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.