I’ve struggled with my weight all my life. I lost 100+ pounds at 22, then again at 36, then again at 40. Last May at 46, I looked at my wedding pictures with horror and started fresh. I’ve lost 65 pounds since then and need to lose another 65. I hope to be at my goal by the end of 2011.
The halfway point is a difficult place to be, motivation-wise. I’m no longer in plus sizes, I can do pretty much anything I want to do – hike, bike, snowshoe, spend all day wandering a museum – without getting over-tired, winded, or in pain. So why keep going to my goal weight?
The bottom line is, I’m still obese. Unhealthily overweight. And, for cardiovascular health, the yoyo needs to stop! I need to make these lifestyle changes permanent. Though I have goals in weight number and clothing size, there really is no finish line. I won’t be done and be able to go back to overeating and not exercising. As you can see from the yoyo listed above, I will gain the weight back fast if I don’t establish permanent healthy habits.
So how? I’m using Sparkpeople.com for calorie tracking and support, the bodybugg system to keep me honest about calories burned, and clean eating for general dietary guidelines.
When I say general dietary guidelines, I don’t mean any sort of restrictive weight loss program. It just means what I eat. I count calories, and usually stay within a range of 1400-1600 calories per day.
There are tons of dietary choices out there. My personal choice was to adopt eating habits I would be comfortable sticking with for long term. That means I don’t eliminate any foods I enjoy. I eat chocolate. I eat eggs. I eat bread. For me, it’s all about portion control.
I am firmly opposed to diets. When I’m dieting, I constantly feel tempted to cheat. If I do cheat, I feel that I’m justified eating anything I want until the next day, because after all today’s totally blown isn’t it? Sometimes I even try to justify keeping up the cheating until Monday, because what’s the point of starting over on Friday?
Sure, sometimes I go over planned calories. Sometimes I eat ice cream and that pushes me over the top. But it’s not violating any sort of code or restriction. It’s not cheating. It’s not an excuse to have cookies and some pizza too.
A few weeks ago we went on a cruise to the Bahamas. What fun! We had a blast. Even with lots of exercise, I still gained 5 pounds. I ate a lot, and enjoyed it. When the vacation was over, I started right back to my customary eating habits and 4 of the 5 pounds disappeared in the first week. I lost the 5th pound last week, so I’m back to pre-cruise weight.
The moral is: if you eat more than you planned, stop and return to plan that same day. The longer you put it off, the longer it will take to make up for the difference.
What I have restricted is processed foods. Pre-packaged meals are not going to be as satisfying or healthy as home-cooked meals. They’re full of sugar, fat, salt, and confusing chemical compounds. They have less fiber, and thus are less filling. They are carefully designed to make you want more.
One of the hardest processed food habits to break was breakfast cereal. I love breakfast cereal. Even most of the “healthy” ones are loaded with fat, sugar, and salt. So I’ve switched to oatmeal (of course avoiding the pre-sweetened/flavored ones). Prepared with water, cinnamon and some fruit, it’s a satisfying meal that fills you up without all the crap.
The biggest challenge of avoiding processed foods is that I’m a lazy cook. Recipes I like usually feature the words “easy” and “quick.” So I usually prepare my own packaged meals. I cook soups and stews once a week and freeze in individual portions. When I need a meal, I grab a portion out of the freezer and microwave. Presto! A quick meal that’s healthy and satisfying.
This also is a great help in portion control. If my food is pre-portioned, I’m less likely to over-eat. If I’m still hungry, I drink some water and wait a half-hour. Usually by then my “full” sensor has kicked in and I don’t want more. Tuesday night it worked really well. We had chicken, veggies, and rice. My husband and I both ate enthusiastically, agreeing it was delicious. When we were done, we both wanted more just because it was so tasty. But we agreed to wait. After a half hour I said: “I wish I was hungry so I could have some more, but I’m not.” For me, this was a major win. I put the rest of it in the fridge, and we enjoyed it again Wednesday night.
I portion out nearly everything. If I buy trail mix or nuts, as soon as I get home I divide it into individual servings of about a quarter cup. Each serving goes into a zipper bag. Then when I want a snack, I grab a serving bag. It’s usually enough. But if I’d sat down with the whole can of nuts, I’d probably finish it in one sitting.
For work, I bring enough snacks (2 per day) and enough fruit (1 per day) for the week and keep them in my desk drawer. Each morning I bring my lunch in a thermos (if soup/stew) or plastic bowl (if salad). Everything pre-portioned.
Take care, everybody, and keep us posted on how you’re doing.