Whew! By the skin of my teeth, I was able to claim a fifty pound loss from November 21, 2010 to February 25, 2011. THIS IS AFTER EATING MY WEIGHT IN BACON ON SATURDAY! Ok, so that was super hyperbolic... I did not actually eat my weight in bacon, but I had several slices of chocolate covered bacon, three peanut butter bacon cookies, less than one ounce of double smoked bacon that was so delicious I wanted to cry, and even bacon-flavored popcorn. I ate a few chips with dip after my resolve was down from eating all that sugar (and likely awakening my then-resting pancreas). I ate vegetables before I went to Baconfest (it was at my dear friend's house) and more when I got there before I ate the sugary and fatty foods. After a few chips with a bit of dip, I moved myself into a different room and focused on my friends and their conversations. It was a strategy that worked well.
I knew that I was going to be indulging, so I planned for it. I had eaten one less Ideal Protein food the day of and the day before Baconfest, and I ate one less the day after, too. I ate the bare minimum - three foods. The week before that I had four foods most days because when it's really cold out, like it's been here, I get a lot hungrier. I have even split up a chocolate drink packet over two or three days by putting a third or half in with my coffee at work. It's less sweet that way, and it's just enough to stave off hunger if I don't have a long break. (it's not uncommon for me to get hungry while I massage folks, and I don't usually work very long shifts so I don't really need a break )
So... fifty pounds. I'm wearing the skinniest jeans I've ever worn as an adult.... and I must wear a belt with them! My uniform, black scrubs, which are actually more cute than you might imagine, is hanging loosely on me. My shorts, which I had stopped wearing because they were getting too tight, all need belts now. My husband told me to go get some pants! In 18 years of marriage, my husband has never told me to go buy clothes! Whoa!
Hubby (Rob) totally gets it. The other morning he got himself a breakfast sandwich at Subway, and he brought me home a salad! He even had them put just two tomato slices on it because he didn't know if I could have them (I can eat tomatoes once a week on the program). He knew not to get dressing on it because I make my own, too. Lean meats made it a great breakfast!! Rob is amazed at my body changing, even down to how I move. I'm officially skinnier than I was on the day I got married in 1992. I was 20 years old, and definitely chubby. I still feel chubby around my midsection (visceral fat) but when I look at those old pictures, I know my dress fit more snugly than when I put it on two days ago. Yep, that's right, I can zip up my wedding dress more easily than I could the day I first wore it! (thankfully, it was not tight, just form-fitting)
In my next post, I will talk about how my cooking has been changed in a few ways. I'll give some tips to my Ideal Protein program participants, too - there are ways to make this lifestyle a lot more palatable than folks think!
Be well - Namaste!
Sunflower
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Not "skinny" nor "bitch".
January 14, 2011.
221/188/??? - Nov 26, 2011 to May 25, 2011 (starting weight/current weight/goal weight - start and projected finish of Ideal Protein program.
I didn't post for a while, and while I was not posting, that lack of accountability didn't do me any favors. I've been nibbling. More when it's cold, and only the most delicious bits. My weight loss was only two pounds the last two weeks. Well, ok, two pounds each week. Less than the weeks previously, but not a terrible thing, to lose 2 pounds a week of just the fat.
Why the nibbling, lately? Hi, I'm Sunflower, and I am a compulsive overeater. Well, I was. The problem started pretty early on. in my life. I remember eating extra snacks as far back as first grade.
Now, at age 38, I understand that some basic body chemistry issues and lack of exercise contributed to my "lack of willpower" that was always assumed of me. I was chubby, but bullied into thinking I was a gigantic fat person. A friend asked if I could stay for lunch, and her response was to me. "Now are you SURE you didn't eat lunch before you left home?" Good grief, I was a very tough, indignant
twelve year old, but that was humiliating.
It was after that specific comment that my problem escalated. Suddenly, I realized that this could happen again, and that next time, the person could choose to disbelieve me, and I'd have to go hungry. That is when I started stashing food. I had food on me a lot - just in case. Then, I would nibble that throughout the day. I would simply forget that I originally intended for that food to save me, not hurt me.
Hurting myself is what my weight was doing, what my eating habits were doing to myself esteem. The theory of sugar addiction was curious to me for years. Now that I've had two periods of my life avoiding almost all sugars, I can say that I do not want to go back to eating sugary food/drinks all the time. I do not want to add sugars to my system without keeping track of them.
It's very, very easy to add forgettable foods into our everyday eating patterns. Pass the professional admin's desk, swipe a mini-candy-bar. At the dessert bar, put on extra whipped cream. After work cocktail hour - you're trying to be good, so you have no alcohol, but you eat a handful of peanuts and stale bar mix and a soda. That's at least 200 calories that only had a few grams of nutritional value. That's making the body use energy to store ... energy.
With the Ideal Protein program, I feel like I'm getting exactly the right amount of energy. My body is breaking down fat - I know because my husband says I'm smaller all the way around. It's working, and I'm not feeling anything but excellent - I shoveled for my usual two and a half hours with only some cramps in my left thigh the next day. Pretty good for pushing 40!
What has helped me keep from being boring is how I've been preparing my food. I love experimenting with the spicy and strong flavors when I make my salad in the evening. Two kinds of lettuce, green bell peppers, celery, cucumbers, dill pickles, and raw onions, with copious amount of baby spinach, all get put into a huge bowl. At the evening meal, I love to put freshly squished garlic into my salad - I usually prefer to roast it. Then I add cider vinegar and a bit of grape seed oil, with herbs, and then vigorously mix the salad up. For more fun, add in horseradish or/and hot mustard (with no sugar). Mmmm, I love the intensity of this dish!
At least 20 people a week tell me that I look "so good", and it's nice to have a little bit of that, but I realize it's a shortcut for some people. I mean, "way to reduce your probability of stroke, type II Diabetes and
atheroschlerosis!" is a wee bit awkward. I'll take "you look so good" any day of the week.
On the flip side, I am not a huge fan of being called "skinny" as a compliment. I'm beautiful at any size, so telling me that being "skinny" has made me more valuable in your life is not appreciated but not given that much weight, either. (pun was not meant).
I'm really not a fan of being called a "bitch" for losing weight or having discipline, either. I know that there is a book that is called "Skinny Bitch" that has inspired a lot of people. I read it and I like their mentality. They knew they needed a name that would get people to look at it. I do not begrudge them for a moment for that. Their no-excuses mentality is helpful, for sure. To me, there's a huge difference between calling a book "Skinny Bitch" and being labeled (even if it is a "joke") a "bitch" for body size. One of the least judgemental people I ever met was a size "zero" and hated the assumption that she was stuck up just because she was skinny.
Eating Ideal Protein was easier than trying to get lunch in the Newport Marriott during a National Sales Meeting lunchbreak - in winter! I just went up to my room, and ate the yogurt I had made earlier and chilled in the in-room refrigerator and had a bunch of vegetables that I had brought with me. I had intended to keep them in my cooler with ice from the hotel, but the small refrigerator was perfect for my veggies. Score for me!
Every day I'm making choices that are mostly good ones, and I'm being reminded of how little I really need. With no sugar in my system, I'm even forgetting to eat! But I will eat when I think about it. I am not
swinging towards anorexia.
I think I'm swinging back to just being me, with a healthy pancreas and a healthier relationship to food. Hooray!
Namaste,
Sunflower!
221/188/??? - Nov 26, 2011 to May 25, 2011 (starting weight/current weight/goal weight - start and projected finish of Ideal Protein program.
I didn't post for a while, and while I was not posting, that lack of accountability didn't do me any favors. I've been nibbling. More when it's cold, and only the most delicious bits. My weight loss was only two pounds the last two weeks. Well, ok, two pounds each week. Less than the weeks previously, but not a terrible thing, to lose 2 pounds a week of just the fat.
Why the nibbling, lately? Hi, I'm Sunflower, and I am a compulsive overeater. Well, I was. The problem started pretty early on. in my life. I remember eating extra snacks as far back as first grade.
Now, at age 38, I understand that some basic body chemistry issues and lack of exercise contributed to my "lack of willpower" that was always assumed of me. I was chubby, but bullied into thinking I was a gigantic fat person. A friend asked if I could stay for lunch, and her response was to me. "Now are you SURE you didn't eat lunch before you left home?" Good grief, I was a very tough, indignant
twelve year old, but that was humiliating.
It was after that specific comment that my problem escalated. Suddenly, I realized that this could happen again, and that next time, the person could choose to disbelieve me, and I'd have to go hungry. That is when I started stashing food. I had food on me a lot - just in case. Then, I would nibble that throughout the day. I would simply forget that I originally intended for that food to save me, not hurt me.
Hurting myself is what my weight was doing, what my eating habits were doing to myself esteem. The theory of sugar addiction was curious to me for years. Now that I've had two periods of my life avoiding almost all sugars, I can say that I do not want to go back to eating sugary food/drinks all the time. I do not want to add sugars to my system without keeping track of them.
It's very, very easy to add forgettable foods into our everyday eating patterns. Pass the professional admin's desk, swipe a mini-candy-bar. At the dessert bar, put on extra whipped cream. After work cocktail hour - you're trying to be good, so you have no alcohol, but you eat a handful of peanuts and stale bar mix and a soda. That's at least 200 calories that only had a few grams of nutritional value. That's making the body use energy to store ... energy.
With the Ideal Protein program, I feel like I'm getting exactly the right amount of energy. My body is breaking down fat - I know because my husband says I'm smaller all the way around. It's working, and I'm not feeling anything but excellent - I shoveled for my usual two and a half hours with only some cramps in my left thigh the next day. Pretty good for pushing 40!
What has helped me keep from being boring is how I've been preparing my food. I love experimenting with the spicy and strong flavors when I make my salad in the evening. Two kinds of lettuce, green bell peppers, celery, cucumbers, dill pickles, and raw onions, with copious amount of baby spinach, all get put into a huge bowl. At the evening meal, I love to put freshly squished garlic into my salad - I usually prefer to roast it. Then I add cider vinegar and a bit of grape seed oil, with herbs, and then vigorously mix the salad up. For more fun, add in horseradish or/and hot mustard (with no sugar). Mmmm, I love the intensity of this dish!
At least 20 people a week tell me that I look "so good", and it's nice to have a little bit of that, but I realize it's a shortcut for some people. I mean, "way to reduce your probability of stroke, type II Diabetes and
atheroschlerosis!" is a wee bit awkward. I'll take "you look so good" any day of the week.
On the flip side, I am not a huge fan of being called "skinny" as a compliment. I'm beautiful at any size, so telling me that being "skinny" has made me more valuable in your life is not appreciated but not given that much weight, either. (pun was not meant).
I'm really not a fan of being called a "bitch" for losing weight or having discipline, either. I know that there is a book that is called "Skinny Bitch" that has inspired a lot of people. I read it and I like their mentality. They knew they needed a name that would get people to look at it. I do not begrudge them for a moment for that. Their no-excuses mentality is helpful, for sure. To me, there's a huge difference between calling a book "Skinny Bitch" and being labeled (even if it is a "joke") a "bitch" for body size. One of the least judgemental people I ever met was a size "zero" and hated the assumption that she was stuck up just because she was skinny.
Eating Ideal Protein was easier than trying to get lunch in the Newport Marriott during a National Sales Meeting lunchbreak - in winter! I just went up to my room, and ate the yogurt I had made earlier and chilled in the in-room refrigerator and had a bunch of vegetables that I had brought with me. I had intended to keep them in my cooler with ice from the hotel, but the small refrigerator was perfect for my veggies. Score for me!
Every day I'm making choices that are mostly good ones, and I'm being reminded of how little I really need. With no sugar in my system, I'm even forgetting to eat! But I will eat when I think about it. I am not
swinging towards anorexia.
I think I'm swinging back to just being me, with a healthy pancreas and a healthier relationship to food. Hooray!
Namaste,
Sunflower!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)