and run if need be and the farthest thing from my mind was worry that I wouldn’t fit in a restaurant booth or would break a lawn chair when I sat in it. I didn’t realize it at the time, but weighing 140 was OKAY. I think it was a very good weight for me and all I really needed was some strength training to firm up a bit. But I didn’t know that, so I kept making Diet Resolutions every year. Because everything around me “told” me I was Fat, and the models in the magazines did not have ANY fat around their knees, so surely since I had tangible softness on my thighs I Must Be Fat. Even if there was not a fat roll or a layer of fat on any part of my body. So I figured something was wrong with me.

In 1989, I was married. I was 20 years old that December and losing weight had been on my radar once again until a few days before New Years’ Eve when I started vomiting violently, every 15-20 minutes, round the clock for 2 days and became so weak I was in Emergency Clinic getting anti-vomiting meds. Turns out I was pregnant! Weight loss went on the back burner until nine months and 25 pounds later when my son was born. And don’t you know that without ANY effort on my part, my body returned to 140 pounds within a matter of weeks! Do you think maybe my body knew what it was doing, keeping me at 140 pounds from the time I was 16, EVEN after having a baby? And yet, I argued with my body. No, I am Fat. I have soft thighs. They MUST go!

I never got a chance to diet in 1990 because within a couple months of my son being born, I was pregnant AGAIN (planned), so on New Years’ Eve 1990, I was happily pregnant and planning to lose weight AFTER the baby was born. He was due on my son’s first birthday and we couldn’t be happier. When this much loved and wanted baby was lost four months along, that is when the weight problems came crashing down (up). I had gained weight already during the pregnancy, and after the baby was gone from my body, it seemed my mind and body both rebelled and continued to gain weight as if I were still pregnant. Depression, anger, being told I’d probably not have more children because of medical issues caused by the loss and surgery, all these combined and I began to turn to food, became a recluse emotionally and didn’t even notice that I weighed 168 pounds until I finally became pregnant again, lost a twin, and had my second child in 1992. I’d gained about 20 pounds again during the pregnancy but after I gave birth my body automatically reverted to its new “normal”: 168. This is when I started actively dieting with programs, classes, exercise, etc. And every year since then, I resolved to lose weight:

New Years Resolutions:
January 1, 1993: Weighed around 170, resolved to Lose Weight. Instead, had a baby again this year!
January 1, 1994: Weighed around 180, resolved to lose weight! Instead, I gained and got up to 199 before freaking out and starting a healthy eating and walking program. It worked! I lost 34 pounds.
January 1, 1995: Weighed around 165, resolved to lose weight! Instead, got pregnant and ended the year 9 months pregnant and 201 pounds.
January 1, 1996: Oh yes, I will lose weight this year! Joined a gym, started eating healthy and walking 4 miles a day, and got down to 174 pounds.
January 1, 1997: Oops, I gained weight: 187 pounds. I will surely lose weight this year! I did lose weight, but then started gaining again…
January 1, 1998: 227 pounds?? What happened?? A divorce? Oh. Well, I better drop some weight, right? Resolved to Lose Weight This Year!
January 1, 1999: 245 pounds? This is not going as I had planned…
January 1, 2000: 262 pounds!! Okay, I am serious, I WILL lose weight this year!!

And on it went, with my reaching 270 pounds, dieting down to 237 pounds, back up to 278 in 2005… down to 257 and up to 280 in 2007.

You can see how New Years’ Resolutions have helped me.

Now, I just focus on some other “project” I want to accomplish during the coming year and try to make a plan for THAT to succeed. Because this losing weight thing, for me, no longer has a start point or an end point. Eating healthy and exercising just IS. It’s an effort I make daily because it is part of who I am. It is an integral part of my life, not an on-again, off-again thing. I have good days and bad days. But I have FAR more good, healthy, on-plan days than bad anymore.

Well, if you need a start point, New Years’ Day is as good as any. But make it your LAST start point. Not a yearly tradition.

Merry Christmas, and may the coming year be blessed for you and yours.

Ahhhh, what a week it’s been! Crazy good times and insane exhaustion. This week I made seven — yes SEVEN — kinds of Christmas cookies (all the same ones I made last year, of course… tradition!) and two kinds of fudge. Then, in the mail, came 2 huge bricks of expensive dark chocolate, a couple of fancy candy bars, a pound of hand-dipped chocolates, and some really delicious-looking cheese gifts. Wow! And the treat plates from the neighbors haven’t even started rolling in yet. Husband bought a couple pounds of cheese, summer sausage, cartons of eggnog, bagels, bacon, etc. A lot of it I have not touched (especially that eggnog!! So NOT worth the calories… although I do enjoy a splash of LIGHT eggnog on my pumpkin oatmeal once in awhile!) I also took the littlest one to see Santa one day, took the kids to see the real reindeer in town another day, spent a LOT of time shopping (I am a major procrastinator on the Christmas shopping!) and finished decorating the living room (as I said… procrastinator!) I’ve been so busy for the last 2 days that I did not get out to take a walk EVEN THOUGH it was sunny and in the 40’s and gorgeous weather. I wanted to. It really bothered me that I didn’t get to. But I felt like if I didn’t get that shopping, baking, and Santa-ing done NOW, I’d pay for it later. However, I did learn my lesson that had I not put it all off til the last minute, I could’ve been outside in the sunshine for two days rather than just gazing longingly out the window as I cooked and cleaned and wrapped presents. I am just hoping for ONE more nice day before the gloom and ice returns. I really want to get outside!

I also seem to be coming down with the same sickness I had last week AGAIN. It makes no sense. I was sick for a week and a half, then better for a couple of days, and now I feel like crap again. Feels like sinuses. Bad headache. So maybe I need to get in to a doctor soon. I am tired of feeling sick!

It doesn’t help that a lot of those cookies and candies and crap have made their way into my mouth. I can usually handle a serving of sugary food after a healthy meal, but when the cookies BECOME the meal… meal after meal… I start feeling icky. I honestly haven’t had the restraint I thought I’d have with this stuff. Stopped counting calories a couple days ago. As of yesterday, I still weighed 227. Today I didn’t weigh, but I think I better turn this around before I end up gaining weight. I haven’t “had time” (aka MADE time) to bike, either. Time to get my act together, eh?

Tomorrow, Wednesday, I will do right by myself and eat healthy meals and bike and get outside a bit. I hope I start feeling better because, IMO, I am “sick” way too much. I believe my stress level contributes significantly to my immune system’s strength or weakness, and this has been a very stressful month. I’ll take some vitamins and get myself to bed early tonight, and plan a really great day tomorrow. Because tomorrow is no different from any other day, and I have had enough cookies for this season. Well, I take that back. I really, really like the sugar cookies…

Will return with a good report tomorrow
How about you?

Today is a special day. It’s Winter Solstice! Days have been getting shorter and shorter since mid-summer, but from now on they will start to get longer again. I couldn’t be happier about that. And whether the marking of the *literal* solstice matters to you or not, perhaps you can appreciate, as I do, the simple concept that from today on out, things are just going to get brighter.

Today is the darkest day you’ll have to deal with for another full year. Tomorrow the daylight will be a few minutes longer, and the next day, a few minutes more. Every day, week by week, you’ll have more and more time with the sun, longer days, less darkness. It’s good for your mood and energy level. But it’s also nice in a figurative sense. I’ve been really struggling emotionally this week because of many stressful things that I have “let” bother me: financial issues, health concerns, not having my oldest son here for Christmas (he is heading to college in January, though, so that makes me proud), missing my father who died 20 years ago this month, marital issues, recovering from my illness, and teenager-behavior concerns. Each thing is like a splinter (some are more like porcupine quills) that, if not taken care of properly, continue to work their way deeper and deeper, causing a lot of discomfort and infection. I am itching to get these issues resolved and return to my desired state of happiness. Some are more difficult to remedy than others… but generally I’d say that today I am more *down* in mood than I have been all year. That’s pretty much par for the course though; this time of year often troubles me a bit, with its combination of short days, gloomy skies, being housebound, and emotional crap that pops up in December.

Anyway, today I am breathing a true and literal sigh of relief for the Winter Solstice. I feel SO much more hopeful knowing that the darkest days are behind us and that things will only get better and brighter from today on out. I look forward to each day getting longer and building up through spring and summer and a return to warmth and sunshine and flowers and green. I can hardly wait! I am actually excited to have a fresh start of sorts today. I need it, mentally. I want to savor the optimism I hold that not only days, but life itself is going to just get better and brighter from here.

Weight this morning: 227.

Everyday people struggle with losing weight- Some use the so called best weight loss pills, some use other diet pills but for sure everybody is struggling to lose weight some want to struggle to lose weight without any effort. Some people resort to training exercises. Training exercises contained here are from a single class, fast, easy, and most importantly, work very well. If I remember correctly, the training is approximately 80% of the success of those who want to burn fat fast. The exercises allow you to increase lean muscle mass, which burns more fat, thereby creating a calorie deficit without even reduce the amount they consume.
Note that you must have a calorie deficit of 3,500 calories per week to lose fat ½ Kg.Of course, my suggestion is to follow a healthy eating plan, parallel to the exercise routine to burn fat.
The exercise routine occupies most one hour a week of your time, but these exercises are very intense super short and help burn more fat than single joint exercises. Unlike most exercises that require you to perform lots of sets of each exercise, Fat incinerator system only asks you to do a series. The key to these sets of short distance is the speed of the repetitions for each exercise has its own rhythm, ie, three seconds to lift the weight and four seconds to lower the weight. Well, after doing the exercises, I realized that really give you great results, much quicker than others.Probably the most important thing to lose weight is to make a plan and to stick to it. No point jumping from one plan to another. People use all sorts if things and experiment with all sorts of pills, exercises before there realize that there is no magic quick fix- You have to work towards it.

I’m sure you’re really busy this weekend. It’s the last weekend before Christmas. I personally am going insane trying to finish my Christmas shopping with the kids all home from school and none of the items I have rain checks for ever actually being available for purchase. So anyway, with all the chaos (or, alternately, the loneliness and isolation; I know some of you are alone for the holidays and it just sucks), what are you doing for *you* this weekend?

Will you improve your health or make it worse this weekend?
Will you lose or gain weight?
Are you caring for your body and your emotions?
Are you making things better for yourself or spiraling down into a pit?

Today is the only day you have. Look in the mirror. What do you need? What do you see?

Don’t let yourself get lost in the joy OR the sadness to the point of letting your body or your mental health deteriorate. It’s tough sometimes but we gotta remember to take care of ourselves, whether we are busy or not, stressed or not, crying or not.

I wish you peace and clarity and the calm and strength to mold your life into what you want it to be. You can do it! One moment at a time.