THE WEIGHT IS OVER...RATED

If you look at the magazine rack, you will see that almost every woman’s magazine has an article about weight loss.  It’s an issue that keeps the profits rolling in if anyone even mentions that they have a solution.  Well, I’ve purchased my fair share of magazines and perused through articles hoping to find the magic answer, but I’ve found that aside from hiring the next plastic surgeon, I’m going to have to work hard, be disciplined, and suck it up (not in) if I want to fit into my jeans.  I try to bring perspective into my weight loss efforts on a regular basis otherwise that’s all I can think about and I don’t want to rob my life of enjoyment.  Though it does take effort, this journey can’t BE my life, it just has to be part of my life.  It’s funny how we look at pictures of ourselves and think we are sooooo fat.  And then, a few years later we’ll get that same picture out after we’ve gained a few pounds and think “boy I look pretty good in that picture!”`  So, I’ve learned that we don’t always look as bad as we think we do.  I’m also as healthy as a lark and so I don’t want to miss out on what life has for me if I’m constantly obsessing over my weight.  I have learned that I need to be thankful for what I have and what I’m able to accomplish. 

Needless to say, my weight loss journey has been a success and so I hope that if you’re struggling in that area, that I can inspire you that you can do it!  It has taken me almost one year to lose 10 pounds.  Sounds easy right?  If you do the math, you’re suppose to burn roughly 3,000 calories for every pound you want to lose so I only need to burn 30,000 calories.  That equals 75 spin classes.  But, the scale hasn’t quite cooperated the way I think it should unless I jump off of it when it hits the number I want.  But, the crazy thing is that last night I put on the same dress I wore a little over a year ago when I was the same weight that I am now.  Oddly, that dress didn’t fit…in a good way!  It was too big!  So, the scale can be a bit deceptive.  In any event, here’s a summary of where I’ve been and where I’m going…..

Before I was pregnant with Micah almost three years ago, I consistently weighed about 150 pounds (and I always fluctuate within 5 pounds….for example 150-155).  I didn’t weigh that much until we moved out to West Omaha and had every restaurant imaginable available to us.  We ate a ton!  Literally….

So, then I get the surprise of my life of being pregnant, and I balloon to a whopping 200 pounds.  If I took my jewelry and shoes off, I don’t think I quite made it to 200 but I was close thanks to Cheesecake Factory and Dairy Queen.  That was a miserable weight because I couldn’t even walk to the back of Walmart to get milk.  But, I knew this was probably going to be my last pregnancy and I wanted to seize every moment to eat for two people while I could.

Thankfully, after delivering Micah my thyroid became my friend as it went into overdrive, but also through some portion control and exercise, I dropped quickly into a normal weight well under the 150 I was carrying before. 

Then in January of 2010 I started the C25K running program and in March started going to the gym regularly.  At that point in life, I might have been weighing 140 pounds, but I felt as strong as an ox.  I had much more energy and endurance, I felt good, and I enjoyed that I could wear shorts and cute dresses.  I felt more emotionally balanced and as my earlier blogs pointed out, some things in my life started to come into perspective. 

But, I wanted to hit my goal weight of 135 so right before my 40^th birthday, I was motivated like a champ to get there.  And, I did!  But, I’m still fluctuating at those 5 pounds (135-140) and I want to get down to 130 so I can fluctuate in between 130-135.  So, 5 pounds to go….

If you want to know the secret, there’s really not much to it.  Here’s a few things I do that might help you get started…

·         Be honest about where you are at and be realistic about your goals

·         Remember you are not alone – there’s plenty of support out there from people who’ve been there before or are on the journey right alongside of you

·         Put health as your number one priority over the number on the scale

·         Exercise…I exercise a lot but I find the things I enjoy doing so that it doesn’t feel like work.  I actually WANT to exercise.  I take spin class which is my first and favorite activity and I’m hoping to do Ragbrai this summer or next.  But, it’s just important to get up and move on a regular basis instead of sitting all of the time (at my job, I try to get up at least every 30 minutes and stand while working on stuff).  In order to keep going, I’ve schedule things like the Warrior Dash to keep me motivated to not quit – this is a lifestyle not a phase. 

·         If you have an event to go to, say a cruise for instance, enjoy it and don’t beat yourself up.  We just went on our first cruise, and I wasn’t going to feel depressed about what I ate.  I knew I was going to eat and I knew I was going to come home and NOT continue to eat like that.  Give yourself a break once in a while and enjoy life.

·         Don’t give up if you have a setback and go back to the old ways.  Just pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and move on.

·         Eat….and enjoy it.  I eat what I want but I usually only take a few bites of what I want and then I feel satisfied (unless it’s Sunday which is my free for all day…bring on the cupcakes!).  With that being said, here’s some of our eating habits:

1.       We hardly ever eat out.  This not only saves the calories but also the moola.

2.       We buy food that is free of hormones and antibiotics and try to buy organic when we can.  We make sure our meat has been treated with dignity and that it had a happy life (preferably grass fed and cage free).  It just makes me feel better….

3.       For some sweets, I like to eat Lavish Dark Chocolate Oatmeal with a spoonful of peanut butter for breakfast.  For snacks, I eat a few chocolate animal crackers or ritz crackers dippled in peanut butter and sprinkled with a few chocolate chips.  I eat a lot of nuts, fruits and I’m still working on increasing more veggies.

4.       I don’t eat late at night, and I eat when I’m hungry.

So, cheer me on as I try to hit my goal weight and I’m here to cheer you on if you need a boost to get started to or to keep going.  While I was running one day, I thought about starting an online prayer group or some support group if you just wanted some encouragement in this area.  I don’t know what that looks like in reality, but I am your biggest cheerleader – you can do it!  In the words of Stuart Smalley, “you are good enough, you are smart enough, and doggone it, people like you!”