Inches

Although I didn't lose a lot of weight in the month of November; I did lose inches all over. I measured on the 1st of November and again on the 30th. I lost an inch on my bust, on my waist and on my hips. I'm going to guess that I've lost on my thighs, calfs, arms too, but I didn't measure those. I do have some "all over" measurements from mid-April so I think I'll do measurements this week to see how much I've lost since then.

I'm finding eating on weekends to be a little more difficult. My husband likes to "take the weekend off" which means he will eat and drink whatever he wants. It's hard not to join in, but I believe my new way of eating is making me healthy and will keep me healthy. I would really like to stick to our once a monlth only splurges.

My computer is acting up so I think I'll close this for the evening.

Relaxing & Eating

I am currently reading "Reinventing the Meal" by Pavel G. Solmov, PhD. The back cover states "discover the yoga of eating"..."reconnect with your body, mind, and world..."

I'm still on the 2nd chapter of 13, but it is offering some really good advice to slowing down, relaxing and being focused on eating. In this chapter it's main advice is to breathe. Deep cleansing breaths before you start eating. Eat in the "now". Be fully aware of your eating as you are eating it. Breathe, sip water, inhale the aroma of the food, relax, slow down, be aware, reconnect with your body. It's all such good advice.

As I read more I will learn more and I will probably share more...but I felt compelled to share this because anything that slows us down and reconnects us with our selves is a good thing, especially in this season of frantic, out of control, over spending, over doing everything.

BTW, I hit the 80 pound milestone this morning. Hooray for me. I destroyed my knee 6 weeks ago and will probably have to have surgery on it.  My yoga practice has been put on hold, but I'm still walking (limping) the dog. Since exercise isn't the end all be all in weight loss, I'm not concerned; I just want to be able to walk without pain again.

Thanksgiving success!

I lost 2 pounds over the Thanksgiving weekend. I was very careful with what I chose to eat; Thanksgiving dinner was a big salad, roasted vegetables, roasted corn and bean salsa, a little turkey, less dressing/stuffing, no potatoes, no rolls, no sugary marshmallow sweet potatoes, no wine, but I did have a little pie (you gotta have pie!)

I wasn't stuffed, I wasn't hungry, I did well.

Then we went to the Great Wolf Lodge to spend part of the weekend with our grandkids, fruit and oatmeal for breakfast, salad for lunch and chicken/salad wrap for dinner.

This seems to be getting easier as the time goes on. My total weight loss so far for this year is 81 pounds, that's a whole human (small/medium one, but hey)

I will have a little more trouble with yoga for awhile, when I hurt my knee 5 or 6 weeks ago it was hanging together until yesterday. Now it has locked into a painful possition and I can't seem to get it to release. It hurts, I limp and the dang thing won't straighten nor will it really bend. This is not fun.

What makes the person?

I don't like to wear makeup on the weekends. I am a bit better than average looking, but really stunning when I put on my makeup. I was shocked this morning with the treatment I was getting. Like I was invisible. I haven't felt that way since I've lost the weight. Usually people will talk to me or respond when I talk to them, or help me find things, but not today. It's not like I'm totally unused to this treatment, I used to get it all the time when I was heavier.

I think I'm angry that we don't treat overweight people with respect. We don't treat average looking people with respect. We only treat attractive, normal weight people with respect. That's just wrong!

I don't think I discriminate against any type of person, but I better check myself to make sure. I don't want to make any other person feel the way I felt today.

Hand-me-downs

My older sister saw a picture of me on Facebook, she hasn't seen me in person since 2009. I've lost over 70 pounds since then. She retired a few years ago and has lost weight herself because she is not dealing with all that "work stress". (Stress makes you fat, stress kills). Since she has undergrown her slacks/jeans and they are all talls she offered to send them to me. A free set of slacks/jeans in a smaller size than I have — sign me up for that! So they arrived a few days ago and I've tried them on. Two fit now, the rest will fit very soon. I love free clothes.

It is my hope to undergrow these clothes by New Years, or sooner, and donated them away. I would love to be the same size as my sister, or smaller, by this summer when the family comes out for the wedding of a niece. I am tired of being the "fat" sibling in all the family pictures. The last time I felt that I wasn't, as an adult, was my parent's 40th Anniversary party — 1984 (I was 29).

I started gaining weight when I moved to Snohomish in 1989. I blame it on living in the RV as we were building our home, having my "angry" step-son live with us (that's another story), and losing my job. And eating all WRONG — "Hamber Helper" might be convenient, but it is NOT healthy and processed food will only pack on the pounds. Once I wrapped my brain around what my body needs, doesn't need and how our body actually works it became much easier to lose weight. It took some reading, there are 19 books on my bedside table and at least half of them are about health, food and exercise. But the biggest change is changing my mind about food. BTW, our government does not give you the truth about food because the food lobby is powerful. I'll give you a good reading list in another post. But you can start with two excellent books by Dr. Fuhrman - Eat to Live and Super Immunity.

I Have A Waist! Who Knew!

I lost 11 pounds in October. So I guess I wasn't as stuck as I thought I was. I was very determined to get back on track and meet my October goal. Managed to do both. I didn't exercise as much as "normal" because in mid-October I slipped on the stairs and re-injured my damaged knee. And last weekend I ate something that didn't agree with me.

And then there was Halloween...I bought candy to give away at work, and really did well ignoring it for most of the day. But at the end of the day I was hungry, there wasn't anything healthy to snack on, ...I ate a little candy bar. Sugar is very addictive (stimulates the pleasure center of the brain that cocaine stimulates) so...I ate another couple of little candy bars. Then they started calling my name. I would walk over to the copier to pick up the copies and I'd see them...and I'd eat a few more. Long story, I ate the rest of them. I thought I would be able to resist but... Today, there is no candy in the shop. There are healthy snacks to eat. I'm back on track. Next year, if I give out candy, I might buy a candy I don't like.

It's November, I have set another goal, it's on my calendar. One of them is to be "present" when I have Thanksgiving dinner. Another is to continue with my yoga 2x/week, plus do my knee exercises and get my poor little damaged knees stronger. Walking the dog is not optional. :-)

I've added the link to Dr. Fuhrman. I really do recommend you read his books!

drfuhrman.com

It's Getting Hard

I still have between 30-50 pounds to lose (I've lost 66) but now it's getting hard to lose weight. I am still eating the way I have been eating  - mostly vegetable based diet; but for some reason instead of steadily losing 2 pounds a week I'm losing ¼ pound a week. It's hard to know what I need to do. I know they say that it's all calories in and calories out but I do put out a lot of calories.

I could lower my calorie intake, but I don't like to feel hungry all the time. I know I'm not tracking my food as closely as I did in the past (amazing how "lazy" we get as the year goes on) so I guess my first step is to start journaling consistantly again. If I still don't see any consistant weight loss I will have to look at eating less or exercising more. Neither of those options appeal to me.

My goal for the month of October is to be under 190 pounds. That would be a 10 pound loss for the month. I've done it before, in fact I did it the first 6 months of this year. Time to get serious, winter is coming and I know I have a tougher time to lose weight as we head into the dark months and the holidays.

Stay tuned, I'll keep you informed.

One Big Goal Down, Several Little Goals To Go

I am under 200 pounds. I haven't been under 200 pounds since 1999 and I didn't stay under for very long. 
I still find that I feel so much better when I eat this "new" healthy way. More energy, less pain, more clarity, less cravings. All good things. On my birthday I let myself eat the snacks on the table; bad idea. My stomach let me know that it didn't like digesting those fatty, unhealthy foods and I better feed it healthier from now on. Lessons learned (I hope).
I am enjoying yoga more and more, but I'm still such a beginner and don't move very fast. But the new teacher is so patient and is helping me get into the positions properly. It is also "leaning" out my body. That's so important, since I don't want to be a "saggy-baggy" weight loser.

My HS renunion went well, I wasn't self conscience about still being heavy. Amazing how many of my friends are still in great shape, but I looked great too and since I'm on this wonderful journey I am just getting better and better. Besides I don't look my age (I look so much younger).

My next goal: 189. I would like to be at this weight by the end of October. That's in 5 weeks.

Anxiety

This weekend is my 40th HS reunion. Some of these people I haven't seen in 10 years and you would think that I could care less what they "think" about my weight, but I do. The few that I've stayed in touch with I saw 2 years ago and I've lost 55 pounds since then, but still I'm overweight, so I am anxious about their reaction too. Then there is the family, I haven't seen some of them for 2 years and others I saw last year and since I've always been considered "heavy" (even when I wasn't) I am stressed about seeing them too.

WHY DO I CARE???? I'M ALMOST 60 YEARS OLD!!!!

I don't know, I just do. This ought to be an interesting weekend. Too bad I don't drink any more, I think I could use a drink to help me through this.

Meeting the Family

In about 2 weeks I'll be heading to my home state to visit the family. I've only told one person in the family that I've lost any weight and I'm a bit scared of a negative reaction or worse yet they don't think I've changed at all. My mother has never seen me as anything but fat even when I was working out in the pool 5 hours daily getting ready to head to Nationals.

I think I look great; I've lost a little over 50 pounds, but I'm still overweight (50 down, 35 to go - to get to "normal" 70 to go to get to where I want to be) and since my sisters are super skinny I'm sure I won't measure up (it seems like I never did).

Knowing me, negative comments could completely derail my progress; it has before. Why do we need the validation from family/friends to keep us motivated? I'm sure there is a logical explination, but I sure don't know what it is.

I also find that family is so good at sabotage. Jealousy?! Maybe it's just my family, but I don't think so.

Frustrations

It's very frustrating to be asked how you are losing weight and then when you start to explain how, you are they interupt and tell you how they are trying to lose weight but are not having very much luck. DUH! It's not working, you're doing the same thing over and over which is the definition of insanity! Mine is working (I'm down another 4 pounds this week - total of 55 pounds since January). I will tell you what I'm doing, but please don't tell me your way is better.

Another frustration from this week is the fact that even though the jeans have been unworn for years and they now fit, the threads are still weakened by time and will give way. How embarrassing!

You want to know how I'm losing weight? I'm eating a diet that is MOSTLY fruits and vegetables. I eat a HUGE salad every evening for dinner (sometimes I'll follow the salad with steamed vegetables). My breakfast is steel cut oats, with pineapple, cinnamon, cayenne pepper (adds heat, not taste). The cinnamon helps keep the blood sugar down, the cayenne pepper helps step up the metabolism, steel cut oats are "healthier" because they are processed less, I use dried pineapple because I really like pineapple. For lunch I have fruit (right now it is blueberries and pears) and spinach salad with no dressing.

Right now the dinner salad is spinach with tomatoes, peppers, walnuts, yellow squash or zuchini with a no-oil cilantro dressing that I make.

My average is losing 3½ - 4 pounds a week. The clothes I bought in May are now to big and I'm working my way through all the old clothes I saved (if they are still in fashion and the threads don't give way).

I rarely eat meat, I avoid sugar (and that includes alcohol), no milk or milk products. When I do have sugar, alcohol, etc. I don't lose and if I eat "like I used to" I will gain 3-5 pounds in a week. And yes, I'm getting enough protien and other nutrients. Thanks for caring.

Embrace New Science

The nice thing about science is...it is always changing. Just because the experts spouted the "standard/accepted wisdom" from years ago as the accepted weight-loss science, just know... THINGS CHANGE!!!!!

I am losing approximately 3- 4 pounds a week. The only time I don't lose is when I decide to add sugar to my diet (sugar is addictive, but that is a separate discussion). I've been told I'm losing too fast and I won't keep it off - REALLY? Why should the speed of my weight loss make a difference in how long I keep it off. I figure the thing that could trip me up is to go back to eating the way I did before.

People who are trying to lose weight frequently ask me how I am doing it. I tell them that I eat almost exclusively fruits and vegetables- raw and cooked, no sugar, no alcohol, very little meat (less than twice a month will I have a dinner or lunch with any meat - and that includes chicken and fish), I only eat when I'm truly hungry. And I avoid the trap of eating "small meals" throughout the day.

That last part is the advice that got me in "trouble". The old wisdom is to eat small meals throughout the day to keep you fueled and staves off "hunger". What it really does is keep your blood sugar up and your insulin too. Too much insulin and you don't burn your fat, you can't. Also, the studies find that when you eat all those meals throughout the day is you tend to underestimate how much you are eating and you eat more than your body needs.

The other part that got me in "trouble" is that a study that says if you want to burn fat you need to exercise on an empty stomach. Again, not the accepted wisdom, but I read about the study. (The same book also gave me some advice about exercising smarter, but again, that is for a separate discussion).

I love reading. I love learning. I love the fact that things change. I found something that works for me and my husband and has worked for others just as easily, but it is "unconventional" because it is new science. Embrace the new science.

These pants make my butt look big

It's ironic, I keep all my small clothes hoping that I can get into them again, then when I do they are too young(ish), not flattering and not at all what I want to wear. So it is fun to get into them and then I put them into the give-away pile and go shopping.

Although I briefly mourn the loss of an old favorite it is replaced with a new favorite that looks smokin' hot on me. Today's outfit is an example of both sides of this, the cropped pants are too big and baggy and the top is so flattering that everyone has commented on it. I guess it's time to ditch the pants, who wants their ass to look bigger than it really is.

It is fun trying on the old clothes, but the frustrating part is that sizes have changed, and even though I currently wearing the size number they say they are, they are a smaller size that I'm not into yet. I wonder what my "real" clothing size is?

Silent Frustration vs Alienating Friends

I have 2 friends who are heavy, like I was, and are currently dieting. Every time I see them I get the update on how much weight they have lost. Good for them. Been there, done that and so have they. We've been through this before. You lose weight at the beginning; then the weight loss slows down; then the body rebels and the weight loss stops. Diets don't work!

A few reasons why diets don't work:
1. They are temporary; you lose the weight and then you get to start eating "normal" again.
2. Your body needs a certain amount of nutrients; if it doesn't get them it will start making you over eat to make sure it does.
3. It's exhausting.

Yet, I keep my mouth shut; I don't tell them the reasons that I believe they will not succeed again. I give them the encouragement that they are seeking. They have asked me what I'm doing, but what I am doing is such a departure from normal, they don't want to hear it.

Why do I believe that "my way" is the best way? 23 consecutive weeks of weight loss of 1-3 pounds. I've never done that before. I've lost and gained and lost and gained and gained and gained for most of my adult life. This time I'm losing and will continue to lose until I get to my ideal weight. A journey of a life.

I win as I lose

I am currently doing a 90 day weight-loss challenge at my gym. I have 3 weeks until it is finished. According to the chart on the wall I have lost 12 pounds more than everyone else.

I won the first 90 day challenge and took home the prize money (almost $500 - we all put in $25). This challenge was set up differently, everyone put in $25 but everyone will get back $1 for every pound they lose - up to $25 and the winner gets the "left-over" money. I'll let you know what my winnings are.

We were going to have another 90 day challenge, but no one will be a part of it since they assume that I will win (I will). So we are having a 90 day accountability chart at the gym. It will help me with my continued journey, but it makes me feel like everyone else are cowards. Since the challenge is judged by percentage of weight loss and not number of pounds, anyone that is serious about losing weight could win.

You want to get healthy? Read Dr. Furhman's book "Eat to Live". I follow the program and the weight falls off.

Half-way there ±

I hit the -50 pound mark on Saturday. Hooray! Good for me! Then I went to Father's Day dinner at my in-laws. Oh well, I only gained ½ pound, but it made that ever important number (to me) go up a notch.

Today I go to one of my doctors. He hasn't seen me in 6 months and I've lost those wonderful 50 pounds ±, and my blood pressure is down. At least my blood pressure is down when I take it at home, the drive to Seattle and being in a doctor's office tend to make it go up some. He will be pleased about the weight loss though, it's one of those big bugaboos with him that I was so heavy; let's hope that it means that I can decrease my meds. again.

My niece is on a campaign against feeding treats to children in the classrooms and I happen to agree with her (and not because she is my niece, I am anti-sugar also). Her blog was started as she was training for her Ironman last year. It continues as her battle to improve the health of her family and weight loss. I don't agree with absolutely everything she posts, but... If you are interested in her training or her weight-loss battle her blog is ironmom2011.blogspot.com. It's an interesting read.

My husband left to work out of state for the next few weeks. My goal is to lose 10 pounds while he is gone. Amazingly enough I have a whole bunch of summer clothes that I could wear if I lose 10 pounds and tone up my middle. The yoga is helping to tone up the middle, but those core moves are hard for me to do, but I want my middle to be little so I will practice, practice, practice.

How I lost 100+ pounds

In the spirit of true honesty, I haven't lost 100+ pounds (yet) but I will get there, hopefully this year. I'm tall. I can carry a lot of weight, but 100+ pounds is hard to hide. I am not built like my uber-skinny sister(s), I am curvy. Even when I was at my ideal, workout 5 hours a day weight I had curves; not as many as I have now. I really started to gain weight after college (stopped working out 5 hours a day) and I went on a diet. Biggest mistake I ever made was going on a diet. I believe if I had never dieted I wouldn't have gained the 120+ pounds that eventually layered itself on my frame.

It is mid-June and since January I have lost 43 pounds. However, my weight-loss really clicked in mid-February. It all started with a fitness yoga class at the end of January. I had taken a yoga class before and didn't really like it; everyone in the class was WAY ahead of me and they took themselves SO seriously. In the fitness yoga class, most of my classmates are also beginners AND I get to laugh at myself (I tend to fall over a lot when I'm doing balance poses). What a huge difference. It is hard to do yoga when you are overweight, but if you have an instructor that used to be heavy and understands the struggles and is willing to give you alternatives to the poses, it makes it so much more enjoyable. This yoga clicked and that made me WANT to lose weight. That was Step 1.

Step 2: completely change my eating habits. If you've read Dr Furhman's "Eat to Live" you will know how I changed my eating habits. If you have not I suggest you check it out. In a nutshell this is what I'm doing differently. I hardly ever eat meat. Any meat, no chicken, fish, beef, pork and anything else that classifies as meat. Second I eat a LOT of vegetables, raw and cooked. I really enjoy the soups that my husband puts together using all those interesting vegetables you've never heard of. I also stopped drinking alcohol. I was relaxing with glasses (maybe a bottle) of wine most nights after work. That might have been the hardest thing I did (sugar is very addictive); but it is making the biggest impact.

Step 3: once a month (or less) my husband and I have our "wine and cheese" weekend. Usually it is a special celebration (our anniversary; a birthday party we are attending; vacation) Both of us will gain a little weight on this weekend, but the extra weight falls off quickly. Both of us find that after this weekend it is a bit hard to get back into the swing of things (sugar is very addictive).

FYI, my husband has lost 60 pounds and is almost at his goal.