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.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
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.
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.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
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.
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.
Friday, July 6, 2012
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.
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.
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