Weight Loss (post 1)

This is going to be a few parts long. This is meant to give people a general idea of things they could try. Everyone is different and nothing will work the same for all. Also please be kind. I'm sharing personal things that most people are not brave enough to share honestly on their drivers licenses. ;)

I have always had issues with weight. Personal and mental issues. My family has a lot of diabetics in it on my fathers side and they are all tall big-boned Swedes. My mother who is much smaller-framed and French/English was ALWAYS so worried about me getting big when I got older. She was correct. When I was in her house she did her best to lock away sweets and tell me that if I did not watch it I would become diabetic and large like my grandmother. She meant well, but constantly being told from the age of 8-21 "Don't eat that you will get fat." Or "Your arms are like your grandmothers", who had old-lady fat chicken wings in my mind. My favorite is "your chin is so narrow it won't/doesn't carry weight well" because it's true. She also has a look. You know that look that some well-meaning mothers have... I don't even think she knows she has that look... but its the "you don't look good in that tank top" kind of look. Don't start thinking I blame my mom for my issues, I don't. She meant well and was correct, I just took it all very poorly.

This may seem strange to some people but I thought this was the way to do it for me. My goal was to loose weight but also get healthier at the same time. No crash diets or cleanses and just cutting out bad things for me. From the start I knew it was not going to be fast. I needed to be healthy not just look better. This included quitting smoking, drinking, fake sweeteners, avoiding chemically altered meat/dairy, and some artificial flavors/colors.

I divided my weight loss into 3 sections/goals. This is better to do than looking at a LARGE numbers and thinking oh I have 40 or 80 pounds to loose. Me, I want to go from 225 down to 180. Better to think I have 10 or 15 to pounds to go and not 45. The larger the number the simpler it is to get frustrated and just give up, as I have in the past.

I started off at 225lbs. Some days I measure 6 foot and some 5'11. At that weight, my height and age I was over the line for obese according to BMI on this page here. This page is a guide for BMI and IBW (Ideal Body Weight). Each of these will not get me to my goal because I have a large frame and people with my frame plus being tall as me are far and few between. It's hard to get an accurate idea of what the average is. I'm not giving excuses for being fat. I was fat and obese in my own eyes but but because of my build people around me just considered me over weight. I wore size 16 or 14 (depending on the brand) jeans and thats not big. I would give a dress size but it's been so long since I've worn a dress... I have no idea what it is, or was. BUT being 6 foot, of a large frame and fat, I was so big compared to others that I intimidate small children. :(

First goal was to get below 215. This was tricky for me because around the time I decided I needed to loose weight I realized that I was sensitive to aspartame. You know the stuff that is in ALL diet foods.*sigh*

This meant cutting out soda. Diet Dr. Pepper to be exact. It was my go to soda, I was drinking a 24 pack in about 2-3 days. After doing a lot of reading on diet foods, apparently, while aspartame has no calories it makes it hard for people to loose weight. Something to do with the chemicals in it. Don't ask me I'm no scientist. *durrr*

So I needed a new drink... yes, I could drink coffee all day but that maybe counter active to the heath aspect of this plan. No I'm not giving up my 4-6 cup a day habit but I did alter it.

So water it is. I don't like flat water much so I got a soda stream. You know the make your own soda machine every kid on the block wants. It's basically a CO2 tank with an injector.  Like this one....

I started drinking carbonated lemon water. Not bad but sometimes I wanted something with more to it so I looked into the labels on the diet soda stream flavors. Most of them use Splenda. Splenda is not as bad as aspartame but its not great. I only drink this on occasion.

Other things I did was started eating breakfast, started using Stevia in the Raw as a sweetener, switched from 1/2 and 1/2 in my coffee to almond milk (see my Milk Alternative 101 post for more info), started buying 'natural' meats/dairy and got a fitbit zip.

My fitbit zip is a pedometer. This way I really know when I'm being lazy. The thing makes a :p face at me when I'm not doing much. The fitbit program has a goal of 10,000 steps a day and that equals 5 miles for me. Kinda nuts so my own goal at this point was 5,000 steps a day. I did not hit my goal much when I first started.  The zip has a phone app and it tracks everything, you can even log your food and cal intake on this thing. It's pretty spiffy. At this point I'm considering upgrading to a fitbit force because it has a sleep tracker as well and that just makes it even more spiffy. ;)

It took a few months to really get the hang of all the changes I was doing. It's important that if you start to feel overwhelmed take a step back and reassess what you are doing and consider the reasons you decided you are doing it. I had to do this a few times. I don't think I could have given up soda if it was not for the aspartame reactions I was having.

After a little acclimation to all the new things I was doing I was still smoking and drinking. I was eating the things I liked but just ore aware of what was in them. I was actuly eating MORE food and loosing weight. Kinda nuts but I lost 10 pounds really fast. Almost too fast. Most people don't know this but loosing more than one - two pounds a week is not healthy no-matter what most diets say.

Once all that was done the next 'health thing' to do was quitting smoking. *sigh* I've tried this so many times and failed just as many times. I was really worried I would gain back the weight I had lost. I tried something not all of you will agree with. It's kinda controversial but it worked. Electronic cigarettes. I'll be making a future blog post about e-cigs. As of today I (and my husband) have not had a cigarette in 108 days and have 1/2ed our nicotine intake. I did gain 2 pounds back in Jan., when I first quit, but got them off fairly quickly.

Once I hit 215 my 2ed goal was to get to 200. I just got my second weight goal down this week. :) Now the last 20 pounds and I will be at MY ideal weight. Did I mention BMI is bullshit yet? If not.... BMI IS BULLSHIT. Just being perfectly clear. :)

Next is quitting drinking. I like vodka. I'm not an alcoholic or anything but I do drink almost every weekend so my weight loss is kinda put off on the weekends when I take in all the extra empty calories. It will be nice not to have any vices... ok, you got me. No vices that are regulated but the government. Caffeine does not count! :p

Being down 25 pounds may be a lot to a shorter person. For me its not much. I just have so much more mass to spread the weight around in. I'm still in size 14 jeans but not some much in the 16's anymore. I may adjust my weight goal down even more once I get to 180 but that will depend on my personal idea of what I should be. Not some antiquated or stylish notion of what is healthy.

I don't know if this helps anyone but it helps me. I still battle everyday when I look in the mirror. I lift my arms and see the fat chicken wings and I hear my mothers voice. I see pictures of me smiling and I don't want to show them to others because I see chins.  It's hard but I honestly think that with a bit of work it will get better. Gradually.