Weighty Wednesday -- Reality Check Time

I missed my Weight Watcher's meeting last week because of car issues--the motorized driver's seat stopped moving. This is a huge problem since my hubby is over 6 feet tall and I'm slightly over 5 feet tall, which means when we share a car the seat is moved a lot. It had to be fixed.

This week was a slap-in-the-face reality check time at my WW meeting.

I'll admit that I've been lazy with my weight, not really caring about the consequences of my eating habits.

Yesterday was different.

Yesterday it was almost 80 degrees and I wanted to wear shorts.

I couldn't fit into my shorts.

Yeah, the shorts that had been so baggy on me the previous two summers, didn't fit.

REALITY CHECK

The weather this winter has made me supremely lazy. . . and I have to get out of my funk now!

Again, it's time to go back to the basics. 

• weigh and measure everything
• track my food--I don't care if it's a single peanut. Twenty single peanuts eaten throughout the day make an impact. You don't know what to cut back if you aren't aware of what you're eating
• drink water--yes, water, not sweetened whatever or diet soda--WATER
• Fruits and veggies-- if you have to snack pick these. Yes, you can fill up on them
• Exercise-- I've been slacking in this department, too. The weather has been a good excuse. Not any longer. Time to buck up and work out. 

I notice that mid-afternoon is my rough time. I want to graze before dinner. I have to prevent this from happening. I might start taking an additional walk, or drink a huge glass of water, or change my space--go upstairs to write or watch TV, anything as long as it's away from the temptations of the kitchen. 

I'll do anything to fit in those shorts like I did last summer and the summer before. 

Now, I have a reason to focus.

Now, I have a reason to fight. 

Summer is just around the corner. It's time to come out of our winter hibernation.

Later, Peeps! 

Weighty Wednesday -- Trying to Gain Perspective

As I mentioned in last weeks, Before and After post, I hadn't realized that I had gained so much weight. That's the insidious thing about weight. You simply buy the next size up until you realize that you just bought size *** (insert head-thumping moment). For me, it was an XL, along with a slightly elevated blood pressure (technically, it was 'normal', but very ABnormal for me!), plus weighing more than I had when I was nine months preggers!

Well, the opposite is also true.

I really don't see myself any differently than I had when I was 45 pounds heavier. Oh, I know I'm a different size on the bottom, but many of my Large shirts still fit because I have very broad shoulders. In the 80's I didn't need no stinking shoulder pads, thank you very much! My body shape is about the same, there's just less of it.

So it's difficult for me to think thin. This is another battle of the mental game of weight loss.

Society hasn't helped with most people's body image, what with Twiggy, uber-skinny models, and Barbie as examples of 'real' shapes. Then there are the poor people who strive to be thin through anorexia, bulimia or self-medication (drugs, alcohol). Or some food companies brainwashing us into thinking that if we pinch more than an inch, we're too fat.

Oh, we all know babies should be fat and happy, but when does baby fat translate into fat fat?

Well, that's the kicker, isn't it?

**I'd show some pics, but most of them are packed away and haven't been scanned into the computer**

When I was young, I thought I was fat. I was on the chubby end of the stick, but then again, I was short. At that time, we played outside all day, every day. With only three TV channels to watch--and Mom forcing us to watch PBS--there wasn't a whole lot on TV. Now there are a gazillion channels to watch, numerous types of compterized gaming systems, AND computers to play with. People are more sedentary.

In the 70's, I was in Jr. High and High School. I wore boy's Levi's because most girl's jeans didn't fit me as I had chubby thighs. I sewed darts in the back waistband to keep them up. Clothes were made for the Twiggy's of the world.

I weighed 112 lbs when I graduated from high School, and I thought I was fat.

I weighed 116 lbs when I graduated from college, and I thought I was fat.

When this picture was taken (I'm in the hard hat, Jody is wearing the towel), I was in my late 20's and weighed 124 lbs, and I thought I was fat.

I had been trained to think I was fat all my life so that when I did become fat, I was simply becoming fatter.

And least we forget the normal weight range for a person of my height is 106-132 lbs. All those years that I thought I was fat, I wasn't.

Now I have the same problem, even though I'm in my healthy weight range, albeit on the high end, I don't see myself as being thin. I probably will always see myself as fat, but as long as I eat right and walk daily, then I guess I'll overcome the mental game of thinking  I'm fat.

How do you keep your weight in perspective? Is it a daily challenge?

Later, Peeps!

Weighty Wednesday -- Reality Check

Happy 20th Anniversary, Sweetie!!

Okay, so last week I reached my goal weight.

So, now what?

Well, the path doesn't stop when one reaches a weight-loss goal. In fact, now there are a few choices to make.

Throughout this year-long journey, I have had ups and downs, literally and figuratively. *snork* I've wound my way through the dark forest, traversed steep ridges, tripped over my own feet and fallen into holes of my own making, but with one last bit of strength I persevered and SUCCEEDED!

 Only to have a reality check shoved into my face.

It ain't over, people. This fat lady may not be fat any longer, but she sure can't sing either.

Just because I reached one goal, it doesn't mean I can relax my guard. There will always be a path ahead of me, whether it's the easy downhill road that leads to the slide of where I was one year ago, or the unknown course that leads into the murky woods where the path doesn't look easy, level, or without challenges.

Which path do I choose?

I'm choosing the unknown path.

During last year I've been up and down on my weight, but overall I've lost. It's been slow and I would have incredible decreases of weight with equally impressive rebounds.

And that was what happened last week--I regained 3.2 of the 4.4 pounds I had lost. I was still right at my goal weight, but it hammered home to me that this isn't a diet. This isn't a quick fix or even a long term fix.

This is my LIFE. A healthier life that I prefer to lead.

Is it going to be easy?

Heck, no. It will be challenging in every possible way. I'll still have my trigger foods to deal with and I'll periodically have to weigh and measure to keep my portions the correct size.

But I'm good with that, because I intend to LIVE LIFE to the fullest, which means there must always be give and take.

What is life without its joy and celebration?

One big drag.

The key is to celebrate OCCASIONALLY and not daily.

I think I'm up to the challenge. . . . but the question is, are you?

Later, Peeps!

The Forty Pound Hurdle

When I decided to blog about my weight loss journey, I told myself that I would be totally honest

And I am.

I may seem upbeat about my journey, but that doesn't mean I didn't have tough days or setbacks. I do. Many of them I shared with you. It's all a normal part of the journey as we tread the path back to our health. My triggers and issues aren't your triggers and issues.

Though we each walk the path alone, it doesn't have to be lonely. If sharing my hints and suggestions helps you along your path, then I'm a happy camper.

But one thing I am is realistic. And I think it was this attitude that kept me focused.
Here's my first reality check.

It took me almost 2 1/2 months to jump the hurdle of the 40 pound loss mark. This weight loss isn't celebrated by Weight Watchers, but I think it should be.

Trust me, that's a long time to keep the faith.

1. I gained, lost, gained and lost weight so many times during this period, coming close to losing 40 pounds, but then failing the next week
2. November and December was crazy, starting with my kidlet's birthday mid-November
3. the holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas AND New Year's Eve
4. candy making
5. present buying
6. family visiting
7. cooking for the holidays
8. family home = eating more meals
9.  overall stress of the season
10.  fewer hours of sunlight
11. colder weather = difficulty in exercising
12. I was at a weight that I used to maintain for many, many years
13. I had never had to lose 40 pounds before
14. I stopped tracking my food
15. I stopped measuring and weighing my food

#12  If you maintained a weight for years, your body recognizes that weight and will tend to plateau. When on a plateau, you have to jump start your loss again either through increased exercise or stricter food intake.

#13  I've lost 10, 20 and even 30 pounds before, but never this much weight. It's a mental block, more than a weight block

#14 I still don't track my food, BUT I KNOW THAT I CAN EAT ONLY ONE REAL MEAL A DAY. The other meals must be smoothie, fruit and/or salad. And no, I'm not starving myself. I'm just not hungry. If I tried to eat numerous small meals a day, I would be grazing and ultimately regain my lost weight. This method is not 'approved', but if it works for me, then who's to argue with the outcome??

#15 Last week, I made lasagne. I KNEW the slice my hubby had cut was way too large, I cut it in half and filled over half my plate with salad. I didn't weigh it, but I would guess it was around 5 oz. Awareness goes a long way. And even though I don't actively weigh and measure, periodically I will and it resets my ability to recognize serving sizes.

I have been listening to my body by eating slowly and stopping when I feel satisfied. Part of the reason that I'm doing this is because when I get to goal and Lifetime. I need to be able to do this.

I'm six pounds from my goal weight (130), and four pounds from the top number of a healthy weigh range for my height (132). And when I reach my goals, I'll still be here fighting the good fight on a daily basis. I knew November and December would be tough, but I worked it out. Acknowledging those challenging times is the first step on your journey.

Remember, instead of living to eat, I'll be eating to live.

It's a mindset, my friends, and one that took me many years to discover.
. . . so it IS possible to teach an old dog new tricks!

Later, Peeps!