Losing weight in spite of myself.

I began this blog in February 2011 as a way to help me not quit trying to lose weight, and to learn a few things. It's been an interesting and powerful experience. It certainly confirms what I've long suspected--that although I am a genuinely happy cheery person in the main, I am NOT a happy cheery dieter. I DETEST losing weight. I resent being overweight in the first place and I am a virtuoso in the art of self-sabotage. And YET--I'm doing it! I'm fighting and kicking and EATING all the way down, but the weight is finally going down. The plan I was following in February was a half-baked one largely based on wishful thinking. I gained a little weight and decided to get real. I knew I couldn't just join weightwatchers or count calories or do any one plan and expect to be successful. I decided if I was going to bother to make the effort to lose weight I was going to throw everything I could think of at the problem. And so I do. My real "Day One" for this blog is April 1, 2011. I joined weight watchers, I joined caloriecount.com (awesome website), I read the blog losingweighteveryday.blogspot.com religiously, I keep this blog faithfully, I joined the health programs sponsored by my insurance, I use the principles from overeater's anonymous, I use my church's 12 step program as well, I subscribe--and use--Healthy Cooking Magazine.



The result of all this? Painfully slow progress (About 20 lbs in 10 months). But it IS progress and like the little engine that could I keep on trying in my rebellious way. I have no intention of quitting. This is by far the longest sustained weight loss effort I've ever made in my life. Successful I think, because for the first in my life I've done this MY way--which I've discovered, involves a lot of pizza and restaraunt food. I'm convinced this is the only way to lose weight. For me it must be MY way. For you it MUST be YOUR way. Not weight watcher's way, not your doctor's way, but YOUR way. Any plan or idea I use is only a tool.

The latest plan to lose weight my way began on Oct 29, 2013. It really is my own crazy plan. As you'll see if you read that post. I've implemented the best ideas of all sorts of eating plans and thrown out the scale. A couple of months in and I'm definitely healthier. I'm actually enjoying myself. I won't weigh until April 1, 2014, so I'll see then if this works the way I hope it will.

There is no magic weight loss bullet. But there IS a great deal of magic in the discovery of what I can happily live with (very different from what weight watchers tells me I can happily live with) and still have the body and health I want.

Good luck to all of us on this journey. It's quite a trip!







Saturday, September 29, 2012

OUCH!!!

OWWWWW--NEVER will I do another half-marathon without really good prep!! Just walking to work and back does NOT do the job!! The huntsville marathon was downhill and gorgeous and I had good friends, but oh my gosh! At mile 5 I felt as though one of my preventative toe bandaids had slipped. Uh no. That was skin slipping off. Got a bandaid on that--and that was really the only blister problem I had. I HUGE improvement! Actually, the first 6 miles went really well---below Disney marathon speed. At mile 8 the heavy birthday dinner I ate last night at Lisa made itself felt--luckily a porta-potty was near and I felt much better after. Between miles 9 and 10 my legs from the calves down started feeling weird, about mile 11 the cramping started. Nausea began coming back. I tried to drink a little at the aid station but couldn't manage much. I ate an apple hoping this was an electrolyte problem and the apple might help. I think it did help a little--but those last two miles were really rough. I was NOT walking fast, and I felt badly for holding my friends back--they simply would not go on ahead! I was dying to just find some shade and collapse, but at the end of the race when I finall tried doing that--I couldn't!! Sitting or lying down made my legs seize up. Dave came then. I limped around in a small circle for over an hour, and threw up a little before I dared to try to sit in the car for the trip home. Never again! I love half-marathons, but I want to RUN them in reasonable amounts of time without major meltdowns at the end. Happily, with a snowcone, some ice-chips some ibu-profin and some water I recovered enough that I could rest for a few hours when we got home. I feel fine now except for the normal sore feet. I celebrated with Pie calzones and cheesy bread (of course my stomach is fine). Now I'm on my way to soak in a very hot bath and hopefully enjoy a good night's sleep sans cramps.

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