Hey y'all.
Fun fact: I was born and raised in Virginia where the phrase y'all is used quite frequently, as you can imagine. I haven't lived there since 2000 and I still use y'all like it's going out of style.
And I probably always will.
It's been a long week. Nothing too stressful happened. It was more like time just seemed to move at a brutally slow pace. However, tis Friday and therefore I shall rejoice.
Hurrah! Hurrah!
Weigh In: -1.2 lbs
Rejoice again I shall.
Hurrah! Hurrah!
If my math is right (and it always is- Tony Stark) since January 2nd, I have lost 13.8 pounds. That's huge! If memory serves, that's the most consistent weight loss I've ever had in my adult life with relative ease.
For years I have always either counted calories or points. I always stayed within what was the appropriate calorie deficit for my height and weight but I rarely lost consistent weight. And if I did, seeing more than a pound loss total per month was a joyous occasion for me. And I ALWAYS worked out. HARD. I ran, I lifted weights, I played sports, I did it all. Up until January 2013 that has always been my plan. I followed my points/calories, I worked out 5-6 days a week and I'd pray for the weight loss to happen. And I usually felt horrible. I was usually hungry, craving some sort of take-out/fast food item. Or counting the seconds til the weekend when I could have my "cheat day" and finally be satisfied. I also felt like I had no control over the situation. I felt like I had no control over what I was eating.
When I was younger, this sort of worked for me. I was able to keep serious weight gain at bay but never really got the results I wanted. But as I got older (especially in the last couple of years) it eventually became this cycle that wore me to the bone. Monday thru Friday I was diligent. I always stayed within my daily points/calories and I got in my workouts (intense hour plus long workouts). But I was either always hungry or always wishing I was eating something else. I didn't want to touch those Weekly Points because I wanted them for the weekend. And then the weekend would come and I would eat those "naughty" items. I wouldn't go over my points (most of the time) but I would relish every last one. And then come Monday morning, I'd weigh 5 pounds heavier due to my weekend splurges. And then during the work week, I'd be diligent again and slowly would lose those 5 pounds and if I was really, really lucky maybe an extra quarter pound would come off too. But then the weekend would come and I would do it over again.
And that made for some terribly slow weight loss. Or rather, it made for some non-existent weight loss.
From mid September 2012 to the end of December 2012 I had been on WW for 15 weeks. At the end of those 15 weeks I had lost 0.2 pounds total.
See what I mean? Vicious cycle.
And while I knew this was going on I still felt like something was wrong with me. Like there was nothing left for me to try to lose weight because it just wasn't working for me.
Then in January of this year I changed everything about the way I ate. And if I'm going to be honest, I was pretty scared to do it. I'd like to say I was so frustrated about my weight (and I was) that I was just hell-bent on changing everything to get results. But even knowing that change was necessary to get what I DESPERATELY wanted (weight-loss), I was afraid to give up eating certain foods.
It was my own Sophie's Choice. Did I want to be miserable in my body (because I was starting to become that way) but be able to eat whatever deliciousness I wanted OR did I want to try to make some dietary changes which would most definitely make me healthier and just might make me lose some weight?
I easily made the decision to change my diet but in the weeks leading up to my designated date (I chose January 2), I had all sorts of negative feelings about it. I was doubtful it would work, I was scared I would miss food too much, I was nervous that my life would be miserable because I couldn't eat whatever I wanted.
I seriously had that thought. That I would have a miserable existence because I was cutting unhealthy food out of my life. That's just not right.
There are people who CAN eat whatever they want and maintain a healthy life and weight. I am not one of those people.
I have NEVER been one of those people.
So after a couple months of preparation and because of other on-goings in my life, on January 2nd, I started a particular elimination diet that would eventually change my way of thinking. I cut out the processed food and other items and ended up learning that my body doesn't do well on certain foods. Apparently my body does not like gluten, dairy and to a small degree soy and eggs.
And from there, my world changed.
I lost weight even though I wasn't exercising. I taught myself that taking things out of your diet doesn't mean you have nothing left to eat, in fact, there are usually too many choices! I learned that certain foods have an excessive amount of control over me and when I stop eating them, I take back ALL control. And I learned that it's still hard work.
There is no band-aid people. No matter which path your body takes you on, there will always be hard work along the way.
None of these revelations were overnight. I still struggle with feelings of success and failure. I still have moments where I wish I were "normal". But they aren't as bad as they used to be. Thank God. But the best thing I've learned is that changing my diet did NOT make me miserable :)
What I did this week:
1. I earned probably around 15 AP. I did five 30 Day Shred workouts. I took an extra day off due to crazy muscle soreness. I don't know what it is about level 2 but it makes my hips and lower back hurt crazy bad. I think it's the last ab exercise, the plank while bringing your knee over. Whatever it is, it makes for some serious body soreness.
2. I ate 214 points for the week (I do not count AP towards my total)
3. Water = :)
4. What I ate. This past week I made my homemade Big Macs, chef salad, soup au pistou (fancy name for vegetable soup to which I added chicken), roasted chicken lettuce wraps, and chicken scampi. I also indulged in some larabars, peanut butter, and sushi. But not at the same time. (I'll be trying my hand at homemade larabars this weekend. If I'm successful I'll let you know)
Today's Menu:
B: Larabar
L: Chef Salad + Apple
D: Soup au Pistou ** and probably some sushi ;)
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