10 posts tagged “weight loss”

I forgot to weigh on the 1st and the 2nd this month, so I weighed today.  I finally bought a scale for our house, so I don't have to wait until I'm at work to weigh any more.  I also can weigh with no clothes on, which means I totally lost weight this month.  Woot!  Ha!

I'm down to 166 - go me.  I'm not sure what the number would have been at work, fully clothed, but this is my new benchmark since I'll be using this scale from now on. 

I've been on the go a lot today - and this whole week, really.  One thing I've been sure to pack in my purse has been my portable, pocket food scale and it has been a life saver.  It is so nice to get done eating a meal out, where I can walk away from the table not feeling stuffed to the gills.  I'm so grateful for the willingness to bring my scale and use it in restaurants - and I've noticed that the more I use it when I'm out, the easier it becomes.

I've used my scale no less than 3 times this week because I've had to eat out a lot more than usual.  In the past when I've eaten out a lot in one week, I can start to feel a difference in my clothes - they're just a little more snug than usual and my belly feels a little more swollen at night when I go to bed.  This week, though, I'm feeling the same in my clothes and no swelling at night... which is doubly amazing since I've also got my period. 

The fact that there is such a difference really proves to me that I do not have the ability to "eye ball" food, especially my proteins.  Given that free reign, I almost always think more is less and over do it.  The scale doesn't let me lie to myself and takes out any guess work.  It feels damn good to be using it for all of my meals today!

You all know I'm not into diets - I think they're a short-term solution to a long-term problem.  I do believe that diets work - while you're on them.   It's the staying on them that's the problem.  I don't believe that there is one right answer for everyone, because we're all individuals and we all have different needs.  There seems to be a trend lately in the weight loss world with online weight loss programs like my-calorie-counter.com.  They are really taking off.

I would be extremely interested in the statistics for these programs - do they work better long-term than traditional diet programs do?  My guess is that they might do better because of  the online community and support that is available.  One thing that I know to be true is that going on a diet in a vacuum does not seem to work for the majority of people.  Getting support through online communities is such a valuable tool.  The other great thing about online plans is the availability of tools like calorie counters, exercise trackers and nutrition databases to help you make better choices.  Heck, I don't diet - I follow a prescribed food plan, but I still use all of these types of tools because they're all helpful for me.  And that's my biggest belief - do whatever works for you.  If it's working - keep doing it!   I love that sites like this are available to me today - they're definitely useful and beneficial for me and my journey.

I weigh myself on the 1st of every month (or close to it) and today was no exception.  I'm sure I've written about my routine of weighing before.  The past few weeks people have been asking me if I'm losing more weight so I was anxious to get on the scale this morning.  It turns out "the people" were right - I lost another 2 pounds! I'm now in the 160's, which is just unbelievable to me.  I've now lost more than 110 pounds.  I wouldn't have dreamed when I started this journey 4 1/2 years ago that I'd be able to sit here and tell you that I've lost that much weight and that I wear a size 10-12.  For being 5'11", I think that's pretty damn good.  :-) 

My head is still very sick when it comes to the numbers, though.  Every time it's weigh day, my mind starts racing with thoughts like, "Okay, what is the lightest article of clothing I own?  Must remember to blow dry my hair so it weighs less. Can't wear any jewelry."  And on and on.   For the record, I didn't wear jewelry and I picked a light sweater to wear, but I didn't blow dry my hair.  That's a little progress, anyway.  I'll take it where I can get it.

I saw a headline about green tea and weight loss that caught my attention, so I decided to read more about it.  As I was reading this story tonight about a lady who lost 150 pounds with the help of drinking green tea, I was mostly impressed that she stressed that the green tea was not a magic pill and that proper diet and exercise were also key.   The green tea seems to help with metabolism and hunger and helped this lady feel better, in general.  I can't stand fad diets, so I was glad to see this wasn't one.  I'm interested to read more about the benefits of green tea now.  And more power to this lady who lost so much weight! I hope she maintains her weight loss.

Today marks somewhat of a milestone for me.  I'm wearing jeans, clogs, and a stretchy tank underneath a very short sweater.  I've got the tank tucked into my jeans and a super cute belt on.  With the sweater being so short, you can see the belt and my stomach area. I have not felt confident enough about how I look there to wear anything even remotely tucked in or revealing in years.  I'm talking at least 15 years.

I probably could have done this much sooner, but mentally I just wasn't there.  I still see myself as the fat girl so often, even though I'm not at all any more.  People actually tell me that I'm thin or skinny! I don't truly believe that I'm skinny, but I do think I'm a normal body size.  I know my BMI falls in the normal range now.  But I always felt like I have a stomach and I should hide it.  And today I honestly feel like I good enough to wear a shirt tucked in with belted jeans.  I've gotten compliments, too.  :-)  

Ahhh... physical and emotional recovery... they feel good.

Today was weigh day for me - I always weigh on the 1st of the month (or close to it).  I guess it's a good indicator of my state of mind where the physical recovery is concerned when I can't remember what I weighed last month.  I really should start writing this down again.  I do believe that the weight either stayed the same or I lost a pound, so that is good.  I'm right on the cusp of going down to the next set of 10's... I never thought I'd see those numbers again in my life after I got married.  In fact, the last time I was here was before I got married.  Pretty amazing stuff happens when I just follow a food plan every day, one day at a time.  :-)

For most of my life I let the numbers on the scale have so much power over me.  They decided if I was going to have a good day, a bad day or somewhere in between.   If the numbers were lower than expected, I had a "great day" because I felt better about myself and walked around with my head held high.  "The scale said I am a good girl, therefore it must be true."

If the numbers stayed the same or were about what I expected them to be, I would have a "so-so day".  I wasn't too elated or excited in general and felt like while I wasn't worthless, I could definitely be doing better. 

But if those numbers went up (and Lord, did they ever do that), my day was wasted.  I spent the entire time obsessing over how much of a failure I was.  I couldn't possibly be fit to walk on the planet with others who were a normal weight or those who didn't struggle with weight (food!) issues at all.  The entire day was devoted to either completely pigging out because I felt like there was no hope for me - or starvation as punishment.  There was no middle ground, no sanity.

Today, I realize that I am the same person I went to bed as the night before, the same person I woke up as ... after I get on the scale, no matter what those numbers say.  I don't let the numbers determine my destiny, my mood, my ability (or lack thereof) to function.  I measure my worth on a far greater scale these days:  my behavior, my emotional, spiritual and physical sobriety are all much bigger indicators of how I am as a person than what any number on a scale could ever be.

Granted, when those numbers go down today, I still get excited.  Lifetime habits don't die over night.  But, I try to keep it in perspective.  The numbers going down simply mean that I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing and that my food plan is working.  That's all.  The numbers going up means I need to take a look at my food consumption - have I been sloppy in weighing and measuring?  Have I been going out to eat a lot?  Have I been making higher calorie choices more often than not?  I realize I need to make adjustments and make plans to do so - and I go on with my day.  It's such a liberating thing.

And so I don't subject myself to possible insanity too often, I only weigh myself once a month.  This way I have an indicator of how I'm doing on my food plan and don't get a chance to go in denial about any possible problems, and yet I don't spend too much time focusing on the weight either.  The weight, just like the food, is just but a symptom. 

Do the numbers on the scale have too much power over you?

Tomorrow is weigh day.  I weigh myself once a month - as close to the first of the month as possible.  I don't keep a scale at home, so I weigh the first work day of each month.  I'm pretty sure the number is going to go down this month.  I've been eating so clean the past few weeks - weighing and measuring almost every morsel that goes in my mouth.  I've also been keeping track of the caloric intake of foods and making smarter choices like less beef and more chicken and fish. 

I want to post tomorrow about why I only weigh once a month and how I was a slave to the numbers on that scale for so many years.  Until then...

My first post talking about Health & Nutrition is about a site I found yesterday:  SparkPeople.com.  

I am amazed at this site because it has a lot of interactive dieting and exercise tools, a plethora of articles, loads of email newsletters, message boards and who even knows what else - and it's all free.   I've been using the nutrition tracker to enter my foods for the past two days.  There are definitely some things I would improve on, but for being a free service, I really can't complain.

What intrigued me was the history of the site.  I read an article written by the founder who talks of his journey thus far and how SparkPeople came to be.  It's a great read.  SparkPeople isn't just about a quick diet to lose the weight as fast as you can.  It's about making healthy food choices, getting active and staying motivated as ways to improve your self-esteem and confidence.  Yes, weight loss (or gain, depending on your needs) might be a side-effect of eating within the guidelines the site gives you, but that's not the primary focus of the site.   And that's why I like it - I like that philosophy.  You know, ALL diets work.  Losing weight is a simple formula.  You burn more calories than you take in.  It's simple math.  The problem is doing it for any length of time.  Everyone has to find what works for them.  I've found what works for me is to attend 12-step meetings, utilize a sponsor, follow a food plan, pray, journal, make phone calls to "program friends", reading program literature.   Using SparkPeople.com is just a tool to track my foods, but for others it could be the support that gets them on their way to a new life.

If you're looking for some simple tools to keep you motivated and on track, I'd highly recommend SparkPeople.com.

If you're looking for something deeper than that and more spiritual - well, my contact info is on here somewhere. I'd be happy to talk to you about it outside the blog! :-)