My weight loss journey
Some of you may know that I lost 95 pounds about 4 years ago. I had my weight loss journey journaled on my website, which brilliant me, lost when my site crashed.
Also, brilliant as a I am, I've allowed myself to regain 30 pounds. Yikes! That's still 65 pounds less than I started out, but oh my god, it's so easy to regain. Just blink and voila! You can be four sizes larger.
I had been pushing a size 22 and then got down to a size 6. Now I'm back up to a 12.
Obviously, I got way too smug. At first I blamed Hurricane Wilma. Hurricane stress is a great thing to blame bad eating habits on. Of course, after Wilma struck and our power was out for weeks, all the Chinese restaurants managed to stay open, and a goodly number of pizza places, so that it was so much easier and a whole lot more comforting to eat Chinese takeout and pizza than eating out of tin cans and grilling chicken - every day. Of course Pollo Tropical was one of the first places to reopen, too, and I LOVE fried plantains, so when we got off work early daily, I swung by Pollo Tropical almost every evening.
Okay, so I'm TERRIBLE!
I got hold of myself to a point after that. We put our then 11 year old into taekwondo for behavior modification and when they told us that three other family members could take class also for the same price, my daughters and I joined. It's great exercise and I'm now a blue belt, just four belts away from becoming a black belt.
But ya know what? Even if you exercise a lot and eat wrong, you gain weight. Especially on the days you can't exercise as usual.
I love taekwondo (tkw from now on for short). Oh yeah, I love it when my son pukes on the floor after too much exertion and the instructor blames me that he threw up - like excuse me, how could I make him throw up or why would I want him to? Or when my lungs feel like they're about to explode after 100 jumping jacks. Or when my wrists feel like every bone is breaking every time my partner kicks the board I'm holding for her. Or when my instructor yells, "The other right foot, Mrs. Hopper!" (Yeah, I'm blond sometimes). My ultimate favorite (well, second only to my son puking all over the mat and yours truly having to clean it up) is when my daughters kick me (HARD) in the back during sparring. Oh yeah, I LOVE tkd! Surprisingly, after my lungs recover and my asthma attack dissipates, I really do feel better, more nimble, and younger. Amazing!
I've also rejoined Weight Watchers, but it's a lot more difficult the second time around. I feel less motivated. Size 12 doesn't seem as bad as size 20 or 22. Okay, so I'd rather be a size 8, or 10. Mainly, I don't want to keep going up up and away! It's soooooo easy to gain. But when the hunger monster strikes at night (I'm a nighttime eater), I'm such a powder puff.
Today, my 16 year old and I went to the gym and I walked 3 miles on the treadmill and biked 8 miles, burning about 400 calories. Pretty darn good! I'm proud of myself. I would have biked at least 2 more miles and I really wanted to stay another hour working out if Missy wouldn't have been glaring at me, her way of saying "I'm borrrrrrred, Mommy!" (she gets bored sooooooooooooo easily)
So I'm publicly flagellating myself and vowing that I will lose at least 20 pounds (and keep them off) from this point, even if I have to walk an hour nightly after tkd, AND snack on apples and fruit. I was told that I was too skinny and drawn when I had reached the 95 pound mark.
If it's not obvious, I will state that my main concern is to be healthy and stay young and agile for as long as possible. I never want to go back to feeling 70 years old again, even when I'm 70.
I will journal my weight loss battle here.
Before, it was so easy to lose. I was so ANAL, so driven, that the pounds seemed to melt off. So this time, I fear, it will be a lot tougher, a lot more like the average weight loss warrior.
Anyone with me?
Anchors away!!!
posted by Unknown @ 6:03 PM
3 Comments:
Wow, I had no idea you'd lost so much weight. I totally relate! I went to WW about 8-9 years ago and lost over 60lb. I felt great - but, like you, I was driven. I didn't follow the program properly - instead, skipped breakfasts and sometimes lunches so I could HAVE my nighttime snack. I became an exercise fanatic. In the end, I was struck by menopause that introduced panic attacks and all sorts of unexpected symptoms. The weight crept back on.
Now I'm back into WW, but this time am taking it REALLY slow, and I'm not feeling deprived. I exercise as much as I can, but if I'm sick, or injured, I avoid feeling guilty about not doing it. I'm hoping this time I'll lose the weight the right way, and find it a lifestyle change, not a crazed starvation exerpience.
The TKD sounds amazing. I wouldn't have the stamina these days. Good on ya'!
Oh, Elaine. I knew you'd lost a lot of weight. But I think a size, what? 6 is too small. I've been fighting a losing battle with weight myself. I usually face my failures by not weighing. At last weigh-in I'd lost 14 pounds of which one pound I seem to lose and regain every other week.
I'd lost 7 pounds the first week and I was so happy, but while I was still working pretty hard at it, I would only lose 1 pound or hold my own each week.
I tried the nutrisystem diet for almost a month. I found it hard to drink and eat everything I was supposed to, especially the water. I don't drink anything with calories any way though. I always thought if I stopped drinking sodas I would lose a lot of weight, but it didn't do a thing for me. But that was probably because I replaced the with Little Debbie Oatmeal Cakes. I have stopped eating those now too.
I lost 10 pounds in one week when I first stopped eating take out at lunch time. My latest addiction is Ice Pops or Freezer Pops. When I had about four teeth pulled a while back my tongue was numb for a long time, and my mouth was so dry, but I couldn't drink anything. My neighbor sent me crushed ice and an ice pop. That did the trick and I've been hooked every since. They're also good for cooling you off quick when you're hot. Good for those hot flashes.
:-)
They only have 25 calories, and would be bad for me if I could only eat one, two or four. But I can eat and entire string, freeze another and eat that one. Each string has 10. Anyway, they can add up. I may have to give those up too or figure out how to make them with nutrasweet.
I'm still not eating out at lunch. I take a turkey sandwhich on wheat bread. For breakfast I eat unsweetened cheerios with nutrasweet. We do have takeout sometimes for dinner. Usually fried fish or chicken, turkey and dressing meal from the cafeteria or pizza. I do limit myself to only two slices of pizza, but I know it's still high in fat and calories. When I'm good I get a small burger and small fries.
As for Nutrisystem, some of the food is good and some not so good. I did't like anything in a carton and most isn't as good as it looks in the commercials. I liked that the food didn't have to be in the freezer though. I loved the breakfast and dessert bars. I hated the soy chips -- not bad with salsa though.
The most I've lost a one dieting period was 30 pounds over 20 years ago. I lost it slow and it took a long time to come back but I now weigh more than I ever had. I would like to lose at least 30 more pounds. Maybe forty so I can try to quit smoking next.
I may weigh again in the morning but I have a feeling it's that time where I'm holding water too. I just feel like it.
So, if ya'll would like to keep a record, share tips, etc. here on the blog, I'm game. I'm excited to hear how it's going for the both of you.
Finally got Lee into the doctor's office for a physical. He hasn't had one in over 25 years. While there I read about sites where people do this very thing. It mostly featured 3fatchicks.com. It was started about 3 sisters who live too far apart to keep tabs on each about how much weight they were losing. I checked it out. They have thousands of people posting there now.
You guys are inspirational. At least you're working on losing weight, which is more than I'm doing. I'm just thinking about it. ;-) I'm not willing to give up dessert, and sorry but fruit or jello is NOT dessert. Hah! And I'm not willing to leap into some heavy exercise program. So that pretty much guarantees failure, huh?
(sigh)
Anyway, Elaine, keep us posted on how it goes!
Liz
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